Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II (SEL2470GM2) with its hood. Photo: Henry Söderlund via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)
HIGHLIGHTS
Sony announced the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II (SEL2470GM2) on April 27, 2022 at $2,300, six years after the original. It weighs 695 g, which Sony puts at about 20% lighter than the first G Master, and it's 16 mm shorter with about 18% less volume. The optics are new: 20 elements in 15 groups, with five aspherical elements (two of them XA), two ED and two Super ED, plus Nano AR Coating II and a fluorine-coated front element. An 11-blade circular aperture keeps out-of-focus highlights round.
Close-up work improves a lot: it focuses to 0.21 m at 24mm (0.3 m at 70mm) for 0.32x magnification, against 0.24x on the first version. Four XD Linear Motors and a floating focus mechanism drive AF, and Sony quotes about twice the original's AF tracking while zooming, plus support for 30 fps bursts on the α1 and AF at 4K 120p. For video it adds an aperture ring with click on/off and iris lock, a zoom smooth/tight switch, Linear Response MF, two focus hold buttons and support for in-camera Breathing Compensation. The hood has a window for turning a circular polarizer, and the design is dust- and moisture-resistant (Sony says not guaranteed 100%).
Our gallery comes from three photographers: white blossom on a dark background at 70mm, wine glasses in bokeh at f/2.8, old wooden doors at f/2.8, a bare tree crown, a concrete drain on a frozen pond in Hof and the Arc de Triomphe at night. The bodies are an a7R IVA, an a7R V and an α1. If you don't need the lighter build, closer focus or video controls, Sony still sells the original FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM.
The story
Sony Electronics announced the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II on April 27, 2022, saying it would be available in June for $2,300 (Sony Electronics, via PR Newswire).
Sony called it the smallest and lightest autofocus full-frame 24-70mm F2.8 zoom as of the April 2022 announcement.
Specifications
Key specs for the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II, from Sony Japan's SEL2470GM2 specifications page, Sony's US store page and Sony's April 27, 2022 release. Source for each row in brackets.
20 elements in 15 groups; 5 aspherical (incl. 2 XA), 2 ED, 2 Super ED; Nano AR Coating II; fluorine front coating [Sony Japan, Sony Electronics]
Close focus / magnification
0.21 m (24mm) / 0.3 m (70mm); 0.32x [Sony Japan]
Autofocus
Four XD Linear Motors; floating focus; AF tracking up to 30 fps (α1, Hi+) [Sony Electronics]
Stabilization
None in the lens [Sony Japan]
Controls
Aperture ring with click on/off and iris lock; AF/MF switch; zoom smooth/tight switch; two focus hold buttons [Sony Electronics]
Video
Linear Response MF; supports Breathing Compensation on compatible bodies [Sony Electronics]
Sealing
Dust- and moisture-resistant design (not guaranteed 100%) [Sony Electronics]
Filter / hood
82 mm; ALC-SH168 with a window for adjusting a circular polarizer [Sony Japan, Sony Electronics]
Teleconverters
Not supported [Sony Japan]
Size / weight
87.8 × 119.9 mm; 695 g [Sony Japan]
Announced / price
Apr 27, 2022; $2,300 (US) [Sony Electronics]
Sample photos
Six photos taken with the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II on Sony full-frame bodies by three photographers, shared on Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licenses or in the public domain. Each caption gives the settings the file records. Select a photo to enlarge it. More samples from Sony
f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/640 s, 70mm: tree blossom (Sony a7R IVA). Photo: Henry Söderlund via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)f/2.8, ISO 100, 1/2000 s, 70mm: glasses and bokeh wide open (Sony a7R IVA). Photo: Henry Söderlund via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)
f/2.8, ISO 100, 1/5000 s, 70mm: old wooden doors (Sony a7R IVA). Photo: Henry Söderlund via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)f/9, ISO 50, 1/50 s, 55mm: a bare tree crown (Sony a7R V). Photo: PantheraLeo1359531 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (resized)
f/6.3, ISO 50, 1/50 s, 70mm: a drain on the frozen Knollenteich, Hof (Sony a7R V; lens per the Commons file data). Photo: PantheraLeo1359531 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (resized)f/4.5, ISO 100, 1.3 s, 24mm: the Arc de Triomphe, Paris, at night (Sony α1). Photo: Giles Laurent via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
Sony: Launched at $2,300 in 2022 (US).
Verdict
Who it's for: full-frame E-mount shooters who want a constant-f/2.8 standard zoom that's light enough to carry all day, focuses close and keeps up with fast AF and video.
Consider the original GM if you shoot mostly stills and don't need the lighter build, closer focus or aperture ring.
Pros
695 g and 119.9 mm long
0.32x maximum magnification
Four XD Linear Motors; up to 30 fps AF tracking (α1)
Aperture ring, zoom tension switch, Breathing Compensation support
