Welcome back to another video. As you can probably guess by the title, we are testing the Sony
FE 24-70m F2.8 G Master lenses and comparing them to the first generations. They’re must-have
lenses for serious and professional photographers covering a versatile focal length range and known
for their pin sharp results and beautiful bokeh. We love the originals – we actually
use these in house, we’re filming on the 24-70mm Mark I right now – so what’s changed
and why have Sony brought out new versions? I have an exciting photoshoot in place to
put them through their paces so I can cover the upgrades and give you a real and honest
opinion along with some comparisons between them. My name is Olivia and I’m the content creator for
Wilkinson Cameras. Today I have Ella with me who is a music and portrait photographer
but also works at the head office with me at Wilkinson Cameras. We also have Claudia with us,
who will be our model for today. Ella’s going to use both lenses on
the Sony A1 to see the full potential of the FE 24-70 and 70-200 G Master Mark II lenses.
We’re going to do some portraiture and some dance portraits including some jumps and leaps
to see how the autofocus holds up. I’m certainly expecting big things, especially with the A1.
Let’s start with the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 G Master lens Mark II. This is the smallest
and lightest G Master lens Sony produce, to date. The original version was released 6
years ago in 2016 and since then Sony and other manufacturers have been refining lens technology
to make smaller and lighter full frame lenses to go with the more compact mirrorless bodies
that are now taking over from DSLRs. The 24-70mm lens is a classic lens that
everyone aspires to owning, especially with an F2.8 constant aperture. It’s a staple for most
wedding photographers and other professionals thanks to it’s versatile focal lengths.
I’ve been using the mark I 24-70 for some time now, in fact I film majority of our
YouTube videos on this lens, and I love it because it’s so versatile and amazing quality. However,
I have always struggled with the weight, especially when filming videos using a gimbal.
It’s very front heavy and on our A7C it can be a bit cumbersome and awkward. It fairs a little
better on the bigger bodies with bigger grips. So when Sony announced the mark ii and told us
the weight difference, I was begging the powers that be to trade in the mark I for the mark ii!
A noticeable difference is the size. The mark ii is nearly 200g or more than 20% lighter
and 16mm shorter than the original. It’s immediately noticeable when you pick it up,
but where Sony have really made a huge improvement is on the balance of the new lens.
Thanks to a brand new design, the new lens is so much more balance and no longer front
heavy. It really makes a big difference to how the whole camera feels in my hand as a result.
Ella Comments...
You’ll see there are 3 rings on the body of the lens for focus, zoom and aperture.
Unlike the mark I, there is a De-click switch on the side of the lens which changes
the feel of the aperture ring, from super smooth and quiet, ideal for videographers
or tactile with noticeable clicking feel for when you don’t want to look down at the
lens. This is great for photographers who want positive feedback when changing their aperture.
Sony are making the second generations more future proof by optimizing the video functionalities and
equipping the new lenses with features that will support both photographers and videographers.
This includes an aperture ring with de-click switch, smooth and tight zoom switch
and two customizable buttons, which can be changed to suit your needs.
For videographers, focus breathing has been minimized both in the lens and further more
when paired with Alpha cameras featuring the new “Breathing Compensation” feature. These include
the A7 IV and A1. Sony really are thinking of the videographers and content creators
here and putting features in place to make our lives easier!
There are 11 aperture blades to give smooth, round bokeh. The
mark I only has 9 aperture blades so they have massively improved the ‘look’ of the bokeh.
Next, we have the zoom ring, which has the same rubber grip as the previous model.
Although this lens has the new smooth/tight switch.
Those that have used the mark I before will know that the zoom is quite stiff.
Sony have bettered this by having the option of smooth or tight, which for me is a game changer.
Ella comments...
We have two customizable focus hold buttons on either side of the lens that
can be assigned from the camera menu. Most often photographers would assign focus hold to these
and they’re nicely placed for using your thumb in both landscape and portrait mode.
Lastly, we have the linear manual focus ring.
Like the original, the Mark II is made of Alluminium alloy,
so you know you’re getting a good quality and rugged build for this professional lens.
It has even better weather proofing than the original and a fluorine coating on the
front element for easier cleaning dust/water repelling properties.
Even the lens hood has been improved and now includes a window which allows you
access to change your variable ND filter or circular polarizing filter more easily.
Now, the real test.
Does the autofocus hold up to autofocus abilities of the Sony A1? We shall see...
The autofocus on the new lens is amazing. It can support up to 30fps and the focus is so fast and
quiet. The original certainly wasn’t bad in the autofocus area, but this new one is noticeably
faster. And the resulting images are sharper too! The mark II is sharper corner to corner compared
to the mark I as you can see here. There are some chromatic aberrations
on the edges but nothing too distracting but you can see a massive improvement in this section.
Unlike the 70-200mm lens, there’s no OSS (Optical SteadyShot) on this lens. In body mage
stabilization is likely to be a feature on the camera bodies that most people are using this on
and the shorter focal length means it’s not really an issue that it’ missing. It’s really on the
longer lenses where you start to need or benefit from image stabilization within the lens as well.
On the new lens there’s a minimum focus distance of 0.21m at 24mm
and 0.30m at 70mm. This is a massive improvement from the first model and
further adds to the versatility of the length of this classic lens.
Ella comments...
The mark I currently retails for £1699 and the mark ii retails for £2099,
so that’s £400 more for this new model. It’s no small chunk of change, but you
really are getting a lot of improvements. If you already have the Mark I, then you’ll know
what a great lens it is and are probably only going to want to upgrade if the weight
and balance is causing you issues. This is certainly why I’ll be begging for an upgrade!
If you’re wondering which one to buy as a new lens, then
the improvements and future proofing in the Mark II are well worth the extra investment.
And for those who still want a top quality, professional lens at a lower budget - this
will open up opportunities to buy the Mark I pre-owned as people do swap to the newer one.
What do you think? Will you be switching?
Do you want one? Is it what you expected? Let us know in the comment section!
Ella comments...
What do you think of both lenses? Do you think Sony have done right with the second generations?
Do you think they’re worth the extra money? Well I certainly do!
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will get back to you as soon as possible. Until next time… we will see you all soon!