Sony announces $4,199 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens
Sony has updated its popular G Master 70-200mm lens, with the overnight announcement of the 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens.
According to Sony, the upgrade to the full frame, E-Mount lens brings with it reconfigured optics, faster and more accurate autofocus, and a host of other practical improvements for stills and video shooters. At 1,045g, the new lens is 30% lighter than the lens it replaces, and claims the title of lightest large-aperture 70-200mm on the market.
Inside, the lens features 17 elements in 14 groups, including an extreme aspherical (XA) element that Sony says will help reduces distance-related aberrations, like onion-ring bokeh.
In addition, two ED and two Super ED elements have also been added to combat chromatic aberration, and on exposed elements there is a Nano AR Coating II that will help with glare and flaring. It also features an 11-blade circular aperture to produce 'smooth, natural-looking' bokeh.
The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 0.4 meters at 70mm and 0.82 meters at 200mm. With a new maximum magnification of 0.3x, the new lens will also get users closer to their subjects than its predecessor.
The new lens uses four Sony-original XD (extreme dynamic) Linear Motors for fast and precise AF, making it up to approximately 4 times faster and focus tracking improved by 30% when compared to the previous model.
When paired with Sony’s Alpha 1, the FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II is capable of high-speed continuous shooting at up to 30 fps.
The new lens has been designed to dramatically reduce focus breathing, focus shift, and axis shift when zooming so that there is minimal unwanted image movement and angle of view variations. The lens features independent control rings for focus, zoom, and aperture, allowing precise manual operation. The aperture ring also has a click ON/OFF switch, and there are three customisable focus hold buttons.
The supplied lens hood also features an opening that allows convenient operation of circular polarising filters or variable ND filters.
The FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II features both a click ON/OFF switch and an iris lock switch for aperture control. The aperture ring click stops can be turned ON to provide feedback when shooting stills, or OFF for smooth, silent aperture control when shooting movies.
The FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II is dust and moisture resistant, and the front lens element features a fluorine coating that repels water, oil, and other contaminants.
And the price? The SEL-70200GM2 will be available in Australia for AUD $4,199 (SRP) from mid-November 2021 in Australia. You can find out more at sony.com.au.