Sony FE 24-70mm 2.8 GM II

Highly Recommended – Gorgeous quality and superb handling, although expensive.

The Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II is a positive surprise in this lens class. To be honest - yours truly has never been a fan of "fast" standard zoom lenses. The truth is that they aren't fast by the prime lens standards in this range at all, the zoom range is rather limited and on top of that, the whole package had the size and weight of a brick. Plus the insane price tag. And several members of the species aren't even overly stellar in terms of optical performance. At least some of these counterarguments no longer apply to the new Sony lens. At less than 700g, it is in the same weight class as your average 24-105mm f/4. And the cream on the cappuccino is a great sharpness at most settings. The results are just great at 24mm and 40mm and still quite impressive at 70mm. The vignetting, distortion and CA figures are about typical for a lens in this class and usually nothing to worry about thanks to auto-correction anyway. The quality of the bokeh is pretty good for a standard zoom lens - especially when compared to its predecessor. In critical scenes, you may spot some LoCAs but it isn't overly pronounced at least. The weakest aspect of the Sony lens is flare which can get freaky in difficult scenes thus it's also a good idea to leave the lens hood attached during shooting.

The Sony FE 24-70mm f2.8 GM II is an outstanding lens, addressing the few shortfalls of its predecessor to become the best quality general-purpose zoom for the e-mount system to date. Unlike the Mark I, which in my tests became softer as the focal length increased, the new Mark II version remains crisp throughout its range, delivering fine details and high contrast across the frame. Itnow focuses faster and closer than before, maintaining sharpness even at its minimum distance, while the declickable aperture ring, adjustable zoom resistance, and hood with a filter window are all nice additions. The icing on the cake is packing it all into a barrel that’s not only a little shorter than rivals, but noticeably lighter, making it more attractive for long event work. Like its predecessor, there’s still no optical stabilisation, and as an f2.8 zoom it won’t deliver the ultimate bokeh quality of a top-end prime lens, but the rendering is still attractive. It’s amazing how much optical design has improved even in the six years since Sony first launched the G Master series, but the 24-70 f2.8 GM II proves an already decent lens can be significantly improved. The older model remains on sale at a slightly lower price, but if you’re spending this sort of money I’d recommend new owners stretch to the Mark II as its performance upgrades justify the premium. Meanwhile if you’re after a more affordable f2.8 standard zoom, Sigma and Tamron have you covered.