It's no easy feat to make a successor to a lens that Lens Rentals once described as having "some really elegant and complex engineering." The Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II picked up where the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master left off and added advancements like faster autofocus, improved focus tracking, a new aperture ring and a third mode emphasizing framing stability. It's also 435 grams lighter, making it the world’s lightest, large aperture 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto zoom lens. Many photographers have made the upgrade and can't say enough good things about its design and performance. Keep scrolling to see what Sony shooters have created using the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II and read why the lens has a place in their photography kits.

Faster autofocus, improved focus tracking and more are reasons why so many photographers have upgraded to the new Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II, plus it's all wrapped in a lighter package.

Adventure and landscape photographer Jenna-Marie Mancini had the Mark I version of the lens but recently upgraded to the Mark II and says she’s even more in love. “It’s so much lighter and it really helps when I’m hiking, reducing the load on my back. I love the compression of this lens. Some may say a wide lens is their go-to for landscape photos but I think the telephoto really gives the dramatic perspective that I’m looking for. It’s the lens I keep on my camera when I’m on a road trip and I’m shooting from the car. I recently worked for Travel Yukon and used this lens 85% of the time. I took two flight tours over the National Parks and it did not disappoint!” Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Trio Of Zooms For Adventure Photography.

Photo by Jenna-Marie Mancini. Sony Alpha 7 IV. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/3200-sec., f/4.5, ISO 800

Adventure and travel photographer and vlogger Anthony Castro packs this lens in his bag for capturing the beauty in his backyard and on his travels. “I would tend to switch to the 70-200mm for tighter portrait shots as well as making distant buildings and mountains appear much larger than the subject in the foreground,” the Alpha Collective member explains. “That is one of my favorite things about a telephoto lens, really bringing the distant subject into the shot versus tiny background decoration. When I’m shooting portraits, it locks on almost immediately and I don’t have to focus on anything on my own really. I also really love the bokeh with this lens. It’s nice to have your subject mid-range and then have something like flowers in the background and foreground to make your images more beautiful.” Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Top-Tier Kit For Travel Photo & Video.

Photo by Anthony Castro. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/80-sec., f/2.8, ISO 2500

Nature photographer and photo guide Frazer Leal loves the versatility of the lens. "The speed and accuracy of the Sony Alpha 1 paired with the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II allows me to react fast using the internal zoom to capture the flying fox gliding over the sun. I now use this combination as my go-to combo for close action subjects, including birds and butterflies." Read more in Behind The Shot: A Big Bat With A Little Name.

Photo by Frazer Leal. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/4000-sec., f/8, ISO 100

Portrait photographer and Sony Artisan Miguel Quiles packs the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master in his kit when shooting on-location portraits. “Honestly, if I was really in a pinch, I could just go out with my Alpha 7R IV and my 70-200mm and I could probably get through the majority of the photo shoot,” he says. “There have been times where I’ve gone out to shoot and really I know that this is the only combination that I need. So that’s part of the reason why I have these separate bags within the larger bag because I can actually just take this one bag and have my camera, my lens and really just go out to do what I need to do without taking the entire bag with me.” Watch the video below and read more in What’s In My Bag: 2 Zooms & A Prime For On-Location Portrait Shoots.

Enthusiast wildlife photographer Venki Ramasubramoni includes the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II as one of the three lenses in his kit for wildlife photography. “Another sharp lens from Sony with superb image quality throughout the zoom range at all focusing distances. Exquisite G Master bokeh along with fast and precise AF ensures exceptional output. I use this lens for close-up as well as wildlife landscape frames.” Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Two-Camera, Three-Lens Kit For Stunning Wildlife Photography.

Photo by Venki Ramasubramoni. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/2000-sec., f/2.8, ISO 500

Henry Tieu of the Alpha Imaging Collective includes the lens in his kit for adventure elopements and intimate wedding photography. “The minute I held it, I could already tell how much lighter it was since I also owned the first version of this lens. Then right when I started using it, I noticed the fast focusing right away. The 70-200mm is such an important lens in wedding work not just elopement photography work. This allows me to stay back and use my photojournalism skills to capture organic moments without my subjects feeling like I am interfering.” Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Ready-For-Anything Adventure Elopement & Intimate Wedding Photography Kit.

Photo by Henry Tieu. Sony Alpha 7 III. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/500-sec., f/2.8, ISO 640

Full-time event photographer Yvonne Gougelet specializes in concert and festival photography. She calls the lens, “essential for shooting musicians from the photo pit, whether at a local venue or a major music festival. I can be in the pit, or the back of the crowd, and still capture the artist's emotion. An absolute must-have for music photography.” Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Rockin’ Photo Kit For Capturing The Music Festival Vibe.

Photo By Yvonne Gougelet. Sony Alpha 7 III. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/250-sec., f/2.8, ISO 3200

YouTuber Sidney Diongzon likes to include the lens in his video content creation kit. "This [the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II] is such a beauty of a lens. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t such a big fan of telephoto lenses before the Mark II version of the 70-200mm mainly because of camera shake. For me, I love shooting handheld. If I can get a shot without putting it on a tripod or without putting it on a gimbal, then I’ll do it. If I can do it handheld, then I will do it handheld. And because there is MODE 3 stabilization on the 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II, it feels like I am shooting on sticks, like I’m shooting on a tripod with certain shots, and it’s really, really great.” Watch the video below and read more in What’s In My Bag: Maybe The Most Efficient & Organized Sony Alpha Kit We've Seen.

Andrew Seegmiller says the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II is his favorite lens to shoot more wide-angle environmental wildlife shots. “Being the lightest 70-200mm in its class makes it an easy lens to pack around along with my 400mm. Again, the speed and accuracy of the autofocus in the lens is critical for capturing fast-moving wildlife and this lens does not disappoint all while producing tack sharp images.” Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Two Camera, Two Lens Setup For Wildlife Photography.
 

Photo by Andrew Seegmiller. Sony Alpha 7 IV. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/400-sec., f/4, ISO 800

Photographer Rhys Dury says the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II is the main lens that he uses for most of the shoots he conducts. “Especially for street photography,” he explains, “because due to the range of this lens, I can snap moments even when it’s a distance away from me. The compression of this lens creates a nice bokeh that gives the images a special character to it. The Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II is the lightest lens in its class which makes my journey with it much more comfortable and I feel less fatigue shooting with it for long hours. The focusing is fast and accurate with sharp images produced, making my workflow much more efficient as I know I won’t miss the shots that I am looking for.” Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Sony Alpha Kit For Capturing Stories & Moments On The Streets.

Photo by Rhys Dury. Sony Alpha 7 IV. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/250-sec., f/2.8, ISO 320