The new Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II brings stunning resolution and exquisite bokeh together in the world's lightest large-aperture telephoto zoom lens. First impressions of the new lens are rolling out and reviewers are talking about its evolved autofocus performance, lighter design and more. See their thoughts in our review roundup below and preorder the new lens HERE.

First impressions of the new Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II are rolling out across the web. See what reviewers are saying about its evolved autofocus performance and more.

Gerald Undone

“Overall I think this is a fantastic lens and a worthwhile upgrade. If you already have a 70-200mm that’s working well for you, then I don’t think you need to rush out and buy this one, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you did as this is easily the best 70-200mm I’ve ever used. But if you’re like me and you’ve been holding out on getting a 70-200mm for Sony E because you didn’t like your options and maybe you wanted something more video-focused – I think the wait is over and I’m definitely going to be adding this lens to my arsenal.” – Gerald Undone

Manny Ortiz

“In my opinion, this is a big win. Sony had one job with this lens – just make your focus better, that’s all I wanted. But instead they made it sharper, they made the focus a lot better, it’s 30% lighter which is a big deal when you finally hold this in your hand, and now it's also optimized for video and it’s giving you a cinema lens-like experience. So this is truly a hybrid shooter’s lens. So big, big W’s on Sony’s refresh.” – Manny Ortiz

Pierre T. Lambert

“I’m really baffled by how sharp everything is. And there’s not a point that I had a problem with the autofocus, it doesn’t even hunt. It’s magic.” – Pierre T. Lambert

“...I think I’m in absolute love. There are a few reasons. It’s so much lighter, I don’t feel it as much as the v1. The v1 was amazing but this is so much lighter.” – Pierre T. Lambert

Sidney Diongzon

“I think this lens is great. In fact, I’m very tempted to get this lens for myself because I love shooting those extreme close-up shots of my kids. As a parent who’s now attending games of my kids’, having a telephoto zoom lens like this can be pretty handy. But for other use cases for me, like filming documentaries or filming close-up shots of products, I can see myself using this lens quite a lot, so I am very tempted to get this lens. I love the build quality of the lens. It’s rugged, it’s weathersealed. You’ve got three custom buttons that you can assign whatever feature you want and so that’s pretty handy. I love that it’s lighter than the original 70-200mm G Master lens. And I love, love, love the three different stabilization modes that this lens offers. It’s fantastic.” – Sidney Diongzon

B&H Photo Video

“The new 70-200mm is lighter, sharper and focuses more accurately than before. Video and filmmaking work see a huge benefit here, as the new linear response manual focusing is essential to narrative production. The reduced focus breathing and shift also contribute to consistent professional results and both stills and video users of course benefit from the faster AF performance.” – Doug Guerra

Imaging Resource

“Overall, the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens delivers upon its promise of top-notch autofocus performance. It is excellent. The lens focuses extremely quickly and very accurately. It handled everything I threw at it with aplomb, including low-light AF, close-up focusing, subject tracking, and more. I have perhaps never been quite as impressed with a lens's autofocus capabilities.” – Jeremy Gray

Read the full review here.

Patrick Murphy-Racey

"Having the freedom to change the depth of field and focal length in one click without affecting exposure is pretty sweet. Just think about that for a minute. Welcome are its noticeably lighter weight, sharper glass, four times faster autofocus than the GM 1, and the added video capabilities. I've been really impressed over the last 20 days of shooting on this new lens and I hate to send it back to Sony." – Patrick Murphy-Racey

DPReview TV

“One thing that the original 70-200mm G Master II did very well was focus quickly, in fact it was the fastest out of our tests. Now we have an even faster focusing system. We’ve got four linear XD motors in here. And when I’m just doing single-point focus, from minimum distance to infinity, it’s snappy – very quick going in either direction. So overall very impressive.” – Chris Niccolls

Miguel Quiles

“If you’re someone who owns one of the newer Sony bodies like the Alpha 9, Alpha 7R IV or the Alpha 1, and you don’t currently own a 70-200mm, then this lens is one that I’d put at the top of the list to pick up. With the newer motors and the enhanced optics, it’s going to give you amazing results. If you own version I of the 70-200mm and you have any of the newer cameras, then I would definitely look closer at this new lens, especially if you’re using it on the Alpha 1. With the Alpha 1 doing 120 autofocus calculations per second, you need a lens with motors that are fast enough to keep up with it and that’s exactly what you’re going to get with this new 70-200mm.” – Miguel Quiles 

PetaPixel

"Should you buy it? Yes. Photography gear has come a long way in the five years that the original 70-200mm GM has been on the market. This update balances out the system and offers top-end performance to keep pace with the newest cameras." – Ryan Mense

Read the full review here.

Gordon Laing

“...the weight-saving of the new version is significant, especially over longer periods, while videographers will appreciate the much-reduced breathing. And it’s reassuring to know the lens will deliver impeccable sharpness at any focal length or aperture. So like all of Sony’s recent lenses, it’s an excellent performer that comes very highly recommended.” – Gordon Laing

Mark Galer

“The most significant upgrade to this Mark II version is not the buttons on the side of the lens, but the quad XD linear AF motors, lending this camera 4X faster AF than the Mark I version. Now Sony has been building some incredibly faster focusing lenses and this is really necessary if you’re owning an Alpha 1 or Alpha 9 camera, especially the Alpha 1 shooting 30 frames per second.” – Mark Galer

ZY Productions

“I am in love with the bokeh on this lens. It’s creamy, it’s smooth, but not to the extent of looking clinical.”

“Resolution of fine details is even better than the already outstanding Version I. There’s also a pretty big improvement in terms of chromatic aberration. This is especially apparent on the 200mm end, there’s practically no chromatic aberration visible on the Version II. You can also focus closer on the Version II.”