The Sony GM 70-200mm f2.8 mark 2 lens features four XD linear motors to achieve 30fps shooting speeds on the Sony A1. Watch my real world review of this new GM 70-200 mk2 lens to see real time human eye AF in stills on the Sony A7R4 as well as human eye AF in video on the Sony A7sIII. I test out the image quality at a portrait photography session in the studio where I share SOOC 100% crop sample photos.

I also take the lens outdoors on the A7R4 to see the bokeh, chromatic aberration and lens flare. Finally, since the 70-200mm f2.8 mkII is compatible with Sony's 1.5x and 2x teleconverter, I test out wildlife photography with the 2x teleconverter on and off the lens.

The Sony GM 70-200mm f2.8 mark 2 is a weather sealed lens. There is a focus and zoom ring in the same place as the mark 1 and I’m happy to see the addition of an aperture ring! It also has an aperture click switch and as you can see throughout my review video, this lens has internal zoom. The lens hood has a filter port to access or rotate your variable filters.

This lens features an AF to MF switch, a DMF switch, a focus range limiter switch, OSS as well as OSS mode where you can switch between 3 stabilisation modes and finally an IRIS lock switch. It also has 3 customisable buttons that are all linked together and a detachable tripod collar.

Sony have made some big improvements in terms of weight. This 70-200 mark 2 weighs only 1045 grams, which is 435 grams lighter than the mark 1 version which is 1480 grams. If you’re after a budget friendly and lighter telephoto zoom lens, you can check out the Tamron 70-180mm f2.8 which I used for portrait photography on the Sony A7III.

This lens will be a strong telephoto zoom lens option for videographers. Watch my review video to see examples of this 70-200mm f2.8 mk2 keeping track of both fast and slow moving subjects in the frame. While not in the official spec sheet, it's great to see this lens holding focus while zooming from 70mm to 200mm in AF (as seen in my review video). This indicates that it is or works similarly to a parfocal lens. It is also extremely silent while focusing.

Seeing this updated GM 70-200mm f2.8, makes me excited to potentially see a 24-70mm f2.8 mkII from Sony. Especially since news of the Samyang 24-70mm f2.8 has started to surface and is rumoured to be a parfocal lens.

Sony GM 70-200mm f2.8 mkII specs at a glance:

Lens construction: 17 elements in 14 groups

Aspherical element: XA 1 / Aspherical 1

ED Aspherical: ED Aspherical1

EDGlassSuper: ED 2 / ED 2

Min. focus distance: 0.4m

Max. magnification: 0.3x

Actuator: Quad XD Linear Motor

Focus system: Internal focus, Floating

Zoom system: Internal zoom

Apertur blades: 11

Image stabilisation: Yes, Improved OSS

Min. aperture: 22

Lens coating: Nano AR Coating II, Fluorine

Filter diameter: 77mm

Dimensions: Φ88 x 200 mm

Weight: 1045gw/o tripod mount

Dust & Moisture proof: Yes

Teleconverter Compatible: (2x/1.4x)

Watch my real world review of the GM 70-200mm f2.8 mkII on the Sony A7R4 below and please subscribe to my YouTube channel! I upload new photography videos every single week. Find the download link of sample photos below.

Portrait photography samples with the Sony GM 70-200mm f2.8 mark 2 + Sony A7R4. These are the portraits I took on this new telephoto zoom lens in the studio. I share unedited, 100% crops of these photos in my review video so you can see the image quality and sharpness of the 70-200mm f2.8 mkii. Scroll to the bottom of this blog post to find the download link for a sample gallery.

model sonali

makeup lidija j

video dan @ i make films

These portraits are edited with my new Hazel Lightroom Preset pack which is coming soon! You can check out my other presets here, my Fall Lightroom Preset Pack has a similar look for outdoor portraits.

This blog was put together with Narrative. I love using Narrative as part of my photoshoot culling process to see which images from a shoot I should edit and I also use it to easily & quickly be able to put together these blog posts with different layouts of images side by side. I’m really excited to say I’ve teamed up with Narrative and have a 15% discount code for you guys using the code julia15 or just clicking this link! You can download a free trial to test it out for 7 days too :)

Below are extra photos of the lens and outtakes from my YouTube thumbnail. The Sony GM 70-200mm f2.8 mark 2 on the Sony A7R4.

To download a sample gallery of unedited, SOOC jpgs of photos taken on the Sony GM 70-200mm f2.8 mark 2 on the Sony A7R4, click here! Please leave a comment on my YouTube channel if you take a look at these photos and let me know if these download galleries are helpful :)

If you enjoyed this blog post, you might want to check out my portrait photoshoot and real world review of the Tamron 150-500mm F5-6.7 Di III VC VXD where I take portraits and test out wildlife photography!