Hi I'm Gordon from camera labs and this Is my review of the Sony Fe 70 to 200 Mil f4g OSS Mark II a short telephoto Zoom designed for Alpha mirrorless Cameras launched in July 2023 at a price Of around 1700 US Dollars it comes Almost 10 years after the original Mark 1 version which lest we forget was one Of the first five lenses used to launch Sony's full frame mirrorless system the New lens is physically shorter than the Original model claims better Optical Quality improved focusing a much better Close-up capabilities delivering an Impressive 0.5 times magnification not To mention compatibility with Teleconverters that were lacking on the Mark 1. yep that gives it the chance to Turn into a 400mm f8 or a one-to-one Macro lens throughout the range together They represent compelling upgrades for Only around 200 more than the retail Price of the original Mark 1 version but With rebates today you can pick up the Older lens for closer to 1300 hundred Bucks making a more significant Difference and while the new F4 G Mark II made cost roughly two-thirds the Price of the latest Mark II F 2.8 G Master it's actually not much difference In prior to the original Mark 1 2.8 G Master and that's still a pretty Tempting lens so there's lots to weigh Up and in this review I'm going to be
Making direct comparisons between the New and old F4 models and if you're Wondering whether the latest 2.8 gmaster Is worth spending the extra on I've got A separate review all about it like all 70 to 200 zooms it's an ideal range for Portraits or events where people are a Little more distant as well as close Range Sports and Wildlife or simply for Grabbing tighter views of urban or Natural landscapes as before the choice Between F 2.8 and F4 models boils down To aperture size weight and of course Cost and I personally bought the Original f4g back in 2014 to go with my Own a6000 body is a lightweight Combination for photographing the Tour De France These are some of the photos that I took With them proving that Sony was already Adept at fast action with mirrorless Even a decade ago in fact I still use The 70-200 F4 G Mark 1 on an a6400 most Weekends to photograph School sports Events so what's new fast forward a Decade and the latest Mark II F4 G on The left is most obviously shorter than The original Mark 1 version on the right 149 mil versus 175 mil at least when the New version is at its shortest 70mm Focal length and at 794 grams a tad Lighter two that said turn the zoom ring To 200 mil and the barrel extends to Become a little longer than the original
Mark 1 model which of course Remains the Same length throughout thanks to Internal zooming this is the same Strategy that Canon employed when making A mirrorless version of its 7200 mil F4 Zoom and like that model there's Understandably some concerns over Ceiling as a result now I've only used The lens for a couple of weeks so I Can't comment and Longevity but so far I've not experienced issues with the Extending barrels on Canon's RF zooms But your mileage may vary ultimately Only time will tell just while I've got Both lenses pictured side by side here They are with their supplied lens hoods Fitted and again with them reversed over Their barrels for transportation and While the new 70-200 may only become Shorter when zoomed out to 70 mil this Is typically how you'll transport it so It genuinely occupies less space in a Bag for instance I could stand it up in Some bags rather than having to lie down Okay let's take a closer look at the Design and controls like the Marlin Version It's supplied with a removable Tripod collar and foot which allows you To rotate the barrel through 360 Degrees Albeit without the convenience of an ARCA Swiss dovetail for slotting Directly into compatible clams the new F4g may continue to lack the aperture Ring of the 2.8 model but shares a
Similar array of switches on the side Five in all for adjusting the focus mode Range limiter and Optical stabilization While on the opposite side is a switch To lock the Barrel in its shortest Position at 70 mil for transportation During my test period I didn't Personally experience any Barrel creep Even with the lens pointing directly up Or down but it could have caused loosen Over time next comes the zoom ring which Turns smoothly and as you already know Extends the barrel as an aside Canon's RF 70 to 200mm F4 is actually attached Shorter still at 70 mil but it won't Work with teleconverters between the two Rings a three Focus hold buttons and at The end of the barrel is a very smooth Manual focusing ring the filter thread Remains the Same 72 mil as the Mark 1 Version but eagle-eyed Sony fans may Have already noticed that the supplied Lens hood is now a petal type shape Rather than a simple cylinder this means The Mark II lens also misses out on the Rubber tip of the Mark 1 hood and it Won't balance anywhere near as securely When upside down I personally find this A bit of a shame since I often stand up Bigger lenses like this when not in use Sony does describe the lens as being Weather sealed and includes a rubber Grommet at the mound I should mention That I've used the original Mark 1
Version in plenty of light rain without Issue but again it doesn't have an Extending Barrel so again only time will Tell let's now move on to focusing Starting with the new 70-200 F4 G Mark II mounted on an A7 full body which I've Used for all my tests in this review Here I have it at 70mm F4 in single AFS Mode with a single AF area and you can See it's very Swift next for the lens at 200mm F4 still in AFS mode where the Focusing is almost instant this is Impressively quick but let's put it on The left with the older Mark 1 version On the right again both at 200mm F4 While both lenses are fast the newer Model on the left is visibly quicker Again almost instantaneous compared to The brief but still visible pull on the Right so this proves the new lens is Indeed quicker at focusing as Sony Promised although as my Tour de France Photo show earlier the older lens isn't Exactly being held back in terms of Focusing speed now for the same testing Video starting with the new F4 G Mark II At 70mm F4 where the focusing is smooth And Silent this time the speed is being Limited more by the video autofocus Settings and now for the Mark II at 200mm F4 again smoothly refocusing Between the bottles for video but again Nothing that the older lens couldn't do In fact here they are side by side again
At 200ml F4 where they're showing Similar performance for video at least When using the default movie settings How about focusing on people here's the New lens at 70mm F4 with face and eye Detection enabled and in continuous AOC Mode where I'm easily kept in focus it Also gives you an idea of the kind of Depth of field that's possible for Portraits at 70mm F4 but I've got a more Formal comparison coming up in a moment As a modern mirrorless lens the 70-200 F4 G Mark II exploits software Corrections and also supports Focus Breathing compensation on Sony's most Recent bodies here you can see the lens Exhibiting no visible breathing at all When focusing from Infinity to the Closest distance and back again when you Have compensation enabled on the a74 This feature Works equally well at 200 Mil although the older lens again wasn't A bad offender in this Regard in terms Of lens profiles Distortion compensation Is set to Auto in the camera menus and Grayed out meaning it's automatically Applied to all in-camera jpegs as a Brand new lens though there's a brief Period when the profile isn't yet Available for third-party raw converters Which gives us a chance to peek behind The scenes so here's the view at 70 mil On a raw file without lens Corrections Applied and now for the jpeg outer
Camera where they have been applied all The time as I toggle between them you'll See the new lenses already optically Pretty well corrected at 70 mil with Only minor Corrections for geometry here Now for the view at 200ml on the new Lens again starting with a raw file Without lens Corrections applied before Switching to a JPEG outer camera where Again you'll see very minor pin cushion Distortion being corrected I always like To show you the pure Optical performance Of a lens just out of interest but its Academic here since Corrections are Always applied to jpegs taken in camera And will also become the default option For raw files when converted to support The profile is how this lens is designed To be used so that's how I'm going to Test it here and in the spirit of Fairness I've also set Distortion Compensation to Auto for the older model Okay so let's start with my usual Distant landscape scene angle so that Details run into the corners and you're Looking at the new 70-200 F4 G Mark II At 70mm F4 here shooting new landscape Comparisons outdoors with every single New lens that I test can be pretty time Consuming and tricky at times but I Think it's worth it how about you taking A closer look in the middle of the frame With the Mark II on the left and the Original mark one on the right shows
Both lenses performing at a high level Right out to the gate sharp detailed High contrast and absolutely no Complaints for me here and just for the Record close to F 5.6 and also to f8 Although in the middle you're unlikely To notice much difference so let's Return to the new lens wide open to F4 Again before moving into the far corner Where there doesn't appear to be much Loss and sharpness let's keep the new Lens on the left and place the older Mark 1 version on the right both showing The far Corner performance at 70mm F4 This time the older lens on the right is Suffering a bit with some softness and Darkening due to vignetting neither of Which seem to be an issue for the new Lens on the left which looks visibly Crisper closing both lenses to a 5 0.6 Allows the older lens on the right to Catch up somewhat and if you're after Corner to corner sharpeners with that Model you'll need to really shoot it Between F 5.6 and f8 for the best Results next for both lenses roughly Midway through their focal ranges at Around 135 mil starting as before with New lenser F4 before zooming in for a Closer look at the middle of the frame Again the new lens on the left and the Old one on the right as before in the Middle of the frame both lenses are Performing very well with little to
Nothing to choose between them and again For the record here they are close to F 5.6 and again to f8 so now let's return To the new lens wide open at F4 and head Into the Far Corners where again it's Delivering visibly crisper results than The older version on the right even when I close down both lenses the older one On the right can't quite match the Corner detail of the new model on the Left even when that model is wide open And finally onto the view at 200 mil Here with the new lenser F4 so let's Take a close look in the middle of the Frame with the Mark II on the left and The older mark one on the right and once Again the story is the same as before Fantastically crisp results from both Lenses when wide open with little to Nothing to choose between them at least In the middle of the frame and for good Measure at A 5.6 and a f8 before Returning to the F4 version of the new Lens and heading back into the far Corner this time I've saved both lenses Are actually looking more similar than They did at the shorter focal lengths Sure the newer version on the left is Arguably a tad crisper if you're pixel Peeping and while it takes a more Decisive lead when both are closed down A little it's less of a difference than Seen at 70 and 135 millimeter at least In my tests ultimately if your subject
Tends to be near the middle of the frame Like a portrait or presentation then Both new and old lenses will serve you Equally well even wide open to F4 but if You also want sharpness right out into The Far Corners maybe for a landscape or A building the newer Mark II version Will perform better at larger apertures As for me I wouldn't personally make a Decision based on this alone but before Moving on to my next test I wanted to Remind you once again that the new lens Is also compatible with Sony's 1.4 and Two times teleconverters giving it extra Reach not to mention even greater macro Reproduction over the older model and That is something which could give it a More significant advantage to you moving Onto portraits here's a shot taken with The Mark II lens at 70mm F4 where you Can get again an idea of the background Blurring possible at this kind of Distance taking a closer look with the Newer Mark II lens on the left and the Older Mark 1 version on the right both At 70mm F4 and from the same distance Shows both lenses again capable of Delivering very crisp results on Portraits I'd say the Mark II version on The left is maybe a fraction sharper and A tad more contrasty here but equally The rendering on the mark one model on The right looks a little softer and both Could actually be Arguments for favoring
Either lens depending on your preference Now for the new lens at 135 mil F4 Roughly Midway through the range Allowing you to capture a tighter Portion of the background for Less Distraction placing crops from The Mark II lens on the left against the older Mark one on the right again tells the Same stories at 70 mil both lenses are Capable of very crisp details in the Middle of the frame with satisfyingly Rendered backgrounds but pixel peepers May find the new model a tad crispr and The older version still a little bit Softer on its background blur so again I Personally wouldn't choose one lens of The other here as both are performing Very well in this test if you're Thinking of using the lens for a video Presentation to camera or indeed filming People at an event it'll also deliver Great results with smooth and Silent Focusing as seen here and while the Older model is equally good in this Regard the newer one has the benefit of Supporting Focus breathing compensation Now my little garden wasn't long enough For an effective portrait at 200 mil but I did grab this handheld video of Steven Seagull chilling on the Brighton Seafront showing the kind of blurring That you can achieve when close to a Subject with the background a bit more Distant not to mention demonstrating the
Optical stabilization working alongside Ibis here I also tried out the new lens For close range action and birds in Flight again on the a74 body here Shooting bursts at its top speed as I Mentioned at the start I'm quite fond of The SIM 70 to 200 range for this kind of Thing and have used it extensively for Everything from school events to the Tour de France with the crop factor of An aps-c body providing additional reach If desired even on a full frame ahead The range can be ideal for nearby sports And Wildlife at least Wildlife that's Used to people in their bags of chips For a more formal comparison of Boca Blobs and background blur I photographed An ornament with fairy lights around it For this first comparison I positioned The camera at the closest distance from Which both lenses could focus with the Older version being the limiting factor Here with both lenses side by side at 70mm F4 from the same distance I Wouldn't say there's much to choose Between their rendering Styles here Which both exhibit minor textures and Outlining in the blobs meanwhile closing The apertures on both lenses makes those Already pretty small blobs even smaller Still assuming both lenses to 200 mil But still at F4 and again from the Closest distance that both of them could Focus from makes their subjects and
Blobs a little bit larger but again I'd Say this little to choose between the Newer Mark II on the left versus the Older mark one on the right but the Mark II lens has the benefit of considerably Closer focusing than its predecessor Indeed so much so it can actually Deliver 0.5 times magnification Throughout its focal range you will need To Edge away from the subject as you Steadily increase the focal length but The end result remains one to two Reproduction from 70 to 200 mil so now Let's see both lenses at 70mm F4 but From their respective minimum focusing Distances with the newer Mark II on the Left and the older mark one on the right Where the difference is dramatic to say The least and again at 200ml F4 again From their closest respective distances Where the mark 2 on the left is Maintained the main subject size as Promised in Sony specs but now with even Bigger bokeh blocks behind it far Superior close-up capabilities gives the Newer Mark II lens much greater Flexibility than the older version to Formally illustrate the difference Here's a rule of photographed from the Closest respective distances of each Lens as 70 mil where the new version is Reproducing around 70 millimeters across The frame confirming it's 0.5 times Magnification in contrast the older lens
At the bottom can't even feel the width Of the sensor with a 300mm ruler in fact I measured it here at around 390 Millimeters across the frame and now for Both at 200 mil where the Mark II at the Top is again delivering essentially the Same reproduction as before again Confirming its constant magnification Throughout the focal range meanwhile the Older Mark 1 lens at the bottom may have Improved with about 234 mil across the Frame but it's still obviously nowhere Near as good as the new lens this for me Is the biggest benefit of the new lens Of the old one now able to perform Double duty as a pretty respectable Macro lens and don't forget if you fit a Two times teleconverter it'll deliver One-to-one reproduction throughout the Range to show you what's possible I Tried the lens with the focus bracketing Feature on the a6700 camera constantly Launched alongside it where you can see The magnification that's possible on a UK pound coin when using a cropped aps-c Body a 200mm f 5.6 from this distance an Angle I needed around 60 frames to fully Capture the subject in focus from front To back and I've used Helicon Focus here To stack them into a single image and Here's that final stacked image with Sufficient depth of field for the entire Coin to be Sharp up from front to back Without having to close down the
Aperture and suffer from diffraction That said even at F-22 it wasn't fully Sharp from front to back proving the Benefit of focus bracketing and stacking For macro Shooters okay now it's time For my final verdict during which I'll Show you a selection of photos taken With the lens on an a74 body and as Always you can access some of the Original images via my review page for The lens at cameralabs.com the Sony Fe 70 to 200 mil F4 G oss2 updates one of The oldest full-frame lenses in Sony's Mirrorless lineup with almost a decade Between it and the original Mark 1 Version The Mark II is sharper in the Extreme Corners at large apertures it Focuses faster than before and now Supports Focus breathing compensation on The latest bodies but the two major Upgrades at least for me are Considerably closer focusing delivering 0.5 times magnification throughout the Range plus compatibility with Teleconverters doubling that Reproduction to one to one and your Overall to 400 ml meanwhile the standing Barrel which makes it shorter when Zoomed to 70 mil is a double-edged sword It certainly lets you squeeze it into a Smaller bag maybe even standing up but Many will be understandably anxious About the long-term ceiling and only Time will tell if it's as robust against
The elements as its non-extending Predecessor I should also add in my test The older Mark 1 version essentially Match the sharpness in the middle of the Frame and it was already plenty fast Enough to focus on professional sports So it may suit you just fine if you Won't end up exploiting the closer Focusing or teleconverters on the new Model so do keep an eye out for deals And if you love the range but are happy To carry a heavier lens for a brighter F 2.8 aperture there's always Sony's Original 70-200 2.8 G Master Mark 1 Available for little more than the Mark II F4 G not to mention tamron's 701 ATF 2.8 coming in at around half the price If you don't need the full reach of 200 Mil And that's the beauty of the e-man Though lots of choices from both Sony And third parties to weigh up and now Sufficient maturity for older Mark 1 Versions to offer potential Bargains Either way the new 70-200 mil F 4G Mark II delivered excellent performance Across the board in my tests and is easy To recommend if it's spec and price Matches your requirements and budget and That's it for this review let me know in The comments which is your favorite Short telephoto zoom and if you found my Test useful please do consider giving This video a like and my channel of
Follow thank you very much and if you're Feeling extra generous I'm always up for A coffee or you could treat yourself to A camera Labs t-shirt or my in-camera Photography book and there's links for All of these along with the latest Pricing on the lens in the description Below thanks for watching and I'll see You next time bye bye
