Don't Buy This Lens Unless... | Sony 70-200 F/2.8 GM II Review

Dont buy this lens.... well great. But i have it and it is awesome

Congrats on 600k subs Peter! You earned everyone of them man! Appreciate the content!

I own the Mki which I feel is highly underrated, yes very heavy but when shooting sport using a monopod its not an issue. Just got my hands on a demo Mk2 so will be interested to see if it is that much sharper and quicker AF than the Mk1.

hi, sounds like you have a table (or ceiling) reflection comb filtering issue with your voice, i recommend checking polar pattern for your microphone and making sure it catches the least amount of reflected sound possible (compared to your voice)

I personally think there are people who does photography hobby with deep pockets, such as professionals and dentists, who still find value in this lens even though they dont make money from photography

I remember using the Canon 70-200 2.8 on my first wedding..pretty nervous, but the lens was a life-saver. On the fence right now for the sony version..as it is versatile, more so than the 135 I owned. But the question is, will it be that much used? Somewhat as I do weddings..might get it while waiting for the Sony 85 1.2. Owning the 50 1.2 gm so I am good as prime concerns. Still thinking, it IS expensive. Great review Peter. :)

8 minute video for a spec sheet

Unless... you have money. If so just f buy it!!! I will.

I need the shots not your talking

Love your reviews of cameras and optics! Not only factual and informative but also with a twinkle in the eye....

Hey Peter thanks for your thoughts, have you used the 70-200 with a teleconverter ? I am mainly interested in the video range

that Tamron 70-180 is ONLY sharp at 100mm, horrible lens, I've owned 2 and they both suck at 180mm, not sharp at all, trading mine in as we speak! just a warning for other creators!!

Beautiful piece of sony glass.

No I don’t make money taking pics just love going out and taking pics and been away from the camera world for about seven years because had to sale off all my gear from me getting sick but just got the lens and the Sony a7r v like two weeks ago now and love them but haven’t been out enough yet with them hope to here soon

thank you for the great review. I am a street photographer and im used to using fixed prime lenses. Im wondering if its worth getting because im tired of switching out lenses or missing shots. This review really helps.

I mean, I think you are wrong, is the lens expensive? Yes, but I dont think you MUST be making money on your photography to want to have access to the capabilities this kind of equipment offers... Some of us really just want to take amazing photos.... for fun.... and we have really deep pockets. I was super into photography 15 years ago, I got out of it, however, one of the best purchases I made was my Canon 70-200 F2.8 IS L, the OG version, from back when that was really the only thing anyone wanted, and it cost about the same as this lens does today... now I am switching to sony, Im planning on going balls to the wall and buying a bunch of stuff, probably an A7RV and this along with a few other high end lenses.

OK. SOLD!

Jävla kung du är! Have to sub to yiur channel!!!

I love it. But i got it for 2399€ from uk.❤ combined with the 20-70 and the 600gm it is my go everywhere travel and wildlife set.😊

Way better than the Canon. The Canon has terrible focus breathing.

The thing is, spending money on a lens makes a whole lot more sense than spending similar money on a camera body. Because the glass is going to be great in 2, 5, 10 years from now. The same can’t be said of the camera you bought around that same time. I’m going to get this as my all rounder most likely and I expect to be using it longer than anything else in my bag.

I was actually looking to buy the 100-400GM for a trip to Yellowstone this summer with possibly the Tc 1.4x. But the 70-200GMII can be used with the TC2x and is significantly lighter than the 100-400mm. Can also be used as a portrait lens without the TC attached (a portrait lens is also in my buy list) so quite versatile. The «only » issue is the price. The TC is not cheap either….

I recently just bought this lens and have used it just a couple of times but I have to say I'm less than thrilled with the image quality I'm getting from it. I get the beep and the green box on the display of the camera telling me I'm in focus and I also switch to manual focus so I can check the focus peeking and everything looks great. When I import the images into Lightroom and zoom in to 100% every raw image right out of the camera isn't sharp and there's a ton of color noise. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm wondering if I have a bad lens or if it's something I'm doing wrong, I have the 12-24mm f2.8 and all the images from that lens are spot on tack sharp.

Peter, you seem to be an Aputure ring guy? 😉 Fab video, smooth effects and great info!

Just switched to Sony from my c70. This lens is so expensive!! I film sports so I need a 70-200, but I am going to have to get the old one. There is a hope that I’ll be able to afford this one soon. So, I am trying to research the original 70-200.

No

Love this lens! Something about the GM 70-200mm ii it’s magical it’s prime like in my opinion. Maybe it’s the focal length in general. I’ve used RF version of this lens and again, magical. I own a GM 35 1.4 and the images I take with it, for some reason, don’t have a pop or sharpness compare to my 70-200 GM ii. Maybe it’s the compression? I don’t know. Happy to hear anyone’s input regarding that. I do have a question. I’m considering buying the 24-70mm GM ii. Is there anyone out there that owns both (70-200 GM ii and 24-70 GM ii) these lenses and can provide any insight on how the image quality/sharpness of the 24-70 compares to the 70-200?.

I've had this since Christmas and it's my favorite by a mile. I like my 24-70gm2 but I don't love it like the 70-200gm2. Something that not many people mention is the weight. It's 1045g. The original 70-200gm weighs 1480grams! Better image and shaving off almost 30% of the weight from the original is amazing. It's really a joy to shoot with. In my bag I always carry the 24-70gm2, 70-200gm2, 200-600G, and the 2x teleconverter (compatible with the 70-200 and 200-600. The Teleconverter is great for birding and taking photos of the moon but pretty much useless for most anything else).

Or get the older F4 version it cost's almost half of the price and quality is nearly the same! great and clear video

Jag har haft denna superglugg sedan dag ett den kom ut. Njuter trots att jag inte har fotografering som levebröd. Den sitter säkert på min A1:a 60-70 procent av tiden, sååå mångsidig! Bra video.

This glass is a beast, but my other two lenses are the 20G & 50 1.2 GM. When it comes to indoor event shooting a 2.8 Zoom cannot compete with a fast prime. I have the A1 & I need clean shots & I have the machine to do it. That is why the next lens I acquire will be the 85mm F1.2 GM whenever that drops. 20/50/85 & the A1 is how you nuke an event

Great review peter , i agree with it and was thinking of buying one, so rented one and found out how awesome it is, tack sharp is an accurate description, it worked great for me in all conditions including night photography at -33 celsius no problems at all and using my Sony A7 iv ,i was really surprised at how great the pics turned out at 33mps , they looked even better, thats just my opinion, the low light shooting was nuts clear almost to each corner and I am just a hack hobbyist doing this for myself, the price here in Canada with local taxes for me would be $3954.00 Canadian, my provincial tx is 8% and GST is 5% , so for now i will look for an old Minolta 80-200 f2.8 AF which is awesome to in its own right, I have the LE-EA5 adapter that i needed to get to use my A-Mounts lenses from my older Sony Cameras, if i was to make money from my hobby, its no longer my passion, it becomes my job and i already have a full time one of those, great video 👍

Nice job Peter. Love your review, just the right amount of fun with seriousness! Very well done.

Have a 35 gm and 85 1.8 right now. Thinking about either a 35-150 Tamron as a single lens do it all, or getting a 70-200 pair it with the 35 gm. Might not even have use for 85 unless I'm just taking itself out for street or such, thoughts? Feel like the 35-150 isn't worth unless I sell both the 35 gm and 85.

It's understandable that many view glass from an economy perspective; there are comparable lenses with comparable sharpness. And a premium price tag like this deters many from investing in a product like this. However, if you love the hobby and want to invest in the gear, why not? I'm not a professional musician, and I don't make any money from my guitar playing.. yet I've invested in the highest quality instruments over time. Simply because it's pleasing to me, and I have a huge appreciation for craftsmanship. I will likely never make a dime from photography; but this lens is on my purchase list when I'm able to do so.

The original is complete crap compared to that bad boy. It’s just as sharp as my 135gm and 85dg dn. It’s that good. My 50 1.2 and this have been pretty much all I’ve used lately, all the the other lens have been shelfed unless I need a wide angle. It’s that good. Incredible lens. Just get it already

If you have budget I think that Tamron 70-180 is very good alternative to this lens and much cheaper.

Hi iam from Indonesia.. and really really I like your videos ... it help me so much ... thx and go

That’s not how the focus hold buttons work. It is a fantastic lens and a workhorse in my event/sports/landscape kit.

Tamron 70-180 is amazing, light, sharp, quick autofocus. As bad as I want this lens. 800$ used for Tamron is so much better than 3,000$ for this lens cant justify that price gap! Sadly

I love this lens and would buy it again in a heart beat...its an awesome lens! I highly recommend it. 😀👍🏾

This is a fantastic lens! Just got one from Sony to borrow for a week as I haven't added it to my kit yet. The image quality from this lens is mind blowing.

This has been on my shopping list for so long ❤❤

With all respect, I think the 3 buttons does the same, but they are just placed 3 different places? So if you set up the button to be EyeAF all 3 does that.

This is an amazing lens! I use it with a 2 X TC for bird and wildlife photography with results comparable to 100-400 5.6.
The three customisable buttons on the lens basically works for only one function, not separate functions for each button the way you mentioned. Please correct me if I wrong.

Overall informative video 👍

Love it… use it for sport mainly soccer in low light (indoor and outdoor) with a6400… it is fantastic… did use Tamron 70-180mm 2.8 but it had hard time focusing in tracking mode with fast action and some noise from motors and more failed photos… have not used the 70-200 jet for video as I don’t have a videocamera… but the 70-200mm ii is worth every penny even though I am not getting paid for my photos. I am a filmmaker but photogarphy is my hobby.

Kyle loved that lens when he was in New York he rented it. Said it was amazing for street photography and super fast. I would love to have the business funds to buy it, but just don’t right now. Great video as always!

I'm rocking the version 1 of this lens for a few years now. Don't use it often enough to justify "upgrading" to the new one, but I do love using mine when It's needed. I really have no complaints...it's great.

I bought it a yea ago 😓