Sony 70-200mm F2.8 GM II review at Photographyblog: “it is a step above its predecessor in virtually every regard”

Sony 70-200mm GM II Lens at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama. BuyDig. FocusCamera. FotoKoch DE, Calumet DE, WexUK, ParkUK.

Photographyblog tested the new 70-200mm GMII lens and concluded:

The FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS is the first ever G-Master lens that Sony have decided to update, and while the original version was itself no slouch, it’s clear that this new Mark II edition is a step above its predecssor in virtually every regard.

Offering even greater sharpness, more pleasing bokeh effects, faster auto-focusing, improved weather-resistance, a closer focusing distance, more controls including the very welcome aperture ring, and a much lighter construction, Sony have really gone to town on making this their best possible 70-200mm lens.

It delivers outstanding sharpness in the centre of the frame throughout virtually all of its entire aperture and zoom range, distortion and vignetting are well controlled, and bokeh is noticeably nicer than on the original.
Other than a tendency for exhibiting a little too much flare when shooting directly into the sun, there’s almost nothing to complain about and lots to like when it comes to image quality.

The Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II lens offers very fast and very reliable auto-focusing on the A7R IV camera that we tested it with, again being noticeably better than the Mark I lens.
Although some shooters won’t be overly interested, instead preferring to use the cameras’ control dials, the aperture ring is a great addition, especially as it can be de-clicked for video recording.

We’re sure that everyone will appreciate the Mark II’s weight loss, with Sony somehow managing to make it weigh 29% less than the original despite being virtually identical in size.
Which leaves the price as being the only real downside of this new lens – £2600 / $2800 is even more than the original version launched at, although the Mark II offers so many improvements that the moderate price hike is justified.
You can still buy the original version, but if you’re going to spend this kind of money on a 70-200mm F2.8 zoom, please make sure that it’s the FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II that you’re ordering – you won’t be disappointed…

Tamron 35-150mm f/2.0-2.8 review by Photographyblog: “This is a fantastic all-round zoom lens that could effectively replace two fast zooms in your lens arsenal”

Tamron 35-150mm f/2.0-2.8 FE lens at BHphoto. Amazon. Adorama. Fotokoch DE. Foto Erhardt DE. Wex UK. Park UK.

Photographyblog reviewed the Tamron lens and concluded:

Once in a while something comes along that makes you think “Why has no one ever thought of that before – what a great idea!” and the Tamron 35-150mm certainly fits the bill. This is a fantastic all-round zoom lens that could effectively replace two fast zooms in your lens arsenal.

A lot of event photographers typically rely on two fast zoom lenses for their bread and butter shooting – a 28-70mm and 70-200mm f/2.8 – and Tamron already offer great versions of each one for Sony shooters (and other lens mounts too).

The beauty of this new 35-150mm is that it could replace both of those lenses in your camera bag, if you don’t mind the reduction in zoom range at either end. This has the twin benefits of saving weight – although the Tamron 35-1500mm is a heavy lens at 1.15kg, it would still be dwarfed by most 28-70mm and 70-200mm f/2.8 lens combinations – and saving time – instead of having to swap lenses on a single body or between dual camera/lens setups, you can simply use one lens that’s always on the camera and snap away.

Being able to quickly zoom from moderate wide-angle to telephoto using in lens is extremely liberating and really allows you to concentrate on capturing the moment. What’s more, there are virtually no compromises in terms of image quality, other than a tendency for exhibiting too much flare when shooting directly into the sun and some noticeable pin-cushion distortion at 150mm.

This is one sharp lens throughout the generous zoom range and at both the centre and edges of the frame, and in our opinion it’s more than good enough to effectively replace not only those two 28-70mm and 70-200mm f/2.8 zooms, but also a bagful of primes if you don’t mind slightly slower maximum apertures.

The Tamron 35-150mm eye-opening maximum aperture of f/2 is unheard of in a lens of this type, and although it quickly reaches f/2.2 at around 40mm and f/2.8 at around 80mm, having the ability to shoot between f/2-f/2.8 from 35-80mm is something that very few zoom lenses offer.

It is an undeniably expensive lens, compared against both its main Sony rivals and all other recent Tamron lenses, but on the other hand it’s cheaper than a dual 28-70mm and 70-200mm f/2.8 setup. Deciding the value for money will ultimately come down to how you view the versatile all-in-one nature of this lens, and how it might fit into your day-to-day shooting.

Once again Tamron have thought outside the box to create a truly unique lens that offers something genuinely fresh and most importantly of all useful, crucially backed up by excellent image quality, impeccable performance, solid build quality and enough features. The Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD is a potential game-changer for many photographers and a lens that gets us off to a flying start for 2022!