The new Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master II lens delivers another high-performance lens to photographers and videographers alike. First impressions of the new lens have been rolling out across the web and reviewers are talking about its high-speed autofocus and high resolution, all in a lighter and more compact package. See more of their thoughts in our review roundup below. Learn more about the new Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master HERE.

First impressions of the new lens have been rolling out across the web & reviewers are talking about its high-speed autofocus, high resolution & compact size

PetaPixel

“I like the optical performance here. I think the bokeh is quite interesting. Nice sun stars. Good close-up. I mean it’s a versatile wide angle zoom and does exactly what you want a 2.8 zoom to do and yet they were able to make it more compact and lighter weight.”

Fstoppers

“Overall, putting together all the physical and functional changes and improvements, this new version of the 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens lives up to the expectations and delivers what a user would need to keep up with the developing camera system. The optical performance would probably be the most compelling reason why someone new to the Sony Alpha system would prefer this lens over others, while the ergonomic improvements would probably be very attractive to existing Sony users, especially those who have updated their standard zoom and telephoto lens choices. As this lens completes the second generation of the G Master zoom lens trinity, the changes in size and weight of the three lenses in total have been decreased by up to 759 grams which may have a lot of implications especially for traveling, hiking, or long hours of shooting.” – Nicco Valenzuela

Read the complete review HERE.

B&H Photo/Video

"The Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master II lens is an excellent zoom option for any Sony photo or video shooter who's missing a lens with this range." – Nick

Terry Warfield

"My favorite thing out of everything is how close you can focus. Now it's not macro, but you can get some really, really close-up, fun photos and videos with this lens. Overall I think the optical design, the image quality, the contrast, all that stuff is way better than the old one." – Terry Warfield

"I've been using this 16-35mm for three weeks and I've genuinely enjoyed it and I absolutely have to have one. That's no exaggeration. I will be buying it with my own money on the day we're allowed to order it. Overall I think they did a great job upgrading this lens. It's smaller, it's lighter, it's got better autofocus, better breathing performance, better image quality – but everything about it is just better and honestly it's one of the best wide angle zooms out there, especially in the pro department." – Terry Warfield

Adorama

"You can see how close I can get with this lens. This lens is great for so many reasons. Most people use it for landscape, but it can also be a great overall lens because you can use it for both macro and portraits. You can see also how beautiful the colors on this sensor are." – Sal D’Alia

DigitalCameraWorld

“The release of Sony's latest 16-35 GM II lens marks the culmination of their second-generation holy trinity lens series, and it certainly lives up to expectations as the grand finale. This lens delivers exceptional image quality across the entire frame, boasting remarkable sharpness. Notable enhancements have been implemented in the corners, effectively reducing distortion and vignetting. In a notable achievement, the lens is also more compact and lighter compared to Sony's previous 16-35mm G Master model.”

Read the complete review HERE.

Chris Brockhurst

“When it comes to sharpness, it is exactly what you'd expect with every single Sony lens that comes out. Tack sharp in the middle. In the corners. Corner-to-corner. The whole frame is sharp.” – Chris Brockhurst

"It's got all the bells and whistles that you'd expect with any Sony lens that comes out. Now you’re really starting to see a trend of what Sony is doing, they’re basically trying to Mary Poppins each lens. (‘It’s practically perfect in every way.’) And the great thing about that is whether you’re shooting still or video, it doesn’t matter. The lenses are designed with both in mind.” – Chris Brockhurst

Hugh Brownstone

"I have a very clear sense of what I'm seeing in Sony's 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master Mark II (well, what I saw in a pre-production sample in the time I had with it), which was phenomenal performance. Better than some primes." –Hugh Brownstone

“It really is as simple as this. If you are a professional Sony shooter reliant on highest quality zooms. If you need to go wider than your standard zoom, for event work, documentary work, landscape, travel, real estate or architecture. If you need fast, if you need small, light, quick to focus, and if you really do want the highest image quality out there in a zoom, this is the Holy Trinity wide zoom to get.” –Hugh Brownstone

Albert Dros

"It has some incredible functions for landscape photography. The most important one, or actually two most important ones, is that it has no focus breathing which is very impressive. Then the close focus distance, you can get very close to your foreground to do this impressive focus stacking or to simply create kind of interesting close-up shots. Also great for product shots. You can create some very nice close-up shots with the close focus distance of this lens and the bokeh is also very nice. It's very soft, it just looks very good. And of course the sharpness of this lens, even at 2.8, is excellent." – Albert Dros

Zy Cheng

"Evolutionary improvements yes, but collectively it's all the right value adds in a few right places giving birth to this even more refined 16-35mm G Master."

Gerald Undone

“Better chromatic aberration performance, better sharpness, less distortion, better focused breathing, you know? Like, all these things are relevant. The build quality's better, it's got more features and functions on it.”