The new Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II is one of the most versatile lenses in the line-up and was created for photographers, videographers, and hybrid content creators. First impressions of the new lens are rolling out and reviewers are talking about its unrivaled mobility, improved autofocus, advanced image quality and more. See more of their thoughts in our review roundup below and order the new lens HERE.

First impressions of the new lens are rolling out and reviewers are talking about its unrivaled mobility, improved autofocus, advanced image quality and more.

Dan & Sally Watson

“We definitely shot with this pretty much wide open the entire time, and you will not have any issues doing that because it is tack sharp. Like you can see the individual threads on the Lamborghini’s seat stitching from six feet away kind of sharp.” – Dan Watson

“The bokeh was beautiful, it was soft. I’m loving that 11-blade aperture that Sony threw in here. And typically that’s not a strong suit of a zoom lens, and this lens just proved that you can do it. It’s beautiful bokeh, I love it – super, super smooth.” – Sally Watson

DPReview TV

The DPReview TV team looked at the new 24-70mm F2.8 G Master II and they ran the lens through its paces on a gray, slushy day in Alberta. Although not the picturesque conditions the team had hoped for, it still provided ample opportunity for testing the lens. Their conclusions? DPReview’s Chris Nichols says, “Overall the new lens is a better optical performer in pretty much every shape and form.” And talking about the lens in comparison to other standard zooms, he says “From an optical standpoint the new Sony G Master is probably your best overall lens…”

DPReview TV always looks at gear with an eye to still photography as well as video and in regards to the 24-70mm GM II they say, “For video applications especially I think you’re going to appreciate the smoothness of the new lens.” Throughout the review Nichols refers to the original 24-70mm GM as well as the recent Mark II version of the 70-200mm F2.8 G Master II, commenting on Sony’s simultaneous optical and technology improvements as well as useability. Of the 24-70mm F2.8 GM II he concludes, “I love that they’ve not only made it better optically, but they’ve reduced the size and weight very much like they did with the 70-200 f/2.8 G Master II.”

Gordon Laing

“The lens now focuses faster and closer than before, and crucially maintains the sharpness even at its minimum distance. While the de-clickable aperture ring, adjustable zoom resistance and the lens hood with the filter window are all nice additions, the icing on the cake is packing it all into a barrel that’s not only a little shorter than rivals, but noticeably lighter – making it more attractive for long event work.” – Gordon Laing

Sidney Diongzon

“This is much improved – it’s sharper, it handles chromatic aberration a lot better, flares a lot better, performs a lot faster because there are four XD Linear Motors inside this lens. With older lenses it does that rotating thing to autofocus and that works to an extent, but with the XD Linear Motor System it’s a lot faster and a lot more accurate – perfect for newer cameras like the Alpha 7 IV and the Alpha 7S III.” – Sidney Diongzon

The Camera Store TV

“Really I think the biggest upgrade on this lens comes down to the autofocus performance. Now we have a 24-70mm lens that is able to keep up with that real time tracking autofocus that is achievable using the Sony Alpha 1 and some of the other Sony Alpha cameras. And so I have complete confidence in this and so if you’re looking for a 24-70mm lens and you want to be able to achieve all of that autofocus speed and performance, then getting the upgraded version is the way to go.” – Evelyn Drake

Park Cameras

“This is going to be a fantastic accompaniment to cameras like the Alpha 1, the Alpha 7R IV, the Alpha 7S III, all of those things. Because it’s such a good all-rounder, I feel like this probably was the right time to go for a Mark II version of this lens. Especially since we had the Mark II of the 70-200mm, you know 2016 was a long time ago, and there are a lot of decent upgrades. This isn’t kind of a half-hearted upgrade, it really feels like everything’s been thought out and approved upon.” – Gareth Evans 

Adorama

“After actually getting to use this out in the field, with the significant size difference and the  weight reduction as well as the autofocus performance and the sharpness and the bokeh, which was pretty insane out there, I feel like Sony’s kind of outdone themselves with this new version.” – Garrett King

Miguel Quiles

Go behind the scenes of Sony Artisan of Imagery Miguel Quiles’ photo shoot using the new Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II lens.

The Art Of Photography

“I love the images that I’m getting out of this. I’m a big fan of compact cameras and so having a smaller lens is a big deal to me. And the fact that this is also the best performer of these four, it really makes a big difference and it’s a lens that I will be putting into my kit.” – Ted Forbes

Mark Galer’s Alpha Creative Skills

“I’m basically going to highlight here that all the images in the sequence were captured sharp. Doesn’t matter if you’re shooting 8 frames per second on the Alpha 7R IV or 30 frames per second on the Alpha 1 – this lens is not going to disappoint.” – Mark Galer

Pat Kay

“This lens is wicked sharp. It’s crazy sharp. It’s prime-level sharp. At any focal length, at any focal length…if you have any complaints about the sharpness on this lens, you have much bigger problems I’ll tell you that.” – Pat Kay

“If you’re in the market for a 24-70mm then this new G Master Mark II is the very best of the very best. This is the lens that most people on the Sony system are going to want to own. And for me, this is really nice rounding out of the holy trinity of lenses – the 16-35, the 24-70 and the 70-200, especially since the 70-200 has just been updated to a Mark II as well.” – Pat Kay

Magic Wedding Photographer

“I do believe for all of you zoom shooters – now we have the Sony 70-200mm Version 2 and the 24-70mm Version 2 – these lenses are exceptional in all aspects, really amazing. So if you’re looking for unmatched quality with a really compact size for what it is, this is the way to go.” – Maciej Suwalowski

ZY Cheng

“Now onto the good part – lens resolution. The Mark II is a very significant step up from its predecessor. In the center of the Mark II improves upon the already excellent Version I. On my test shots you can see it’s a bit more apparent on the 70mm end – they’ve got more defined edges and better contrast with the Mark II. It’s an even bigger difference when we compare the corners.” – Zy Cheng

OrmsTV

“...I think the new Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II is a truly phenomenal lens. It’s everything that I hoped it would be. It is a marked improvement on the Mark I variant. All of these little things that Sony adds that shows you that they’re truly listening to what their users want. Making a lens that’s designed to appeal and improve everything of the traditional 24-70mm. And they’ve given still shooters enough of an improvement to warrant an upgrade.”