Back in January 2022, I wrote an article entitled Best Sony Mirrorless Lenses For 2022, in which I gave my view on the best Sony lenses based on my experience with many Sony lenses. I’d now like to add a new lens to this list – the Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM II lens. This was announced in April 2022 (and became widely available in June 2022). For many years, I’ve been a fan of lenses with a fixed focal length – so called fast prime lenses. This is because they generally deliver superb sharpness and excellent low-light performance while having (relatively) low weight.
I’ve often opted for the Sony 24mm F1.4 GM lens as a walkabout lens. If I’ve wanted more flexibility, I’ve generally taken along a second camera body with a longer lens – such as the Sony 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II, Sony 135mm F1.8 GM or Sony 50mm F1.2 GM lens.
Sony’s original 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens didn’t really appeal to me, being relatively large, heavy (886g) and lacking the resolution of Sony’s best prime lenses. The Sony 24mm F1.4 GM lens is significantly smaller and half the weight (445g).
Sony has worked miracles with the new lens, which weighs 695g and delivers improved resolution. The new Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM II lens has now become my preferred walkabout lens. While I still enjoy taking many photos at 24mm, being able to zoom to 70mm is exceedingly useful. If I was being critical, the Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM II lacks the soft bokeh of the Sony 24mm F1.4 GM lens, which I still prefer to use for food photographs, particularly in low light. However, bokeh is not normally a major issue when considering a walkabout lens so I think many people will be delighted with this lens.
For some images taken with the Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM II lens, visit:
Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM II Sample Images
So, here are my ten favourite Sony lenses:
- Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (with and without the 1.4x Extender). View my Sony 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G Sample Images Gallery.
- Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens. View my Sony 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM Sample Images Gallery.
- Sony 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II lens. View my Sony 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II Sample Images Gallery.
- Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM lens. View my Sony 135mm F1.8 GM Sample Images Gallery.
- Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM lens. View my Sony 50mm F1.2 GM Sample Images Gallery.
- Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM II lens. View my Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM II Sample Images Gallery.
- Sony FE 35mm F1.4 GM lens. View my Sony 35mm F1.4 GM Sample Images Gallery.
- Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM lens. View my Sony 24mm F1.4 GM Sample Images Gallery.
- Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM lens. View my Sony 14mm F1.8 GM Sample Images Gallery.
- Sony FE 12-24mm F2.8 GM lens. View my Sony 12-24mm F2.8 GM Sample Images Gallery.
With high-resolution Sony camera bodies, such as the Sony A1 and Sony A7R IV, results with these lenses can be spectacular.