The Sony 70-200mm GM II: Honest Thoughts After Six Months.

As a portrait and family photographer, I’m always on the lookout for gear that makes my workflow easier while helping me create images my clients will treasure. It should also inspire me, and enable some creativity on my end to make the images I see in my head.

When I decided to try the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II, I was cautiously optimi,stic. The original version of this lens was already well regarded, but had some issues that made me stick to my 85mm 1.4 prime for portraits, and just forgo zooms. It wasn’t the best 70-200 out there, but it was good if a bit slow and heavy. I wondered how much Sony could improve on an already good product and capture a shooter like me. After several months of using it in all kinds of situations—from family portraits to headshots—I can honestly say this lens is exceptional. That said, no piece of gear is perfect, and this one has its minor quirks too.

I’m not a professional reviewer and buy everything I use myself. For some really well done reviews, I’d direct you to PetaPixel, or my personal favorite YouTube reviewers, Chris and Jordan (formerly at DPreview and now at PetaPixel) who did a great video here. If you REALLY want to get technical, Dustin Abbot and Gerald Undone both have detailed reviews of this lens. So don’t take my word for it. (But you can take my word for it; this lens is worth it.)

TL;DR: The Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II OSS has proven to me that it is the very best 70-200mm zoom ever made, on any system.

…But is it for YOU?

Let’s dive in.

The Sony 70-200mm GM II telephoto zoom with lens hood and removable tripod foot.

Quick Specs (For the Curious)

For those who want the details, here are the basics:

• Focal Length: 70-200mm

• Maximum Aperture: f/2.8

• Minimum Aperture: f/22

• Filter Size: 77mm

• Weight: 2.3 pounds

• Closest Focusing Distance: 1.3 feet at 70mm / 2.7 feet at 200mm

• Image Stabilization: Built-in Optical SteadyShot

• Mount: Sony E-Mount

Why It’s a Winner

The Sony 70-200mm GM II feels like it was made with photographers like me in mind. Sony didn’t just tweak the original—they gave it a real refresh. Here’s why it’s become one of the lenses that is nearly always attached to a camera for me:

1. Gorgeous Image Quality

If there’s one thing this lens absolutely nails, it’s sharpness. Even at f/2.8, it delivers incredible detail from edge to edge. Whether I’m capturing a close-up of a child’s smile or a full-body portrait of a couple at sunset, the results are consistently crisp and have a lot of contrast and color. Flare is well controlled, so backlit subjects don’t wash out, and ghosting is also well controlled, so you don’t get those lens flares that can ruin a portrait. Plus, the creamy background blur (bokeh) is just what you’d hope for—smooth, natural, and perfect for making your subject pop.

2. Lightweight and Easy to Handle

One of my favorite things about this lens is how much lighter it is compared to its predecessor. It weighs about 2.3 pounds, shaving off over a pound from the original version. That might not sound like a big deal, but when you’re carrying gear for hours during a family session or moving around a busy wedding, every ounce counts. The compact size also makes it easier to pack in my camera bag, which I appreciate more than I thought I would. It still looks big, of course, but I can shoot with it all day, comfortably.

3. Autofocus That Keeps Up With Life

The autofocus on this lens is fast, accurate, and reliable. With family sessions, I’m often chasing kids around or capturing spontaneous moments of laughter. This lens keeps up, locking focus quickly even on moving subjects. I’ve found it especially great for candid shots where timing is everything. Despite all the glass moving around inside this thing, those XD motors are really snappy.

4. Surprisingly Good for Portraits

It may surprise you, but the 70-200mm focal length is a dream for portraits. I think that a lot of people think a 70-200 is only for sports and wildlife, but honestly, it’s a bit too short for those a lot of the time. This is a lens for close ups from across a room. It’s a lens for standing back and taking an environmental portrait, then quickly zooming in for a headshot with a nice defocused background.

At 70mm, you get wider environmental shots, while at 200mm, you can step back and compress the background for that cinematic, dreamy look. I love the versatility—it means I can go from a cozy family portrait to a dramatic headshot without swapping lenses. the 85mm f/1.4 from Sigma and the GM II from Sony are my favorite portrait lenses because of that amazing shallow depth of field when wide open and the small size, but this lens may actually be better for many portrait shoters. it covers 85mm and 135mm, two of the go to primes, and f/2.8 is fast enough for nearly all shoots, and for families, weddings, kids, animals, etc. shooting at f/1.4 may mean a lot of missed focus, especially with multiple subjects at different distances from the focal plane.

Bonus tip, it’s PERFECT for taking portraits of children who aren’t too familiar with you. You don’t have to get all in their face, you can let them have some space and after a few minutes, they will act normally. This is how you make great portraits of the littles.

The left side has all the controls you need, including three modes for image stabilization, and 3 programmable control buttons. I use the full-time DMF switch surprisingly often, which enables manual focus override during autofocus. Good when someone is behind glass or in a mirror.

The “Just OK” Things

No lens is perfect, and while this one gets so many things right, there are a couple of things that could be better.

1. No Arca-Swiss Mount on the Tripod Foot

This is certainly nitpicking, here, but this one caught me off guard. For a lens at this price point, I was really surprised to see that the tripod foot doesn’t come with an integrated Arca-Swiss mount. I use an Arca-Swiss tripod system for all my work, so I had to buy a third-party foot to make it compatible. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s one of those small frustrations that makes me wonder why Sony didn’t just design in the rails for this. It’s a design choice, and in my opinion its a poor one.

2. The Price

At just under $2,800, this lens isn’t exactly budget-friendly. For hobbyists or those just starting out, that’s a big investment. For me, as someone who relies on my gear professionally, I can justify the cost because of the consistent quality it delivers. Still, it’s not a casual purchase. I touch on it in a moment, but the 70-200mm f/4 GM2 OSS is an amazing option for less money, not to mention the superb options from Sigma and Tamron!

Why It’s Worth It

For all its quirks, the Sony 70-200mm GM II has quickly become one of my most-used lenses. The image quality, lightweight design, and incredible autofocus make it a joy to use. It’s reliable, versatile, and consistently produces beautiful results. Whether I’m capturing a family playing in a park, a couple at sunset, or even a professional headshot, this lens handles it all with ease.

Final Thoughts: Is It for You?

This is perhaps the finest 70-200mm zoom ever made. It’s good enough to justify buying into the Sony ecosystem on its own. It’s not so much better than the Canon or Nikon offerings that it’s worth switching full-frame systems though. If you’re a portrait or family photographer who wants a high-performing lens that delivers stunning results, the Sony 70-200mm GM II is absolutely worth considering. It’s not cheap, but the lens’s strengths far outweigh its flaws.

Luckily for us, there are a lot of great options in the medium-ranged zoom market. If you take price out of the equation, there is no substitute for this lens. It’s a reference-level masterpiece. But that doesn’t mean you need to run out and drop big bucks on it to make amazing images. Far from it!

If you are choosing between this and the original GM version, spend the extra money here. the GM II is sharper, weighs less, focuses faster, and has a better look in the defocused areas.

Other alternatives? I’d recommend the Sigma Art II or Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8, as both are amazing for the money. The Sigma in particular is brilliant, especially for video, as it has very well controlled focus breathing. (The Sony GMII is good, and has focus breathing compensation on some camera bodies, but that adds a slight crop.) If you do a lot of weddings or events, the Tamron 35-150mm f/2 - f/2.8 may be one of the greatest lenses for that purpose on any camera system, ever. The Sony G 70-200mm f/4 is brilliant, trading a wider aperture for size weight and macro ability. If you don’t shoot wide open, this is a fantastic option, and you get a great macro lens to boot, as it can accept teleconverters that don’t change the minimum focus distance, and provides 1:1 magnification.

I’m genuinely thrilled with what this lens has brought to my work. It’s not just a tool; it’s helped me elevate my photography in ways I didn’t expect. If you’re on the fence, I’d say give it a try—it just might become your new favorite lens too.

Here are some images of my copy of this lens, and throughout the website here you can see many examples of this lens too!

-Seth