Footvolley | Testing the new FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II

Award winning photographer Mathias turned his passion into a profession 18 years ago and now works all over the globe as a photographer, creative director and lecturer. "To dive into other worlds and cultures" says Mathias, "getting to know amazing people and places all over the world is the most beautiful gift to me, and I am very thankful and fortunate to be able to do what I love!"

When offered the chance to test the new FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II, Mathias jumped at the chance, and as luck would have it, had the perfect assignment already lined up in Eilat, Tel Aviv – the Red Sea Footvolley World Cup.

What was your first impression of the lens?

When I first handled the lens, I was immediately struck by the build quality and high quality feel. It's noticeably smaller than the previous version and quite a bit lighter, which is a huge advantage for me. I travel a lot with my work, and when I'm carrying a couple of bodies and numerous lenses, any weight advantage is gratefully received!

I particularly liked the zoom tension ring. When I had it set tightly, it almost felt like I was using a prime lens - the focal length didn't shift at all, but when I set to its loosest setting, the mechanism was very smooth and I was able to change focal lengths really quickly. I wouldn't have got as many good action shots as I did without the quick zoom action. The manual aperture ring too will appeal to videographers especially, or stills shooters who prefer the old school methods.

How did you find the autofocus speed of the new lens compared to your existing MK1 version?

The new AF is significantly faster, which gives me new possibilities and enables my creative mind! It completely changed the way I approached the shots - being able to 'catch' my subjects earlier and have confidence that the AF tracking would have no issues keeping up. I found I was able to change angles and focal lengths very quickly during a series of shots, and that to me is a whole new level of opportunity. I started off shooting on my trusted Alpha 9 II, and when I switched to the Alpha 1, I was keen to see if the lens could keep up with the 30fps that the Alpha 1 offers... Absolutely no problem! It's almost too fast for the human eye.

Focus breathing is very well suppressed in this lens, was this something you noticed?

I'll be honest and say I didn't even notice this initially! But when I switched focus from the immediate foreground to background, I could see the framing didn't change at all. It's as though there's no focus breathing at all anymore!

Any final thoughts you’d like to share?

This lens is a real masterpiece, especially as it's such a versatile focal length. The image quality blew me away; the bokeh at the 70mm end is so smooth and the edge sharpness at 24mm was much better than I was expecting.

I've been a fan of Sony lenses since I first picked up an Alpha many years ago. To me, the difference between a good shot and an amazing shot is always the quality and the bokeh of the lens, and I've always felt that my Sony glass delivered beautifully in this respect. This new G Master Mk II is no exception. Even with the high-resolution sensor of the Alpha 1, I can see that the lens is more than capable of resolving even the finest detail. I know I'll never have to worry about performance and compatibility of my lenses with whatever features a new generation of cameras brings!