Here’s a selection of photos I’ve taken using the Sony FE 24-70mm Æ’/2.8 GM zoom lens. I’m sharing them here in the hope they might be helpful to others who are curious about how it performs in real-world shooting conditions.
First, a quick overview: The Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lens is an E-mount lens designed for Sony’s full-frame cameras. It has an aperture range of Æ’/2.8 to Æ’/22 (with apertures constant throughout the zoom range), a 9-blade circular diaphragm, two aspherical and one XA elements, and is ruggedized with dust- and moisture-resistant construction. It’s one of the lenses in Sony’s G Master series of high-end lenses that work especially well on the Alpha series of cameras.
The 24-70mm performs very well in lab tests, but I wanted to see how that translated into real-world shooting. So I shot some photos to try it out, mounting it on a Sony a7III body.
I’ve tried to include in this selection a range of subjects, apertures, focal lengths, and lighting conditions in the hope it gives at least some kind of representative idea of how it performs for general travel photography (even though I was shooting these close to home).
These were all shot in RAW, and most of them have only been very lightly processed in Lightroom. For nearly all of them, I haven’t applied any extra sharpening or lens profile corrections such as fixing chromatic aberration (there’s basically none to fix, anyway). There are a few exceptions, mostly noted in the captions.
Sample Photos Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Lens
You can find the aperture each was taken with in the captions below each photo. If you’d like a closer look, you can click on each image to open a full-size version.
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 29mm at Æ’/8 on a Sony a7iii mirrorless camera body. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 70mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
I’ve done a little more processing on this one, including adding the slight vignetting at the top corners–that’s not something coming from the lens. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 31mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 24mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 30mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 49mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
You can see the distinctive starburst on the lights at Æ’/16. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 44mm at Æ’/16 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 70mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Zoomed out to 24mm. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 24mm at Æ’/8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Zoomed in to 70mm. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 70mm at Æ’/8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
This is of a tank, not taken underwater. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 52mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
You can see some barrel distortion with the curved lines. The lens profile corrections in Lightroom do a nice job of correcting for it (this version is uncorrected). Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 70mm at Æ’/8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 52mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 37mm at Æ’/4 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 65mm at Æ’/4 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
It’s not a macro lens, but the minimum focusing distance is quite short at 1.24 feet (38 cm). Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 61mm at Æ’/4 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
You can see some of the bowing of the verticals here, but it’s pretty easily fixed using lens profile corrections in post-processing tools such as Lightroom or DxO. This version is uncorrected. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 24mm at Æ’/5 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 24mm at Æ’/8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Although it’s not a macro lens, you can still get quite close to subjects. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 70mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
This shot isn’t as sharp as it could be, but that was user error. I was testing at ISOs and pushed the shutter speed too low for a hand-held shot. But I’ve included it anyway as a test of chromatic aberration in the high-contrast edges of the windows. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 40mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
As you zoom out, the lens distortion becomes more noticeable. But again it’s fairly easily fixed. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 46mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
There’s a little lens distortion at 70mm, as you can see in the curved lines near the edges, but it’s easily fixed in something like Lightroom, Photoshop, or DxO. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 70mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
I often shoot variations of this shot to test for chromatic aberration in the sharp, high-contrast lines of the windows running along the left and right. There’s no CA here to speak of. I haven’t applied in CA correction here (or other lens corrections, for that matter). Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 28mm at Æ’/3.5 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Checking the edges for sharpness and chromatic aberration. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 24mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 24mm at Æ’/3.5 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 70mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 30mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 46mm at Æ’/5 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 68mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 24mm at Æ’/8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 58mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
This old oil painting has its own distinctive texture, so it’s not something being applied by the lens. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 69mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 70mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 37mm at Æ’/8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 24mm at Æ’/14 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Even wide open at Æ’/2.8, it’s impressively sharp. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 30mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 41mm at Æ’/3.5 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
No flaring issues. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 24mm at Æ’/8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 27mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 24mm at Æ’/4 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 57mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
You can see some softness in the tree branches at the far left, but it’s still reasonably good compared to many other lenses.
Just a general shot to look at sharpness across the frame at Æ’/8 in bright conditions. There’s some softness at the edges, but overall it’s very sharp. Taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 24mm at Æ’/8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 70mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 24mm at Æ’/8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 48mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 60mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 57mm at Æ’/5.6 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 24mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 70mm at Æ’/2.8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 70mm at Æ’/4.5 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Photo taken with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM E-mount zoom lens at 44mm at Æ’/8 on a Sony a7iii. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Optical Correction Tools
I deliberately haven’t applied extensive corrections to these images. And the general rule of thumb in photography is that it’s better to get the shot right at the time of capture rather than trying to fix it after. That’s a great aspiration, but it’s not always possible to do if you’re bumping up against limitations or flaws in gear, conditions, or technique.
But it’s worth mentioning that there are some excellent tools available to help address common issues with lenses, such as distortion, chromatic aberration, and lens vignetting when editing the images. All-round image processing apps like Lightroom Classic and Capture One have solid tools built in already that often cater to specific lens profiles (or you can make your own).
Some more specialized tools can take it even further. DxO, in particular, sets the gold standard.Their software is built on the foundation of their incredibly deep archive of data from their extensive lab testing of the optical performance of lenses and cameras. But there are some other excellent specialized tools available. These are well worth a look (and have free trials):
DxO Pure RAW (for a suite of automatic RAW file corrections enhancement)
DxO ViewPoint (correcting for distortion and geometry)
Topaz Labs Sharpen AI (in addition to standard unsharp tools, includes focus correction and shake reduction)
On1 NoNoise (includes Tack Sharp AI, which applies sharpening)
Price & Availability of the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Lens
Check the current price and availability of the Sony FE 24-70mm Æ’/2.8 GM at:
Images and product information from Amazon PA-API were last updated on 2023-12-01 at 13:38. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
I'm a professional photographer based in Washington DC. Seven continents, up mountains, underwater, and a bunch of places in between. I've been shooting for 30+ years, and my my photos and time-lapse videos have appeared in a bunch of different publications from major newspapers to magazines and books, billboards, TV shows, professional sports stadiums, museums, and even massive architectural scrims covering world-famous buildings while they're being renovated. You can see some of my travel photography here and here.