Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Zoom Lens Sample Images

A 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 zoom has become a staple of working photographers, whether they’re shooting Nikon, Canon, or Sony.

It’s almost a standard issue for photojournalists, but with its combination of very useful focal lengths and fast aperture, it’s an extremely versatile lens for a host of shooting styles and situations.

They do tend toward being larger and heavier than is ideal for a walking-around travel kit, in part because they fall into the “pro” category and are designed to take the beating that working photographers give them when using them day in day out. And they’re not inexpensive. But particularly when paired with a 24-70mm ƒ/2.8, you get an extremely versatile two-lens combo that covers many photography needs while also keeping the lenses fast.

I’ve recently been out shooting with the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS on a Sony A1 (Sony Alpha 1) body. Below are some sample images from it.

Sony also has a slower ƒ/4 version of the 70-200mm focal length that’s about half the price.

But on this lens, the maximum aperture remains ƒ/2.8 throughout the zoom range, giving plenty of room to play in low-light conditions (especially when combined with the excellent sensors on Sony’s Alpha series cameras).

The results are beautifully sharp. You can see what I mean by looking at the detail on the dome of the Capitol Building in some of the full-size versions below (click on the display version to open a full-size version).

One thing I have been a little surprised about is the pincushion distortion, mainly when zoomed in. It’s mostly noticeable with architectural detail, and it’s easy enough to correct for in modern image editing apps that include lens distortion correction, but I was just a bit surprised to see it. One of the most obvious cases in these shots is in the top horizontal line in the shot of the entrance to the Willard Hotel. But that’s by no means much of a knock against the lens and wouldn’t make me hesitate from using the lens.

These were all shot on a Sony A1 (Sony Alpha 1) full-frame mirrorless camera body. All were shot in RAW and handheld. And they’ve only been lightly processed in Lightroom; I haven’t applied any of Lightroom’s optical corrections to these images. In light of current circumstances, I haven’t been able to get out and about as much to get as wide a variety of shots as I’d like, but hopefully, these are still useful to give a sense of how the lens performs.

Sample Images

You can click on each image to open a full-size version.

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)

Accessories for the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Zoom Lens

• It takes 77mm screw-in filters: Polarizer | UV/Haze | Neutral Density
• Lens Hood: Model ALC-SH145
• Front Cap: Model ALC-F77S or Generic 77mm snap-on cap
• Rear Cap: Model ALC-R1EM
• LensCoat Protective Neoprene Cover

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