Sony has introduced the second iteration of its popular FE 16-35mm G-master lens. While improvements have been made, the most striking change lies in its reduced size and weight. Sony kindly provided me with this lens for an honest and unbiased review.
The Sony FE 2.8/16-35 GM II lens covers a focal range spanning from 16mm to 35mm, positioning it as an ideal zoom lens for both landscape and real estate photography. The inclusion of a fast f/2.8 aperture over the zoom range also makes it suitable for astrophotography.
With the release of this lens, Sony has completed the second iteration of the so-called trinity of lenses, which consists of a 16-35mm, 24-70mm, and a 70-200mm zoom lens, each with a f/2.8 aperture.
The Design and Build
What immediately stands out is, how compact this lens is. At first, you wouldn’t expect a constant maximum aperture of f/2.8 throughout its zoom range. The design itself is functional, featuring a physical aperture ring, a switch to turn off the clicking sounds of that aperture ring, and a focus switch. Additionally, the lens is equipped with two programmable focus buttons, one for holding the lens in a landscape position, and the other for a portrait position.
The front lens has a nice 82mm diameter, and it accommodates filters of this size. It’s advised to use slim filters to prevent any vignetting, of course. The lens comes with a shallow lens hood.
The lens has a length of 111mm, extending by approximately one centimeter when zoomed to 16mm. It is about 20% lighter than its predecessor.
It's worth noting that the lens lacks image stabilization, which is partially responsible for its reduced size and weight. However, it's important to emphasize that this absence is not necessarily a drawback, as most Sony camera bodies are equipped with an In-Body Image Stabilization system (IBIS).
For photographers who prefer to control aperture settings through the camera, an iris-lock feature disables the ring, allowing aperture adjustments via camera dials. Videographers will appreciate the addition of a switch to disable the aperture ring clicks, ensuring smooth audio recording while changing the aperture.
The Image Quality
Initial impressions of the FE 2.8/16-35 GM II lens indicate a good and well-controlled image quality performance. While I don’t have the equipment for a detailed resolution analysis, there is confidence that it meets the demands of high-resolution cameras like the Sony a7R V. Otherwise this lens wouldn’t have a reason to exist.
Despite of this, I took a closer look at it’s performance concerning vignetting and distortions. As expected for ultra-wide-angle lenses, the FE 2.8/16-35 GM II also exhibits noticeable vignetting at f/2.8 and a 16mm focal length, which diminishes when stopped down to f/11.
At 35mm focal length and a f/2.8 aperture, vignetting is less pronounced. The peripheral shading is gone when the lens is stopped down to an aperture of f/8.
Lens distortion is present, which is also common for lenses in this focal range. At 16mm, barrel distortion is noticeable when photographing horizontal and vertical lines. This distortion changes to pincushion distortion at 35mm. However, these distortions, as well as the vignetting, will be effectively corrected using in-camera lens correction.
The lens's eleven-blade circular aperture produces a pleasing 22-point star shape when stopped down to f/8 and beyond. Chromatic aberrations are well controlled. Is almost unnoticeable in normal use. Keep in mind that in-camera lens correction will also remove any chromatic aberration that is present.
The lens does show some flaring when a light source is within the frame, or just outside the frame. The amount of flares, and their appearance, will depend on the light source's location and brightness. In some occasions it’s almost unnoticeable, in other situations quite prominent, showing a long line of flares that will be difficult to remove in post.
The combination of a 16mm focal length and f/2.8 aperture makes this lens appealing for night sky photography. While some coma distortion is present, it’s well under control. The distortions are small, and only visible when enlarged to 100%. It’s important to note that correcting the pronounced vignetting at f/2.8 can lead to increased noise levels at the periphery, especially when high ISO settings are used.
Achieving a shallow depth of field with a 16mm focal length can be challenging. However, at the minimum focal distance of 22 cm, a pleasing bokeh is visible. This characteristic extends to the 35 mm focal length.
Autofocus Speed
Sony claims that the autofocus of this second edition of the 16-35mm G-master lens is nearly twice as fast as its predecessor. While it’s nearly impossible to notice in real-world use, it's evident that the lens focuses swiftly and accurately.
Tested on a Sony a7 IV camera, which is limited to 10 frames per second, it exhibited flawless performance, keeping pace with the autofocus tracking system. The autofocus motors inside the lens appear to have a maximum tracking speed, allowing it to keep up with the 30 frames per second, a speed that is reserved exclusively for the Sony a1.
Final Thoughts
After using this lens for a couple of weeks, a single conclusion emerges: the FE 2.8/16-35 GM II lens is a superb performer. Its reduced size and weight make it a perfect travel companion as well. The one thing that is not reduced, is it’s price. Nevertheless, for those requiring an f/2.8 aperture and uncompromising image quality, the investment is well justified.
Sony's decision to include an aperture ring with a click-silencing option is commendable. While the two additional focus buttons may not be essential for this lens type, their presence is a welcome addition.
The absence of image stabilization is nothing to be concerned about. First of all, image stabilization is often not essential for this zoom range. Second, most modern camera bodies incorporate an In-Body Image Stabilization system. Thanks to its absence, Sony was able to reduce the weight and size.
Regarding performance relative to its predecessor, differences in image quality are probably subtle and likely discernible only when both lenses are used side by side.
Pros:
- Compact and lightweight design
- Physical aperture ring
- Aperture ring click-silencing switch
- On-lens autofocus buttons
- Standard 82mm filter thread
- Outstanding image quality
Cons:
- Lens extends while zooming
- Strong vignetting at 16mm and f/2.8
Gallery
Post processed to taste in Lightroom Classic
Unedited raw file.
Sony A7 IV with FE16-35GMII at 16mm, ISO100, f/11 and 1/160s
Post processed to taste in Lightroom Classic
Sony A7 IV with FE16-35GMII at 35mm, ISO100, f/4 and 1/200s
Post processed to taste in Lightroom Classic
Sony A7 IV with FE16-35GMII at 35mm, ISO100, f/11 and 1/125s
Photostacking option of the Sony A7 IV is used.
Stacked in Photoshop, post processed to taste in Lightroom ClassicThanks to Sony Netherlands for providing the lens with a camera.
Nice article and brill photos. I half considered Sony but changed my mind. Does Photo Lab get rid of the vignetting?
I am not entirely sure I like the bokeh of this lens. Maybe it's my screen. Is it similar on their other wide angle lenses in this price bracket?
How are Sony's RAW files in Lightoom? I heard that they can need a lot of editing.
Sorry for all the questions.
No. Sony needs to seriously look at its pricing. $2300? No. If it costs something remotely close to that to build, they need to look at their manufacturing process. If they are trying to make 200% profit, then that is a problem too. That is just too expensive for a 16-35 lens.
The f2.8 Sony SAL1635Z/US has a Zeiss anti flare coating and tons of features. And it costs less than $600. Now, why on earth is this lens nearly four times that price? Both are Sony products. But people will pay way too much for that stupid G or GM label. Even if it is indeed better, it isn't four times better than the Sony SAL1635Z/US. I doubt pixel peepers could even distinguish between identical photos taken with both lenses. It isn't four times clearer, cleaner or sharper.
And ALL of the competition have f2.8 16-35 lenses of which NONE cost more than $1500. A similarly high tech Canon lens with these specs is about $1100.
Now, if this new Sony was somehow f0.9 or something extreme like that, MAYBE it would be worth it. But considering the bad vignetting at 2.8, I doubt Sony (or anyone else) could make a wide angle zoom lens usable at less than f4. So what the heck is the point? Do you just shoot at f2.8 and crop off the corners? Or perhaps use software to fix it in post? You could do these same fixes with a lens costing $500.
And super fast autofocus that can't even be perceived per this article.... Great. That's nice. Or is it? If I build something that is supposedly better but the feature making it better isn't humanly perceptible/noticeable, is it in fact better?
Nope.
I'll be watching the third party builders. My inexpensive Tamron 70-300 is one of my favorite lenses and my Yongnuo f1.8 85mm prime is absolutely supreme. None of them cost anything close to a Sony G lens equivalent and the resulting photo quality will give any fancy Sony G lens a run for its money. Sure, the G and GM lenses are feature-packed and have image stabilization, etc. But I have found shooting without those features to NOT be a problem at all.
Perhaps this is because I started as a photographer back in the 35mm era where such fancy features weren't even imagined. It was all about the glass quality. I still use Canon FD mount lenses on my Sony camera because the glass is just awesome. My Super Takumar 55mm f1.8 might be manual focus, but it is an example of Japanese perfection.
Lens shoppers should keep this in mind: the best photographers don't use the most expensive products. They have a toolkit that works. And they have the skill to maximize those tools. A $2300 lens won't make your photos better if you suck as a photographer. It is the human, not the camera or lens, that defines great photography. Don't feed the damn hype.