TDP review of the 24-70 f/2.8 GM for Sony

[ahsanford]

TDP continues it's testing and reviews of Sony gear:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Sony-FE-24-70mm-f-2.8-GM-Lens.aspx

With this lens, the A7R II's IBIS was good for 3-4 stops of image stabilization in his hands. Impressive.

Less impressive: the lack of a distance scale and only focus by wire for $2,200.

Of note is a telling passage of what happens when 'keep it small' mirrorless platform and the inevitable request for pro glass gets married together:

"A lens of this weight requires a good grip on the camera. The a7R II is made to be compact and, while it has a decent grip, there is not quite enough room for my medium-sized hand's fingers to fit between the camera and the lens. At the edge of the first diameter increase, the lens presses quite firmly into the first joint of my middle and ring fingers. Of course, the lens is not soft and the grip is not comfortable. The pressure is lessened if the lens is hanging downward from a loose grip or if I rotate my grip away from the lens, but ... that does not give me the grip assurance I would like to have."

- A

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Reading Roger Cicala's teardown and the lightweight aluminum piece holding the two halves of the lens together along with the need to remove all that silicone in order to get to the damaged part was a red flag, I expect that drops and spills insurance will be expensive, just dropping one lightly may knock it out of alignment as that center bracket bends slightly. The lens is built like a tank in some regards, but other pieces seem fragile. The need to spend so many hours to take it apart and re-assemble it makes for expensive service costs. Nikon does the same thing, they use tons of glue.

Canon spends a lot of effort reducing the time and cost to assemble a lens, and it ends up meaning that disassembly and repairs tend to be easier and faster.

 

[Jopa]

Of note is a telling passage of what happens when 'keep it small' mirrorless platform and the inevitable request for pro glass gets married together:

"A lens of this weight requires a good grip on the camera. The a7R II is made to be compact and, while it has a decent grip, there is not quite enough room for my medium-sized hand's fingers to fit between the camera and the lens. At the edge of the first diameter increase, the lens presses quite firmly into the first joint of my middle and ring fingers. Of course, the lens is not soft and the grip is not comfortable. The pressure is lessened if the lens is hanging downward from a loose grip or if I rotate my grip away from the lens, but ... that does not give me the grip assurance I would like to have."

The a7-series ergonomics sucks out of the box. But it's also easy to fix by adding the vertical grip. It becomes pretty much as good as the 1dx. Plus the battery life won't be as miserable

 

[Jopa]

Reading Roger Cicala's teardown and the lightweight aluminum piece holding the two halves of the lens together along with the need to remove all that silicone in order to get to the damaged part was a red flag, I expect that drops and spills insurance will be expensive, just dropping one lightly may knock it out of alignment as that center bracket bends slightly. The lens is built like a tank in some regards, but other pieces seem fragile. The need to spend so many hours to take it apart and re-assemble it makes for expensive service costs. Nikon does the same thing, they use tons of glue.

Canon spends a lot of effort reducing the time and cost to assemble a lens, and it ends up meaning that disassembly and repairs tend to be easier and faster.

That was the 70-200 f/2.8. Same awkward design as the older slower sibling 70-200/4 which was notorious for breaking in half: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3976992