Sony FE 70–200mm F2.8 GM OSS II vs Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II

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FE 70–200mm F2.8 GM OSS II compared with FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II

	SonyFE 70–200mm F2.8 GM OSS II	SonyFE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II
Overview
Released
Released	November 2021	July 2023
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Zoom	Zoom
Focal length
Focal length	70–200 mm	70–200 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/2.8	f/4
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/22	f/22
Macro lens
Macro lens	–	Yes
Optical construction
Optical construction	17 elements in 14 groups	19 elements in 13 groups
Special elements
Special elements	One XA and one other aspherical element; two ED, two Super ED and one ED aspherical element	One AA advanced-aspherical element, one aspherical element, three ED and one Super ED glass elements
Coatings
Coatings	Nano AR Coating II; fluorine front-element coating	Fluorine coating on the front element
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	11 rounded blades	Nine rounded blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	34°–12°30′ full frame; 23°–8° APS-C	34°–12°30′ full frame; 23°–8° APS-C
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Sony E	Sony E
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	Full frame
Image circle detail
Image circle detail	Full-frame coverage; 105–300 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C	Full-frame coverage; 105–300 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	SEL14TC gives 98–280 mm F4; SEL20TC gives 140–400 mm F5.6	SEL14TC gives F5.6 maximum aperture; SEL20TC gives F8 maximum aperture, up to 400 mm reach and 1.0× magnification throughout the zoom range
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	0.4 m	0.26 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.3×	0.5×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	Yes	Yes
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Four XD linear motors; floating focus; Linear Response MF and full-time DMF	Four XD linear motors with floating focus groups; compatible with Alpha 1 30 fps bursts under specified shutter-speed, exposure and AF conditions
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	Minimum focus 0.40 m at 70 mm or 0.82 m at 200 mm	Minimum focus 0.26 m at 70 mm or 0.42 m at 200 mm; Linear Response MF and switchable full-time DMF; focus limiter selects full, 3 m–infinity or macro
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	–	Maximum magnification 0.5× throughout the zoom range without teleconverter; 1.0× requires separately sold SEL20TC
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Optical SteadyShot with standard, panning and irregular-movement modes; Sony publishes no stop rating. OpticalLimits estimates approximately four stops in its test.	Optical SteadyShot with modes 1, 2 for panning and 3 for erratic subjects; mode 3 may require compatible body firmware. Digital Camera World measured about three stops of combined lens/body benefit on Alpha 7 IV, not a maker rating
Video features
Video features	Reduced focus breathing; Cameralabs finds little over typical pulls but some over the full focus range, while OpticalLimits calls breathing moderate	Low-noise focusing and aperture operation; compatible-body breathing compensation; body compatibility applies
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	Yes
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	77 mm	72 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	88 mm	82.2 mm
Length
Length	200 mm	149 mm
Weight
Weight	1,045 g	794 g (better)
Controls
Controls	Aperture ring, click on/off and iris-lock switches, three focus-hold buttons, AF/MF and full-time DMF switches, focus limiter and three stabilisation modes	AF/MF, full-time DMF, focus-range and OSS switches; three focus-hold buttons; zoom lock at 70 mm; no aperture ring
Zoom design
Zoom design	Internal zoom; barrel does not extend	Extending barrel; 149 mm length is at the wide-angle setting
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Dust- and moisture-resistant design; not guaranteed completely dust- or moisture-proof	Dust- and moisture-resistant design; not guaranteed completely dust- or moisture-proof
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	–	Maximum diameter 82.2 mm; length 149 mm at 70 mm
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 1045 g excluding tripod mount; separately supplied hood and caps excluded	Approximately 794 g excluding the removable tripod mount; separate hood and caps excluded. Digital Camera World’s 749 g specification conflicts with Sony’s published 794 g
Tripod mount
Tripod mount	Removable tripod mount with rotating collar; Cameralabs notes no indexed rotation detents	Removable rotating tripod mount supplied. Reviews disagree about Arca-Swiss compatibility, so no compatibility claim is made here
Lens hood
Lens hood	ALC-SH167 round bayonet hood; OpticalLimits incorrectly describes it as petal-shaped	ALC-SH176 petal bayonet hood
In the box
In the box	ALC-SH167 hood, ALC-F77S front cap, ALC-R1EM rear cap, soft case and tripod mount	ALC-SH176 hood, ALC-F72S front cap, ALC-R1EM rear cap and tripod mount; no case listed by Sony Japan
Release detail
Release detail	Sony UK announced on 13 October 2021 with November 2021 UK/European availability. US availability was later. Cameralabs reports the original version remained on sale alongside II; no replacement link is inferred.	Sony Europe specified availability by the end of July 2023; Japan specified 28 July, distinct from 18 July pre-orders. Main date retains July precision for regional availability. Maker front coating is fluorine; Amateur Photographer’s flare-coating description is not imported as a maker coating claim