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

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

SonyFE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSSSonyFE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2016July 2023
Optics
Lens typeZoomZoom
Focal length70–200 mm70–200 mm
Maximum aperturef/2.8f/4
Minimum aperturef/22f/22
Macro lens–Yes
Optical constructionTwenty-three elements in eighteen groups19 elements in 13 groups
Special elementsIncludes XA extreme aspherical, ED and Super ED elementsOne AA advanced-aspherical element, one aspherical element, three ED and one Super ED glass elements
CoatingsSony Nano AR coating and front fluorine coatingFluorine coating on the front element
DiaphragmEleven rounded bladesNine rounded blades
Angle of view34°–12°30′ full frame; 23°–8° APS-C34°–12°30′ full frame; 23°–8° APS-C
Mount and compatibility
MountsSony ESony E
Image circleFull frameFull frame
Image circle detailFull-frame coverage; 105–300 mm equivalent field of view on APS-CFull-frame coverage; 105–300 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C
Teleconverter supportCompatible with Sony SEL14TC 1.4× and SEL20TC 2× teleconvertersSEL14TC 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
AutofocusYesYes
Minimum focus distance0.96 m0.26 m
Maximum magnification0.25×0.5×
Optical stabilisationYesYes
Autofocus detailRing-drive SSM for front focus group and two linear motors for rear group; floating focus mechanismFour XD linear motors with floating focus groups; compatible with Alpha 1 30 fps bursts under specified shutter-speed, exposure and AF conditions
Focus distance detail0.96 m minimum focus distanceMinimum 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 detail0.25× maximum magnificationMaximum magnification 0.5× throughout the zoom range without teleconverter; 1.0× requires separately sold SEL20TC
Stabilisation detailBuilt-in Optical SteadyShot; compatible body stabilisation can combine for five-axis correction. Mode 1 normal and mode 2 panning (Photography Blog and OpticalLimits); no maker stop rating in read pagesOptical 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 featuresConstant overall lens length during zoom and focus; quiet autofocusLow-noise focusing and aperture operation; compatible-body breathing compensation; body compatibility applies
Design
Dust and moisture resistantYesYes
Filter diameter77 mm72 mm
Maximum diameter88 mm82.2 mm
Length200 mm149 mm
Weight1,480 g794 g
ControlsFocus and zoom rings, AF/MF switch, focus-hold buttons, focus-range limiter and stabilisation controlsAF/MF, full-time DMF, focus-range and OSS switches; three focus-hold buttons; zoom lock at 70 mm; no aperture ring
Zoom designInternal zoom and focusing; overall length remains constantExtending barrel; 149 mm length is at the wide-angle setting
Filter detail77 mm front filter thread; supplied hood has filter-access window–
Weather resistanceDust and moisture resistant design with mount rubber ring; not guaranteed to prevent all ingressDust- and moisture-resistant design; not guaranteed completely dust- or moisture-proof
Dimensions detail88 mm maximum diameter × 200 mm lengthMaximum diameter 82.2 mm; length 149 mm at 70 mm
Weight detailApproximately 1480 g, explicitly excluding separate tripod mount; hood and caps excludedApproximately 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 mountRotating collar with detachable tripod foot and safety locking mechanism, suppliedRemovable rotating tripod mount supplied. Reviews disagree about Arca-Swiss compatibility, so no compatibility claim is made here
Lens hoodALC-SH145 petal bayonet hood with lock and opening filter-access window, suppliedALC-SH176 petal bayonet hood
In the boxALC-SH145 hood, ALC-F77S front cap, ALC-R1EM rear cap, soft carrying case and tripod mountALC-SH176 hood, ALC-F72S front cap, ALC-R1EM rear cap and tripod mount; no case listed by Sony Japan
Release detailSony Canada G Master announcement dated 3 February 2016; final Sony Japan notice dated 26 September confirms sale on 30 September after launch delay. Main release September, exact first global sale day unconfirmed. Two full independent exact reviews read: Photography Blog Mark Goldstein and OpticalLimits Klaus Schroiff, both Alpha 7R II. Conflicting AF reliability and measured stabilisation preserved; OL sample centring imperfect. Blog five-axis wording describes combination with body rather than lens alone, corrected. Main1480g explicitly excludes tripod mount. No inferred predecessor linkSony 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

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