The lens I am reviewing today is the spiritual successor to a lens that was launched exactly forty years ago in 1983.  

Available for only a short time in Minolta MD mount and later in autofocus Minolta A-Mount, that lens was the Minolta Zoom 70-210mm f4 lens. 

It even had its own nickname - the Minolta Beercan zoom, for the fact that the lens resembled a tall beer can. Users loved it for the fact that it was lighter and more compact than either the Minolta 80-200 f2.8 or the Sony 70-200 2.8 lenses while also offering a constant aperture throughout its zoom range. Many Sony A-Mount users included it in their repertoire of lenses.

Fast forward to 2013, a decade ago, and the Sony Alpha Full-frame mirrorless system was born. At the time of launch, the Sony Alpha Full-frame lens lineup consisted of only five lenses of which only one was a G lens. This G lens was the FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS (SEL70200G), the immediate predecessor to the lens we are reviewing today. The SEL70200G was one of three zoom lenses in the system’s initial lineup and was the sole constant aperture medium telephoto zoom lens. I have owned one since 2015 and I have to say it is really an underrated lens, proving to be sharp, contrasty, reliable and also relatively lightweight. It remained the only 70-200mm constant aperture medium telephoto zoom lens in the lineup until the launch of the FE 70-200mm F2.8 G Master OSS (SEL70200GM) lens in 2016. 

Ten years on, the successor to the SEL70200G is finally here. Say hello to the FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II (SEL70200G2) lens. 

TLDR, it is better than the lens it replaces in every single way.  

For starters, the new SEL70200G2 is lighter and shorter than its predecessor. Tipping the scales at just under 800g, the SEL70200G2 weighs 794g and is 149mm long when unextended. The original SEL70200G weighs 840g and is 175mm long. While the reduction is “only” 46g, weight adds up quickly in a camera bag chock-full of gear so any savings is welcome. On the other hand, the reduction in size is far more remarkable with a 15% shorter lens barrel. This makes packing the lens in any camera bag a lot easier than it first suggests.  

The new SEL70200G2 also has full compatibility with both of Sony’s native Teleconverters, giving us a 98-280mm F5.6 lens with the 1.4x Teleconverter (SEL14TC), and a 140-400mm F8 lens with the 2.0x Teleconverter (SEL20TC). The original SEL70200G could not be used with Teleconverters as they did not exist in 2013 when that lens was launched. The Teleconverters were only announced with the SEL70200GM in 2016.  

This reduction in size and weight coupled with the ability to seamlessly combine with the Teleconverters makes the new SEL70200G2 extremely attractive to travel photographers or those like me who value working fast and moving around without the need for a large aperture medium telephoto zoom and the weight that comes with it. I have tested the lens out extensively with the SEL14TC and am happy to report that it can be used as a 280mm lens with minimal degradation in contrast or sharpness.  

Another surprising and actually very welcome feature is the SEL70200G2’s close focusing capabilities. The lens allows users a 1:2 magnification ratio (0.5x life size) throughout the zoom range; probably the reason why Sony chose to put the word “MACRO” in the official name of the lens.  

In the past, only dedicated macro prime lenses could focus to 0.5x. The SEL70200G2 can do this AND do it at any focal length within its range. This is a world’s first and definitely a game changer for photographers who need to adjust their framing of a close up subject without needing to move the camera. To put things in perspective, the older SEL70200G could only manage a minimum focusing distance of 1m at the 70mm end as well as 1.35m at the 200mm end and only if the lens was manually focused. The SEL70200G2 can focus to 26cm at the 70mm end and 42cm at the 200mm end with autofocus.  

Speaking of autofocus, the SEL70200G2 comes with not one, not two, but four of Sony’s original high-thrust XD Linear Motors that work with a small focusing lens group within the lens to ensure that autofocus is always fast and accurate. The last thing we want is to have high-end Sony Alpha cameras let down by the lackluster autofocus performance of a lens. Sony claims a 20% increase in speed as compared to the SEL70200G. I have not compared the two in this area; suffice to say it focuses fast enough for my needs! 

As an architecture and cityscape photographer, the macro capabilities of the SEL70200G2 are probably lost on me but it is good to know they are there should I ever need them.  

At the end of the day, my requirements of a medium telephoto zoom are that it should be sharp and contrasty even when used wide open. It should have quick and accurate autofocus and more importantly should not send me to the chiropractor or physiotherapist for back problems. The SEL70200G2 checks all these boxes.