70-200mm f/2.8 GM - SOOC sharpness examples

Anders Wotzke · Jan 14, 2017

Finally got my hands on the GM, after receiving a heavily misaligned one in the past. This copy still shows slight softness on the left side of the frame compared to the right, but it is very minimal compared to the previous copy and acceptable to me.

So the question is: is the lens sharp wide open? I think so, but I'll let you be the judge.

Here's a handful of SOOC shots taken handheld with natural light on the A7RII. It's safe to say it blows my 70-200mm f/4 out of the water, which given the price and weight, is to be expected, but nice nonetheless.

Closer to the short end. Amazingly sharp!

200mm. Light was fading at this point.

200mm. Testing sharpess on the right of the frame

200mm. Testing sharpness on the left of frame. Not quite as sharp as the right, though hardly scientific.

Underexposed and with an ISO of 640, yet still strong detail and contrast in the shadows.

And a bonus edit I did on that last one:

Certainly not SOOC.

--
My photos on Facebook, Flickr, 500px and Instagram.

Tuloom · Jan 14, 2017

Anders Wotzke said:
So the question is: is the lens sharp wide open? I think so, but I'll let you be the judge.

I'm sorry to be an internet jack hole, but I would never make any kind of judgment about a lens with a single set of images like this.

Good samples get rid of variables:

1. TRIPOD

2. Remote release or timer

3. Manual Focus only using focus magnification

4. Very large if not full size files

5. ISO 100

If your samples work for you, so be it. That is perfectly acceptable. But calling them "sharpness" samples is pushing it.

I do like your cat, though.

AlphaPhotography · Jan 14, 2017

Nice pictures (and cat) but I must say I'm fairly disappointed in the sharpness results, especially at the long end and considering these were shot with an A7RII. These results seem similar to what I achieved with the 70-200mm F4 on my A7II, perhaps a hair sharper at the short end. The Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS II I tested seemed much sharper than these at the long end. There is no conclusive way to confirm that without a direct side-by-side comparison but just my input based on these samples and experience with the aforementioned lenses (on an A7II).

Luis Gabriel Photography · Jan 14, 2017

AlphaPhotography said:
Nice pictures (and cat) but I must say I'm fairly disappointed in the sharpness results, especially at the long end and considering these were shot with an A7RII. These results seem similar to what I achieved with the 70-200mm F4 on my A7II, perhaps a hair sharper at the short end. The Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS II I tested seemed much sharper than these at the long end. There is no conclusive way to confirm that without a direct side-by-side comparison but just my input based on these samples and experience with the aforementioned lenses (on an A7II).

I feel the same about my Canon IS ii being sharper but its hard to tell for real unless side by side and even then, it will be ONE copy against ONE copy. Still for me, I guess I will have to order one and find out if it works for my personal needs at the end.

Dave Sanders · Jan 14, 2017

...one, any post with the words 'sharpness examples' in the title should have full resolution files, otherwise there is no way to verify any claim or to judge sharpness. Downsized samples from a Galaxy or an iPhone look sharp too. Two, you probably have to do side-by-sides if you make categorical statements about another lens and expect others to share and or value your opinion. And finally, given how many are curious about this lens and how hotly anticipated it has been, don't be surprised by a ton of posts like mine or other posts asking for different photos shot using different testing procedures, etc. Lots of folks around here want to really see what a lens like this can do before dropping the substantial coin required to add it their arsenal.

Looking forward to more high resolution samples ;-)

Tristimulus · Jan 14, 2017

One example: best focus is slightly further away than the rowboat. Not the best way to show how well a lens performs...

Jekabs · Jan 14, 2017

Just click 100% view or Loupe to pixel peep at 1:1 SOOC A7rII files...

Dave Sanders · Jan 14, 2017

Jekabs said:
Just click 100% view or Loupe to pixel peep at 1:1 SOOC A7rII files...

...my bad. Sharpness looks good, it's as sharp as I would expect from a modern 70-200 design. If this is much better than the 70-200/4, I'd say your f/4 performs poorly.

Is it just me or do the cat photos look like they're suffering from a bit of movement?

Tuloom · Jan 14, 2017

Jekabs said:
Just click 100% view or Loupe to pixel peep at 1:1 SOOC A7rII files...

The images are 1600px? Really not big enough for a strict sharpness "test" unless that's all you require. And that's ok.

+++++++++

Here's a positive: There is a fantastic lack of aberration around the cat's whiskers.

That's pretty damn good for any lens.

Jekabs · Jan 14, 2017

I have no idea how are you viewing them, but if I click on them and select "100% details", "Loupe" or "Download: JPEG" from the dpreview image viewer, they show up as 7952x5304 (A7rII) to me.

Tuloom · Jan 14, 2017

Jekabs said:
I have no idea how are you viewing them, but if I click on them and select "100% details", "Loupe" or "Download: JPEG" from the dpreview image viewer, they show up as 7952x5304 (A7rII) to me.

Thanks. I was using "large" in the "available sizes" under the "gallery page" which used to work to get full size from the posts?

I was wrong.

Dave Sanders · Jan 14, 2017

Tuloom said:
Jekabs said:

I have no idea how are you viewing them, but if I click on them and select "100% details", "Loupe" or "Download: JPEG" from the dpreview image viewer, they show up as 7952x5304 (A7rII) to me.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I was using "large" in the "available sizes" under the "gallery page" which used to work to get full size from the posts?

I was wrong.

Same thing I was doing haha... Odd that Dpreview.com wouldn't make the full size available from the gallery page too.

Jeff2013 · Jan 14, 2017

I almost did not purchase the GM 85 as all the JPG's I viewed online, at the time of release, just did not appear to be very sharp. I finally found a couple RAW files from the lens, shot on 42mp, which looked great, so I purchased the lens. I'm glad I did. I had the same experience with the Sony FE 35mm f1.4 lens.

I decided that I would purchase the GM 70-200mm f2.8 if it was even slightly better than my Canon 70-200mm f2.8 II at 200mm f2.8 (where I shoot it the most). It looks to be close, but I still need those RAW files to make any determination.

What bothers me is that Nikon just released their 70-200mm f2.8 Version 3 that seems to leapfrog both the Canon and Sony lenses in terms of optical performance. Their new lens appears to be simply stunning. I may need to forget the GM lens and wait for Canon to update their 8 year old Version II lens. I have clients that sometimes make huge prints from my files, so I need all the resolution that I can muster, when it is impractical to shoot primes.

One thing that baffles me is that, with all the technical expertise Sony inherited from their Minolta acquisition, as well as their technical support relationship with Zeiss, why is the new GM lens not in the same league as the new Nikon lens, which at this point, I am fairly certain that it is not?

--
Jeff
Florida, USA
http://www.gr8photography.com

Anders Wotzke · Jan 14, 2017

Dave Sanders said:
Jekabs said:

Just click 100% view or Loupe to pixel peep at 1:1 SOOC A7rII files...

Click to expand...

...my bad. Sharpness looks good, it's as sharp as I would expect from a modern 70-200 design. If this is much better than the 70-200/4, I'd say your f/4 performs poorly.

Is it just me or do the cat photos look like they're suffering from a bit of movement?

Astrophotographer 10 · Jan 14, 2017

Thanks for posting and that must have been a relief to get a good copy.

I like the rendering on some of the photos. The bokeh on the cat photos is great. As far as sharpness goes though I must say I was also unimpressed at this stage. They don't seem to be particularly wow or super sharp in that regard. Rather they seem just good. For AUD$3888 I need wow.

Perhaps too early to comment but an adapter Canon 70-200 F2.8 ii for a fraction of the price may be the better bang for my buck.

Greg.

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70-200mm f/2.8 GM - SOOC sharpness examples

Anders Wotzke

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