Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II Review

## Focusing Characteristics

The Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II autofocuses quickly and almost silently, with very notable accuracy both in the viewfinder and in live view. The accuracy was exceptionally high even in a lab environment which magnifies small focusing errors.Because of the f/2.8 maximum aperture, the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II focuses quite well even in dark conditions. Such as, compared to an f/4 lens, the 16-35mm f/2.8 can autofocus in conditions with half as much ambient light.

In terms of close-focusing capabilities, I don’t think that most photographers are buying 16-35mm f/2.8 zooms to shoot macro photos. That said, the close focusing distance has improved considerably from the previous version. The lens’s maximum magnification is a very respectable 0.32×,up from  0.19× on the previous version of the lens. Zoom into 35mm, shoot at f/2.8, and you can get some nice bokeh, too.

## Distortion

The Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II has unusually low levels of distortion for an ultra-wide zoom. It’s just as good as what you’d find on a high-end prime lens, with the exception of a hair more distortion at 35mm (but still low):

Chromatic Aberration & Vignetting Performance of the Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II

Vignetting

The Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II exhibits some vignetting, particularly at its widest aperture and longest focal length. At 16mm and f/2.8, we measured a maximum of 2.11 stops of vignetting in the corners. While a little on the high side, it’s still easily correctable without introducing meaningful noise in the corners.

Stopping down to f/4 or zooming in slightly effectively eliminates noticeable vignetting.

Chromatic Aberration

Chromatic aberration is very well-controlled on the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II across all focal lengths and apertures.

Anything under one pixel of chromatic aberration is virtually undetectable in real-world images, even without corrections enabled. This lens consistently stays close to that threshold, rarely exceeding it. This level of performance is remarkable for any zoom lens, especially a fast ultra-wide. Very impressive!

Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II: MTF Performance Analysis

The Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II is a highly-regarded wide-angle zoom lens, and a key aspect of its performance is its sharpness across the frame. Here’s a detailed look at its MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) performance, providing insight into how well the lens resolves detail at different focal lengths.

Understanding MTF Charts

Before diving into the charts, it’s critically important to understand what they represent. MTF charts show a lens’s ability to resolve detail at various spatial frequencies (measured in line pairs per millimeter – lp/mm). Higher numbers indicate better resolution. The charts typically display performance at the center, mid-frame, and edges of the image. We’ll be looking at Sagittal (vertical lines) and Meridional (horizontal lines) MTF, which represent performance in different orientations.

16mm Performance

At 16mm, the Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II delivers excellent sharpness in the center of the frame, even wide open at f/2.8. Performance remains very good in the mid-frame, with a slight drop-off. Edge performance is also respectable, though not quite as strong as the center. Stopping down to f/4 or f/5.6 significantly improves edge sharpness.

[Image of Sony-FE-16-35mm-f2.8-GM-II-MTF-Performance-24mm.png]

24mm Performance

Moving to 24mm, the lens continues to impress. Center sharpness is outstanding across all apertures. Mid-frame performance is also excellent, maintaining high levels of detail. Edge sharpness is noticeably improved compared to 16mm, and is very good even at wider apertures. this makes 24mm a particularly strong focal length for this lens.

[Image of Sony-FE-16-35mm-f2.8-GM-II-MTF-Performance-28mm.png]

35mm Performance

At 35mm, the Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II arguably performs at its best. Center sharpness is exceptional, and the lens maintains remarkably consistent sharpness across the entire frame, even wide open. The difference in performance between the center, mid-frame, and edges is minimal, resulting in incredibly detailed images.

[Image of Sony-FE-16-35mm-f2.8-GM-II-MTF-Performance-35mm.png]

Overall Assessment

The Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II exhibits outstanding MTF performance across its zoom range. While there’s a slight drop in edge sharpness at 16mm, it’s well-corrected, and the lens excels at 24mm and 35mm, delivering consistently sharp results across the entire frame. this lens is a top performer for landscape, architecture, and astrophotography, and its sharpness contributes significantly to its overall image quality.

FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II. I cropped the a7R V’s 61-megapixel sensor down to a tiny 1000 × 1500 pixel crop and didn’t do any resizing; this is a direct excerpt from the image with Lightroom’s default sharpening and noise reduction applied. Click to see it full size:

That’s what I would call negligible coma! It’s proof that this lens is an excellent choice for Milky Way photography.

FYI, here’s the uncropped and unedited original image (aside from some brightening) to show you how small of a crop we were looking at. To get a reference for how tight the crop was, you may notice the faint shooting star near the top left, which appears in both images: