Smaller, lighter, better for filmmakers. This is the new Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II, and I’m going to review it from the perspective of a wedding filmmaker and tell you whether it’s a good lens for you if you film weddings, or documentaries, or literally anything else where you need a killer wide angle lens that is basically perfect for a gimbal. Heads up: this link goes to the newer Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM II.
Also, for the sake of ethics, I want you to know this video isn’t paid or sponsored by Sony, but it is sponsored by my friends at Musicbed. More about them at the end.
Smaller And Lighter
As I said, this lens is lighter and smaller. It’s about 20% lighter and 10% smaller than the original 16-35 GM. And if you film weddings, it is extremely important to have lightweight gear that isn’t going to wear you down all day, so any improvement that makes a lens lighter and smaller without reducing image quality is a win in my book.
Personally I don’t have much experience with the original 16-35 GM, but I have owned a quite ancient, by today’s standards, Sony Zeiss 16-35mm f/4. And what’s surprising is how close in weight this new lens is to that f/4 version. The new 16-35 f/2.8 GM II weighs 547 grams, only 29 grams heavier than the 518 grams of the FE 16-35 f/4. Which is awesome, considering this new one is an f/2.8.
Almost No Barrel Extension
In addition to the size decrease, there’s another huge feature Sony added to this lens. Well, I don’t know if you’d say added. It’s more that they took this into consideration whenever they were designing it.
It’s how the barrel extends whenever you zoom in and out. Check it out. While this lens does have an extending barrel, it only extends about a fourth of an inch. Barely any at all.
If you’re a photographer you’re probably thinking, whatever. But if you’re a filmmaker, especially one who uses a gimbal, I’m sure you have dealt with the headache of needing to rebalance whenever you zoom a lens in and out. What’s great is that even with a more sensitive gimbal, you should not need to adjust your balance at all, even fully zoomed in or out, because the lens extends such a small amount. It’s great. And like I said at the start, this lens is better for filmmakers because of decisions like this.
The Newer GM Controls
Speaking of other things that make this lens better for filmmakers, you also get all of the bells and whistles Sony has been adding to their newer GM lenses that weren’t on earlier ones like the Mark I version of this lens.
You get aperture control on the lens that you can make clickless, plus an autofocus and manual focus switch, two programmable buttons, and an iris lock switch to prevent the aperture ring from rotating.
Optically Excellent
So overall this lens is a fantastic upgrade. But what about the image quality?
Just like many of Sony’s other new lenses, this one is optically excellent, and in my testing it looked great no matter the focal length.
Even when I put it on the new Sony a7C R and filmed some timelapses at 60 megapixels, the footage still looked incredibly sharp. I also tested for focus breathing, and while I noticed a little, it was not bad at all.
Should You Buy It?
Sony says they’re planning on charging $2,300 for this lens when it’s released, and while that’s a nice chunk of change, it’s pretty on par with how they’ve been pricing many of their other GM lenses, so it’s not surprising.
As a plus, if you don’t have the budget for this one, the good news is that I’m betting you’re about to see a lot of Mark I 16-35 GM lenses hit the used market at a more affordable price.
Personally though, if you have the cash for this new 16-35, I think it’s fantastic, and it’s going to be my go-to recommendation for wedding filmmakers looking for a lightweight, wide angle gimbal lens.
This Video Was Sponsored By Musicbed
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I’ve always said that music is what drives the emotion in your wedding films, and Musicbed’s artists are handpicked to do exactly that, giving your audience a greater connection with the film they’re watching.
Some of my favorite artists right now include Matt Wertz with his song “Recently,” which sounds purpose made for a romantic wedding film. Or if you’re looking for something higher energy that would be perfect for a crazy dance party, the song “Here I Come” featuring Wild Heart by S.O. has such a great vibe.
To hear the difference their music makes for yourself, sign up for a free account, and use the code MATT2MONTHS at checkout to get two months free when you purchase an annual subscription. In the past Musicbed has only ever offered one month free.
If you want the colors in your videos to look even better, regardless of the lens or camera you’re using, check out my color presets. And I’ll also point you to my gear guide for wedding filmmakers, which lists all the gear I recommend, broken down into categories. It’s completely free.
Thanks so much for reading, and have a great day!