Sony 20-70mm f/4 G Lens Review: Worth It Or Nah?

[@Pierretlambert]

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[@axlverheul672]

This is probably the first time I don't agree with you guys. When I travel I like to show the environment with a subtle but pleasing bokeh in the F4-F8 range. And yes I carry a 35mm 1.4 as well because that's also a nice look to put some variety into your album. F2.8 does neither for me (the light Tamron zooms are less versatile while not giving you that F1.4-F1.8 look) and it's also not mandatory to shoot everything wide open all the time. You can get a lot of contrast, texture and shapes when you stop down and sometimes it's good to force yourself to do so by not using a fast lens.

[@Pierretlambert]

Absolutely agreed that’s why we mentioned having the f/4 + a fast prime. Again depends what one shoots and what time of the day. Thanks for sharing I’m sure it’ll help others see another side :)

[@aleksandrmikhailov3255]

agree

[@megamastah]

Agree. Noticed the same while shooting on f2.8, plus it's an aperture high enough that you often times do not get more than a single person in focus (while they are not in the same focal plane). 20-70 f4 pairs beautifully with 35 f1.4.

[@DropItStudio]

I used to primarily shoot at f/1.8 to f/1.2, but with my increased focus on video production and the need for more rotoscoping and VFX, I now always shoot at f/4 to f/6.5. Therefore, having a lens that is extremely sharp at f/4 is quite beneficial.

[@karikaru]

"don't buy a lens buy a ticket to a cool place" - best advice I've heard. I didn't start traveling until later in my 20s and regret not doing more when I was younger and single and without a kid. I still travel now but it's a bit more challenging with a wife and kid (not to mention more money). Do something wild like fly to Vietnam solo or go hike the Camino de Santiago. Softer, noisier photos somewhere badass will look way better than your amazing high IQ photos from your local park and those memories are forever.

[@andreasschaefer8613]

For me it's an allday use all-round lens, 28 would be far too long for me (try every 28-70/75/2.8) and come back to the 24-105/4, because I have to change lenses not very often when I'm on the road, traveling, city, landscape (important is, that I don't shoot people, and when I use the 35 and 85). When it come out, it will replace my 24-105, because I'm more on the wider end. F4 is no problem for me, because I can use a tripod for my needs. If Sony has make it as an 2.8, it would be bulky and heavy, much more than the 24-70/2.8GMII. My A1 with the 20-70/4 will be my EDC, with no need to take any other lens with me for that! And when I'm going to shoot special scenes, projects, whatever (more planed), I can take all my other needed lenses with me to do it.

[@rbonacic]

I shoot with the 16-35 PZ f4 and I've gotten great night shots. These new camera A7iv-V can handle high ISO no problem , so it all evens out

[@999slawter]

Hi, may I ask what is your experience handhelded, without a trupid at night/in low light? Shootig with 3000-4000 iso or even above are usable?

[@HoomanBhr]

There is always a catch on the lenses. My favorite is the 24-70 f2.8 GM II, which is very expensive. it's light and compact enough and good range of focal length and constant f2.8

[@RandumbTech]

Great to see the collabe with my two faves! I think the 24-105 is the better value since you can pick that up used for about $700. You can probably find a used 20/1.8 for about $500. I'd rather have those two lenses (which I actually do) than the new 20-70. But I do think some people will appreciate the wider FOV in a travel lens.

[@Sy-kv6hy]

24-108 is double weight than this. This is for travel

[@ericvaleraphotography27]

20-70mm F4 and 14mm GM F1.8 ain't bad neither.That's my travel kit

[@AB_223]

I love how Manny is obviously not personally excited about this lens but still gives it a decent review anyway lol.

[@markshirley01]

I still like the Tamron 20-40mm better, especially on the A7R5 where you can get the 40mm to 60mm in crop at 30mp

[@LoganNolag]

Wish it was a 1.8. It would make the decision a lot easier. I have the 24-70 2.8 GM II and I've been considering replacing it with this one since it's smaller and lighter but the f4 is a bit limiting. I'm thinking the 28-60 might be a better choice if I want to go small and light since it's really small and light and not much slower than this one.

[@vampolascott36]

Sony is really cranking out some great full frame lenses right now. Whether you want to buy one or not is up to you.

[@VinceDae]

Best premium (but still cheap) setup... Tamron 35-105 F2-2.8 + Sony G 20 1.8 .... that's like such a great combo

[@rubelukeable]

You mean Tamron 35-150 2-2.8

[@VinceDae]

@@rubelukeable yes ofc :) … not that hard to see it was a typo since it’s literally just the 0 and 5 that switched places :)

[@cantkeepitin]

What I miss is a 18-135 for Apsc, this would be a good complement for my 200-600 on FE. Plus an Ultrawide which I also have already.

[@vonwolfersdorff]

Great to see two of m favourite KZbin photographers together! Best wishes from Berlin!

[@sgpork]

This lens is just a direct upgrade to the 24-70 F4 lens. Other than that.. it's really not a better or replacement lens to the 24-105 or the 16-35/24-70 F2.8 lenses..

[@GunslingerMediaCo]

Exactly what I’m looking for in a video. I have the GMii and am having second thoughts. Getting the 20-70 and some primes, like the 50mm GM 1.4 and the 24mm GM, or the Sigma versions as they are all 72mm filter thread the same as this 20-70mm. The GMii isn’t as good image quality as I hoped for, I find my small street photography lens, my $250 28mm f2 lens, has more vivid colors and is just more pleasing and I can’t explain why. The GMii just looks flatter and more mundane. If I use it just for versatility and video in daytime then the 20-70 would be a better fit. Especially when the zve1 I plan on buying, I can crank the iso way up. Idk, I’m going to give the 24-70 another try to impress me.

[@hooverwithacamera]

Just got the 24-70 f2.8 GM Mark ii and man I love it. Just went on 3 shoots this past week with it and it feels great!

[@TheArtofKAS]

When everybody dropped the same video at the exact same time because that embargo lifted I had to pick one. I'm glad I picked you Pierre! And Manny in the video is more than worth it in itself. I greatly appreciate the honesty with this review. But I feel like some of the words you say about this landscape fly to the other F4 lenses that are serving as slightly different alternatives to the 2.8 lenses. greatly appreciated

[@tsizzle]

This or the Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8? 🤔

[@lensbrew]

This lens gives you that extra 4mm on the wide end. But what if you forgo that to get up to 105mm on the other end. If someone is going for the f/4, I would recommend the 24-105 G lens. what do you think?

[@LudwickMa]

With a full-frame in apsc mode at 70mm, this still gets 105mm. The deciding factor is really f2.8 vs 20mm on the wide.

[@karikaru]

@@LudwickMa yeah but the 105 gets you 152 in apsc mode which gives you 6.3x zoom over 4.3. that's a lot of flexibility to lose especially if you're getting an all-purpose lens for travel. You can buy topaz denoise and get insane results if your image is too noisy but the extra zoom can only be replicates by gogapixel or adobe enhance which isn't as good in my opinion and takes a lot more rendering. I'd only take the 2.8 over the wider zoom range if I had an older body with really poor low light ability. After all, 2.8 to 4 is only one stop and you can get the background blur by backing up and zooming in further if you really need it. Plus you get more compression and magnification for those environmental portraits where you want to get the Big Ben or Galata tower in the background for example without resorting to being up close to the tower with an ultrawide to fit it all in and distorting your person in the process

[@LudwickMa]

@karikaru I accept your point. So customers must decide if they want ~16% more width OR twice the brightness (24-70 f2.8) OR 50% more zoom (105 f4)

[@karikaru]

@@LudwickMa true, and you'll always want the one you don't have

[@youuuuuuuuuuutube]

You can always crop your images a bit to get 105mm look, but if you have images shot at 24mm, not amount of processing can give you the 20mm. So, in terms of versatility, 20-70 easily beats 24-105.

[@chryseass.5143]

Yep, I went for the Tamron 20-40 f2.8 to "replace" my 17-28 lens because I wanted longer more than I wanted wider! It is such a great lens to pair up with the Tamron 28-200 for travel and with the Sony 85f1.8 for a nice small ,versatile kit that can take you past sunset and into interiors. The Sony 20-70 f.4 is not for me and will be quite expensive when it is released in Canada.

[@LoudlabsNYC]

Love my 28-200

[@sanzzestv7072]

i use the 20-70mm F4 for Day Shots and in the night i shoot with my 35mm 1.8 Prime Lens :)

[@jackryder6732]

All other lenses you mentioned are not as sharp as this one, I agree this lens goes very well with a7siii. There is no need for prime. If you pair. 20 mm is an amazing wide angle.

[@ShaneVlogss]

This is perfect, i am about to buy and Sony a7iv and wanted a good video lense for KZbin , and a photography lense for portrait shoots that i do (i used to shoot with a Nikon d5200 with a 35mm and loved it until the camera died ) i wanted to start street photography but while doing research i came to the conclusion watching both you and many’s videos separately that a 35mm lens would be perfect for street photography and video as well

[@erg1450]

Pierre, like the fact that you tell as you see it, and not just pump a new gear, I think this is a niche lens to shoot outdoors in good light, and , although the range is great, it will be limited by F/4 too much for my own use case.

[@enditend2]

when are they going to release the 85mm 1.2f instead if this

[@TungstenOvergaard]

Manny and your are great. LOVE your honesty. Great honest review.

[@jassochivisuals5113]

I love collaboration videos with Manny!

[@srinivazzio]

Would you recommend picking the 24-70 F2.8 GM I over the 20-70 f4? Not the gm 2 version

[@boyantrifonov]

This lens looks like it is in the same space as the Panasonic Full Frame kit lens. The Sony is 20-70mm f/4 The Panasonic is 20-60mm f/3.5-f/5.6 The Sony can be a kit lens and it can be for beginners to test shooting at different focal lengths before deciding on a prime lens to buy. And it will be a good lens for talking head KZbin videos if you invest in good lighting. Fun fact: When I got my Panasonic Lumix S5 last year I got a deal for the 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 AND the Lumix 35mm f/1.8 so for a beginner this is a great combination.

[@dalitsomz]

So happy for this collab!

[@SebastianWorldwide]

Great video, thank you very much! I have recently acquired the Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G lens. However, one thing is bothering me or rather I would like to clarify whether it is a general issue with this lens or whether it is a defect specifically with my lens. The lens makes a noise when focussing (with autofocus). By the way, the volume of the noise varies depending on the aperture setting. At f/4 the noise is very minimal, almost inaudible. From f/4.5, however, it is clearly audible. And the higher the aperture number (for example f/13), the longer it takes to focus and the longer the noise lasts. However, these differences are small. I am not yet familiar with focusing noises from lenses recently released by Sony. For example, the new Sony FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G and the new Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS II are 100% completely silent. The older Sony FE 18mm f/1.8 G, on the other hand, also makes the noise described above, if I remember correctly. Does your lens also make this noise? Many thanks in advance!

[@EmmaLovesTheWorld]

This is definitely the lens i'm going to get. Especially to fill the gap between my 12mm prime lens and 70--300mm Tamron lens.

[@MaximeRegnault]

Bonjour Pierre, je ne comprend pas bien l'anglais mais j'aimerais simplement te demander si ce 20-70 mm de sony irait bien avec mon Sony A7 IV, si la qualité d'image est belle et surtout si il n'y a pas de problème de poussière ou d'humidité, si il est tropicalisé. En tout cas force a toi, tu fais de superbes videos, c'est grâce à toi si je suis passionné de photo aujourd'hui, passe une bonne soirée !

[@haydeneastburn4383]

Pierre! You are my favorite photographers on this platform.

[@vampolascott36]

I really liked your street shots, and it feels like a premonition of what I'll be doing in the near future! I'm going to Tokyo in February, and I'm mostly interested in night-time street shooting. I'm older and I'll be on foot, so weight is a consideration for me. I'm taking my Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.2 GM. I've also got a 24-105mm f/4 G lens for daytime, and I think I'm covered for the trip. I'd love to hear anything you can tell me about your experience shooting this series in Japan?

[@vispolonia2670]

1850 USD in Poland, for now I say not worth it

[@BIbiVstf3sx]

tbh, i was waiting for something like this for a lil while as fro travel and landscape work on tripod to compensate some impossible composition from a prime lens. woning a fast 24 and 50, it s the ideal companion lens to me.

[@addsy6396]

Coupled with the 70-200 for landscapes, two lenses will cover a lot of options

[@ericvaleraphotography27]

Salut Pierre, simpat to see you guys together again allors stop making videos and talk to Sony, ont veux un 20-70mm 1.8 .Seriously now I have this lens and being a guy who does Archicheture and Landscapes/city Scapes, this lens with the 14mm GM is my purrfect travel kit for any cities..P.S you guys are of the few who not just talk lenses but awesome photographers. Keep it up

[@matte_rasso]

Nice video, I have a question: What do you think about apps like EyeEm to sell pictures?

[@Pierretlambert]

Haven’t tried tbh!

[@tx_mountaineer8203]

Thanks for the review. Where did get the hot shoe cover?

[@Driven5836]

do a 85mm batis street photography video!!

[@TsvetanVR]

24mm is the norm with this type of zoom lens 20mm is awesome to have 28mm is too tight and demands a wider prime buddy

[@frederikkriese9890]

What are these red and black thing hanging on you camera ?

[@chryseass.5143]

They are part of the Peak Design strap systems The straps have sliders on the end that clip onto the black and red things. It is a fast release system that is well worth it!

[@Galeidan]

This would be nice landscape and travel lens. Low light, just bring a prime lens and thats it :)

[@kennyliao7915]

This lens is not meant for portraits. I don’t know why people are complaining about f4????? If you want dreamy bokeh, primes are there for you

[@JamesDBuzzard]

This looks like a great all around travel lens but idk if I would get it to make money with it.

[@seblx]

I like you both guys, but in this video you seem destroyed or tired or stone..i don t know... I don t know what happened to you before the record of this.. Thanx for your videos anyway of you 2. See ya

[@thanapokketkaew5829]

you take very beautiful pictures

[@nikcleese6058]

Lol had that lens just come out as every Sony user photographer I followed is doing a video. Still interesting, both technical and entertaining, nevertheless.

[@vasilisrroshi8642]

24-70mm f2.8 sigma

[@achraf9946]

25-105F4 all day

[@cantkeepitin]

But not better than Tamron 17 70 f2 8 on Apsc.

[@TundeEszlari]

Amazing video.

[@DrZeeple]

35mm 1.4 is serious luxury when you can still take great shots with a cheaper Sony prime. Why skip doing time with cheaper prime lenses? Try, you'll probably surprise yourself.

[@VinceDae]

Just started watching, but I can already say that the 24-105 F4 will be the better lens :)

[@marike1100]

Check the MTFs on Lenstip, the 20-70 f/4 is significantly sharper than the 24-105 f4, as well as the Sigma and Tamron f2.8 zooms.

[@VinceDae]

@@marike1100 sharpness isn’t that important - unless you’re using a chart you won’t notice a difference 24-105 is plenty sharp And the 35-150 is sharper than the 20-70 for sure - and if you step down to f4 on that, it’s game over x2 :)

[@Jabber-ig3iw]

Based on what!

[@VinceDae]

@@Jabber-ig3iwbased on focal length, features and price …. You get 99.5% for half the price OR more.

[@DynamicLearning4u]

Pierre, you are dominating the conversation in other people's space. Do you do this often? Look at Manny's unhappy face!

[@Pierretlambert]

Thanks. What do you mean?

[@Pierretlambert]

Check our podcast with Manny maybe it’ll give you another idea :)

[@ryanturner9848]

The thumbnail is giving me anxiety 😅

[@marike1100]

Sony creates a new zoom, with an innovative range and near record-breaking, prime-like MTF scores and these guys are acting like Sony shit the bed? Cringe. 😂

[@ibrahimrammal6434]

Huge price difference isn't worth it at all in my opinion.

[@AdrianNiveau]

great lens combined with sony a7c but nothing for professionals

[@StanzinYutung]

this YT algo sucks, half a mill subs and no views at all. :(

[@nippon_39]

speed

[@shakilphotography09]

Form Bangladesh

[@FacesOfLA]

Another lens review 😖.. all the images look the same with every lens they review.

[@Pierretlambert]

😂 that’s because gear only means so much ❤️

[@BoxxyFan]

How is 20-70 niche? Lmao

[@theaurumtheory]

If it's f4 I'd rather shoot with my phone camera.