Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II - do you care? Might you be tempted?

[AlphaWorld]

So, it’s finally announced. It’s not f/1.2. It is somewhat lighter, marginally smaller, significantly faster to focus with a pair of Sony linear motors. And yes, it supports ludicrous speed!

Surprisingly, it looks like it will be available in 2 weeks, possibly less.

I visited my dealer today, and got an idea of how much of a trade-in I could get for my original GM, and it was enough to tip me over - I’ve ordered one.

I don’t expect a lot of people to be trading in the original GM on the new one, because the original works fine on a lot of cameras (eg: A7R series, A7 series, A7C series). It matters a little bit on the A1, more on the A9III, and even more for video users, I think.

I bought the 85mm original GM in 2018, and I have used it a fair bit, but it always felt a bit sluggish - like the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L - not “waiting an eternity” slow, but not as quick as the other GM lenses. I welcome the paired linear motors, and the weight loss is nice. Before anyone asks if I will be using it at 60 or 120fps, yes, I will. I was using the 50/1.2 GM at 30, 60, and even (briefly) at 120fps on the weekend, photographing dancers. Catching the perfect shot, with good leg position and good hand position and good facial expression, is all very important to them, and 60fps makes that easier than even 30fps. 120fps was a bit of overkill, but fun. Getting perfect eye focus was a delight. Being able to do that at 85mm will be welcome (135mm is a bit too long, and 50mm was a little bit short sometimes).

 

[AlphaWorld]

I'm not a portrait person so 85mm doesn't interest me that much, but you are right its loooooong over due. I might be tempted if they overhaul the 135mm though

What change do you want to see in the 135 GM?

The key change in the 85 GM was replacing the antique SSM focus motor with a pair of XD linear motors, allowing the new model to focus at 120fps.

The 135 GM already has four XD motors driving two focus groups - it's well able to handle 120fps. It was the first to feature Sony's new aspheric element tech, too.

The original 85 GM was the first GM prime announced, and it became clear that it wasn't living up to GM standards. They had already replaced both of the zoom lenses that were announced at the same time as the 85 GM (the 70-200 f/2.8 GM and the 24-70 f/2.8 GM).