The Sony rounds out its trinity of f/2.8 G Master zoom lenses with its latest wide-angle offering for video and stills shooters, the FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II Lens, which boasts a variety of optical, focusing, and handling upgrades. Bright f/2.8 constant aperture allows users to capture images in dim lighting conditions and with a shallow depth of field. Five aspherical elements, including three extreme aspherical elements (XA), minimize spherical aberrations, and distortion, and also reduce 'onion ring' bokeh. Four XD (extreme dynamic) linear motors contribute to greatly improved focusing performance, compared to the DDSSM system of the predecessor, including faster, quieter, and more precise AF that's ideal for both video and stills. The floating focusing mechanism helps maintain image quality throughout the focusing range, which is especially important considering the impressive close-up performance of this lens: minimum focusing distance of 8.6" and a maximum magnification of 0.32x across the entire zoom range. Just as camera design has grown to appeal to both photo and video shooters, this lens has also been updated with a series and attributes that specifically appeal to video shooters' needs. Focus breathing, focus shift, and axial shift during zooming have all been minimized to prevent unwanted movements and angle of view variations for greater compositional accuracy during recording.
