Sony intros FE 70-200MM F4 Macro G OSS II lens

The new Sony  FE 70-200MM F4 Macro G OSS II lens promises world's first half-macro shooting with a maximum magnification of 0.5x throughout the zoom range.

Introduced alongside the new and rather fabulous looking Sony α6700, the FE 70-200MM F4 Macro G OSS II is a compact, lightweight telephoto zoom lens that marks  50 full-frame E-mount lenses from the company and counting.
 
Compact and lightweight, it has a total length of 149mm and weighs approximately 794g (excluding tripod mount). It shoots from 70mm to 200mm, with Sony also stating that it enables the world’s first half-macro shooting, with a maximum magnification of 0.5x throughout the zoom range.

Advanced aspherical lenses contribute to claimed uniformly excellent corner-to-corner resolution and contrast, while ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass suppresses chromatic aberration. It also supports a high-performance teleconverter (sold separately). With a super-telephoto of up to 400 mm (equivalent to 600 mm when using with an APS-C camera), users can capture distant subjects in a larger size, along with "beautiful bokeh." It also becomes  possible to take macro shots at up to 1:1 over the entire zoom range.
 
Sony's unique XD (extreme dynamic) linear motor increases the autofocus speed by up to 20%. Tracking performance for moving objects has also improved approximately twice as much compared to the previous model, while focus tracking performance during zooming has also been greatly improved. When paired with the flagship α1 body, it is possible to shoot high-speed bursts at up to 30 frames per second.

In addition, a new MODE3 setting of SteadyShot has been added that optimises the camera shake correction algorithm, emphasising framing stability when shooting moving subjects. 
 
And finally, the front lens element features a fluorine coating, which makes it easy to remove fingerprints, dust, oil, and other contaminants from the lens surface. Always handy.

The new FE 70-200MM F4 Macro G OSS II will be available in September for approximately £1750.