My name is Lina Jakobi, and I am a 27-year-old freelance photographer & videographer based in Munich. With a love for the great outdoors and a passion for all different kind of sports, I specialise in outdoor and sports photography and videography and have worked with brands such as K2, Fjällräven, North Face, Mammut, Scott, Specialized and Bauerfeind.

What was your first impression of the lens?

I've been a user of the original 70-200mm f/4 G OSS for some time now, but when I first held the new version I was truly impressed. It's shorter and lighter than its predecessor and like all Sony lenses, feels solid and well-made. The switches felt more robust than on my original lens and I liked the fact that it has a manual aperture ring.

How did you find the lens sharpness and image quality?

I've always been very happy with the performance of my original 70-200mm, but this new version feels brighter and sweeter in some way. The edge definition is very sharp, and the colours seem to pop. Perhaps it's just my reaction to using the new lens, but it definitely felt like an all-round improvement.

How did you find the autofocus speed of the lens?

Autofocus speed is something I definitely saw a vast improvement on. Photographing cyclists at high speed requires a certain degree of skill and luck to make sure you're catching focus each time, but the combination of my Alpha 7 IV and the 70-200mm worked liked a dream. It would quickly snap on to the riders and I was able to track them either across the frame, or as they rode towards me. I literally could shoot at any time, safe in the knowledge that every shot would be in focus.

How did you find the balance of the lens with your camera?

The balance with my Alpha 7 IV was fantastic, and even after several hours of hand-held shooting, it still didn't feel too heavy. In fact, it's only 100g heavier than my go-to 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II, and I kept having to remind myself that I had a much longer lens attached! Telephoto lenses can often feel front-heavy after a while but it wasn't the case at all with the 70-200mm.

Any final thoughts about the lens?

I’ll be honest – as soon as I saw this new 70-200mm f/4 Macro G OSS II, I knew I wasn’t going to be using my original lens again! It ticks all the boxes for me in terms of speed, weight and performance, and the macro capability opens up a world of opportunity, especially for tightly cropped portraits. Adding this lens to my setup basically means I have my Alpha 7 IV and 2 incredible lenses, and it all weighs in at just over 2 kilos. For a roving outdoor sports photographer, that’s just fantastic.