Sample variation, especially with lenses being made in all sorts of places nowadays, is a concern when making choices.

My first copy of the 70-350mm G, acquired not long after its release, was okay, pretty good when stopped to f/8. Reviews suggested it should have been a little better. The current copy is better wide open than the previous one was at f/8. I’m happy with what it can do, relative to my investment in it.

But with some upcoming plans for which I might also need half the reach and more speed, I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can about the 70-200mm GII and GMII lenses. The faster GMII has three features I really like: a tripod collar that has a removable foot, an aperture ring, and internal zoom. I’ve also seen a detailed comparison between it paired with a 2X and the 100-400mm GM (see paragraph 1) when used for bird photography. They’re dead even.

Much as I like the light weight and size of the 70-200mm f4 G II lens, it’s made in the same place as the 70-350mm and 100-400mm: china (see paragraph 1). The faster GM II lens is made in Thailand. For a very personal reason I won’t go into here, I have a lot of faith in the quality of Sony alpha gear made in Thailand.

So what’s the conundrum? Well, actually rather anticlimactic.

Chatting with a Sony shop employee a little while ago, who may or may not have a lot of experience with what he sells, I asked whether the 70-200mm + 2X would be a better option than the 70-350mm. Without missing a beat, he declared that the 70-350mm would focus more quickly and track better than the GM II when the TC is attached.

The tracking part caught my ear, since I already know that 70-350mm occasionally misses even when the little eye AF focus square is glued to a moving critter’s eye. Does he mean the zoom/TC combo is worse?

The other thing is that the 70-350mm has no panning option for OSS. The GM II has that option, which comes in handy while shooting BIF. But with his answer, and in the absence of any hands-on experience, I’m not sure the upgrade would be worth it.

One thing is for sure, though: without the TC, I’d have a fast-focusing, dead sharp f/2.8 for shooting other stuff, and that may be the nudge I need to give it a try. Oh, and lower odds that I might end up with a happy hour copy . . .

a7cII/70-350mm G . . .