If you want one, pre-order it now! Sony advises that the G Master 70-200mm f/2.8 lens will be hard to find

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posted Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 1:29 PM EDT

 
 

2016 has been the year of shortages and delays, primarily due to the Kumamoto earthquake in Japan back in April heavily affecting sensor production. Unfortunately, we can add another shortage to the list, but unlike most delays which have been related to camera bodies, this announced shortage is for a lens. Per Sony Japan, customers should expect the highly-anticipated Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens to be very difficult to find in the coming months.

The lens was announced back in February and was expected to be released much sooner - initially it was to ship in July - but is finally being shipped out in limited quantities now despite its new official release date being September 30th. According to Sony, the roughly US$2,600 lens is not being produced nearly quick enough to keep up with the high demand, and that customers who order a lens today should expect to be waiting about three months to receive their new professional zoom lens. Sony also announced that the 1.4x and 2x teleconverters would be releasing on October 28th and September 30th, respectively. The teleconverters are both priced just under US$550.

The 70-200mm f/2.8 is a staple of many photographer's camera bags and Sony shooters have been eagerly-awaiting the G Master version since it was announced in February, so it's certainly unfortunate that they'll have to wait even longer. I was able to briefly get my hands on a pre-production version of the lens way back in March and I was very impressed with its build quality (I was unable to download and view any of the shots I took with the lens because of its pre-production status).

 
Diagram of the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master lens

If you're interested in this lens and want a chance to have it before the end of the year, you should pre-order it now. You can do so, and help support our site in the process, by using the links to one of our trusted affiliates below.

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Stay tuned to Imaging Resource for more coverage of this highly-anticipated - and highly-demanded - new lens. You can read about its technical specifications and features here.

(Seen via Sony Alpha Rumors)