A Weekend with the Sony 200-600mm and 600mm Lenses

Shawn C. Steiner shared his take on the new Sony 200-600mm and 600mm Lenses

Used the 600mm prime and 200-600mm lens at the same time has, unfortunately, led to some unfair comparisons. The 200-600mm is not as fast when it comes to autofocus, nor is it as sharp when working wide open. This isn’t to denigrate it—it’s perfectly acceptable, considering its price and standard G branding. I would recommend stopping down a hair when you can and, though teleconverters are a lot of fun, the 1.4x will serve you better than the more demanding 2x that I used.

Everything else about the lens is solid. The lens is weather sealed and feels like it can hold up to enduring some adventures. Optical SteadyShot is very good and works very well with cameras that offer in-body stabilization. Focusing is fast with the DDSSM AF system, and worked very well when tracking subjects. The front element has a fluorine coating that should help keep it clean.

Sony 200-600mm FE in USA at Amazon, BHphoto, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Adorama and Henyrs.
Sony 600mm FE GM in USA at Amazon, BHphoto, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Adorama and Henyrs.
Sony 200-600mm FE in Europe at Amazon DE. Calumet DE. Amazon UK. WexUK. ParkCameras. Amazon FR. Amazon IT. Amazon ES.
Sony 600mm FE GM in Europe at Calumet DE.WexUK. ParkCameras.
Sony 200-600mm FE in Asia at Sony Japan. Sony Australia.
Sony 600mm FE GM in Asia at Sony Japan. Sony Australia.

Sony a7R IV Review by DPReview TV: “It’s the greatest FF camera in it’s price poinnt and it does compete with Medium Format cameras”

No comments needed  :)

Sony A7rIV and new accessories:
Sony A7rIV in USA/CA at BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera, Amazon, BuyDig, Henrys.
Sony A7rIV in EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK, Calumet NL.
Sony A7rIV in Asia at Sony Japan. Sony Australia.
Sony VG-C4EM grip in USA at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, ParkUK, WexUK.
ECM-B1M Digital Audio Shotgun Microphone at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Park UK.
XLR-K3M Mic at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Park UK.

Sony a6100 review by Dpreview: “one of the most powerful point-and-shoot cameras available”

Sony A6100  at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.

The Sony A6100 is now in Stock and shipping. And right in time Dpreview published the full review of the new camera:

The Sony a6100 is able to act as one of the best family or travel cameras we’ve ever used. We said something similar about Sony’s RX100 VI and our reasoning is informed by the same thing: the simple and effective autofocus system. Combined with a touchscreen, there’s no camera that makes it so easy to get so many of your shots in focus, whatever the situation.

Although the camera and its menus could initially appear daunting, with a couple of settings changes, much of this can simply be ignored: you can concentrate on your subject and the camera will do the rest. It’s difficult, until you’ve tried shooting with the camera, to appreciate how simple the a6100 makes it to take consistently in-focus images, especially of people.

First review of the new Sony E 70-350mm lens by Marc Alhadeff


E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama , FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.

Marc Alhadeff tested the new Sony E 70-350mm lens. Here is the conclusion:

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The new Sony 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS (900 euros) is the professional photo zoom we needed for Sony APSC cameras. It is the counterpart of the excellent Sony 100-400 mm on full frame but for 2.5 time less.

Sharpness is very good to excellent and background blur is very nice at 135mm and above. The optical stabilisation is a must for such telephoto lens and will allow to use it without issue on older Sony APSC cameras like the A6000.

What is surprising is that the lens is almost full frame : the entire frame is covered except at 350mm , although with very important vignetting and distorsion

The lens is not without compromise with a very important distortion for which automatic corrections should alsways be on, a small aperture at 350mm making ISO climbing fast, a medium resistance to flare and a minimum focusing distance a little bit too big

It does not reach the excellence of the Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G in term of color rendition and bokeh but overall it is an excellent lens for the price and a very versatile telephoto lens

Pros

  • Very Good to excellent sharpness thought the range. Sharpness is better than the Sony 70-300G full frame
  • Extended Zoom range very suited for Animals or outdoor Sport photography
  • Excellent for portrait from a distance (>135mm) with very nice background blur
  • Price is reasonable considering range and quality of the lens
  • Very fast and efficient AF outdoor (less indoor in low light)
  • Very good build quality
  • Very good background blur above 135mm
  • Low CA
  • Low vignetting

Average

  • Background blur between 70-100 mm is limited
  • Bokeh balls are ok but not perfectly rounded and with some onion rings sometimes
  • Resistance to flare is ok but below other lenses of same price
  • Size and weight : reasonable for such kind of lens but bigger and heavier than most APSC zoom on E mount
  • Limited aperture requiring to use quickly high isos

Cons

  • Distorsion is huge
  • Min focusing distance is quite big not allowing for proxy photography

Alternatives

  • Sony 70-300G full frame : a Good lens but color rendering is a little bit less good and sharpness is less good, but more suite for full frame and less distorsion

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Preorders:
Sony A6600 at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.
Sony A6100  at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.
E 16-55mm F2.8 G at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.
E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama , FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.