I have been recomending this lens to friends since launch due to its excellent price point and performance, but now Optical Limits has released their review and they consider this lens to be a reason to buy into the Sony echosystm of cameras if you’re into telephoto glass. High quality long glass was really the last area for Sony to concquore and they have done a great job on their first attempts. Below is a summer of Optical Limits findings and you can read the full review here.
The Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS is not a perfect lens but it is no less than a steal for the money and it alone may be a reason for buying into the Sony system – if you are really into such long tele lenses. The Sony lens is, unsurprisingly, very sharp in the lower to mid parts of its zoom range. At 600mm, the corner quality suffers somewhat whereas the center quality remains impressively high. Most photographers won’t probably ever notice this but there are limits when it comes to astrophotography here. Image distortions are present but can be handled via image auto-correction activated. This will also take care of the lateral CAs which are on the high side. The native vignetting is typical for such a lens. A positive surprise is the quality of the bokeh which is (substantially) better than most lenses in this class although prime lenses are better still.
The build quality of the Sony lens is superb thanks to a tightly assembled, metal body. Sony also didn’t forget to implement dust- and moisture-resistant seals. We can’t emphasize enough that it is unusual for a sanely priced super-tele zoom lens to have a constant physical size. Other than the obvious advantage regarding air movement within the lens, it also allows for a much smoother (easier) zoom experience compared to the usual “air pumps”. The AF is pretty fast and noiseless. We were also impressed by the real-world efficiency of the image stabilizer.
The Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS is a big and heavy lens and mounted to a small Sony camera, the setup can feel a bit unbalanced so adding a vertical grip may be a sensible investment for improving handling. Regarding the sum of its qualities combined with the very reasonable price tag, the verdict can only be – highly recommended!
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Sony 200-600mm FE: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony 600mm FE GM: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5–5.6 GM OSS:B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
