Sony 200-600mm

Full-Frame f/5.6-6.3 FE G OSS E-Mount

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Sony 200-600mm

Sony FE 200-600mm G OSS (covers full-frame and APS-C, 95mm filters, 74.7 oz./4.7 pounds/2,115 g without tripod foot, 8'/2.4m close focus, $1,998). bigger. I'd get mine at Adorama, at B&H, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield.

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Sample Images

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These are all shot hand-held as Standard JPGs; no RAW or FINE JPGs were used or needed.

Sony 200-600mm sample image

Soccer. Sony A9 at 20 FPS, Sony 200-600mm at 489mm, wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 3,200. bigger or full-resolution.

 

Sony 200-600mm sample image

Goal! Sony A9 at 20 FPS, Sony 200-600mm at 211mm, wide-open at f/5.6 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 2,500. bigger.

This was shot through red smoke celebrating a previous goal, so I removed the red haze with an RGB adjustment layer in Photoshop CS6 on my Mac Pro (late 2013).

 

Sony 200-600mm sample image

Jumping over another player to get the ball! Sony A9 at 20 FPS, Sony 200-600mm at 275mm, wide-open at f/5.6 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 2,500. bigger or full-resolution.

 

Introduction

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New   Good   Bad   Missing

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The Sony 200-600mm is an excellent stabilized ultratelephoto zoom. It's super sharp, easy for me to hand-hold, focuses ultra fast and very easy to zoom with just a fingertip. Zoom and focus are both internal, so nothing moves or extends as you focus or zoom, making handing super fast and easy.

Obviously it's super-sharp; just look at the sample images and know that these are all cropped — from 10MP images! (I turn my A9's resolution down to 10MP when I shoot at 20FPS so I can sort and edit them all fast. I made over 7,000 shots at this game.)

AF is blazingly fast; all my shots are in focus. No worries here.

This 200-600mm is fantastic for sports, nature and anything else for which you need an ultra-long lens. It is superior to other ultralong zooms because of its superior sharpness, ultra-fast focus and super-easy zooming.

I'd get my Sony 200-600mm at Adorama, at B&H, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield.

 

New

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com 11-blade diaphragm.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com First camera-brand autofocus zoom that goes to 600mm.

 

Good

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Internal zoom: just flick the ring with a fingertip!

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com At 8' (2.4m) at 600mm it gives a whopping 1:1.5 (0.66×) reproduction ratio for ultra closeups!

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Three programmable focus lock buttons.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com 11-blade diaphragm.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Dust and moisture resistant.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Rubber bumpers on hood and lens.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Hood and fuzzy-lined nylon carry sack included.

 

Bad

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Offshored to China; not made domestically in Japan.

 

Missing

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com Tripod collar included, but lacks 90º clicks.

 

Format

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Recommendations

 

I'd get my Sony 200-600mm at Adorama, at B&H, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield.

This is a full frame lens, and I'm reviewing it as such.

It works great on APS-C cameras, too, on which you may make the usual inferences.

 

Compatibility

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I'd get my Sony 200-600mm at Adorama, at B&H, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield.

This works on all Sony E-mount cameras, full-frame and crop-sensor. This includes all the variations of NEX, A9-, A7-, A6xxx and A5xxx series cameras.

It will not work on any Sony A-mount DSLR or any Minolta MAXXUM 35mm SLR of any kind. Those use the old A mount which was actually the Minolta MAXXUM mount from 1987.

 

Specifications

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I'd get my Sony 200-600mm at Adorama, at B&H, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield.

 

Name

Sony 200-600mm model number

Sony 200-600mm model number. bigger.

Sony calls this the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS:

    FE: Full-frame coverage, E-mount.

    G: means Sony's nearly best, but not quite as physically tough as the GM G Master lenses.

    OSS: "Optical Steady Shot" Image Stabilization.

Sony's model number: SEL200600G.

 

Optics

Sony 200-600mm internal optical construction

Sony internal optical construction. ED and Aspherical elements.

24 elements in 17 groups.

5 ED extra-low dispersion elements, which help reduce secondary axial chromatic aberration.

1 aspherical element.

Internal focussing.

Internal zooming, only the zoom ring moves while the lens doesn't change its length.

Front fluorine coating.

Nano coating.

 

Filters

Plastic 95 mm filter thread.

 

Diaphragm

11 rounded blades.

Electronically actuated.

Stops down to f/32-36.

 

Focal Length

200-600mm.

When used on an APS-C camera, it sees the same angle of view as a 300-900mm lens sees when used on a full-frame or 35mm camera.

See also Crop Factor.

 

Angle of View

12.5º ~ 4.2º diagonal on full frame.

8º ~ 2.7º diagonal on APS-C.

 

Autofocus

Direct-Drive Super-Sonic AF Motor (DDSSM).

Internal focussing.

No external movement as focussed, so no air or dust is sucked in.

 

Focus Scale

No.

 

Infinity Focus Stop

No.

 

Depth of Field Scale

No.

 

Infrared Focus Index

No.

 

Close Focus

7.88 feet (2.4 meters).

 

Maximum Reproduction Ratio

1:1.5 (0.66×).

 

Reproduction Ratio Scale

No.

 

Image Stabilizer

Yes, but not rated for effectiveness

 

Hood

Sony 200-600mm

Sony FE 200-600mm G OSS with included ALC-SH157 bayonet hood. bigger.

ALC-SH157 bayonet hood included.

 

Case

Nylon draw-string sack with fuzzy inside and very light padding included.

 

Tripod Collar

The tripod collar doesn't come off, but the foot does come off the collar.

Sadly there are no 90º clicks.

 

Size

4.39" Ø maximum diameter × 12.52" extension from flange.

111.5 mm Ø maximum diameter × 318.0 mm extension from flange.

 

Weight

74.7 oz. (4.7 pounds or 2,115 g) without tripod foot.

 

Quality

Made in China.

 

Announced

Tuesday, 11 June 2019, 10 AM NYC time.

 

Promised for

August 2019.

 

Included

Lens.

95mm front and ALC-R1EM rear caps.

Tripod collar with removable foot.

Nylon drawstring sack.

 

Sony's Model Number

SEL200600G.

 

Price, USA

$1,998, June 2019.

 

Optional Accessories

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Recommendations

 

I'd get my Sony 200-600mm at Adorama, at B&H, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield.

It works flawlessly with the FE 1.4x Teleconverter or FE 2x Teleconverter.

 

Performance

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Performance   Compared   User's Guide

Recommendations

 

Overall   Autofocus   Bokeh   Distortion

Ergonomics   Falloff   Filters

Lateral Color Fringes   Maximum Apertures

Mechanics   Sharpness   Teleconverters

 

I'd get my Sony 200-600mm at Adorama, at B&H, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield.

 

Overall

Performance          top

The Sony 200-600mm is big, and works and handles great. It works much better than other lenses, mostly because it never gets soft, it focuses ultra fast, and it zooms internally with a fingertip without having to extend.

 

Autofocus

Performance          top

Autofocus is fast; no worries here.

 

Bokeh

Performance          top

Bokeh, the feel, character or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is neutral to good. See Sample Images for more samples.

Sony 200-600mm sample image

Two guys on the ball. Sony A9 at 20 FPS, Sony 200-600mm at 382mm, wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 2,500. bigger or full-resolution.

 

Distortion

Performance          top

The Sony 200-600mm has moderate pincushion distortion at all focal lengths. If it bothers you, turn on your camera's automatic correction, or use these correction factors in Photoshop's lens correction filter.

These aren't facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires hours of photography and calculations on the resulting data:

On Full-Frame at 100' (30m)

Correction factor with uncorrected images

200mm
-2.00
250mm
-3.00
300mm
-1.50
400mm
-2.00
500mm
-2.00
600mm
-3.00

© 2019 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

 

Ergonomics

Performance          top

Once you get over that this is a jumbo-sized lens and that only half the tripod collar comes off, this is easy for me to hand hold and shoot.

Zooming is especially great: it zooms with just a fingertip.

 

Falloff

Performance          top

Falloff is completely invisible, at least with the camera's default correction left ON.

I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background; it will not look this bad in actual photos of real things:

 

Falloff on Full Frame, correction left ON.

 
f/8
f/11
200mm
Nikon MMmm f/FF falloff
Nikon MMmm f/FF falloff
Nikon MMmm f/FF falloff
350mm
Nikon MMmm f/FF falloff
Nikon MMmm f/FF falloff
Nikon MMmm f/FF falloff
600mm
Nikon MMmm f/FF falloff
Nikon MMmm f/FF falloff
Nikon MMmm f/FF falloff

 

© 2019 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

 

Filters, use with

performance          top

There's no need for thin filters.

Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizer and grad filters.

 

Lateral Color Fringes

Performance          top

There are no color fringes as shot on Sony cameras, which by default correct for any that may be there.

 

Maximum Apertures

Performance          top

It's f/5.6 up to 300mm and f6.3 from 329mm and up:

 
Maximum Aperture
200mm
f/5.6
300mm
f/5.6
323mm
f/6.3
400mm
f/6.3
500mm
f/6.3
600mm
f/6.3

 

Mechanical Quality

Performance          top

The 200-600 is pretty well made in China for a consumer-grade lens.

 

Finish

Paint.

 

Hood

Plastic bayonet.

Hood has front rubber bumper.

 

Front Bumper

Rubber.

 

Filter Threads

Plastic.

 

Hood Bayonet Mount

Plastic.

 

Barrel Exteriors

All plastic.

 

Zoom Ring

Rubber-covered plastic.

 

Focus Ring

Rubber-covered plastic.

 

Slide Switches

Plastic.

 

Tripod Collar

Metal.

The collar doesn't come off the lens, but the foot does come off from the collar.

If you lose the foot, the collar's stub has a standard ¼″ × 20 tripod thread.

 

Dust Gasket at Mount

Yes.

 

Mount

Dull chromed metal.

 

Markings

Paint.

 

Made in

China.

 

Sharpness

Performance          top

Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness and blame crummy pictures on their equipment rather than themselves. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that.

Getting that out ot the way, yes, this is an ultrasharp lens as my Sample Images show.

If you're not getting ultra-sharp pictures with this, be sure not to shoot at f/11 or smaller where all lenses are softer due to diffraction, always shoot at ISO 100 because cameras become softer at ISO 200 and above, avoid shooting across long distances over land which can lead to atmospheric heat shimmer, be sure everything is in perfect focus, set your camera's sharpening as you want it and be sure nothing is moving, either camera or subject. If you want to ensure a soft image with any lens, shoot at f/22 at ISO 1,600 in daylight through heat shimmer of rapidly moving subjects at differing distances in the same image.

Sony's MTF curves confirm this, too:

Sony 200-600mm MTF

Sony's MTF charts at 10 cyc/mm and 30 cyc/mm, radial (solid) and tangential (dotted).

 

Teleconverters

Performance          top

 

I'd get my Sony 200-600mm at B&H or at Adorama.

It works flawlessly with the FE 1.4x Teleconverter or FE 2x Teleconverter.

 

Compared

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Recommendations

 

I'd get my Sony 200-600mm at B&H or at Adorama.

 

Versus Sony

This Sony 200-600mm zooms much better than other lenses. This 200-600mm zooms internally with just a fingertip, while Sony's 100-400mm is a "pumper" zoom where half the lens extends as you try to zoom.

 

Versus Adapted Lenses

This 200-600mm will focus and perform much better than any other lens on a adapter. AF never works that great through an adapter; this lens is native to Sony's mirrorless cameras and its AF system is also optimized to these cameras — something that doesn't happen when adapting any SLR lenses to a mirrorless camera.

This Sony zooms internally with just a fingertip, while Nikon's 200-500mm is a beast that takes your whole hand to turn the zoom ring and half the lens extends with it.

Canon's 100-400mm is is much better made professional lens, but it also extends as zoomed.

Tamron's 100-400mm is a much cheaper lens, which is also a "pumper" zoom where half the lens has to move in and out. It's also not going to be as sharp as the Sony 200-600.

Tamron's original 150-600mm is nowhere near as sharp as this Sony, and is also a pain to zoom.

I haven't tested Tamron's newest G2 150-600mm for sharpness or focus speed, but I do know it's also a pumper, not internal. zoom.

 

200-600mm or 600mm f/4 for birds?

Sony 600mm f/4

Sony 200-600mm

Easy choice! The 600mm f/4.

Why?

If you shoot them both at 600mm and f/8 there is no difference in sharpness, but that’s not how we shoot birds.

Most likely you’d be using one or two teleconverters and losing a lot of light.  You’d need the 2.5 times more light gathered by the 600/4 rather than the 200-600mm, which is only f/6.3 at 600mm.  

The 600/4 loves being on teleconverters. Put the zoom on converters and you’re losing more light than you’d like.

In the real world we shoot these wide-open, and you want as much light as you can get at these ultralong focal lengths The 600/4 gathers 2.5 times as much light as the 200-600.

In a magic fairyland even if the two were equally as sharp in the lab on the converters set to 600mm wide-open, once you start shooting you’ll have to use an ISO 2.5x as high with the zoom, or a shutter speed 2.5x longer with the zoom - either of which leads to softer images in the real world, teleconverters or not.

Done.

 

User's Guide

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Recommendations

 

I'd get my Sony 200-600mm at B&H or at Adorama.

 

Sony 200-600mm

Controls, Sony FE 200-600mm G OSS. bigger.

 

AF - MF Switch

AF: Auto Focus. You have instant manual focus override by turning the focus ring at any time. It will try to ignore minor accidental bumps.

MF: Manual Focus only.

 

Full / 10m-2.4m / ∞-10m Switch

This is a focus limiter.

Leave it in FULL.

The 10m-2.4m position prevents the lens from autofocusing farther away than 10 meters (30 feet). Use this setting only if you're having a problem with the lens attempting to focus at infinity while you're shooting close subjects. Avoid this setting because you'll forget you left the lens set this way and lose photos while you try to figure out why it won't focus at a distance.

The ∞-10m position prevents the lens from autofocusing closer than 10 meters (30 feet). Use this setting only if you're having a problem with the lens attempting to focus on irrelevant close items, or if for some reason the lens is "hunting" from near to far looking for distant subjects. Avoid this setting because you'll forget you left the lens set this way and lose photos while you try to figure out why it won't focus closely.

 

Optical Steady Shot (Image Stabilizer) Switches

ON / OFF

Leave it ON unless you're on a very sturdy tripod, or if you're making exposures longer than a second on any kind of tripod.

 

Mode 1 / 2 / 3

Mode 1: Normal.

Mode 2: Panning. 

Mode 3: Random motion. Use this for sports. 

 

Recommendations

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Compatibility   Specifications   Accessories

Performance   Compared   User's Guide

Recommendations

 

I'd get my Sony 200-600mm at Adorama, at B&H, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield.

This 200-600mm is fantastic for sports, nature and anything else for which you need an ultra-long lens. It is superior to other ultralong zooms because of its superior sharpness, ultra-fast focus and super-easy zooming.

I'd get this original Sony rather than futz with an adapted lens from another brand as no other lens zooms this well, and autofocus will be pokey with an adapted lens.

My favorite uses for 600mm lenses are sunrises and sunsets. 600mm lenses both enlarge the disc of the sun and the orange area around it. Even lackluster sunrises and sunsets often have bright colors very close to the sun, and this lens enlarges them so much they explode!

Mono Lake Sunrise

Mono Lake Sunrise. Nikon 600mm f/5.6 ED-IF, Nikon FA, Fuji Velvia (ISO 50). bigger.

The amazing effects of a 600mm lens don't stop at shooting into the sun; shooting any reflections of a sunset in a glass office building or in the wet sand at the beach also make images that explode with color — even if it's a relatively lackluster sunset.

I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap so I'm always ready to shoot instantly. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear without padding — which is never. The UV filter never gets in the way, and never gets lost, either.

I'd use a 95mm B+W 010 UV filter to protect this lens.

A better filter for twice the price is the 95mm Hoya EVO UV. It has special dirt, dust and smudge resistant multicoatings to stay cleaner longer.

I'd get my Sony 200-600mm at Adorama, at B&H, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield.

This 100% all-content website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Sony does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, non-USA, store demo or used lens. I use the stores I do because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new camera before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, and selection.

Thanks for helping me help you!

Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

 

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10-11 June 2019