Sony 200-600mm Lens Settings for Bird Photography

In this video I will go through each setting of the Sony FE 200-600mm super-telephoto zoom lens and show you how I use them for bird photography.

The Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens features a full settings panel on the left side plus three customizable focus hold buttons midway down the barrel. The settings from top to bottom include an AF/MF switch, a focus limiter switch, an Optical SteadyShot on-off switch, and lastly a mode switch to choose how the image stabilization will operate.

If this is the first big wildlife lens you’ve used, some of these settings may be unfamiliar and in the video above I explain how I choose to use them for my bird photography. For me, the less I have to touch these settings the better. It’s never a good spot to be in where a fast developing photo situation is developing in front of you and the first thing that needs to be done is flip these switches. For that reason I minimize their use either through custom camera button settings which I show, or using the most widely applicable settings.

For more of my thoughts on the Sony 200-600mm lens, check out my long-term review.

Ryan Mense's picture

Ryan Mense is a wildlife cameraperson specializing in birds. Alongside gear reviews and news, Ryan heads selection for the Fstoppers Photo of the Day.

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2 Comments

Excellent video, Ryan! Im gonna have to try this next time I go birding. Thanks for sharing, man!

Excellent Ryan. Very informative.