We would all love to have the absolutely astounding supertelephoto primes that the pros use, but with prices well into five figures, they are simply not in the cards for most of us. Luckily, in the last few years, companies have been releasing better and better long zooms at more affordable prices. This great review takes a look at the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens.
Coming to you from Dustin Abbott, this helpful review gives a comprehensive evaluation of the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens. The 200-600mm is a fantastic option for photographers who need a lot of reach (sports and wildlife shooters in particular) without wanting to spend the money on a stratopherically priced supertelephoto prime. With the ISO performance of modern cameras and astounding autofocus performance of bodies like the a9, lenses with narrower maximum apertures are becoming more and more reasonable and practical for photographers, along with offering the additional versatility of a zoom, particularly since such lenses are often used where a photographer cannot change their position or their subject's. Altogether, it looks like a great option for many Sony shooters. Check out the video for Abbott's full thoughts.
Normally, I find Dustin’s reviews useful though can’t fault him on the cursory use of the lens. He’s right on about the build and finish though the hood is cheap. Performance in the a9 as he observed is good but contrary to his assertion, is problematic on the a7riv. Read any of the popular user sites and you’ll see a litany of problems with the af. But what is one to do if they don’t have $13k for a 600mm? Use adapted lenses from other manufacturers though one loses PDAF. Sigh.
I’ve read the same complaints when paired with the A7R4. That is a shame, as that combo, could be a perfect match for resolution and reach. Perhaps SONY will work it out with a FW update. I seriously considered buying this lens with an A7R4 until I came across all of those complaints.
My money would go for the Sony rx10iv if I needed 600mm reach.
Look at the FE100-400 & 1.4 TC as an alternative.
Much smaller and very good IQ.