FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS Super Telephoto Zoom Lens (SEL200600G)

This is a great telephoto zoom with an amazing range. I've owned the 70-300, tamron 150-600 with adapter (both ways, sony a mount with the sony adapter and canon EF mount with a sigma MC-11) and the sony 100-400mm with a teleconverter. The 100-400 is a great lens as well and the fact it's smaller and covers wider focal lengths might make it better for some people. But for me I need more range all the time and my 100-400 had a TC on it all the time. The 200-600 is a less expensive option and has that range all the time. For me I pair it with a a7riv giving me 26mp in crop mode at an effective 900mm range. Because of this resolution and ability to switch with the press of a button I've avoided using teleconverters with this lens and camera combo which has been great. For me the fact the lens has internal zoom makes it much easier to handle in use because its balance stays the same at all focal lengths. This helps with hand holding as well as balancing on a gimbal/ball head. The short throw on the zoom is also nice to make it easy to go from 200 to 600 with only a 90° turn. One knock on it's construction is the 100-400 has a lock on the hood which is awesome. I know the 100-400 is a "GM" lens and the 200-600 is only a "G" but with such a massive hood it'd be nice to have it locked in place. I've read some reviews that say it's "loose", I'm not sure I'd say it's any different than any other lens with a non locking hood but I'll agree it does feel like it's easier to bump when it's as large as it is. I've added a silicone wrist band (like those livestrong bands) up against the hood and it makes it snug, an inexpensive fix. OSS and image quality are top notch with this lens. I will say when using a lens that's 12" on it's own and ~18" when on a body with the hood, you'll need some good technique to hand hold a lens this size even with OSS. Depending on what your shooting using a tripod and ball head or gimbal might be needed. But when you get a good subject you'll get some amazing images. The one negative about this lens' image quality would be it's background blur or "bokeh". It can be a bit busy at times (so can the 100-400 though) and this lens really rewards you for getting some distance between your subject and the background.

This lens is just so sharp for a telephoto zoom lens. It's as good as I hoped it would be. Autofocus is good with a Sony A1, generally crisp and fast. The only time I've had autofocus issues is when the lighting isn't idea but that's to be expected with a 5.6 minimum F stop. I also love that it's internal zooming which keeps the weight and balance constant. It is heavy but not unyielding to hand hold. It's not a lens I'm physically able to walk around with on a long hike but I'm also a senior. I handhold half the time and use on a tripod with a gimble half the time. My only major complaint is the tripod leg. The fact Sony still hasn't incorporated an arca-swiss leg is silly but thankfully there are third party options but that adds to the overall cost of the lens. If you're into wildlife and birding and can afford this lens, do it.

This had been serving me wonderfully for years now. Very convenient in a safari it other wildlife situation. Very sharp. The inner-zoom is amazing. Once you go that path you never want to go back. Great value for money.

This is an amazing lens. I started with this lens while using my a6400, but have recently moved up to an a7riii, which was a great choice as well. Super crisp and sharp photos. I was nervous about needing a tripod all the time but I have not used one with this lens yet, which is even better. Compared to most lenses this one is heavier than normal, but once I learned how to carry it in my arms (I cradle it a bit), the strain went away. It is also possible to attach a neck strap to it and carry it like that as well. Regardless, I use this lens handheld at all times. I walk in the woods, get a quick shot out of the window of my parked vehicle as I pass an animal, or while sitting at the park. You will get used to the weight. I complemented this lens with a Leofoto aftermarket foot replacement since I am using an Arca-Swiss style tripod gimbal head. That did nothing but improve the experience. Highly recommended!

I am really impressed by this lens. It has some features that one almost never sees such as programmable function push buttons that can be customized (if your camera body supports this). The default function is a focus lock, but I configured them to be a "back button" focus. The lens is also unusual in that when you zoom in, the length of the lens remains the same. The zoom mechanism is internal. You can go from 200 mm to 600 mm in only 1/4 of a turn of the focus ring. On some brands it takes a lot more rotational movement to go from wide to zoomed in. There is very little rotaional resistance so zooming is nearly effortless. A slide button offers three different image stabilization modes for normal, panning, and sports. A separate slide button allows you to turn the image stabilization off which is what is recommended if you are using a tripod. The mounting shoe is threaded for both 1/4" and 3/8" SAE threads. The lens hood is sturdy and locks firmly onto the lens. The white finish on the lens body is in my opinion more than just a cosmetic feature, on a hot summer day it should reduce heat buildup compared to a black finish. But the white finish looks great. The quality of construction is outstanding. I consider this a really good value for what you get. If you buy this lens you will be assured to get a lot of lens envy from other photographers.

great quality lens but too heavy. The 100-400 is lighter and more portable.

This lens is an absolute powerhouse for wildlife and sports photography. It captures distant subjects with incredible detail to tracking fast-moving action with precision, this lens exceeds expectations in every regard. First and foremost, it has a remarkable focal length range of 200-600mm but can be paired with the 1.4x adapter for a total length of 840mm or even the 2x for a 1200mm!! I have not tried the adapters yet but plan to in the near future! The optical stabilization system (OSS) delivers consistently sharp images, even at longer focal lengths and in some pretty challenging lighting conditions.

The lens was in perfect condition upon arrival. I have used it with no problems so far. I have rented this from Lensrentals for my vacations but finally decided to buy it. The range of the zoom opens up so many options for photos.