Hands-On with Sony’s two new lenses: a $2000 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 and their $13000 600mm f/4 GM
posted Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at 10:00 AM EDT
Click here to see our Hands-On Previews:
Sony 600mm f/4 GM (Video) • Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G (Video)
Sony has announced two new supertelephoto lenses at two totally opposite ends of the price spectrum. First, the 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS for just $2000. It's also compatible with Sony's 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters that thanks to the design of mirrorless cameras is not held to the f/8 autofocus restriction found on DSLRs. The result is a telephoto zoom lens that can reach up to 1200mm with full time and, from what we experienced in our hands-on with it, no autofocus problems whatsoever.
Secondly, Sony announced the professional-level FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens that continues the momentum they have been riding since they released the 400mm f/2.8 GM last year. This even longer lens boasts even more impressive lens arrangement and construction for a lens that is not only optically excellent, but also far lighter than you might think. Being a top-tier G Master lens, the new 600mm f/4 is, as you might imagine, not strikingly affordable. With an MSPR of $13,000, it's a serious investment for serious photographers, but priced in-line with competing full-frame 600mm f/4 lenses
We had what amounted to about 24 hours and two shooting opportunities with both these lenses, but think we have a handle on what to expect from performance despite that limited time. We'll go into much more detail in our hands-on previews for each lens, but we found that despite the incredible price difference between the two lenses there was little that separated them in terms of real-world performance. Aside from the obvious restrictions that the slower variable aperture gives you on the 200-600mm, both lenses operated very well in both a sports shooting environment as well as a wildlife shooting situation.
For all the details, head on over to our Hands-On Previews (600mm f/4 & 200-600mm) to read more in-depth opinions, watch our hands-on video, and take a look at sample images from both lenses.
