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Asking for first hand user comments on Sony FE 200-600mm
Dec 21, 2020 10:08:08 #
garrickw
Loc: Wyoming Mn.
I have been using the 200-600 since last spring it is off all the lenses I have owned the best so far for sharpness and weight for its size this is a fast moving American Kestrel shot at 600mm
Dec 21, 2020 10:35:33 #
I get by with the Minolta 600mm f/4. Maybe someday soon Sony will catch up.
Dec 21, 2020 10:58:16 #
Davethehiker wrote:
I get by with the Minolta 600mm f/4. Maybe someday soon Sony will catch up.
Nice images.
Sony has caught up btw...and surpassed Minolta which seems logical.
The Sony 600mm GM is a tech beast and the world's first aspherical 600mm f/4 lens. Two extreme dynamic (XD) linear focus motors. World's lightest 600mm f/4 at 107 oz....nearly half the weight of the Minolta (194 oz.).
Dec 21, 2020 11:25:59 #
imagemeister wrote:
The Minolta 500 Reflex is a great lens - when in focus and using an appropriate shutter speed ! I use it on the A99 with great success - but NOT BIF. Your image here has motion blur and much noise and too much crop.
I cannot speak to the Sony 200-600 - but yes, it SHOULD be better than the Minolta for BIF at 10X the cost !
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I cannot speak to the Sony 200-600 - but yes, it SHOULD be better than the Minolta for BIF at 10X the cost !
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Not a BIF, but Sony A99 and Minolta 500 Reflex ISO 3200 .......
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Dec 21, 2020 12:35:25 #
I have both the Minolta AF 500 mirror and the Sony 200-600 , Which I use on my a6000, a7iii, and a7Riv. The Minolta mirror is quite good on all my cameras. The 200-600 is faster focusing and better image. As far as speed of focusing the fastest is the a7Riv, then a7iii and lastly a6000. Is the image 10 times better than the Minolta mirror....??? When money is a factor the Minolta is hard to beat. When speed and high IQ is important then the Sony 200-600 is great. If the 200-600 is better why do I keep the Minolta? Size, and weight. Those two factors become important when hiking and as I get older (i'm 67). My advice is to rent before you pluck down nearly $2000.
Dec 21, 2020 13:10:13 #
Dec 21, 2020 13:40:35 #
a6k
Loc: Detroit & Sanibel
imagemeister wrote:
Not a BIF, but Sony A99 and Minolta 500 Reflex ISO 3200 .......
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Cat. Hand held. Minolta 500/8 indoors. SOOC. Sony a6500. ISO 6400. 1/500 seconds.
Yes, it's pretty good under some conditions. This was likely done with the LA-EA3 which required manual focus.
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Dec 21, 2020 17:34:53 #
a6k wrote:
I would be using it on my a6500 but any E mount ex... (show quote)
There is really no comparison between the Minolta 500/8 in image quality or autofocus speed. I have both and have used them on an A7S, A7R II, A7 III, A6000 and A6100. Love the FE 200-600. The 500/8 is fun to play with.
The FE 200-600 is a heavy beast but manageable as handheld right up to 600mm. Autofocus is very fast. Image quality is top of the line. And you're probably correct about the majority of usage being at 600mm and probably at full aperture. I also use mine with Sony's 1.4x teleconverter to push the focal length to 840mm. The TC doesn't appear to impact image quality but does make the combo slower but it still autofocuses very well.
A few A7 III / FE 200-600 shots attached.
bwa
Rosette Nebula
(Download)
(Download)
Sandhill Crane w/ 1.4x Teleconverter
(Download)
Moon (840mm,100th,f9,ISO100) Sony A6100
(Download)
Dec 21, 2020 17:51:36 #
I have owned the Sony 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 lens since the very first USA shipment (Sony Pro Services Members priority) . The lens is superb, sharp, quiet, fast focusing, internal zoom, well balanced, solid construction, and a real bargain for the quality. I use it with my Sony A9 and A7RIV cameras and have gotten wonderful shots with it handheld and on a monopod. Never even had to use a tripod yet. Here a shot of a Muscovy Duck on the Caribbean Island of St. Martin. Sony A7RIV, Sony 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 lens, 600mm f6.3, ISO 200, 1/1000 sec. The second one is a crop from the same image. It shows the superb detail and resolution of this lens.
Dec 21, 2020 17:59:28 #
Another shot. A7RIV, Sony 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 lens. At a Wild Elephant Seal rookery on the Pacific Ocean Coast in California, USA. Left, a young pup squeals as it is squashed but escapes, as a 5000 pound bull elephant seal makes an amorous attack on one of its cows. Often pups are trampled and killed by the bulls. This pup survived. Sony A7RIV, Sony 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 lens, 600mm f6.3, ISO 800, 1/1000 sec.
Dec 21, 2020 18:04:05 #
This shot with the Sony A9, 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 lens and the Sony 1.4X teleconverter. Kids cling to rafts being pulled by a fast speedboat on Brookings Lake, Manistee National Forest, Michigan, USA. A9, 200-600mm lens and 1.4 extender, 840mm, ISO 800, f9, 1/1000 sec.
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Dec 21, 2020 18:09:14 #
Davethehiker wrote:
I get by with the Minolta 600mm f/4. Maybe someday soon Sony will catch up.
Duh, Sony's 600mm f4 GM has caught and passed the Minolta. The Sony 600mm f4 GM has been out since June 2019. Just search Mark Smith and other top pro wildlife shooters who use and love it. But it is $13,000 USD, so many use the more affordable $2000 Sony 200-600mm f5.6-6.3. Cheers
https://www.sony.com/electronics/camera-lenses/sel600f40gm
Dec 22, 2020 11:09:57 #
One thing you have to bear in mind: the Sony FE 200-600mm is a Full-Frame lens, so the best combination is for it to be used with a FF camera. I use it with the Sony A9 and have no complaints, the inner zoom is great and although heavy it is much more lightweight than the Tamron and Sigma (I know from practical experience, I've owned both and shot a lot of wildlife pictures with them).
I've used it with the Sony A6600 and although the lens works, the crop factor definitely has an impact on the composition and it does not balance as well as the A9, it becomes front-heavy and it is more difficult to shoot because the camera is too light compared to the lens.
I've used it with the Sony A6600 and although the lens works, the crop factor definitely has an impact on the composition and it does not balance as well as the A9, it becomes front-heavy and it is more difficult to shoot because the camera is too light compared to the lens.
Dec 22, 2020 11:54:16 #
Still, I see no BIF's with the 200-600 - only lip service ! ? ......
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Dec 22, 2020 14:56:46 #
a6k
Loc: Detroit & Sanibel
imagemeister wrote:
Still, I see no BIF's with the 200-600 - only lip service ! ? ......
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There is a hawk nearer the start of this thread. Also,
https://500px.com/photo/1001912399/Hummingbird-by-donald-luo?ctx_page=1&from=search&ctx_type=photos&ctx_q=FE+200-600mm
(not mine)
&&
https://msmithphotos.com/index.php/2019/09/11/sony-fe-200-600-osprey-photography-feeding-frenzy/
Why the attitude?
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