I find it hard to believe that you read my message.
I would like to find a reliable lab test of this lens and I cannot find it.
I test myself all lenses before buying and this one (when tested by me) is surprisingly good. Almost too good to be true.
Please do not send pictures you made (I have tones of them taken from very closed -such as humming birds- to very far -such as bald eagles- ). I am strictly interested in lab tests.
Sorry! And thank you!
But you definitely do not re-mind me this (first time I hear about it).
I do have however a problem with the Ugly site: everything seems to be pleasing and conducive to congratulations. And an open subject triggers an endless series of uninterested comments.
I am indeed new but I would probably be out of this game soon.
something similar! the second one is rare (in my view)
Is it mother love or romance?
as you need to also use a tripod (if you are serious) you can put on your shoulder the tripod with a camera and the lens. Or a monopod...
I have this camera and it is very good indeed. Usually I need more than 600mm (I do birds) and I am using a Canon 7DII with a Tamron 150-600mm (with the cropping factor the focal lens is around 900mm) but when I travel this is cumbersome. The Sony surprised me positively.
I have the latest with the latest extenders. Quoting from the camera manual: "Canon 7Dii features 65 AF points spread across a significant portion of the frame, with especially wide horizontal coverage. All of these AF points are cross-type (when using lenses with a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster), with the center AF point capable of high-precision, dual cross-type focusing with wider aperture (f/2.8 and faster) lenses. Additionally, the center point is capable of focusing with lenses (or lens/teleconverter combinations) as slow as f/8".
In other words, with the extender only the center point is usable but the autofocus is otherwise working well and quick.
And reading some other comments: I did not notice a large difference between the old and the G2 lens.
I do birds. I use a Canon 7D II (I do not use my Canon 5D III for birds) and I have owned many lenses prime and zoom. Usually I borrow the lens first, I test it and I only buy it after the testing. I make pictures using a monopod or a tripod and never hand held. In my case a heavy weight of the lens is a deterrent. I rarely need less than 600mm focal length and for me Tamron 150-600mm (x cropping factor) is the best lens. Since I started to use it I gradually sold the other long lenses. I have the extenders (1.4 and 2x) but I rarely use them because they limit focusing.
If 400mm is enough for you, the Canon 100-400 is a good choice but comparing images taken at 400mm with the Canon and the Tamron 150-600mm I cannot see a difference.
Regards!