Marc Alhadeff review of the new Sony 200-600mm FE: “an excellent telephoto lens with excellent performance”

Marc Alhadeff tested the new Sony 200-600mm FE lens and writes:

The Sony FE200-600 GM OSS F5.6-F6.3 (2100 euros) is an excellent telephoto lens with excellent performances for its price point and the first one of its class with internal zooming

It will be ideal for sports and animals shooters who can’t afford the Sony 400mm F2.8 GM or the Sony 600mm F4 GM (= most of us), and for those type of photos it will give better results than the Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM both in term of sharpness and in term of usability thanks to its fantastic internal zooming

Pay attention to the complementarity with your existing lenses , if you have only a Sony 24-70 F2.8 GM or a Sony 24-105mm F4 you may have a gap between 70 and 200mm you may want to bridge with a Sony 70-200mm F4 G or a Sony 70-200mm F2.8GM , or stick to the Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM if you don’t go often above 400mm

An unexpected strong point of this lens is the quality of its background blur which is very soft and pleasant and the compression effect you can get is stunning

Teleconverters can be used but they will only work well on A9, if you have a A7RIII , just use the APSC crop mode if you need more zoom than the 600mm or use a 6400 as a secondary body

Highly recommended !

New Sony tele FE lenses:
Sony 200-600mm FE in USA at Amazon, BHphoto, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Adorama and Henyrs.
Sony 600mm FE GM in USA at Amazon, BHphoto, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Adorama and Henyrs.
Sony 200-600mm FE in Europe at Amazon DE. Calumet DE. Amazon UK. WexUK. ParkCameras. Amazon FR. Amazon IT. Amazon ES.
Sony 600mm FE GM in Europe at Calumet DE.WexUK. ParkCameras.
Sony 200-600mm FE in Asia at Sony Japan. Sony Australia.
Sony 600mm FE GM in Asia at Sony Japan. Sony Australia.

Curiosity: This is how big the new A7rIV is compared to the very first A7r


via CameraSize

Six years ago Sony introduced the first A7r camera. Here you can see how much change there is between the new A7rIV and the very first A7r. The most visible change is the depth of the grip:

 

In those six years Sony mainly focused on incremental improvements based on photographers feedback. I actually would have loved to see some cameras with a completely new design. But I guess in those times where the market keeps shrinking the more “conservative” approach makes more sense.

Sony A7rIV and new accessories:
Sony A7rIV in USA/CA at BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera, Amazon, Henrys.
Sony A7rIV in EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK, Calumet NL.
Sony A7rIV in Asia at Sony Japan. Sony Australia.
Sony VG-C4EM grip in USA at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, ParkUK, WexUK.
ECM-B1M Digital Audio Shotgun Microphone at BHphoto, Park UK.
XLR-K3M Mic at BHphoto, Park UK.

Sony E 70-350mm review by CameraLabs. A6600 review by Max Yuryev.

On top Gordon Laing’s take on the new 70-350mm E lens. Below Max Yuryev’s take on the new A6600:

Preorders:
Sony A6600 at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.
Sony A6100  at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.
E 16-55mm F2.8 G at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.
E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama , FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.

Alex Phan hands-on review with the new Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OS

This is guest post from our friend Alex Phan:

Hands-on with new Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OS.

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As always, big thanks to Sony USA for making the lens available. 🙏🙏🙏😍😍.
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April 19, 2017, A9 was born. Without a doubt, A9 has the best AF system in the market right now. However, without native lenses to support it, you can’t really can get the fully benefit of the A9. There are Sigma MC11 and Metabones mk V (5th generations). Overall, it works but it still not as fast as native. You can’t get the 20 fps via adapter. Before the release of 400GM, i’ve used Canon 500IS ii, 600IS ii, 800IS, Sigma 500mm f/4, Sigma 150-600 Sport via adapter with my A9. I get pretty good result out of it, but i have to work hard for it. My back and leg are not happy since all of those lenses are super heavy. I also can’t do handheld. Then last year, 400GM is out. Since then, i shoot with 400GM 98% of the time. I just wish for 600mm range and that dream come true today. I’m super happy and exciting to see the Sony 600mm f/4 finally here.

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New Sony A7rIV tests and reviews

Sony A7R IV Field Test by Imaging Resource:

All in all, combining excellent image quality and performance with robust build quality, improved ergonomics and a wide range of features, the Sony A7R IV is an impressively versatile, professional-level camera.

Full review has been published on Photographyblog:

Overall, though, the new Sony Alpha A7R IV offers a compelling blend of out-and-out resolution, surprising speed and enhanced handling that widens its appeal beyond just portrait, landscape and architecture photographers.

Sony a7R IV initial review: What’s new and how it compares (Dpreview).


Sony A7R IV ( A7R4 ) – First Impressions Bird Photography with the Sony 100-400mm Lens

Sony A7rIV and new accessories:
Sony A7rIV in USA/CA at BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera, Amazon, Henrys.
Sony A7rIV in EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK, Calumet NL.
Sony A7rIV in Asia at Sony Japan. Sony Australia.
Sony VG-C4EM grip in USA at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, ParkUK, WexUK.
ECM-B1M Digital Audio Shotgun Microphone at BHphoto, Park UK.
XLR-K3M Mic at BHphoto, Park UK.

Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 FE hands-on by Allan Weitz

Allan Weitz posted this hands-on review with the new Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 FE lens:

Designing an ultra-wide lens with low degrees of barrel and/or pincushion distortion is a challenge and, in the case of this lens, the results are mixed. At the longer end of the focal range, straight, vertical lines remain parallel to one another—even at the edges. As you zoom wider, barrel distortion starts to kick in. When shooting landscapes, this isn’t much of an issue, but for shooting architecture I would strongly recommend sticking to a better-corrected fixed focal length lens in the 12mm to 14mm range. However, for less critical work I would have zero considerations about purchasing this otherwise notable lens.

CamereLabs writes about this lens:

Sigma’s 35mm f1.2 Art has the largest focal ratio of any autofocus full-frame 35mm lens available. That bodes well for a nice Bokeh – and the lens certainly delivered the goods in my tests: its Bokeh is probably as good as it gets on a 35mm lens. Add to that the light gathering power that is a half stop ahead of lenses with a focal ratio of f1.4 and an optical performance that is always a bit better and you have the best 35mm I’ve tested so far. Add in thorough weather sealing with fluorine coating on the front lens, a de-clickable aperture ring, the focus hold button, and a well padded lens case plus strap and you get a well-rounded package that should leave little open to wishes. Unfortunately it’s also the largest and heaviest 35mm lens of the models I compared it against. But if you want the best 35mm lens for your full-frame Sony or L-mount mirrorless camera, the Sigma 35mm f1.2 DG DN Art is it. This also justifies its price and earns a Highly Recommended! Sadly it’s not available for other lens-mounts too.

And Photographyblog also tested the lens and writes:

Overall, the Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art mirrorless camera lens is a smaller, more full-featured update of the DSLR version that’s a strong rival to the Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM in almost every area.

If you read chinese there is also a test at Fengniao.

New Sigma FE lenses::
Sigma 35mm f/1.2 FE at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon, FocusCamera, Henrys. In EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK.
Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 FE at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon, FocusCamera, Henrys. In EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK.
Sigma 45mm f/2.8 FE at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon, FocusCamera, Henrys. In EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK.