Gear Review: Sony 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 OSS Lens

As a Sony shooter, there really isn't a more versatile lens than the 200-600mm F5.6-6.3. While it isn't going to perform like a 400mm F2.8 or a 600mm F4 prime lens, it is going to offer tremendous performance at a fraction of the cost of those lenses. For me at least, it has been my go to lens for wildlife photography and would make a fantastic addition to anyone's camera bag.

Size

Speaking of camera bags, you might be worried about actually fitting this beast of a lens into yours. At roughly 4.5 x 12.625 inches in size and 4.65 lbs., this is by no means a small lens, but actually isn't nearly as big as you may think. Yes you may want to start lifting a few weights to prepare to handhold it, but even then I can find myself getting amazing handheld shots with it over extended periods of time. Obviously any sort of support like a tripod or monopod is preferred, but don't let the size of the lens deter you.

Due to its internal zooming mechanism the 200-600mm is actually at a fixed length, which means that it doesn't extend outward as you change to longer focal lengths. This is huge for me when photographing in dusty and dirty environments where particles may get into my camera and lens as I am constantly changing focal lengths. But it also means you don't need to be worrying about the position of your lens on whatever support it may be resting on, which I find just gives me one less thing to worry about overall when shooting.

Image Quality

Let me just first say that this lens is sharp. Like really sharp. Again, it won't be performing at the level of one of the big prime lenses, but it can really pack a punch regardless. I shoot with a 61MP A7RIV which really pushes this lens to the max yet it still delivers. Sony technically considers this a "G" lens as opposed to a "G Master" lens, but there isn't too much of an image quality difference to where I would forgo this lens because of that distinction.

The details here on this wild dog's face are just incredible

The 600mm length lets you get close shots of predator eyes that just pop compared to other lenses.

At the 600mm length however I do find that if your subject isn't close to you that the image quality can suffer a bit. Part of that can be remedied by increasing your shutter speed, but this is still a camera lens and can't perform miracles.

This gray wolf in Yellowstone was about 100 yards away, and despite shooting at 1/2000 sec the photo still came out a bit soft.

As long as your subject is relatively prominent in your frame, I find that the lens performs excellently. There of course is always an option to add on a 1.4x or 2x teleconverter, but I find that losing those extra stops of light (840mm F8 and 1200mm F9 respectively) isn't usually worth it and can compromise your image quality. In those situations, that's when it would be nicer to have one of the big prime lenses.

Focal Length

When to comes to wildlife photography, one of the most challenging things to overcome is the unpredictability of our subjects and their environments. In portrait photography you can literally tell your subject where to stand and how to pose. In landscape photography your subject doesn't move at all. But we have literally 0 control over what a wild animal does or how far away it is from us in its natural environment. In that sense, the Sony 200-600mm lens gives us the most flexibility to be prepared for whatever scenario may come when we're shooting wildlife.

I was able to take this nice environmental shot at 200mm

And a closer portrait type shot at 600mm. All at the same sighting.

One of the best features of this lens is the overall focal length which covers the entire range between 200mm and 600mm. Very few lenses out there can compete with this range, with most camera manufacturers offering the shorter 100-400mm or other oddball lengths. But none of them are in the 200-600mm ballpark which really makes the Sony side stand out.

The one thing photographers who shoot wildlife often tell themselves is that they just wish that they had a little bit more reach to their subject. Whether that's a bird in a tree that just won't fly closer or a cheetah on the open plains that is too far from the road, having a longer reaching lens really comes in handy for any situation. At the same time though, you have the flexibility to shoot much wider at 200mm for more environmental type shots or when animals may approach you closer. Not having to switch lenses or cameras in the field is fantastic, and the 200-600mm covers all your bases in terms of wildlife photography.

This lioness walked right towards me, but I didn't need to switch to a smaller lens to get this shot.

Aperture

Up to this point, most of what I have been saying about this lens has been positive. Unfortunately the limitations of this lens really become apparent when it comes to its variable aperture of F5.6-63. Now I say variable, but the reality is that more often than not you will be shooting at F6.3 because the lens can only shoot at F5.6 up to around 300mm.

At those aperture values, you definitely will need to keep an eye on your shutter speeds and ISO levels, especially when you're at the longer end of the focal range. I have found that close to 90% of all my shots taken with this lens have been at F6.3, mostly due to the fact that I'm shooting closer to 600mm more often than not.

In wildlife photography, we often find ourselves shooting at low light levels when we're looking for big cats or other predators because that is the time of day when they are most active. There have been many times when I've photographed a lion or leopard as the sun is disappearing and I have really struggled just because I'm shooting at F6.3.

This photo was all the way at 25600 ISO, simply because I had low light and had to shoot at F6.3.

This also means that you will struggle to create nice blurred backgrounds due to shallow depth of field like you would get with an F2.8 lens for example. The best way to get solid depth of field with the 200-600mm is to extend all the way out to 600mm, but that comes with its own drawbacks.

Essentially you're forcing yourself into that 600mm range exclusively if you're trying to get those nice portrait shots or just any photo with a nice depth of field. But that can lead to bad habits where you're cropping features of your subjects like ears or tails because you're always at those longer focal lengths.

This is shot could be better if I hadn't cropped the ears out from being at 600mm trying to get a nice depth of field.

In that way, it really is a double edged sword. Yes you have a wide focal range, but the apertures values associated with them force you to compromise on some of your shots in ways that can frustrate you in the field.

Conclusion

All in all, the Sony 200-600m lens is a fantastic intermediate level lens for all wildlife photographers. Whether you're shooting mammals in East Africa or birds in your backyard, the versatility of this lens can't be beat. It does have its drawbacks with its F5.6-6.3 aperture, but with the focal length it's just basic physics at that point. Something has to give, but that's also the reason why it's a $2000 lens versus a $12000 lens. It has been my workhorse lens and delivered when I needed it to, and ultimately that's all we can ask for. I would highly recommend this lens to anyone looking to up their wildlife photography, and hope it serves others as well as it has served me.

Disclosure: I am not a Sony Ambassador and Sony did not contribute to this review. All my gear is purchased out of pocket, and the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.