Our Recommendation
The positives of the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G clearly outweigh the negatives. This lens nicely balances many different considerations at once – price, focal lengths, maximum aperture, portability, and image quality. If I did wildlife photography as a Sony user, this is highly likely the lens that I would get, unless my budget called for a third-party alternative from Sigma or Tamron.
Of course, it isn’t a perfect lens. While Sony did a good job balancing those various considerations, the lens also isn’t a record-breaker in any area. If you don’t need a well-balanced lens and instead need something that is best-in-class in a particular characteristic, you may not be the target audience of the 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G. For example, sharper lenses do exist; so do lenses that are lighter, brighter, longer, or less expensive.
Just… note the “or” in that last sentence. Yes, you will be able to find some lenses that beat the 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G in one or two of those areas. But you’ll have a much harder time finding a lens that beats it, or even matches it, in all of them.
Pros
- Excellent build quality and control options
- Vignetting and distortion are well-controlled
- Consistent (though not record-breaking) sharpness throughout the zoom range
- Focuses quickly and accurately
- Price of $2000 is a very good value for what you get
Cons:
- Chromatic aberration is moderately high at the wider focal lengths
- Moderate focus breathing means that you don’t get a true 600mm at closest focus (more like 500mm)
- Background blur can be a little busy
- A little on the large and heavy side (though no more than similar lenses)
Conclusion
Are you a Sony photographer who wants a well-performing supertelephoto lens at a good price? If so, you may still consider a third-party alternative if you’re on a budget – and Sony’s own 400-800mm f/6.3-8 is tempting if you care more about focal length than maximum aperture – but otherwise, there really is no other lens I’d get in that situation. The Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G gets a strong recommendation from me.
I hope that you found this review of the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G to be helpful in making your decision! If you’re planning to buy this lens, you can support our lens testing efforts and check for any sales at the affiliate links below.
- Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G at B&H, at Amazon, and at Adorama
- Used: at eBay and at KEH
Photography Life gets a small percentage of each purchase made through the links above, even if you buy something other than the Sony 200-600mm, without costing you anything extra.
The next page of this review has some more sample photos from the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G, followed by reader comments on the final page. Use the Table of Contents below the star rating to jump to the section you want.
Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G
- Build Quality and Handling
- Size and Weight
- Sharpness Performance
- Other Image Quality
- Value
Photography Life Overall Rating
Table of Contents