FE 200-600mm F/5.6-6.3 G OSS, just did some Egret capture in flight and on the nest. I could not believe even with the 2X teleconverter on the bokeh bubbles in the blurred background even at 1800mm (using APS-C button). At 200 yds. zooming to a tree with many nests I got bird eye AF on a newborn egret as well a in focus mother with perfect out of focus with colorful bokeh balls in the background of limbs/leaves. I have been using the lens mainly for lunar eclipses even at 1800mm for great detail of lunar surface but found staying at 600mm to get colorful stars around it. This is using the A7RII but now with the A7RV (with lens and camera updated.
I have had the sony 2-6 for a few years now. The internal zoom is insane...and the real secret sauce of the lens. You can keep the lens on your eye...and mover from 2 to 6 or back...with a single finger...never losing sight of anything...it's almost effortless. If you like to bird...that feature alone will satisfy you beyond measure. You won't ever be able to go back to external zooms. I looked hard at the 1 to 4 lens ... I had the Sony A mount 70-400 (still do)...which is also great...but that internal zoom...game changer.
I film high school track and field and have the Sony 200-600, Tamron 50-400 and the Sigma 60-600. Best range is the Sigma 60-600. Auto-focus Continuous is 100/100 on my scoreboard for the Sony 200-600 and it is almost parfocal (zooming doesn't change focus) and 98/100 on my scoreboard is the Sigma 60-600 (it's not quite parfocal but close enough). The Tamron is 75/100 in my grading at it sucks at AF-C, constantly back focusing and not focusing fast enough. Also it is clearly not parfocal at all so if you're zooming, it's constantly out of focus but when you stop zooming it's backfocusing. Worse $1300 I spent. BTW when you show up at a track meet with these lenses, it's automatic respect from everyone!
man Stefan, you nailed it on all these lenses. The only lens I haven't tried personally yet is the Sigma 60-600 but I plan to borrow one this summer for some wild life. Thanks for the topaz labs info too, I've looked at it a few times but never pulled the trigger to get it. My personal favorite is the 100-400 sony, the image quality is just really hard to beat
Great review. One place where the 100-400's are often overlooked is in landscape photography. Great IQ out of the Sony and Sigma and they weigh a bit less than those others you reviewed and easier to carry for a time.
I was just going to comment this. I just purchased the Sigma 100-400 specifically for landscape photography and size was a big consideration in this choice. The 100-400 G-Master would have been nice, but really hard to justify a more than 2x price of the Sigma.
Hi Stefan. I have the tamron 150-500. I liked the compactness and weight. I did miss an important aspect which means I will be getting rid of it for the sony 200-600. I was talking pictures at an air festival over several days earlier this year and my left wrist became progressively more and more sore. After 4 days it felt like someone had been trying to cut my wrist off with a blunt saw. The problem is the stiffness of the tamron zoom, the awkward twisting motion and the long throw needed to zoom from 150-500. The pictures were great, probably the best I have ever taken of aircraft in flight but the ergonomics of the Tamron are a killer.
I’ve had the Tamron 150-500 and Sony 200-600, and some experience with the Sony 100-400. All did well with birds, but the Sony 200-600 worked best with my Sony A7R3. Using the crop setting on the camera worked better with the 200-600. Shooting with my Canon friends, I’ve been able to get super sharp Eagles while the Canon-Tamron setups fell short at the end or range. I got great shots with the Tamron, but the Sony 200-600 worked better with my setup. Great information! Thanks!
Hello Stefan! I own several Tamron lenses and have recently acquired a Tamron 50-400. I’m in love! It is a bit heavy, but not like the 600’s. IQ is startlingly good. Thanks for a great review!
this was the best lens review I ever watched. I normally hate those boring nitpicking comparisons. but this was beautiful and everyone is a winner... for someone. I only had the 24-105 for filming on my Sony and thought about the sig 100-400. but now I believe to skip directly to the 150-500.
I've been waiting for a video like this for a long time. Thank you so much!! I couldn't keep track of all the different sigma and Tamron versions. Felt like there were 500 haha.
Thanks for another great video! I've got the 200-600 and the 50-400. I'm very happy with both lenses. I haven't used the Sony 100-400 but I have no reason to doubt it's the lens with the best IQ. But the 200-600 gives more reach and is imho the best lens of them all for birding. With a tc you get more reach than with any of the other lenses, and it's lighter (and cheaper in my country) than the Sigma 60-600. The Tamron 50-400 is a super nice lens for landscapes with its 8x zoom. And if an interesting bird flies by while you're out shooting landscapes chances are you can get a nice shot of it. It's also relatively light and compact, which makes it even more appealing for hiking or traveling. The "problem" with the Sony ecosystem today is that there are almost too many great lenses to choose from 😀
I went with the sigma 150-600 over the 200 600 tested both and it came down to the minimum focus distance I can go from birds on the wing tobees on flowers next to the trail
Год назад
Liked the review. But when you're hiking for days or on long hikes, weight is the big differentiator. So I stick with Sigma.
I have the sony 100-400 and the only thing I don't like about it is that it zooms externally. Other than that is an amazing lens. I also have the 200-600 and I am in love with it. the only thing I miss, its the versatility on the wide end and that it cannot focus close up. My perfect lens would be something like the 60-600 and zoom internally like the 200-600!!!! that would be a dream come true! I hope sony is listening 😁
I got the Sigma 150600 after your previous video, your shots definitely sold it to me! In Japan I paid just $1150 US for the lens somehow so it was indeed a great value.
I love the build and features of the 200-600 but gosh, that 60-600 is incredible. He Stefan, have you played around with the brand new Lightroom/ACR denoise tool? I think it is a game-changer since no 3rd-party software is needed.
I wish the tamron 150-500 was more affordable that would be my pick, the longer ones are too heavy for hiking. Which one would you pick for hiking wildlife if on a budget?
I bought the Tamron 150-500mm because it's so light and cheap. Also because it has a linear focus motors instead of stepping motors like the Sigma lenses. But in reality this lens does miss focus quite a lot if for example a dog is running towards you, or a bird... Also now that I have an A7RV I can notice it's not really that sharp of a lens. Sometimes I need the extra reach so I use crop mode and still get 26MP, but the image will be pretty soft. I've heard about that on the Sony 200-600 as well, just not that severe. Because of this I really can't wait for a Sony 200-600 mk2.
The Tamron 150-500 is the only lens I ever want. I returned my Sony 200-600 for the Tamron. I needed to be so far away from the subject to get focus. Plus it was heavy and bulky and needed a tripod for it. Was really annoying.
First you get what you pay for and a lens is forever!!! Before the Sony 200-600mm I had the Sigma 150-600mm C with 1.4X and 2X it was/is a great lens but for Sony camera you had to use a Canon to Sony adapter. Canon/Nikon will not AF using the 1.4x/2x I tested on my T2i but works fine on a Sony, because of going above f/8 with all, just info! BUT with adapter + 1.4x or 2x metadata was always messed up never knew mm shot at or even setting!!!! I got the Sony 200-600mm as soon as it came out it was great for lunar eclipses or just the monthly different moons/critters/birds. I just did the lens update as well as the A7RV's and now even better. Lately I found a multi Egret rookery and using just the 200-600mm I got bokeh bubbles in the background of all MM's using bird eye AF, I mean focus is so tight the background is always a blur but to get bokeh balls of leaves!!! I can go on!! This lens should be a GM with its internal focusing and short turn for zooming in and out.The best thing is price $1999 (say $2k) the same price as a A7iii and it stay there never going down year after year the same for the A7iii that is the main point constant value!!!! I suggest to get a heavy duty binocular harness for walkabout and use those red button attachment things that way it is on your chest not in your bag next camo skins for the lens for white can scare critters but also attract thieves. Lastly as mentioned here a Sony lens works better on Sony camera other lenses not so well and have not all operation available and A LENS IS FOREVER, NEVER GO LOW PRICE WHEN A FEW DOLLARS MORE GETS YOU EVERYTHING AGAIN FOREVER! Remember Sony has updates to get even better!!! Also I have the 24-70 f/2.8, 70-200 f/2.8 and a great lens no one ever ever mentions the 24-240mm (36-360mm in APS-C) what a range in a small package! I mean for a daily for any moment the 12-24 F/2.8 with the 24-240 in a teardrop bag talk about range and both very sharp!! Exp. an all night Milky Way night and birding in the swamp while walking back to the car, it does not get better than that!!!
The only of these lenses I have experiences with is the Sony 100-400 GM (I own one). I used to take pictures of birds with an a6500 and the Sony 70-350 G. Autofocus is much better with the a7iv and the 100-400 GM.
How big will be the difference between 70-350 (apsc body ; a6700) & 100-400 (ff body ; lets say a7iv , tho I'm eyeing the upcoming a7cII) in terms of zooming capabilities, picture/video quality, autofocus , stabilization, etc.
I really appreciate your time and effort to review these. For me, its weight and price against whether to go with native Sony lens for optimal quality on the Sony a7Rv. I’m not professional but don’t want to under buy for my camera. Considering Tamron 50-400 (or new 50-300) and Sony 100-400.
The Sony 200-600mm lens is great except for its Achille's heel; the minimum focus distance at 600mm. It is, by my measurement, 17 yards. For someone who shoots small birds, such as warblers, that is a deal breaker. I got the Sigma 150-600mm after selling the Sony, and I'm getting the shots I want. For sports, safaris etc. the Sony is great. For small wildlife, nyet. I also got the Tamron 50-400mm lens for a walk-around plus wildlife lens. Very happy with it. It replaced my Sony A-Mount 70-400 G lens, which was great on my A99ii. It was very good on my A7m4 with the LAEA5 adapter, but I decided to go native. Tamron and Sigma lenses work very well on Sony E-mount and can save you enough to buy two lenses for the price of one native Sony lens.
Thanks for the review. I'm am however really struggling to find any good reviews about wildlife video, especially with the Tamron and Sigma options. There is just no sample footage or real info about focus permormance and stabilization etc in video spefically which is what I do a lot more of. Would appreciate some insight into that. I will check out the individual videos in the mean time
@DigiDriftZone I didn't, just went with the Sigma 150-600 for my a6700 in the end and I am very happy. I can sufficiently handhold if I use 3 points of contact eg. On my knees, when sitting, against a tree or prone even at 600. I tent to use higher frame rates and slow down the footage as well and if you also sabilize with software you can get very good stable shots handheld. Still a tripod is best. Autofocus with the sigma works well and the new bird and animal autofocus is awesome once you figure it out. Overall very happy. Hope that helps.
@@CrazyAboutFlyFishing Thank you that helps. So do you see a drastic improvement when you turn the OSS on, on the lens, or is it quite a small improvement? - is the OSS only effective in photos or can you film smooth handheld video too? -- I had a Fuji before and the stabilisation on the Fujinon 50-230 was insanely good, switching it on felt like putting the lens on a virtual tripod, I miss that.
@DigiDriftZone I couldn't film handheld without the lens stabilization, it pretty good. Don't know how it compares to what you had but it is as good as what I had on my Panasonic 100-400 with my GH5.
Awesome and very informative video Stefan! What do you think about the Tamron and Sony 70-300 lenses nowadays? Do you think they're still valid choices, or do both of them get outperformed by any of the lenses you mentioned?
Nice review Sterfan.. There are too many telephoto lenses. That´s not a choice, is a brand war, for brand fan boys. I wish I had more affordable 70-200 2.8 OSS or more options like the Tamron 28-200, even a little more heavy, but with IS, 24-200 F4 OSS for example, Nikon have one. For me, that use the telephoto for Landscape Photography, the sigma 100-400 is ideal, so depends, not just for beginners, please, it´s great, sharp, small, lightweight... love it! P.S.: The OSS can be very helpful in very windy conditions, even on tripods.
I have a really hard time deciding should I get the Sony 100-400 GM or the Tamron 50-400? Price not withstanding. Agree with you that the Tamron lens is really versatile and I really like the compact size but the Sony has the faster aperture, better optical IS, teleconverter compatibility, and maybe better image quality. Also Sony might release a mark II updated version of the 100-400GM soon?
It would be great if some side-by-side are shown. Hard to tell when they are individually presented. But the 200-600 look soft, compared to others, by far the worst IQ in the bunch. I bought the Tamron 150-500mm per recommendation from a different channel. The tripod collar came free with it. But the Sony 100-400 clearly looks the sharpest.
The Sony 200-600 is worth every penny paid for. I took it to Africa where I had weight restrictions to take any heavier lenses or more lenses in my bags. I used it even from hot air balloons and it was great. Image quality is enough and I would not worry for additional quality if it was carrying an extra lens or a heavier one. Sony is not a great way to take advantage of third party lenses so I would not even worry for those options on any full frame Sony camera. Other brands of camera are better in that way as well as in the user friendliness of the menus. The Sony 100-400 is great but too short in many cases for wild life and birds, and using a converter brings the quality basically at the same of the 200-600 so why bother with it? Converters with the 200-600 will work but not great image quality at the end. Same with the cropped sensor option of some models of full frame cameras that allow that option: It will get you an image if you must, but very likely not one that you can be proud of. A 600 focal length with a 1,5 crop and a 1,4x converter will basically double your magnification to a 1200mm equivalent if you are a spy or a paparazzi, but if you want to print big and put it in a wall it will not be the way to go.
In the UK you get 1+1 year warranty when you register your lens (or camera) with SONY. With Sigma you get 1+2 years warranty if you register your lens.
Great video, very helpful! Liked, subbed, and saved for future reference. Going to Alaska summer of 2024 and looking for a tele, So many choices.... I'm going to have to think about this for a while. For sure weight is a factor, probably more than $$$$.
sigh...most youtubers including this one,all test out shoot wildlife with telephoto lens,no one test with sports,hard for normal consumer to make decisions
Hello Stefan, thanks for making this video. I've had the Tamron 150-500mm for a couple of years now and I've been mostly happy with it but the weight is getting to me and it even made me consider changing to Micro Four Thirds because of it. I'm wondering if I should replace the Tamy with Sony 100-400mm and the 2x TC for birds, the weight adds up and it's not that far off from Tamy except for the extra range. I hate that Sony won't allow Teleconvertors on 3rd Party lenses because I would love the Tamy 50-400mm even if it darkens the lens significantly. I just wish I could have a birding telephoto combo under 2 KGs weight. My only option would be the a6600 or 6700 for the extra 1.5 reach.
I have the 200-600 and love the lens, but not the old A7 it is attached to, really need better AF to make the most of this lens imo. But when it gives you the result you want? Awesome. I also shoot the A-mount Tamron 70-300 and it is a brilliant budget option, Macro capability is a very nice bonus on that kit and I still enjoy shooting it to this day (Owned it since 2009?)
Hmm, my favourite is the Tamron 70-300mm (not in this review), but I wish tele lenses had better stabe/OSS on Sony. Coming from Fuji where the tele lens stabe is so much better!
While probably not zoom enough to get into this list I actually really like the tamron 70-300 as a very light (I think 550g, 1lb ish) and very cheap (approx usd$450) option. It was the second lens I got after the standard 50 1.8 and at first I had my doubts, but for daylight it's my go to general walk around/travel lens now, especially if I'm not carrying a bag (with capture clip for heavier lenses like the 35-150). I'm coming from crop sensor so starting at 70mm isn't that bad for me. I like the weight/cost/quality compromise on this lens.
Do you shoot any sports and if so, what do you recommend? I’m coming from a Nikon with a f2.8 70-200 and I want to be able to capture the action quickly. Would love to be able to use it versatile too
De OM System se rumores una nueva OM-1R, "R" de RETRO, cuerpo de la EM1-Mark III, micro USB, menus antiguos de Olympus, bateria hasta 50 disparos y 20 minutos de video 1080 30fps, todo un logro con piezas del almacén heredadas de Olympus.
I am trying to purchase a new set up and am torn..... I am mostly shooting wildlife (safari) and high school wrestling. in a perfect world I would want a lens that I can take photos close up and far away all in one lens (its hard for me bc I am taking small aircrafts that do not allow extra baggage so 1 camera and 1 lens). If you could only choose 1 lens to multi task both wrestling and wildlife---what would you choose?
Outstanding Video, thank you for taking your Finite time to do that Video for us BUT Why you didn't bring the Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS or the Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II in the comparison ??? please...
can i use Topaz Labs Photo Software if i do not WANT to use adobe Light room and Photoshop ? i do not like to have have subscription software i want life time licens when i buy photo software , this why i left Adobe and im not returning as long they dont have a life time licens .
