Great update to a very versatile and travel friendly lens! Makes me consider upgrading my v1. I’d love to see the 100-400 ii soon; smaller, lighter, sharper?! Yes please!!! Oh and an arcaswiss foot.
Yes, I'll buy the new Sony F/4: 70-200mm II macro lens. I'd most like to see Sony upgrade the 100-400 GM lens. Make it sharper, lighter and add the new motors, of course. The current 100 - 400 mm lens is decent but doesn't compare to the Sony f/2.8: 70 - 200 in terms of speed, weight and sharpness. I'd buy that upgrade, too. Thanks for an excellent review.
I'm trying to decide between this 70-200 f4 ii + 1.4x or 2x teleconverter, vs the "single lens" Tamron 50-400. There are some compromises on each! The 70-200 would provide a solid f4 for when up to 200 is good enough, but the 400mm range now becomes an f/8. On the other hand, the Tamron provides a 400 f/6.3 (2/3s of a stop faster than the 2x combo), but only f/4.5 even at 50mm, so you penalize the more useful range for those moments where you absolutely need the 400mm. Obviously, the Tamron is half the price of the other combo, so that's that as well.
I'm very excited by this lens. I love macro and have the Sony 90mm which is excellent. I've the Sony 100-400 too which I love but I'm considering selling both those lenses and buying this. I've the x2 teleconverter so this lens would cover so much for me. It's small, light and very versatile. Very tempting indeed. When is it being released for sale?
Did you buy it? What are your thoughts on Sony 70-200 Gii x2 TC? Is it sharp, worth it? I’m thinking to get that combo using a full frame second base ISO 12,800
I understand that SONY may prefer releasing their lenses with no ARCA-SWISS collar, perhaps this makes more sense if used hand-held. However, why not sell separately an ARCA-SWISS replacement foot for users who may prefer that? That way, all existing lenses, like the 100-400, 70-200 GM etc can become ARCA-SWISS compatible simply by purchasing the optional foot!
Thank you Toby, you may have saved me some money. I had forgot about the crop mode. I own the 70-200 f2.8 and the 2x converter, so it was pretty clear that the 100-400 was not a need, but I questioned the 200-600. Will I need the extra 200mm given the limited use it would receive, in those situations I'll just use apsc. Running an A7R4 still have plenty of mp left even in apsc.
I suspect this lens will be sealed like the 100-400 (which has the same zooming mechanism) and that lens has been with me through some very dusty conditions and it is pristine inside after many years of travel and use.
