Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS SEL200600G. $10 OFF

I rented this lens (and an A74 body) before purchasing both. I have used it for almost one year. It is amazingly sharp, well built, and has a smooth internal zoom with a short throw from 200 to 600. Since I also use (and love) Nikon D850, I recently got the Nikon AF-S 200-500 as a potential replacement (to get to a one camera setup). I had to send it back after testing both because the Sony was sharper in every situation both at large and small apertures. The only downside to this lens is that it does not have a larger aperture like f4, but of course that would make it ridiculously heavy and expensive. If you want a tack sharp lens with a smooth feel at a reasonable price, you can't go wrong with this one. I also bought the 1.4x teleconverter which seems to work ... MoreI rented this lens (and an A74 body) before purchasing both. I have used it for almost one year. It is amazingly sharp, well built, and has a smooth internal zoom with a short throw from 200 to 600. Since I also use (and love) Nikon D850, I recently got the Nikon AF-S 200-500 as a potential replacement (to get to a one camera setup). I had to send it back after testing both because the Sony was sharper in every situation both at large and small apertures. The only downside to this lens is that it does not have a larger aperture like f4, but of course that would make it ridiculously heavy and expensive. If you want a tack sharp lens with a smooth feel at a reasonable price, you can't go wrong with this one. I also bought the 1.4x teleconverter which seems to work well (extending the range to 840mm). Unfortunately, neither Sony nor Canon nor Nikon make their tripod feet Arca-Swiss compatible, so I had to buy a Really Right Stuff replacement foot.

This is the lens for you If you are into safari. It is also a good wildlife, nature, sports and action lens, including BIF, air shows, etc., although if you need the ultimate autofocus performance, you would have to consider one of the two Sony long primes (400/2.8 or 600/4).Having tried most if not all of the lenses in this category from other makers, the Sony 200-600 is easily the best in class. It is impressively sharp across most of the frame even at 600mm and f/6.3. The fully internal zoom and focusing is terrific and once you get used to it.The lens also works with the 1.4x extender without losing central sharpness over a good 2/3rds to 3/4ths of the frame. I would not use it with the 2.0x extender, though.Only negative, it goes to f/6.3 at about 320mm, ... MoreThis is the lens for you If you are into safari. It is also a good wildlife, nature, sports and action lens, including BIF, air shows, etc., although if you need the ultimate autofocus performance, you would have to consider one of the two Sony long primes (400/2.8 or 600/4).Having tried most if not all of the lenses in this category from other makers, the Sony 200-600 is easily the best in class. It is impressively sharp across most of the frame even at 600mm and f/6.3. The fully internal zoom and focusing is terrific and once you get used to it.The lens also works with the 1.4x extender without losing central sharpness over a good 2/3rds to 3/4ths of the frame. I would not use it with the 2.0x extender, though.Only negative, it goes to f/6.3 at about 320mm, and stays that way until 600mm. This is not a lot light lens. A combination of fast shutter and low light can quickly drive up the ISO. For wildlife, it would be useful to use a flash with a Fresnel beam shaper.The lens can render a good bokeh if you can keep the subject-to-background distance much more than the camera-to-subject distance.Construction quality, ergonomics, and weight distribution and handling are all excellent. It is quite heavy at 2115 grams, so while you can certainly shoot hand-held in short bursts, for an extended outing, either a monopod or a tripod is highly recommended.Net net, an A+ lens, if your photography needs fit with the lens.Attached image: actual pixels crop of license plate from a car at a distance of about 35-40 feet, shot with an A9 at 1/320s, f/6.3 and ISO 1000. No post-processing done, just RAW to JPEG converted.

I was using a Nikon 500 f5.6PF lens and Nikon 70-200 f2.8 lens (with 1.4x teleconverter) for wildlife. However, I found carrying two setups to be cumbersome, so I rented the Sony 200-600 and A74 body. I was blown away by how sharp the lens is, even at 600mm and enlarged to actual pixels. I bought one from BH and put my Nikon 500PF (and D500) up for sale. While I still use my Nikon 70-200 (and shorter lenses) for scenics on a D850, I now have a one camera solution for wildlife. The stabilization works great (both in lens and in camera) and I use it mostly handheld. The price is quite reasonable for the sharpness and build quality. Unfortunately, my camera body (A74) had one of the SD slots break after only a month so it is currently out for warranty repair, but the ... MoreI was using a Nikon 500 f5.6PF lens and Nikon 70-200 f2.8 lens (with 1.4x teleconverter) for wildlife. However, I found carrying two setups to be cumbersome, so I rented the Sony 200-600 and A74 body. I was blown away by how sharp the lens is, even at 600mm and enlarged to actual pixels. I bought one from BH and put my Nikon 500PF (and D500) up for sale. While I still use my Nikon 70-200 (and shorter lenses) for scenics on a D850, I now have a one camera solution for wildlife. The stabilization works great (both in lens and in camera) and I use it mostly handheld. The price is quite reasonable for the sharpness and build quality. Unfortunately, my camera body (A74) had one of the SD slots break after only a month so it is currently out for warranty repair, but the lens itself is just about perfect. The only negative is the modest aperture, but if you want a larger aperture in this focal length you have to pay a fortune and carry a lot more weight and give up the versatility of a zoom. I am willing to live with the aperture considering what this lens delivers.