The announcement of the new Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G super-telephoto lens has Sony wildlife and sports photography enthusiasts excited. Several creators and members of the press had the opportunity to test out the new lens for sports and wildlife, and here are some of their first reactions on the performance of one of Sony’s newest full-frames.

Imaging Resource

“All in all, the Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G lens is an impressive zoom lens. Image quality is excellent, as is AF performance, based on my initial real-world shooting experience. I can't wait to get my hands on this lens again to shoot more with it as well as test it in our lab. With a price point of $2000, this full-frame supertelephoto is pricier than DSLR competitors, particularly those from third-party manufacturers. But, given the lens' design, build quality, features and overall performance, the Sony 200-600mm is shaping up to be a very impressive lens at a reasonable price.” - William Brawley

Gordon Laing

“Our shooting with the α9 using its mid burst speed of 10 frames per second with the electronic shutter an either zone to expand area AF modes in each case the combination of the FE 200-600mm on the α9 focus sufficiently quickly and confidently to deliver a very high hit rate even a hundred percent for some bursts.”

“I’d say the FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G looks like it will be a winner for Alpha mirrorless owners who desire a long reach at an attainable price with minimal compromise.” - Gordon Laing

The Phoblographer

“I like the Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS. In fact, I really like it. It’s one of the few zoom lenses I’d consider purchasing, partially because of the internal zoom which makes it feel like a large prime lens. But in addition to that, it provides 400mm of useful zoom range while not losing more than a stop of light throughout. Years ago, when I was a professional paparazzi, this is the lens I would have died for. Even now, when shooting events for announcements and such, the Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS seems like such a great option when coupled with the Sony α7r III’s resolution and ability to keep the noise down at higher ISO settings.” - Chris Gampat

The Art Of Photography

“It’s fast enough for shooting video and because there’s an internal focusing system, focus breathing and AF wobbling are both minimized. This was very usable. Another thing that’s really fun and completely impractical for day-to-day use, but portraits are pretty amazing on this lens as well. It offers a really interesting compression and look to the image and then the bokeh is almost nonexistent, things just melt away in the background."- Ted Forbes

DPReview

“I think it’s safe to say that Sony has absolutely fully fleshed out their full frame telephoto range.” - Chris Niccolls

“These are two lenses that they absolutely had to make I think for slightly different constituencies. I mean this 600mm f/4, it's a birding lens it's perfect for some kinds of sport they really needed it in their range. And the 200 is 600 that's an enthusiastic wildlife photographers dream that I think will be very popular.” - Barney Britton

TheCameraStoreTV

“These lenses were really fun to shoot with and it’s amazing how well they’re able to keep up with Sony’s technology. Especially that real-time tracking autofocus, it’s crazy how fast it is.” - Evelyn Drake

PhotoRec TV

“The 200-600mm is by far, I think, one of the better telephoto lenses out there. It’s still nice and light and since it’s 200-600mm I think it’s much more versatile.” - Kazuo Mayeda