{"id":5984,"date":"2017-09-17T05:54:49","date_gmt":"2017-09-17T04:54:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=5984"},"modified":"2024-04-21T14:23:52","modified_gmt":"2024-04-21T13:23:52","slug":"review-sony-fe-470-200-g-oss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-sony-fe-470-200-g-oss\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Sony FE 4\/70-200 G OSS"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"sony_fe_70200mmf4_g-2\"<\/h1>\n

The Sony FE\u00a04\/70-200 G OSS is Sony’s answer to CaNikon’s very popular 4\/70-200 lenses and covers a wide range of applications. For this review I used it for a year on my Sony a7II and gave it a thorough examination.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Image Samples<\/h1>\n

\"sony_fe_70200mmf4_g-46\"<\/p>\n

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\"sony_fe_70200mmf4_g-17\"<\/p>\n<\/address>\n

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Specifications<\/h1>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Diameter<\/td>\n80 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Length<\/td>\n175 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Filter Thread<\/td>\n72 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight<\/td>\n840 g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Max. Magnification<\/td>\n1:5.5<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Close Focusing Distance from the sensor<\/td>\n1 m<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Number of aperture blades<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elements\/ Groups<\/td>\n21\/15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/address>\n
The Sony FE 4\/70-200 G OSS sells for $1498 at amazon.com<\/a>\u00a0or for 1249\u20ac at amazon.de<\/a> (affiliate links).\u00a0<\/em><\/address>\n

Build quality and handling<\/h1>\n

Sony has a wide range of categories for their FE-lenses: ZA, G, GM and more basic lenses like the\u00a0FE 2\/28<\/a>\u00a0or 1.8\/50<\/a>\u00a0which are quite different in appearance. I would say that the FE 4\/70-200’s design is more durable and less fancy<\/strong> than that of the ZA lenses which have a metal hull which scratches easily. The G’s hull is made from plastics and focusing ring and zoom ring are rubberized. Markings are not engraved. Both rings have no noticeable play and a pleasant resistance. There is a bunch of buttons which work fine.<\/p>\n

Unlike Canon, Sony claims no weather resistance, only “dust and moisture-resistant design” for their 4\/70-200 and the lens does not have a gasket at the lens mount.<\/p>\n

I bought my copy with an attractive rebate because it was lacking the hood so I can’t give you an assessment on the hood.<\/p>\n<\/address>\n

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Auto Focus<\/h2>\n

The FE 4\/70-200 G is a very fast focusing lens<\/strong>. For less challenging applications it performed well for me on my a7ii. It is not a very fast focusing camera though so when my subject was more challenging it often failed. For example\u00a0when I tried to take a snap of this gull from a moving ship most images weren’t in focus but that is mostly a camera issue.<\/p>\n

\"sony_fe_70200mmf4_g-29\"<\/p>\n

So my own assessment of the FE 4\/70-200’s AF is limited by my camera. When Philipp Zieger<\/a>\u00a0who shoots with a a6500 asked me to borrow the lens to shoot a bike race I was happy to say yes. Here is his assessment of its AF-capabilities in a more demanding scenario with a more capable camera:<\/p>\n

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76mm | f4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
“I used the lens for an ultra-bike-marathon on my a6500 where I photographed from a car most of the time. Overall I was very happy with the FE 70-200 and never felt limited by it. The AF worked reliably even in the forest with very low light or when I focused at the face of a cyclist at 60 km\/h<\/strong>. Eye-AF worked well, even trough glasses. Of the 3000 pictures I took at the tour with it only 5% or so were out of focus. But there were also a few situations where I couldn’t acquire focus because of a low contrast between subject and background.”<\/div>\n
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134mm | f4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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70mm | f\/4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
So I think it is safe to say that the lens offers very fast and reliable AF which will usually be limited by your camera<\/strong>.<\/div>\n

Manual Focus<\/h1>\n

The focusing ring feels nice. It is wide enough, well textured and offers a pleasant resistance. What I don\u2019t like too much is the focus by wire implementation.<\/p>\n

One\u00a0problem here is that it matters how fast you turn the focusing ring.<\/strong>\u00a0 If I turn it by 80\u00a0degrees very fast the focus changes from 1 m to infinity. If I turn it slowly\u00a0it takes more than 360 degrees (one full turn) to change focus from the close focusing distance to infinity.
\nIn theory this sounds like a great idea because focusing\u00a0should be\u00a0either super precise or very quick, depending on what you need. But so far I have failed to get to a point were my\u00a0I am able to use this subconciously<\/strong>, and I have used manual focus with\u00a0Sony FE lenses for two years now.<\/p>\n

The other problem is that\u00a0there is a small lag<\/strong> between the moment when you turn the focusing ring and when the lens reacts.<\/p>\n

I am used to manual lenses where the focusing ring is coupled directly to the focusing helicoid and I\u00a0am faster and as precise with\u00a0them. So manual focus works okay but it isn\u2019t very enjoyable <\/strong>(says a hardcore manual lens user<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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Focus ring at the front, zoom ring at the back<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hood<\/h1>\n

The G 4\/70-200 usually comes with a nice and solid hood but I got mine with substantial rebate because it came without hood so I can’t report on it.<\/p>\n

Size and Weight<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Sony 70-200mm f\/4 is by my standards a large and rather heavy lens at 850g. If you include an adapter it is a bit shorter than\u00a0CaNikons offerings so this is expected for a 4\/70-200 but still it will take quite a bit of space in your camera bag. Personally I often found myself hesitating to put it into my bag because of it’s size. But it depends on your personal standards how much of an issue the size and weight will be to you.<\/p>\n

Handling<\/h1>\n

On the camera handling is fine. Usually I support the lens with the palm of my left hand and operate zoom and focus ring with my fingers. In my experience the Sony 4\/70-200 G is well balanced.<\/p>\n

You also have four solid switches on the lens which make operation easier:<\/p>\n