Gorgeous captures in this thread. Not sure if this is the right place, but would love to know if anyone is using and has preference for tripods/monopods/ heads , when using this lens.
p.15 #4 · Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G Image Thread
While I own several tripods, I couldn't tell you the last time I used one. All my wildlife/bird shots are done handheld. (With the 1.4 for 840mm). Great Horned Owl 16 by lennycarl08, on Flickr
p.15 #5 · Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G Image Thread
DO101 wrote:
Gorgeous captures in this thread. Not sure if this is the right place, but would love to know if anyone is using and has preference for tripods/monopods/ heads , when using this lens.
I'm a handholder for this category of lens....although I did break down and bring out my monopod the other day trying to see if I could get acceptable shots with the 2xTC without stopping down....still not sold on the 2x performance with this lens unless stopped down. I use a Feisol monopod with RRS monopod head. There are a few shooting situations like waiting around in one spot at an owl location where I may bring out my tripod and gimbal. I use a RRS 34L and Jobu HD4 but those are overkill for this lens and I had those from my 600/4 days. If one wanted to use a gimbal for this lens I'd look at a Jobu Jr. 3 or Katana Jr. Tripod you could get away with just about anything if you are not locking down the head.
p.15 #8 · Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G Image Thread
Arbitrage, MedicineMan thank you very much . I didn't realize that there's a "technical " thread, too. Still, I so appreciate the comments. I think it's the great quality if captures that made me curious.
p.15 #9 · Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G Image Thread
dgdg wrote:
So Birdie, A7r3 +1.4x isn't that great except for mostly stationary subjects?
My experience, no it does not work great on the A7r3 with 1.4TC. You loose PDAF at f/9 . If the contrast is very good between the subject and background, you can get okay auto focus . The bee shot was okay auto focus. However the skipper butterfly on the sunflower , even thought the butterfly was not moving around quickly, the lack of contrast make it hard to auto focus. You could see in the view finder how jumpy it was. It is not a combo I would want to count on to get a shot where you may not have time to mess with focus.
p.15 #10 · Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G Image Thread
Imagemaster wrote:
handheld
Nice capture. Very beautiful. But, whew. 840mm focal length. 1/80 shutter speed? And still ISO 3200. Gads.
This is my only real concern with this lens. I have found that in open sunlight the aperture limitations of the lens are not limiting. I can use a shutter speed of 1/2000 for BIF and not worry about ISO getting out of hand, even with the 1.4 TC.
But in shade or low light it's a different story. I routinely have to make a choice between using an unusually slow shutter speed or accepting a relatively high ISO (6400+), especially with the 1.4 TC mounted, but even without it. It's a delicate balancing act. IMHO, this definitely restrains the ability of this lens to shoot BIF in less than ideal light and even forces some compromises on stationary subjects on occasion. Thank goodness for top notch image stabilization.
This isn't the end of the world. This lens really is quite exceptional and I am super happy with it. Sharpness is really excellent (even with the 1.4x TC). And the price is more than reasonable. But my experience to date has really made me appreciate that there is no free lunch. No surprise there. I guess folks don't fork over $13K for a 600 f/4 lens for nothing.
p.15 #16 · Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G Image Thread
MedicineMan404 wrote:
Wow 10 star work Douglas. You and the lens definitely pass the air show test! I know you are happy!
Thank you Robert! I will try it again at a different airshow today! 600mm really helps in some situations for airshows, a lot of people prefer the 100-400 zooms for airshows but 400mm is far from long enough for some shots, on the other hand, 200mm is not wide enough for some formation shots with long smoke trails. There are always some tradeoffs. The 200-600 feels definitely lighter than the Sigma 150-600 Sports I used on my Nikons, but it’s still heavy for handholding for longer than 5 or 6 minutes. A monopod will be very cumbersome for airshows as the flying altitude and angles change quickly. The 20 FPS of the a9 would definitely help in capturing the exact moment of two jets flying across each other, but I am waiting for the a7r4. I am glad Sony finally made this lens and priced it so reasonably.
p.15 #20 · Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G Image Thread
BillinTexas wrote:
Robert, thank you!
I got mine two weeks ago but this is the first time I have used it I have been playing with my 600 GM instead and very surprised at how sharp it is even with the 2x tc.
The 200-600 G does not disappoint either I went to the local zoo on my Gitzo monopod this afternoon and got these two. Even downsized considerably for this site at 72dpi the images are sharp. View the Eagle feathers under his chin and the retena of his eye full screen.
I forgot there is no full screen option. Well this does not do it justice at 7900 pixels on my 5k iMac it is as sharp as they get.
I am very impressed and somehow I got and paid for two so I will test them and see if one is better than the other before returning the second one to Adorama.
