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 p.10 #12 · Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS Images Thread | |
CPWarner wrote:
Yes of course I looked at the images. Duh. And yes, on a big monitor. The assumption you and others are making is that because it is slightly soft, it is not in focus. What if that is as good as it gets with that lens and TC combined? Things behind and in front of the "eye" of the target are softer than the region around the eye. That says to me that this was focused on the eye and not in front or behind.
TC's do degrade image quality. I have seen it with my 1.4x and big time with the 2x. So much so that I got rid of the 2x. I could see sharpness and micro contrast reductions with the 1.4x and significant reductions with the 2x across multiple lenses including the 300 f2.8.
FYI, I have no skin in the game. These are fantastic lenses and will service people well. The degree to which people attack anyone putting up images that don't meet their personal expectations is a bit over the top these days on this forum. None of us commenting on the post took these photos. It is only one data point and someone's conclusion based on their methodology that they have found works for them. Would I do it differently, sure. I have my own methods and ways to make assessments. I am sure others here would rip them to shreds as well. That is why I don't post them. ...Show more →
FYI - viewing it on a big monitor is probably a disservice. The size it's viewed on matters less than PPI.
In my example, the 77" TV is by far the lowest PPI.
Focus is not (or I suppose, should not be) a subjective thing. Either it's in or out of focus. And we know that what he posted from that lens at 840mm is not how it should be.
When the guy shooting the picture indicates it was OOF, and no attempt was made to correct that, why wouldn't you believe him? Even if you can't tell the difference?
I agree (and think everyone should?) that TC's degrade image.
I also have no skin in the game either. I agree they are all fantastic lenses and will serve people well. I haven't seen any "attacking" like you say, other than maybe Bill attacking me.
The takeaway is if you're going to post and make absolute assertions like "horrible news! It looks like the 400-800 at 800 is sharper than the 600 with 1.4X at 840mm", while basing that on one image, that is out of focus... what's the point?
billsnature wrote:
@nmerc_photos@
"No, you're not understanding correctly at all. I NEVER manually focus a 600mm lens. But when I'm testing a lens, I make sure the image is at least in focus so it can be compared.
Why on earth would you take a picture that's OOF, note in your post that it's OOF, but still try to draw a conclusion from that?
We all miss shots. That's completely fine. But don't post a missed shot and try to pass it off as a lens performance issue. State it as it is - a skill issue, a lack of caring, or an actual mechanical failure (if you can prove it).
All you had to do was either omit the failed picture from testing - or just spend the extra 3 seconds to get it in focus. Not that hard lol."
Hi numeric,
In reply to your statement above, I will type real slow and load so maybe you can understand.
I shot 322 images with the 600mm/1.4X TC. In every single case I did not release the shutter until I had an AI confirmed locked green little box on that eye that the "bird mode AI subject recognition" provides on the a1 II. It is exactly the same process used for the 300mm GM with 2X TC and the 400-800. In the case of the 123 images shot with the 300GM and the 157 images shot with the 400-800, NONE of them were out of focus. Zero, None Zilch!!! With the 600mm/1.4X, some are slightly better and some slightly worse but none compare to the sharpness of the other two lenses. I didn't cherry pick a bad sample. If I excluded the less sharp images I would have no images left from the 322. That isn't a test method problem. It is either a bad copy (most likely) or a bad design(less likely). I won't know which unit I get a new copy. Can this lens take a picture with OK sharpness? Yes I have posted one below. Would it have been sharper with either of my other two lenses? Well yes it would and that is the problem.
Now please GO AWAY ...Show more →
I understand the situation perfectly. I'm not the one missing focus on a static object in 2026 with some of the best camera gear available to hobbyists  . And then blaming the equipment for the failure.
Had you led from the beginning with "I think I have a bad copy of the lens" or "can someone help me figure out why my shots are out of focus or soft", you would've received a much different reception than what you got.
Better yet - make a new thread about your "issues" instead of conveniently hiding them until you got called out on it.
hatch1921 wrote:
The lens arrived about an hour ago... 15 min of shooting, the paid actors were in the backyard  No deer were harmed in the making of these images, they might have been rewarded with apples, I can't confirm nor deny.
The hummers are still around which was nice to see.
Initial thoughts after shooting with the lens for about 15 minutes.
I need to test the 300 with the 2x against it over the weekend, I'm curious how my copy will perform with the 1.4x on it as I have the 400-800 and love the lens other than its weight and the need for noon sunlight.
The first thing that came to mind was I wasn't thinking about the lens, I didn't think about shooting with the lens. It's so light and nimble, I just found myself holding it for several minutes and not even thinking about the weight. That's not something I do with the 400-800. So.. bonus.
The AF was fast and responsive, again, 15 minutes of shooting.... but going through the distances, it was quick. No issues tracking the hummingbirds, which were in the shade under the porch area.
I'll go shoot with it more tonight and through the weekend... so far... happy with the results.
The images -- all of these are high res shared on Flickr.
I pushed the Auto button in Lightroom... and exported. The sharpening is the default 40 in LR. Feel free to zoom in on the details, no complaints so far. The hummer was about at minimum focusing distance, all shots posted at at F/6.3 as well.
Enjoy the day all.
Hatch
...Show more →
Images look great Hatch! Looking forward to more, and your comparisons with 300GM, 400-800, and TC's.
Edited on Oct 16, 2026 at 04:09 PM · View previous versions
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