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Is Your Sony 200-600G Lens Sharp? Good Practice with Super-Telephotos by Patrick Murphy-Racey
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- Опубликовано: 24 апр 2021
- I've been telling people that the SONY FE200-600G lens is the best buy in long glass for some time. Most people that own them absolutely love them and say they are getting great results from the optics. However, some people in various FaceBook forums have been complaining about the lens not being sharp, and especially complain about the combination of the 200-600G with a 1.4X teleconverter not offering sharp images. I offer a couple of tips in this video on how to figure out if you lens has an issue or if it's operator error. Watch this video if you are thinking about buying this lens to shoot nature or sports action. To save 5% off the purchase price on this lens, the 1.4X teleconverter or anything else they sell, go to Bedfords.com to order and remember to use the code PMR5 when you checkout. Thanks and I hope this video helps you! pm-r :)
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That's the first time I've ever heard about the difference in speed from film/CCD and CMOS sensors. Really interesting!
Glad it was helpful!
First for me to. I didn't shoot much film & most of the wildlife I shot was macro with the exception of a couple of deer & a black bear (only 200mm) invading my parents bird feeder.
Thanks Patrick. Watched this awhile back before I had the 200-600 and just rewatched after buying it. After initial handheld shots I also checked sharpness by setting on tripod with oss off and shooting some static objects/text. This just proved all your points that my ss is probably too low and I need to build more arm muscles !
Thank you for addressing this, Patrick. I wouldn’t advise anyone to use the 200-600 mm with the a7r4 for bird photography, though I know some have no focus problems. There are many, many people including me as well as a good friend that have had a frustrating experience with it. I’ve used a monopod all the time except for some in-flight shots. So few shots would be in focus. I’m using the 600mm, f4 prime now in the same way and can get wonderfully in-focus shots. My experience using high shutter speed is contrary to yours (using the a7r4). Even with the f4 lens, I find the a7r4 does not focus well without a lot of light/high ISO. In low light, I find using very low shutter speeds and monopod provides gorgeous rich color and detail in the birds with the 600.
Thanks Patrick. I have had no issues with sharpness with my 200-600mm lens on my A9, A1, A7RIV and A7SIII, including with the 1.4X teleconverter. Love the lens and I use it hand held and on a monopod mostly. 44+ years of professional sports and action shooting with long lenses does surely help. Cheers .
Can you give us some quick tips to get better shots?
At what shutter speed?
@@tchlin BIF, at least 1/4000 sec. or higher, use a monopod when you can, Set the proper OSS setting. And practice, practice, practice if you are handholding.
@@noahlevy1948 BIF, at least 1/4000 sec. or higher, use a monopod when you can, Set the proper OSS setting. And practice, practice, practice if you are handholding.
@@6gwilliams Thanks Gerald!
Perfect timing.Spent very frustrating afternoon today shooting with the 200-600 on a A9 and deleting 100% of images .Will try again tomorrow with much higher shutter speed..Thanks
let me know how you did!
I have the same set here. A9 + 200-600mm. It seems the results are the same. Even with a shutter speed at 1/1600 or above, I got soft images. :(
@@marcioslsouza I shoot football every weekend, that lens gets some good pics and some soft pics in my opinion. I think it's a pretty good lens for a G lens just don't let everyone hype it up like it's Gmaster quality. I've got some really great shots at 1/1250 and some soft shots at 1/2500 so in my opinion it's just hit and miss for fast action if you are not careful with your movements.
@@designsbydm1519 I was not expecting to have a G-Master quality on a G series lens. What I was expecting was to not have so many soft shots using it.
@@marcioslsouza if you’re shooing fast action at 1/1600 it’s way too slow. That’s why your images are soft. What Patrick says is 100% correct, you need a much faster shutter speed - dial it up, your camera can deal with high ISO so, don’t be afraid of it. I love this lens and I’ve been astonished by the quality it can achieve.
Thanks for this! I just tested in indoor light and did notice a little more sharpness. I took a picture of an osprey today with my 200-600 with the a9 and it was relatively sharp at 1/1000. I was shooting in Auto or Program as the camera is new to me so I’m learning my places for it now. I’ll definitely give this a try and hopefully my results are better!
Thank you for confirming what I have experienced with my 200-600. It is an exceptional lens when fast shutter speeds are used.
Best sports photography channel! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Wow, thanks!
Easily the most insightful photographer on RUclips. Thanks for sharing this!
Wow, thanks!
This guy is good, but be sure to check out Mark Galer.
Patrick, I appreciate your kindness and insight greatly.
You nailed it on the 200-600G. I own and shoot birds. I shoot A1....hit and miss on hummingbirds, especially the rufous! It’s me, not camera or lens as it nails focus onto something in the frame. I am working with different focus options, and shutter speeds. After this insight I bet I’m too slow....I am using a tripod and flex pro head....most of the time. Hand hold as well.
I will keep at it! Terry
Thanks PM-R. Well in my opinion you hit the nail on the head. I have the 200-600G. At first I wasn’t getting satisfactory results. After really putting it through the paces, it came down to proper technique. (And sometimes raising the shutter speed with OSS turned off). I am very pleased with the sharpness and image quality from this lens.
Thanks for sharing
I also just got the 200-600 with mixxed results. At what SS do you switch OSS off?
@@sdproduxions1849when you shoot with a very fast shutter speed like 1/2000 or faster just turn OSS off since it won’t help you anyway. Maybe it will just work against you instead.
good advice. my copy of the 200-600mm is super sharp, and remains very good at 840mm with the 1.4x tele. I have found that 1/2500 is minimum for 600mm handheld, personally, I set 1/4000 as standard for handheld use.
For me personally with the 200-600mm the minimum I can go for wildlife photography handheld is 1/125, usually takes a large burst of images but I can get a sharp image. On an overcast day my shutter will be 1/400 all day and I won't have problems getting a sharp image.
I shoot stationary birds but the perch might be slightly moving in the wind, if the bird moves at 1/400sec I will get a blurry image, but even if they move at 1/2000 I will still have motion blur on the bird since they turn their heads so fast. So yes I agree if the subject is moving quickly you need every bit of 1/4000sec
And what about OSS? Is there a guide line to switch oss off at a certain SS?
1/4000 lmfao. I get plenty of good shots at 1/400 handheld when at 600mm. That's with OSS turned on, and with my A7RV. I feel safer at 1/800 though but don't feel the need to go much above 1/1000.
Thanks for these tips, good reminders when shooting at long focal length :)
thanks!
What about optical steady shot? If the shutter speed is 1/3000.. do you recommend to turn it off?
Patrick, good advice, do you have recommendation on when to turn off oss.
Above a certain ss, on tripod, monopod?
(shooting motorcycle racing with high shutter speed is quite often not an option, frozen wheel spokes etc is not desirable. But it is possible to get sharp photos panning at 1/100)
Thanks for the insight Patrick.
Very interesting point of view and makes perfect sense thankyou
You're very welcome
You have hit the nail on the head, thank you Patrick
great!
Great info Pat!
Mooie Tip. Perfect! Dank je wel. Altijd problemen met de scherpte en veel ruis.
Wow! Amazing tips! Should have that in mind when I get the 200-600mm.
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Patrick, thanks for your great videos! Just wanted to ask a question, I have the 100-400GM, Im having great trouble getting tack sharp images, i'd say around %40 of my images are soft. When do you decide if the lens is just a bad copy and return it? and also, for straight stills, is the A9ii worth holding onto, or just bite the bullet and go to the A1? Thanks very much for your help! Sean, New-Zealand.
Dear grassrootsphotography sean, In my opinion, the A9II is not a real option. Too expensive for the extra functionality compared to the A9. I myself own the A9, which I am very satisfied with. The A1 seems to be the almost perfect camera that combines the good of the A9 (II) and the A7IV (but still priced too high for me at the moment, but given the market, Sony may ask the price).
Thanks, I did not know that the shutter speed must be higher than with film. Out to practice tomorrow.
Same here. No wonder I felt I needed faster shutter than in "good old days". Very helpful.
Very well said and highlighted, the resolution increase from digital over traditional film is often forgotten and especially how it effects our techniques and results. Great insight here from a real, very experienced pro, very valuable advice, thank you Patrick.👏👍😀
Thanks for sharing!
As always Patrick, your videos are the best. I use the 200-600 which works great, but most of the time need to use a tripod because my hands are too shaky. I'll increase my shutter speed as well and see how that works. Thanks
wow learnt something really new and lets me know why ive issues on my 70-200 in regards to 1000 shutter speed on film is more 2500 on digital.
Thanks for the advice. Great video!
Glad it was helpful!
I always try to be at least 1 over the focal length in my SS for still shots. But for BIF I would not go less than 1/2000 in general. It's just not fast enough.
Dear Patrick, Thanks for the information!!! Like many others, I did not know that the shutter speed must be higher than with film.
Glad it was helpful!
One thing you didn't mention that is a huge factor in focus for a long lens is heat blur, especially @ 600mm. Once I learned to distinguish and recognize heat blur vs. missed focus/motion blur, it completely removed any notion of my lens being not sharp.
you are very right--my bad. huge problem especially for those in a warm climate
Try a pol filter. It made quite a difference for me.
Great advice, had my shutter speed as i would normal camera will push it right up now thanks
Excellent!
Thank you for the tips on what shutter speeds to use in different applications, like on a tripod, monopod, hand held static, and panning!
Glad it was helpful!
Sir, We all want to shoot at 2500 shutter speed but the problem is the ISO also climbs especially because it is 6.3 lens. We trade sharpness with grains. What would be you suggestion in cases when it is not highly lighted and we cannot operate with Tripod (typical Indian hilly terrains where most of the birds are there). I have Jan 2019 copy of Sony A7R4 and 200-600 mm
I've found the 200-600 to be challenging to use hand held when shooting BIF. Like you said, a Monopod does not work well. What I have found to be super helpful is using a tripod with the Jobu Jr deluxe gimbal on it. That gives me the flexibility to move the lens around as needed but also more stability than hand holding.
great solution!
Hi PM! How are you mate? I've been following your channel for more than a year now. And I really like all your videos. Keep it up.
Btw, I'm just wondering if how can I get or where can I purchase your Sony Alpha Nike Hat? I'm kind of liking or interested in it. Hope I can get one this Christmas season. 🙂
Thank you and have a happy holiday.
Thanks for useful information!
Thanks for the input. Will move up to 1/2000 on my A9/200-600 and see if this will improve quality.
did it improve?
Yes and no. Found out that this lens cannot be used with a UV-filter. No idea why this is the case but I removed my filter and that made a HUGE difference. Also noticed that PMR found the same on his lense, you can check that on PMRs RUclips channel. So in my case I will not ever put a UV-filter on this lens. Secondly I also noitced that higher shutter speed is a good thing and I mostly use 1/1000 or 1/2000 depending on the light situation.
Hi Patrick! Thank you again for a great video. I am shooting with the 200-600 G on an A9 and A7 RIV. I often use the 1.4x TC. I mostly shoot predator birds such as eagles. Would you consider 1/1000 sec as too low hand held?
yes!!! way too low. easy way to check is to see if any area of the photo is sharp, especially if the bird is on grass--look at each blade of grass--if you find some that are really sharp, then you are just out of focus. If no grass is sharp, it's likely heat waves or your own motion.
@@PMRTV Thanks!
As the owner of a brand new Sony 200-600mm I really appreciated this. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Very helpful. I rented the lens for this weekend to go out and use for birds at a local park.
smart! renting first always makes sense :)
Hi Patrick. Thanks for the info as I'm looking to pickup the 200-600 G myself.
However I've never heard of this film/CCD high shutter speed equivilence. Do you have a source for this? Can you pelase share more details? I'd love to know more
it's always been common knowledge shared by SI shooters since the late 1990's when the last of the CCD chip cameras left us.
Very interesting. I don't suppose you'd be willing to make a short video on some of the technical details of why this is? I'm trying to find out more, but google is coming up empty on the subject :(
Have a look at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_speed Dont forget one is based on reaction of chemicals to light, and in digital cameras its based on gain in amplifiers.
@@chosen_none I'm not sure if he is referring to the effects of how CMOS and CCD sensors are exposed. CCD's (like film) are exposed using a global shutter, whereas CMOS uses a rolling shutter. I think it normally produces more distortion rather than blur, but possibly at faster shutter speeds the effect is seen more as blur?
Been shooting my 2-600 for about a month. there are times I wonder. Yesterday mounted on tripod, remote shutter release, 1/600 second and the still photos do not seem at all sharp. Could it be that the high degree of crop is just making the photos look to grainy or noisy. Photos were of two owlets in their nest stationary.
i have a question for you ...i am looking to get into sports but i only have a sony a7iv ...but what lens should i get first the 100mm-400mm or the 200mm -600mm ....i have a 70mm-200mm for indoor sports and events photography ....but wont sure what you think would be best for outside sports baseball footballl soccer ( i know the sony a7iv is not the best sports camera but i am working on getting a sony a1 or the new updated sony a1ii mybe in 2024 ) thanks for any help and keep up the great work and content on the channel sir
you might also consider the 1.4X teleconverter for your 70-200. My money is on the 200-600G over the 100-400GM. And then next year we will get the FE300GM too.
Fully agree. Just over a week ago I was at an Australian Superbike round meeting. The top 2 riders were smashing the lap record at this meeting.
Took loads of photos at extreme distance, 600mm focal length, A7Riv. first set of images taken at 1/1250 and 1/1600 were usable but not tack sharp.
For a later race I cranked up the shutter speed to 1/2000 and 1/3200 and 1/4000. Images at these higher speeds are so much sharper.
Bear in mind that Superbikes are quick.
The only issue is that at extreme distances, think 200 to 300 yards away, that heat thermals become an issue.
My measure is at approx 100 yards/ metres away a 100% crop will clearly show stitching and the grain on the riders leathers. In this case mission accomplished.
I have had a 1-00-400 GM since 2017 so subconsciously used those settings for that lens at first. Now relatively easy, just up the shutter speed in proportion the the focal length.
i just got this lens and was shooting afl. many soft images and or not captured sharp as minor movement blur. that was 1/2000. next week i will try 1/3200-4000 see how it goes to see if i get same result as you vs superbikes
Thank you so much!
Working on a MONOPOD, switching OFF optical steady-shot, and setting the MODE to 2, I am producing consistently pin-sharp images at cricket and rugby right through the mm range. An unbelievably superb lens worth every cent of its not-too-high price.
fantastic!!!!
I just bought this lens and look forward to testing it out. I plan on gimbal on tripod at first for stationary birds. When on a gimbal and tripod…do I disable steady shot? Am I able to use slower shutter speeds? All so confusing
I've never tried that but I think shooting BIF would be more than difficult???
Hi Patrick,
Thanks for this great explanation. I'm using this lens on A7R4 and A1 with a 1.4 TC for BIF. I get much better results with the A1 compared to the A7R4. Perhaps there is a Sony note for using A7R4+TCs with the 2_6 saying that AF function is limited to F13. F9 is already pretty close to F13. At dusk it should fail more often.
Sony support couldn't tell what the F-stop is for the A1 before AF-functions isn't possible.
Do you have any insides on this?
I heard something like the A1 is good up to F22, which would be wonderful.
Perhaps for me this is the best lens I ever used for wild life. I had Nikon 200-500/Z6 and Canon 100-400L/R5. Both are very good. But none of them could match the Sony A7R4+2_6_1.4x for my use.
Thank again for your great reviews.
Karl Otto
I would change the word "Good" to "possible" in terms of the f/22 rating on the a1. The less light you allow the sensor to see during AF, the worse it will perform. But the a7RIV and a1 do not start out equal in this regard. a1 is just better at everything, but especially AF in low light. Same with a9II which will easily outperform an a7RIV...
@@PMRTV Thank you Patrick. I checked it out in real bad conditions. F22 is only working at real good light and it still does some hunting, which is expected. Aperture setting was 'AF priority.'
Thanks so much for your response.
KO
Man cant wait to get my and pair it up with the A1. My local store.has it on backorder though!
it should prove to be an epic combination!
would a good suggestion be to use a gimbal head. i am thinking to try this for sport as i think im missing many shots due to movement
Go for it!
I setup my monopod with a gimbal to give me some flexibility for birds in flight or just higher overhead. It does add a bit of weight and bulk for carrying around but it's lighter and more mobile than a tripod
I am one of the ppl with soft images! But every once in a while, I get a good one. I took your advice today and cranked up the shutter speed along with the F stop, with some very bright, diffused light, and I finally got a good picture out of this lens.
excellent!
You never mentioned how much influence the panning/steadyshot switch might also have on the sharpness
position II
Thanks for this video!
My pleasure!
Hi Patrick thanks for the video I have a question for you I use the Sony a7riv and had the 100-400gm lens combo which was razor sharp and perfect apart from not enough reach so I traded my 100-400 in for the 200-600 and am getting super sharp shots at 0-10metres but past this the lens doesn’t seem very sharp. Shutter speeds are set to 2000-4000 with iso not going past 5000 but I can’t seem to get shots sharp and further reach like my 100-400, would love to hear what you think of this and what is causing this
Did you ever get this sorted out?
Very interesting, thank you!
a good video, thank you! the shutter speed is very important with all long focal length lenses, that's true. a tip from mark galer helped me a lot. he says, with fast shutter speeds (above 1/2000) you should switch off IBIS or OSS, because otherwise the stabilization works against the focus, because of the movement of the sensor or oss
Very true!
1/6400th sec! 1/8000th sec! You are the first person I've seen recommend that high a shutter speed; honestly I never thought/realized I would need that! I will definitely try it - Thanks!!
Glad it was helpful!
Always good advice, and I love the PP # 11 on the Sony A1.
many people have found it really useful :)
Cheers found this helpful, i thought I had a bad copy too. Previously had been shooting my 200-600 with x1.4 handhold of gliding birds at 1000/s and getting not many sharp images on A7RIII, but starting to realise I need 2500+/s. Tripod stationary shoots are almost always sharp.
Well the problem with the A7RIII is the f9 you get out of the 1.4x.
The phase detektion AF only does it‘s work up to f8.
A9 or A1 does a better job here going up to f11/f13 with phase detection.
Would recommend to stay on 600mm without 1.4x.
I really do know couse I own and use all of these gear.
Stay on 600mm (try to get closer) choose 2000/s and up for BIF and use OSS mode 2 .
What about the stacked bsi sensors?
Short and to the point, I liked this video. I truly believe with so many new photographers especially in wildlife entering the field many simply overlook the tremendous amount of skill and the time it takes to develop those skills then go off blaming the gear because they're not getting the results you or I may be getting. When shooting handheld turning your body into a sort of tripod or bracing yourself against natural structures and "smooth" panning all go a very long way. In many ways I wish every new photographer could start with film like we did, not saying film is better but the grasp on the entire process is just something often omitted with the immediacy of digital.
can't "like" your comment enough! I totally agree :). Everytime I hear someone complaining about digital noise, I cringe and think about souping Tri-X in Accufine and pushing it to 3200... LOL
@@PMRTV Hah, accufune, D76, Edwal FG-7, Technidol all bring back memories. Bulk film loaders, scratches when you got a piece of debris on that felt strip, the stink of toners, vibration from cars and trains in the darkroom doing a big print all came with the territory. Another thing, as long as I've been doing it I'm still learning better ways to use these amazing tools. Getting top quality results, whether you're a pro or serious amateur simply require a discipline and dedication many simply do not have as evidenced by some of the comments I read on forums. Have a wonderful sunny 16 day.
The "immediacy of digital" is what makes it so great for beginners. You immediately get to evaluate your pictures to see what's working and what's not and to correct it without having to wait to have the pictures developed.
Great video thanks, I do practice all your suggestions. I've taken tack sharp BIF photos from 1/500 (yes the wing tips blur, but eye are sharp. but it's what i wanted) to 1/5000 to stop humming birds. But what get me is taking photos on a tripod of an eagle 40 feet away good light, single point, and changing up setting and have still only 8 of 10 pictures are soft, the whole image is the same softness all over which is puzzling to me. But I do love the lens it's the best I have. I'm using the A7r3, and A9ii which has twice the keeper rate, could image stabilization come into play? I usally have it on, and never noticed any difference with it off, but I wasn't real scientific about comparing the results.
Again love your videos 👍
a9II would be my choice for it's superior AF for both speed and accuracy. What good is your big file is the image is soft? Are you using "tracking: flexible spot M"? if not, try it!!!!
@@PMRTV thanks so much, no, I typically use just spot or wide area focus, I'll look up how to use it. Good day
I had loads of problems with the a7riv and 200-600 combo. Fast shutter blurry, slow shutter great and sharp. 200-600 worked great with my a6400. Tried 3 different a7rivs same bad results. On the 4th body, bam!, perfect results. Same lens but different a7riv and it was sharp through the range and at all shutter speeds. I really feel there is an issue with the 200-600 and a7riv combo. All the other a7riv bodies I tried worked great with all my other lenses. Just not the 200-600. Just not sure what the combo issue is.
Exact same problem. There is a big issue between the Sony 200-600mm and the a7riv. My problems was my copy of the a7riv. Worked perfect with all my other lenses but not the 200600. I replaced my a7riv and the new one has no problems with the 200-600.
I wish I would have seen this video prior to shooting the Blue Angels at an air show last weekend. On day one, I was using the 200-600mm hand held with a shutter speed of 1/2500. Nothing came out sharp but the next day I bumped it up to 1/5000 and I was able to get some really good shots.
sorry but at least now you know :)
Shooting the A9 paired with the 200-600G. I'm finding that when I go above 3200 I'm seeing really grainy images. Wondering if you have a "settings" video focussing, (pun intended) on the A9 paired with the 200-600?
are you using tracking AF?
@@PMRTV much of my photography is birding so yes, I use focus tracking a lot. I'll try using another setting and see if it influences the results.
How can I find out if my lens is a bad copy?
turn off image stabilization, put your setup on a good tripod, and shoot wide open and then pixel peep
Great video. I use a 1.4x teleconverter on a Sony A7riv and the FE 200-600G to shoot mainly birds and all of it is handheld. It would be nice to shoot with the very fast shutter speeds you are talking about but in the UK I would end up ruining the picture because of the high ISO that would entail. To get best quality images on my camera I typically have to keep the iso below 1000 and ideally below 640. I can get away with higher ISOs if the birds are really close to me but this is not usually the case. So for birds in flight I usually shoot with shutter speed of 1/1600 or even 1/1200th - I find that about a third of my shots of birds in flight are acceptably sharp and a lot of the others can be sharpened in post. Would be very interested to know what ISOs you get up to if you are shooting at 1/4000th or above and what you find acceptable. Also what percentage of your shots are keepers.You can se my work here instagram.com/jbpstrachan/
I’m also in the UK and fully understand the poor light issue. It’s frustrating watching all these photographers in Florida (you know who you are Mark Smith) in fantastic light. I had the same problems with worrying about high ISO when aiming for higher shutter speeds. Since I purchased Topaz Denoise AI it not such a problem. I just accept the image will have some noise and then run the photo through Denoise AI and it’s gone. It’s not fool proof though so it still pays to be sensible on the ISO level but I’ve had no problems using ISOs up to 6400 on my Sony a9 and I’m probably being too cautious. It’s better to have noise than a blurry photo as it’s easier to remove the noise than fix the blur. I find Topaz Sharpen AI ok and possibly a bit better than the PS sharpening tools but less successful than Denoise AI.
@@johnharvey1786 Thanks very much for the advice.
I usually get tack sharp birds in flight at 1/2000sec hand held, it depends in your eye/hand coordination when you ara panning.
agreed
When in doubt your lens is sharp, don't test it out in the field, test it on a fixed target, put it on a sturdy tripod, turn off IS. I think we all had our moments when new to photography, we made plenty of mistakes that ruined sharpness. And yes I doubted my lenses more then once myself.... it was me most of the times.
I needed to hear this! Lmao… to testing I go
Indeed! Also, the subject matter is important, too! Smaller birds require faster shutter speed than larger birds. I'd say for raptors or large buzzards, for in-flight action, a shutter speed around 1200 to 1500 is high enough. But at level flight (riding the air current), you definitely can drop it down to 1000. For medium-sized birds (ducks), I would say 2500 to 3400 for in-flight shots is enough. And for really small birds (Yellow Finches or European Robins), 5000 is enough for in-flight photos. But for humming birds, you'll have to crank it all the way up to 8000.
Sadly, you'll have to crank your ISO, too.
Also, the birds' distance to you also influences shutter speed. Generally, the closer the bird, the faster your shutter has to be.
Anyways, great video and topic.
I have to admit EVERYTHING you said makes perfect sense but I had never thought it it before. Thanks for extending our knowledge on the subject!!!
If we compare A1 with A9 and same 200-600G, if for A9 1/2000 was enough for tack sharp photos, what shutter speed u recommend for A1? 1/3200 or even higher? A9 is really good in low light with ISO 6400 is great, A1 not really.
High Patrick, that’s interesting you don’t recommend “swinging” around with monopod. I use mine like a Glidecam (combo: a9ii + G 200-600 normally @ 600) on songbirds and bif, stabilise switch on lens = off, that disables also IBIS. It’s an astonishing good stabilisation. After a little bit practicing and getting used to it perfect results down at 1/800...1/400 shutter speed. ISO Auto, exposure compensation in dark forests -0.7...-1.3 (bird sitting normally exposed to light, dark background: -1.0 at least). Firing bursts of 5...10 contains usually a pick. FYC: The Highlight weighted spot metering mode on Nikon works perfect if you use that on a Nikon (D850, D500, D6), you may keep exposure compensation at 0 (zero). The one on my a9ii and 7rm4 kinda not at all, always blown highlights. Honestly, the reason preferring the Sony is the 200-600, Nikon has nothing similar for F-Mount (well, the 180-400 f/4 has a price tag busting my bank account). You have the better contact to Sony than me, please forward that highlight weighted issue to Sony. - PS: I still have my old days Nikon FM2n, 1/4000 pure mechanical shutter speed, no batteries needed 😍, one of it’s kind.
Amen to the good old FM2n! Used a pair, one black and one chrome, with MD-12 motor drives throughout much of my news media career. Fantastic.
@@anthonyc1883 my copy is a silver one. Still a film in it 😆🙈🤪
Thanks for this video. I've been very disappointed with the 200-600. I'm shooting surf photos with a monopod and too many pictures are lacking focus.
I've been shooting surf for many years using Nikon. Due to the great news about the 200-600, I've changed equipment and the results are not what I expected.
Too many good pics lost for lack of focus.
Sorry, Thanks anyways.
First time out today to try, A7R4 + 200-600 photos so much better, also ( from another) removedx2 convertor,, photos are so sharp now, x2 in bin , many thanks for great tips
Great to hear!
Does anyone have much higher rate with bird eye auto focus with 600mm GM vs 200-600?
yes, it's natural that a lens that lets in 8x as much light would AF better and more accurately
@@PMRTV Wow, f/4 vs. f/6.3 is 8X more light ??
thanks really useful, I shoot in Costa Rica, birds in the rain forest, I will Increase my speed but I'm worry for the noise...
remember atmospheric conditions also play into sharpness--if you are seeing heat waves in the jungle down there, it will be really difficult to get sharp images-- when this happens, get as close as you can and zoom out as much as possible to avoid them :)
What’s the min SS on the 200-600mm and when do you turn off IS??
I use a minimum of 2000 at all times and IS is usually off unless im shooting video.
@@HeroShotz How do you manage ISO?
I would say 1/2000 in average lighting
Are you saying the 1.4 would be sharp with the a9io and the 600 g lens?
100%!!!!
@@PMRTV then why does everyone say it isnt
P.M.R. I shot motorsports for years with a canon series 1 600mm prime lens and a 2x converter a fantastically sharp set up. I switch to Sony eight months ago a1 and 200-600mm this is an amazingly sharp set up when used properly at 600 mm I have to agree nothing less than 1/3500sec at 600mm. If I use a 1.4 X tally converter it doesn’t look sharp as I like it. until I get around 5000 or 6000 of a second with a mono pod. Fact not fiction.👍🏽
Thank you. I'm going to give a higher shutter speed a shot later today.
let me know how you do!
I might have to try some things. I have the A7RV and even high shutter speed on a tripod with 2 second delay shutter. Manually focused. I still get blurry images. I think I was shooting. 1/600 to 1/1000. I may have to raise it. And try again.
there is always a chance it is the lens...
Hi am sure you have nailed my problem with ratty images Sony a7iii & 200-600G.
Thanks….
Glad it helped
There's all this talk on the net that turning the image stabilisation off can give sharper Images especially at higher shutter speeds. This makes no sense to me and I haven't personally found it to be the case. I was hoping for some mention of this and what your thoughts on it were.
Just got my 200-600 last and had 2 outings… same issue. Will try to bump up the shutter speed in the next outing
let me know what happens
What hot shoe cover is that? Team Sony :) I have the a7iii with the 200-600 g lens and I get super sharp photos and even better photos when I take off the front glass screen protector off the lens.
Good eye!!!! amzn.to/3rs4Dp1
Great info. I suppose multiplying times 10 would be safe guideline. 200mm...1/2000th...600mm ...1/6000th.
Good point!
Thanks for the great tip. Shooting at 8,000 helped a lot.
Great news!!!!
I have this combo and NEVER shoot below 1/3200 if it's moving objects like big birds or owls.. I use a monopod with a tilt head.. But my autofokus makes a bigger hit rate both with my A1 and A7III when I don't use an ND filter
Very helpful!
Glad you think so!
That higher shutter speed is fine, but what then happens to the noise on a overcast day! That is always my problem!
it's an age old problem most easily fixed with an $11K lens
Suggest a gimbal for monopod as well
never seen that done but if you are on a tripod already, it could make sense?
Is it true F8 is the sharpest aperature for the 200-600
I think it's plenty sharp at f/6.3 :)
I just bought a used 200-600 to go with my a1. Started shooting some birds in my backyard and fiest 100 shots were terrible. As I shot more I got better shots. My issue was motion blur and not enough light. Iso was climbing high.
yep, as the light goes, you need to crank up that ISO for sure
@@PMRTV I haven't looked at the pictures on my computer yet but when I zoom in on the view finder it seems soft and not very focused. I'm guessing I shouldn't judge that way correct?
Adding a monogimbal (there is one made by Wimberley that I use) to a monopod is a game changer. For birding it is perfect and you don’t have to deal with the bulk and weight of a tripod and traditional gimbal in the field. I cannot hold the 200-600 steady anymore and this was a perfect solution. Thanks for the shutter tip too.
I can say the monogimble is awesome. I have the Wimberley and is great.
I use the same Wimberley MH-100 and it beats all get out especially hiking or biking. I don't have the strength/stamina in my arms anymore. Well worth the $$$. Get some strange looks but I just smile.
I shoot mainly Sports, I have found that you get better results with at least 1/1250 at 600mm also turn off OSS. Also you want to be in the best AF mode for your purposes.
I leave mine set to position II for stabilization (best for panning)
When people say "the lens is not sharp", they should just try 1/32000, 1/16000 and 1/8000, and check if it's still soft. Noise is not the issue there, it's just troubleshooting. I think that 90% of the time, the result will actually be sharp and the user will be "oh that fixed it, but now the IQ is worse", and then it's time to slowly decrease the shutter speed to reach the ideal balance between sharpness and low noise.
Also, it depends on the final resolution. A lot of people say "it's soft" but they're looking at the individual pixels of that 8640x5760 image. It might be soft when viewed at 100%, but once you resize the image to 4096x then it might be very sharp, as the resizing will also resize the motion blur and at some point completely eliminate it.
I think the easiest way to figure out if those who complain about their copy have a low shutter speed, is to compare their exposure parameters with that of the ones who rave about their 200-600. In general I agree the low-shutter is so obvious that most people over-look it, or give it very little importance. I agree because even on my Canon, which most rave about, I've had tac sharp images of birds in flight with 1000+ shutter speed, and not so sharp images of stationary birds with 1/250 of a shutter speed. The images in flight prove the lens's ability to provide sharpness, where as the still images are a proof that one requires a fairly high shutter speed.
I find the 200-600 a sharp lens, but it can be difficult to get clean image in poor light with the F6.3 maximum aperture. As you say, fast shutter speed is required for birds in flight, but that can then push up ISO too high to produce a grainy image. That is one reason why the 400 F2.8 and 600 F4 produce better images and are worth getting if one can afford and justify.
agreed!
It all depends on the Image stabilisation ability and handholding technique. The Nikon 200-500mm which is much heavier than the Sony 200-600mm can be easily handhold at 1/13s at 500mm if the subject is not moving, like a tiger sitting still deep inside bushes, getting sharp results. If the subject is moving you will have to compensate for the subject motion. But the main point is the amount of Image stabilisation labelled by the manufacturer 4 stops or 5 stops must be present otherwise there no need of giving image stabilisation in the lens. You can/must get a sharp shot with a static subject say a statue with the Sony 200-600 without tele-converters at atleast 1/80s, 1/60s range.
I’m getting unsharp images at 1/3200 handheld is there a guide at what SS to switch of OSS?
@@sdproduxions1849 with fast shutter speeds (above 1/2000), you should switch off IBIS or OSS because otherwise, the stabilization works against the focus because of the movement of the sensor or oss