Field test of Sony’s 200-600mm lens for wildlife photography

I was given a pre-release version of this new lens and Sony sponsored a trip so I could really put it through its paces!
Lens
- UK: wibl.co/2IalA2d
- US: wibl.co/2KcSpxJ
Camera Body
- UK: wibl.co/2X9owoc
- US: wibl.co/2K9LHbR

[@TR6Telos]

Forget iso,shutter speeds etc, the hardest part of using this lens is getting it through the front door without the wife noticing .

[@masculine1967]

just ordered… i’m trying to think of strategies of how to hide this large white bazooka from the wife..😅😅

[@holahi2064]

Welcome to the episode of I can't afford to buy that!

[@MsRobboc]

I bought one

[@alejandroortiz4565]

@@MsRobboc me too im so Happy

[@Shinystyx]

@@alejandroortiz4565 i also bought it

[@subhankar1915]

I'll gift you soon

[@holahi2064]

@@subhankar1915 even if you lied it felt nice lol

[@Gapthrosnir]

I love the reaction of the duck at 8:00

[@willbl]

Yeah, me too! Glad you spotted it :D

[@_rhapsodist]

yeah, well spotted hahaha

[@kenl.3298]

Looks like bat man

[@hiden1980]

like this 😋

[@aliciatangotweety4815]

That was nuts! Daffy duck nuts! Can't believe you saw that. heh

[@klackon1]

I've owned my 200 - 600mm + SEL14TC for a month now, having part exchanged my 100 - 400mm G Master. No regrets, this new lens is excellent for wildlife photography. I find it handles better than the 100 - 400mm and zooming in and out is so fast. When used on my A9 (have yet to try it on my A7III) the AF is so fast and accurate. Top job Sony.

[@vipint.v8065]

Sir I have plan for buy telephoto lense ,which is the best lens 200 -600 mm or 100-400 which is the best lens for this category?

[@kyleheaser1089]

@@vipint.v8065 200-600 is best for wildlife

[@vipint.v8065]

@@kyleheaser1089 I bought 200 600 mm sony

[@chadlindstrom7405]

How is/did the 200-600 work on the A7III? I’m looking to use this on the A73 platform. Thanks for any feedback!!!

[@drewtheboo2582]

@@vipint.v8065start with a 100-400. You’re gonna have a lot of trouble finding your subject if your first lens is a 200-600. The field of view is only 4 degrees at 600mm! That means if a bird moves even slightly it will be out of your shot.

[@farhadfadayi7389]

Great review and amazing images. thanks for great video

[@kalali462]

Fantastic performance. Thank you.

[@djthomas83]

My favorite bird! Love all your work!

[@markreardon6969]

Dude...I am in LOVE with the shots you captured. OMG! Magnificent! I cant wait to be able to afford a zoom lens. This is the kind of Photography I dream of doing. Thanks for sharing.

[@dudeiusmannigast1543]

There are real life hacks you can use to obtain a better range out of your lenses without buying new lenses... If you got a a6xxx series camera body or a a7/a9 (where you can use the crop settings)... This will give you a lens range times 1.5...(the 200-600mm lens would become 300-900mm... A 90mm lens would become 135mm and so on) 👍

[@1209jayt]

Thanks for sharing this video! U nailed all the shot, what focus point did u use?

[@ElPasoTubeAmps]

Absolutely beautiful. I recently bought this Sony lens and use it for astrophotography. It rivals, and sometimes evens seems a little better, than a 10" telescope that I use, especially on the moon. Having the best of equipment is nice but being willing and knowing how to use these instruments properly is even more important. I think your work is magnificent.

[@TharuAhasa]

That's interesting to hear that you get some astrographs from this lens. Is there any images or video that you made from this lens? Thanks for sharing the experience.

[@ElPasoTubeAmps]

@@TharuAhasa I don't think I have posted any on my KZbin channel. I have posted a few pictures/videos with the Meade 10" scope. I also have the 2X Tele Converter but find that it does not add any better resolution to my pictures than the bare lens does. I suppose I should have known that when I bought it.

[@TharuAhasa]

@@ElPasoTubeAmps Thanks for the reply.

[@derekc508]

Right to the point. Great review and amazing images!

[@willbl]

Thank you :)

[@Elik00021]

"not a good day for that fish" 😂🤣 Wish to have one of that lens 😍🤩

[@EagerSnake]

The a9, nowadays, is PRACTICALLY almost perfect. Absolutely incredible. And that lens is going to be a HOT seller.

[@Algerie.Football.Officiel]

Hello, Do you think that with this lens we can take pictures of correct sports at night ... in a properly lit stadium, I want to associate it with an a7iii or an a7riii.? Thank you

[@thomaan]

Lovely pictures and amazing focus performance. Looking forward to see the sharpness of the lens is under better light conditions.

[@willbl]

Thanks. I took some photos of a stone bridge and the sharpness seemed pretty good. You can download here if you want www.dropbox.com/sh/nugq5t7qm9brv85/AACqUWDYyxqCA8YqguzEpUi4a?dl=0

[@SouthAfricanWanderer]

What focus mode were you using? You mention center point focus but was it with lock?

[@TurboMiniTech]

May I ask what sort of focus settings you used for this session?

[@michellestewart7494]

Thank you .... new to your channel ...enjoyed! Love wildlife photography ...would live to travel to these spots to capture wonderful shots. Out into nature

[@haarishmohammed7367]

Love the way u be with the nature

[@tomdietl6635]

How are you focusing that fast and keep the focus perfect?

[@ritwickbhattacharyya1463]

The photos are really amazing.

[@radishcastle]

Great video; thank you. Have you had a chance to use the 100-400GM? I'd love to know your thoughts on whether you'd choose that with a 1.4TC or the 200-600G if you could only have one in your kit. Thanks 😊

[@nidheesh.k.b6105]

Wow, Superb photos

[@1A_B_C1]

2:10-2:22 which camera did u used to film this and how do u make it so stable?

[@matthewbell1968]

Excellent review Will. Facts and more facts that's what we like. Osprey shots were superb as it was a new combo for you well done.

[@willbl]

Thank you Matthew

[@willburton6987]

Just found your channel and I LOVE it!! Great videos dude 👍👍

[@willbl]

thanks!

[@vijinvincent7546]

That's very nice and highly creative, excellent job congrats

[@Aaron._dubs]

Loved the informational part about the bird.

[@ahmadfaimaq]

Nice video. I am pondering over switching to mirrorless from Nikon SLR and these videos are very helpful. A question: could you please let me know the name of the background music track that starts playing around the 9:00 minute mark and plays till the end of the video ? Thanks.

[@SoumyadeepHalder_vlog]

wow..what a depth of field..

[@paulwood3024]

Congrats on getting a photo of the bird entering the water. In my location there are always trees in the background and I can't get the bird in focus until it clears the trees.

[@jasonpalmer2497]

I trying to find out what's it like on the a7riv

[@ashleighhermosada3226]

Love your bag😍

[@kolapyellow7631]

Amazing footage.

[@carlosrincon6017]

Great informative video. What's the bag you are using for this shooting?

[@alisgaming4378]

Outstand ... Loved it😍❤❤

[@thewildlifephotographer297]

Same

[@AtteHenriksson]

Looks great!

[@johnlavin-ford8372]

Lovely upload mate... good review of the equipment...

[@geemarsh.7766]

Super shots. Great test. Would look crazy on my a6400, but I'm still tempted.

[@shinoinishida2290]

U deserved more than my subscription sir 💯🔥

[@TheJoshbinx]

are you using a mirrorless camera? if so which? thanks

[@charlesboulet8563]

Nice and helpful vid, mate. Thanks.

[@sluncommonnature3679]

Doing a good job is not always about impressive innovation. Sometimes it is only about doing something with plain dedication. Well done.

[@thewildlifephotographer297]

Amen

[@takakinemoto8672]

Thank you so much for this honest and unbiased review of the lens. I also felt the same way about the F number of the lens when it was released. Surely this is going to be a popular lens for Sony shooters given the pricing point, range, etc. But I personally wanted to see a GM grade lens offering the same reach as this 200-600mm lens. I photograph birds therefore an extra reach and faster aperture is something I always appreciate. I guess I will have to wait for Sony to release the much-anticipated APS-C flagship camera later this year to gain that reach, I guess. Oh, before I forget, your real use situation based review is far more useful, immersive, and interesting. Please keep on posting.

[@willbl]

Thank you, I'm glad you found the review helpful. I will try to do more of them in the future. It's funny, to me this 200-600mm felt more worthy of the GM label than the existing 100-400 GM because of the internal zoom. Hopefully next year they will release a solid 500mm f/5 or similar to fill the gap.

[@sadenb]

@@willbl 500 mm f/4 is in the lineup and will definitely release by early next year. I wish they released a 200-500 f/5.6 . That would have been awesome.

[@GilbertTV]

@@sadenb a third of a stop of light between 5.6 & 6.3.. so less weight ...who can complain about that

[@paulwood6729]

@@GilbertTV And less than a fifth of the price, an aspect overlooked in what was otherwise a cracking review.

[@KamalKishor-yt5gq]

I really loved your video Which camera you are using for vlogs And to which camera this new lens is connected

[@nztech1964]

Wow man you inspiration to many people include me love your work keep it up

[@willbl]

Thank you :)

[@davidarkin6166]

Thanks for the excellent review. It really helped me decide in what direction to go. We have lots of Osprey in San Diego. I was wondering what Focus Area you used on the A9 in this situation to get such a high rate of keepers?

[@markus.herrmann.photography]

I am also interested in the focus settings...

[@willbl]

Make sure you have the latest a9 firmware. There is Tracking + Flexible Spot mode which will focus initially on whatever your focus point is over and then keep tracking it as long as you hold the shutter half down, even if it moves away from the selected point.

[@bouncang-photographe652]

Amazing shots

[@19luminary]

What Focus setting did you use? I like all pictures you took. I have A7R3 and 200-600mm I still can't find the best setting for bird photography. You doing very well. Can you please tell me what setting you used 🦅 pictures

[@jonringo4684]

AWESOME LENS.

[@ricomx29]

nice, would you have a link for a full definition raw of one of the picture of this shooting series? not the best of course, but just to see what the picture looks like at 25600 iso 1/2000s , thanks ;)

[@runhardhooah]

Very intriguing video. Nicely done. Quick question if you can answer it: How do you keep your battery from becoming exhausted in the cold? I have taken my Sony A6000 up in the mountains, and the battery seems to go decently quick when I'm shooting in freezing temperatures (-5C to 0C, for example)

[@Carlo-vv3kg]

Hi Lucas, how did you set the camera to photograph birds in flight? thanks Carlo

[@alexxxx1448]

great footage !

[@AndyGustavsson]

very interesting lens indeed, for most portrait style birdphotography this would work great for sony shooters for a quite reasonble price, since most shoot at f8 anyways especially if you use a flash rig. Great video and lovely seeing ospreys in action!

[@thraxberserker9960]

What do you mean most or shoot at f8?

[@AndyGustavsson]

@@thraxberserker9960 well most portrait photographers are using a flash rig to get more light which means they are looking for a highly detailed photograph through out the photo and there for using a smaller aperture. Photographing with say f4 gives you a shallow depth of field and there for not as detailed photo but you gain more light and it allows you to get a ”creative license” more easily.

[@ainationaldiscovery]

wow amazing

[@primegamer8810]

The photo was so amzing

[@philipjoseph6671]

Seeing it's awsome, it was amazing ❤❤❤❤

[@coolcat2005dj]

i am a fan of yours few years back on facebook. eventually your posts faded on my wall.luckly i found you in here...nice eye and gears you got. keep it going buddy..

[@willbl]

Thank you and welcome :)

[@JohnSmith-qc6bq]

Based on some of my research and the information in this well presented video. I am going to purchase this lens. Thank you for sharing.

[@willbl]

Thank you. I think you will love it... it's a fantastic lens :)

[@desertoo23]

Excellent!

[@9oldfingers349]

Up there with the Best Wildlife photographers in the World, only 9.6k subs why, AMAZING

[@willbl]

thanks :)

[@luisviggiano]

hola! tengo este lente con la Sony Mk 7 II y no logro que a 600 mm mantenga el foco en el objeto. Me dedico a fotografia de naturaleza y es casi imposible seguir el vuelo de un ave con el Sony G200-600. Como has hecho para tomar tan bien la secuencia del aguila? gracias.

[@Angkol]

woww...!! very good

[@sportturismo_4s]

What do you use to cull your photos? I have heard to use Photo Mechanic?

[@falcondoom9602]

подскажите пожалуйста, что за фото рюкзак у вас Атлас?

[@yogiputras]

Dream lens 🙌

[@hcvlogs8337]

Very nicely u have captured ths beauty

[@DennisMoncla]

Never seen your videos before now. So glad you got one of the first videos out for wildlife using the 200-600! I enjoyed it and it just locked in my purchase of it to replace my Sigma 150-600C I've been adapting. I love that lens but have been lusting over the thought of Sony creating something like this! Ironically my last bird shoot here in Texas was Ospreys on the Texas Louisianna border. It must be a sign!

[@willbl]

Thank you Dennis. I think you will love it!

[@ganicurious1253]

That shot worth waiting that long ! Awesome clicks.

[@andryzalnazir2356]

Is it safe not to bring along your gears in cabin?

[@kamalkannan6188]

Do not trust the luggage crew... They throw all over

[@TrapBoiFuse561]

I will slap you if you put your gear on the bottom of the plane ✈️ are you crazy

[@gudkarma4life]

@@TrapBoiFuse561 hahahahaha. true

[@TrapBoiFuse561]

Suresh Singh he crazy

[@Kumard.k]

A Beginner’s Guide to Learning About Your DSLR Camera, Lens, Filters and More Check here amzn.to/3kJK831

[@vlinnus]

Great pics! Which autofocus mode are you using most often with setup like this?

[@willbl]

In this case, Continuous AF. For focus area I had Tracking + Flexible spot selected. This will first lock on to the subject your focus point is over and then continue to track that subject around the frame for as long as you hold the shutter button half down. Make sure you have the latest firmware installed.

[@toddamos9775]

What kind of camera are you using to fit that lens?

[@JonasReichert1992]

Which of the 3 Stabilization-Modes did you use?

[@SloggerVlogger]

Was that the Atlas Athlete or Adventure backpack?

[@willbl]

Athlete

[@SloggerVlogger]

@@willbl Thank you.

[@acme9538]

Excellent review. The size, weight, price, and focal range of this lens add up to a very appealing piece of glass IMO. This could be a 'gateway drug' for novice photographers such as myself. F5.6-6.3 IMO is still pretty darn good considering all those factors. The versatility seems awesome. And with Sony's image sensors and focusing capabilities . . . dang.... I'm going to have to start saving some $. Thank you so much for a great real-world review . . . I enjoyed every minute of it. Cheers!

[@willbl]

Thank you Eric

[@timjanssen9939]

Wow nice shots, how do you even focus in such a short time? Or do you use some kind of auto focus?

[@mahadev_video_rajkot]

Excellent sir .

[@ellisonhamilton3322]

Its been a while since you uploaded. Glad to see you're still hard at work. Hope all is going well for you.👍 Excellent review BTW.

[@willbl]

Thanks! I'm good thank you. Hope all is well with you!

[@ellisonhamilton3322]

@@willbl 👍👍

[@BenjaminAdamsVu]

Excellent review, TFS

[@willbl]

Thank you

[@GeorgeVlad]

Cool review. The voice recording at the start is a bit warbly. Are you using denoising or similar processing?

[@willbl]

yeah, there was a lot of traffic noise outside. I probably should not try to record sound in the office again!

[@GeorgeVlad]

@@willbl that, or use a shotgun mic facing away from traffic.

[@Break_The_Beat]

really cool video budd🙏 just one question.. which camera did you use for this lens? greetings from switzerland

[@keverton123]

which focus area where you using? zone?

[@andreaswinkelholz6694]

WoW Great shots 👍🇩🇪

[@p_aulwhite]

Nice field test Will, thank you. Completely off topic, but what laptop are using there when reviewing your images?

[@willbl]

Thanks! Dell XPS 13

[@lenaterryy]

Hi, on the camera where you would put the strap on, what are the red and black circle things called. Thanks

[@BiscuitLazers44]

they're called "anchor links", they're used with peak design camera straps. a very nice system, peak design accessories are pretty expensive compared to other straps but they're worth it in my opinion.

[@AmazingNatureRelaxation]

Love this lens. Can't believe it's only $2k. Great review.

[@willbl]

thanks

[@Dwightmare]

"Only 2k" still hurts to hear lol

[@lyricsking7979]

Hi

[@lyricsking7979]

@@willbl hai

[@thewildlifephotographer297]

@@Dwightmare yeah

[@akhileshverma5619]

Hi, i am using nikon d750 with tamron 600. I am unable to get sharp photos from a long distance. Is it possible to work something in auto mode?

[@ABIZVDO]

That's so cool

[@myarrowloncher]

Thanks for making a great video! What backpack are you using?

[@willbl]

Thanks. ATLAS ATHLETE

[@agoes45]

Wow amazing. Love from Indonesia

[@nickseddon9062]

Great review. At what focal length does it change from F5.6 to F6.3?

[@willbl]

I don't have the lens here now but it is quite early in the zoom range. I think around 300mm

[@thedreamgalleries5486]

Amazing

[@bambhaniyavaibhav8580]

Sir which mirrorless camara body is best for 'SONY FE 200-600' and which model...? Under budget...?

[@canehibcomhisahi7368]

What camera 📷 do you have??

[@ketul12341]

with what camera you have shot this video , its like thick Grey layer in front of me preventing to see color at good sharpness :(

[@ant_hart]

Awesome intro!! Just subbed looking forward to watching more :)

[@thewildlifephotographer297]

I agree

[@azmizulrosemedia8093]

I love this lens... attach with a9 is superb...

[@lindseybugner]

I saw you commented that you used an a6400 for your video. That's the only camera I own and I'm planning a trip to South Africa so I'm considering getting this lens. Would it work okay with the a6400?

[@ashrafali7783]

Absolutely

[@JBenjumea]

Excellent review. Thanks. Yes, an all the way f5.6, or not to mention a f/4, would've been ideal, but for an affordable combination in addition of less weight and size, for the majoritie of us, it's like a dream come true system.

[@unicorescannacorner6999]

F4 zoom with 200-600mm … please Chuck Norris. Here are normal People talking that can’t carry the Hubble Telescope.