New Sony 200-600mm Lens - Birds and Wildlife

[zackiedawg]

Well I added the new big boy lens for my new A6600 camera - those who know me know that bird and wildlife photography is a primary pursuit of mine, so it was pretty natural that I was going to add the big zoom. It's not intended to replace the FE100-400mm lens, which still will be better for BIF due to the shorter focal length, smaller and lighter size, dual focus motors...and of course better for closeup work due to the much much closer minimum focus distance. But for reach needs - which is almost always with birds, the 200-600mm delivers excellent reach in a still reasonable size (I handhold it)...and is surprisingly adept at BIF too, though I haven't tried it on the superfast birds like martins and swallows.
Here are some shots from my first outing with this lens over the weekend, out at my local wetlands, Wakodahatchee:

Great blue heron out in the tall grasses - at 600mm:

A green iguana, all 'oranged' up for mating time, wandering through the shallow waters and low plants:

Double-crested cormorant closeup at 500mm:

Getting super-tight closeup with an American bittern hunting through the reeds - at 600mm:

Quite a rare find - not only are they not here in big numbers, but they really like to hide - a Wilson's snipe at 600mm:

A cooper's hawk up in a cypress tree, with the remains of a recently caught bird he was feasting on:

A cormorant flying directly at the camera - the tracking AF doing a nice job staying with him:

Cormorant approaching to land:

A great blue heron with a great big fish, trying to figure out how to get it down his throat:

Another great blue heron high in the clear skies - with a baby turtle for a meal:

I do believe I'll be enjoying this lens, and especially the combo on my A6600 - giving me 900mm equivalent reach in a hand-holdable package!

 

[gary]

that lens is next on my list, but since i am in the no birds except seagulls time of year i do not need it until late april when the ospreys return

 

[zackiedawg]

It's a beauty of a lens. Very impressive so far - I really was expecting to find it wasn't quite as sharp as the 100-400mm, but acceptably given the 'G' rating and the 600mm reach - but it really doesn't seem to leave any IQ on the table compared to the 100-400mm GM. The GM still has advantages of course - the dual focus motors should still make it the better fast BIF rig, and the close focus is significantly better. But otherwise, the 200-600mm looks to be a clear choice for reach - it's a very clear improvement compared to my Tamron 150-600mm at 600mm.

I've shot a few ospreys lately - they're very active down here this time of year...only one with the 200-600mm so far:

Here's one with the A6600 using the 100-400mm lens:

And a couple with the A6300:

And some older shots of ospreys down here which I liked for different reasons:

Just a nice close flight pose:

A stilt mother chasing an osprey from her nest nearby:

Osprey with a fish:

That osprey stare:

A look at those big meat hook claws:

An osprey with a freshly caught fish, being pursued by a bald eagle who wants to steal his fish:

 

[Tim]

Dude these are excellent - that iguana is SICK!

 

[zackiedawg]

Thank you Tim. A lot of Floridians hate the iguanas, but I like them. They don't really do much except eat people's flowers and well manicured gardens - they're otherwise harmless even though they can be 6 feet long. And they're just cool looking - it's like having dinosaurs crawling around in your backyard that won't hurt you!

Here are a few more of them from this past month with the new A6600 cam:

Of course, even a 6 foot iguana doesn't seem so big around here. Because we have much bigger reptiles:

 

[Joanie Eddis-Koch]

I am loving all your pictures Justin! You are killing it with that lens. Keep up the great work and keep posting!
~Joanie

 

[Nancy AK]

Thank you Tim. A lot of Floridians hate the iguanas, but I like them. They don't really do much except eat people's flowers and well manicured gardens - they're otherwise harmless even though they can be 6 feet long. And they're just cool looking - it's like having dinosaurs crawling around in your backyard that won't hurt you!

Here are a few more of them from this past month with the new A6600 cam:

Of course, even a 6 foot iguana doesn't seem so big around here. Because we have much bigger reptiles:

Great photos! I was thinking about the Tamron 150-600 for birds? Not a good lens?

 

[zackiedawg]

Actually, not a bad lens at all! I have had the Tamron 150-600mm gen 1 for many years now - I've replaced it over the past year or two with the two dedicated Sony lenses which are a touch better, but for the price and the size/weight, the Tamron is a great way to get 600mm.
Thanks to all.