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The following chart presents all zoom lenses designed for full frame mirrorless cameras which focal length ends with 600 mm that were mentioned in our introduction section. The Sony is most similar to the Nikkor – both models don't change their dimensions during zooming. The Nikkor fares even better than the Sony because, despite a wider focal range it remains shorter and a bit lighter too. Both Sigmas change their dimensions with the increase of the focal length.

In the following photo the Sony FE 200-600 mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS is positioned between the Sigma S 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS in folded position and the Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar 2/50.

In order to emphasize the dimensions of the Sony in comparison to its Sigma rival we also present below an appropriate photo with the Sigma set at the 600 mm focal length.

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The tested lens starts with a metal mount that surrounds a contact plate and a well-matted and ribbed inner tube with a black 26x20 mm frame. Right underneath that frame there is an immobile rear element, about 27 mm in diameter. From this side everything looks splendid and the lens is fully sealed.

The proper body of the lens starts with a white, metal ring with an inscription 'Optical Steady Shot' meaning the instrument features optical image stabilization system. Apart from that you see the mount type mark (E-mount), a whte dot, making an alignment with a camera easier, the serial number along with the model number of te lens, and information that the lens was produced in China.

Then the said ring increases its diameter noticeably and on this enlargened part you find the name and parameters of the lens along with a whole array of different switches positioned on the left. The first of them, marked as AF/MF, is used to control the autofocus mechanism mode and the second one allows you to choose an autofocus range. The producers offer you three options: FULL, from 2.4 to 10 meters and from 10 meters to infinity. The third switch, OSS ON/OFF, controls optical image stabilization, and the fourth one (MODE 1,2,3) allows you to choose a stabilization working mode.

A big, rotating part of the barrel with neck strap hooks and a tripod shoe is next. A tripod adapter is added to the box and seems to be very solid. After removing it, inside the shoe situated on the lens, there is an additional thread that allows you to attach the lens to a tripod even without the removable adapter. In our opinion it is a very good, well-thought-out, and useful solution.

Then you find a manual focus ring, quite wide because 39 mm in diameter, almost completely covered by black, rubber ribs nice to the touch. The ring is a focus-by-wire construction. It moves quite smoothly with a slight but still acceptable resistance. Running through the whole distance range needs a turn through an angle of about 260 degrees and it depends very weakly on the speed of your turning. Still, this value allows you quite precise settings.

Further on you see an immobile ring with the logotype of the producer and three round, programmable focus lock buttons. Then comes a huge zoom ring, as wide as 63 mm, most of its surface covered by comfortable rubber ribbing. Below there are focal lengths markings at 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, and 600 mm.

The ring moves quite smoothly but, in our opinion, its resistance could have been a tad more pronounced. The ring is so loose that a focal length lock switch would be a nice addition here, even though that the lens doesn't change its dimensions through an extendable front element system. The lens set at 200 mm in a vertical position collapses on its own and it changes the focal length into near 300 mm. If you want to take a photo of something high over your head and use the shortest focal lengths you have to stabilize the ring with your finger or a bit of adhesive tape.

A white, immobile ring with two capital Gs as markings of the series is the next part. It turns into a black part of the lens that ends with a hood mount and doesn't move. Here you also find the filter diameter (95 mm), and information that the minimum focusing distance amounts to 2.4m/7.88ft.

The front element doesn't move, is almost 90 mm in diameter and is surrounded by a non-rotating filter thread, 95 mm in diameter. The construction of the lens is completely closed – both zooming and focusing are performed inside.

When it comes to optical construction, you deal here with 24 elements positioned in 17 groups. Inside you can find as many as five low dispersion glass elements, and one aspherical lens. Additionally, you get a round aperture with as many as eleven blades that can be closed down to a value from f/32 to f/36.

Buyers get in the box with the lens: both caps, a huge hood, a removable tripod adapter, and a case with stiff bottom.

Optical stabilization

The OSS acronym in the name and on the barrel of the lens indicates that it is equipped with an optical image stabilization mechanism. We decided to check its efficiency and, in order to do so we took several dozen photos with exposure times ranging from 1/800 to 1/8 of a second and the stabilization switched on and off. For every set of photos we determined a percentage of out-of-focus shots; then we presented it in a form of a graph of exposure time which was expressed in EV (with 0 EV being an equivalent of 1/640 of a second).

The maximum distance between both curves indeed reaches 4 EV and such is, in our view, the real efficiency of the stabilization mechanism of the tested lens. It is an excellent result that allows you to use the lens even in weak lighting conditions.