Conclusion
Pros
- Very well built lens with excellent zoom and focus feel
- Fast and accurate autofocus
- Sharp over most of the frame right from f/4
- Good bokeh
- Versatile focal range
- Very good chromatic aberration control
- Good contrast and neutral color
- Optically Stabilized
Cons
- Poor flare control
- Some edge softness at 200mm, even stopped down
- Focal length shortens considerably at close focus
- Expensive
The FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS is a high quality telephoto zoom lens that produces sharp images with pleasing bokeh and good color and contrast. The lens focuses very fast and the optical stabilizer allows for an extra two to three stops of handholdability. It’s also a very well built lens with great haptics. If you need a native telephoto zoom, it’s a great option. However, given the high $1,499 price tag, I expected just a bit more. It’s a very good lens, but performance wise, it’s about on par with my $599 Canon 70-200mm f/4L. Now, that lens is a very good lens, and the FE is very good as well, but Sony is asking $250 more than the Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS (which is optically superior) and $100 more than the Nikon variant. For the extra cash, you’d hope for some extra performance.
Still, price aside, it’s a very good zoom lens, and one that will fit perfectly for shooters on both the full-frame A7 bodies and the APS-C E-Mount cameras. If you can get over the price premium, it’s an excellent option for the Sony shooter.
Image Samples
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