Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS Super Telephoto Zoom Lens (SEL200600G) (Renewed)

I bought this just before a trip to Costa Rica, because I knew if there is ONE place I need to have good gear, that's it. I've shot only handhelds (partly due to lack of organization/time/luggage space and partly due to me being a moron).I picked this instead of the tempting Sigma 150-600 Sport for three reasons:- Possibly faster AF- Faster burst rate if I ever upgrade to full frame (which I plan to do in a couple years).- Better sealing (internal zoom, no sliding).Funnily enough, none of them is something I can judge from where I stand. BUT here are my thoughts after two weeks of carrying it everyday for a few hours:+ It's sharp. Oh boy it's amazing. At full length handheld it blows away the sharpness I was able to get on my Sigma 100-400.+ That stabilization is incredible. I took pictures from a canoe of birds/iguanas 20m away at full length and it's perfectly sharp. From a CANOE!!!+ I completely underestimated how cool it is to have a super short movement distance for the zoom/focus rings. It was super handy.- It's a massive beast. It's heavy. It's hard to aim/shoot for very long, especially if you have monkeys above you (well, taking anything above you is usually not giving great results, but it's still worthy of mentioning)- It takes a lot of space in the bag.- Its color (and size) makes it pop a bit too much in the crowd, I don't like the attention it gets.These are minor inconvenient in regard to the quality and pleasure I had using it.I'm not a super rich guy but I don't regret my purchase and I'll probably be the happy owner of that magnificent beast for the next 5-10years.I carried it with the pgytech sling, which felt like a very good combo.

Great image quality for the price!

I can honestly recommend the renewed version of the 200-600. It came in the original packaging and with all extras.First off I strongly recommend purchasing a monopod for this lens if yo don’t have one. This is a real heavyweight that really tests your arm strength. If you shoot at 1/1000 of a second I guess you could hand hold the Sony, not for long.It’s much easier to wrangle with a quality monopod and Amazon sells enough of them. Get something at least in the $150 -$250 range ( with head) Stay away from the tripod/monopod offerings. I can’t see how something like that could work for long.Image quality is very good out of the box with a little softness wide open. But seeing as you would have to pay much more for the non-zoom version of the 600, it’s a fair trade offI’ve mounted it on both a 7iii and a 6500 with good results. On the APSC body it works out to a 900mm which is not too shabby.Honestly the only complaint I have is the weight of the lens which makes me reluctant to take it with me if I’m just puttering around. But that’s the sacrifice I had to make. It’s a great bang for the buck lens.

I bought the refreshed lens and saved $300. It arrived quickly. I went out the day I received the lens and captured photos like I had dreamed of. It’s heavy, but it’s a beast of a lens! I’m extremely happy with it.

Got a good deal on it was a return item

Absolutely amazing addition to life. I got this for general photography, but it's really enhanced my living experience. I love it. Many animals, birds in flight, ships on sea, airplanes, and far away mystery objects all are made clear, crisp, and permanent in my library of photos with this gorgeous lens. I recommend a special tube case for it and also a permanent tripod or sling mount since it's a big heavy lens and you probably already have a permanent tripod or sling mount on the camera body.

The product arrived just as new with all required accessories and original packaging. I bought this lens primarily for bird photography, which is my newly cultivated hobby. I mostly shoot handheld at this point and getting quite decent results. I learnt few vital things over the last three months and sharing them herewith (these might be helpful in case you shoot handheld):1. Switch off OSS (Optical Steady Shot) at high shutter speeds (1/3200 or above).2. Set the Mode button to '2' for best results.3. Invest in a good quality UV filter if you're using one while photographing birds near water sources (I use B+W UV MRC filter and the results were pretty good).4. Use 'Clear Image Zoom' if you are close to the subject and it is stationary (esp. large birds).

Flawless, as long as you know why you are buying such a specialty lens. Not for beginners!