Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS vs Sony FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS

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FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS compared with FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS

	SonyFE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS	SonyFE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS
Overview
Released
Released	July 2019	January 2024
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Zoom	Prime
Focal length
Focal length	200–600 mm	300 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/5.6–6.3	f/2.8
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/32–36	f/22
Optical construction
Optical construction	24 elements in 17 groups	Twenty-one elements in seventeen groups, including one filter
Special elements
Special elements	Five ED glass elements and one aspherical element	Three Super ED elements and one ED element
Coatings
Coatings	Nano AR coating and fluorine coating on the front element	Sony Nano AR coating II and front fluorine coating
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Eleven rounded blades	Eleven rounded blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	12°30′–4°10′ full frame; 8°–2°40′ APS-C	8°10′ full frame; 5°20′ APS-C
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Sony E	Sony E
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	Full frame
Image circle detail
Image circle detail	Full-frame coverage; 300–900 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C	Full-frame coverage; 450 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	SEL14TC 1.4× and SEL20TC 2× supported; maker specifies up to 840 mm F9 or 1200 mm F13, with body-dependent autofocus compatibility	Compatible with Sony SEL14TC 1.4× and SEL20TC 2×; 420 mm F4 or 600 mm F5.6 respectively
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	2.4 m	2 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.2×	0.16×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	Yes	Yes
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Direct Drive SSM motor and internal focusing. Autofocus functions are limited on specified older NEX and Alpha bodies; consult the maker compatibility list	Two XD linear motors; tracking at apertures through F22 depends on camera and shooting conditions
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	Minimum focus 2.4 m; Linear Response MF	2 m minimum focus distance; linear-response manual focus and full-time DMF including AF-C
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	–	0.16× maximum magnification
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Optical SteadyShot with Mode 1 general shake, Mode 2 panning and Mode 3 erratic moving subjects; compatible bodies combine lens and body stabilisation. Original Alpha 9 requires the specified firmware for Mode 3	Optical SteadyShot with normal, panning mode2 and dynamic-framing mode3; mode3 requires compatible current camera firmware. Compatible body can combine for five-axis correction. No maker stop rating in read pages
Video features
Video features	–	Quiet low-vibration autofocus; function ring for power focus; noticeable focus breathing reported by The Digital Picture
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	Yes
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	95 mm	40.5 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	111.5 mm	124 mm
Length
Length	318 mm	265 mm
Weight
Weight	2,115 g	1,470 g (better)
Controls
Controls	AF/MF switch, three-range focus limiter (full, 2.4–10 m, 10 m–infinity), OSS on/off and mode switches, three customisable focus-hold buttons	Manual-focus ring, function ring, four customisable focus-hold buttons, AF/MF and full-time DMF switches, full/6m–infinity focus limiter and stabilisation controls
Zoom design
Zoom design	Internal zoom and focusing; 318 mm length remains constant during zooming	–
Filter detail
Filter detail	95 mm front filter thread	40.5 mm drop-in filter; no front filter thread. Supplied normal filter is part of optical design and must be installed unless replaced by supported filter; optional VF-DCPL1 polariser
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Dust- and moisture-resistant design; not guaranteed completely dust- or moisture-proof	Dust and moisture resistant design with magnesium-alloy internal barrel; not guaranteed to prevent all ingress
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	–	124 mm maximum diameter × 265 mm length
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 2115 g excluding the separate tripod mount; separate hood and caps excluded	Approximately 1470 g excluding separate tripod mount; hood and caps excluded
Tripod mount
Tripod mount	Supplied removable tripod mount	Supplied rotating aluminium collar with detachable slide-out foot
Lens hood
Lens hood	ALC-SH157 round bayonet hood	ALC-SH175 round bayonet hood with locking button and flocked interior, supplied
In the box
In the box	ALC-SH157 hood, front cap, ALC-R1EM rear cap, soft case, tripod mount and lens strap	ALC-SH175 hood, front cover, ALC-R1EM rear cap, soft case, tripod mount, lens strap and drop-in filter
Release detail
Release detail	Sony Hong Kong specified mid-July 2019, Japan 26 July and North America August; main date retains earliest regional July month precision. Amateur Photographer’s full field review used an Alpha 7R IV over two weeks without teleconverters; Photography Blog used an Alpha 9. Their edge-sharpness judgments differ. Sony confirms three OSS modes, correcting a two-mode line in Photography Blog	Sony Europe final announcement7November2023 confirms January2024 availability; Japan2February later. MainJanuary, exact first global sale day unconfirmed. Development originally announced17January2023; announced field final full-spec launch.