Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS vs Sony FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| SonyFE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS | SonyFE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | September 2016 | April 2016 |
| Optics | ||
| Lens type | Zoom | Zoom |
| Focal length | 70–200 mm | 70–300 mm |
| Maximum aperture | f/2.8 | f/4.5–5.6 |
| Minimum aperture | f/22 | f/22–29 |
| Optical construction | Twenty-three elements in eighteen groups | Sixteen elements in thirteen groups |
| Special elements | Includes XA extreme aspherical, ED and Super ED elements | Four aspherical elements and two ED elements |
| Coatings | Sony Nano AR coating and front fluorine coating | Sony Nano AR coating |
| Diaphragm | Eleven rounded blades | Nine rounded blades |
| Angle of view | 34°–12°30′ full frame; 23°–8° APS-C | 34°–8°10′ full frame; 23°–5°20′ APS-C |
| Mount and compatibility | ||
| Mounts | Sony E | Sony E |
| Image circle | Full frame | Full frame |
| Image circle detail | Full-frame coverage; 105–300 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C | Full-frame coverage; 105–450 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C |
| Teleconverter support | Compatible with Sony SEL14TC 1.4× and SEL20TC 2× teleconverters | Not compatible with Sony E-mount teleconverters |
| Focus and stabilisation | ||
| Autofocus | Yes | Yes |
| Minimum focus distance | 0.96 m | 0.9 m |
| Maximum magnification | 0.25× | 0.31× |
| Optical stabilisation | Yes | Yes |
| Autofocus detail | Ring-drive SSM for front focus group and two linear motors for rear group; floating focus mechanism | Linear actuator with internal focusing |
| Focus distance detail | 0.96 m minimum focus distance | 0.9 m minimum focus distance |
| Magnification detail | 0.25× maximum magnification | 0.31× maximum magnification; not life-size macro |
| Stabilisation detail | Built-in Optical SteadyShot; compatible body stabilisation can combine for five-axis correction. Mode 1 normal and mode 2 panning (Photography Blog and OpticalLimits); no maker stop rating in read pages | Built-in Optical SteadyShot; no maker stop rating in read pages |
| Video features | Constant overall lens length during zoom and focus; quiet autofocus | – |
| Design | ||
| Dust and moisture resistant | Yes | Yes |
| Filter diameter | 77 mm | 72 mm |
| Maximum diameter | 88 mm | 84 mm |
| Length | 200 mm | 143.5 mm |
| Weight | 1,480 g | 854 g (better) |
| Controls | Focus and zoom rings, AF/MF switch, focus-hold buttons, focus-range limiter and stabilisation controls | Manual-focus and zoom rings, AF/MF switch, focus-hold button, focus-range limiter and stabilisation switch |
| Zoom design | Internal zoom and focusing; overall length remains constant | Extending zoom barrel (OpticalLimits and Photo Review) |
| Filter detail | 77 mm front filter thread; supplied hood has filter-access window | 72 mm front filter thread |
| Weather resistance | Dust and moisture resistant design with mount rubber ring; not guaranteed to prevent all ingress | Dust and moisture resistant design; not guaranteed to prevent all ingress |
| Dimensions detail | 88 mm maximum diameter × 200 mm length | 84 mm maximum diameter × 143.5 mm maker length |
| Weight detail | Approximately 1480 g, explicitly excluding separate tripod mount; hood and caps excluded | Approximately 854 g lens; separate hood and caps excluded |
| Tripod mount | Rotating collar with detachable tripod foot and safety locking mechanism, supplied | – |
| Lens hood | ALC-SH145 petal bayonet hood with lock and opening filter-access window, supplied | ALC-SH144 round bayonet hood, supplied |
| In the box | ALC-SH145 hood, ALC-F77S front cap, ALC-R1EM rear cap, soft carrying case and tripod mount | ALC-SH144 hood, front and rear caps and soft case |
| Release detail | Sony Canada G Master announcement dated 3 February 2016; final Sony Japan notice dated 26 September confirms sale on 30 September after launch delay. Main release September, exact first global sale day unconfirmed. Two full independent exact reviews read: Photography Blog Mark Goldstein and OpticalLimits Klaus Schroiff, both Alpha 7R II. Conflicting AF reliability and measured stabilisation preserved; OL sample centring imperfect. Blog five-axis wording describes combination with body rather than lens alone, corrected. Main1480g explicitly excludes tripod mount. No inferred predecessor link | Sony Europe announcement dated 29 March 2016 specifies April availability; exact first global sale day unconfirmed. Two full independent exact reviews read: OpticalLimits Klaus Schroiff on Alpha 7R II, sample centring described as okay, and Photo Review on Alpha 7R II and Alpha 6300. Differing telephoto corners and blur opinions retained, sensor crop and processing qualified. Photo Review initially calls hood petal but later round; maker round hood used. Its malformed price and wrong-model alternative paragraph are not used. Main maker 8degrees10minutes full-frame telephoto angle corrects its 8degrees20minutes table. Review stabilisation measurements are not maker claims. No inferred predecessor link |
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