FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS

Released March 2014

A full-frame E-mount constant-F4 telephoto zoom with Optical SteadyShot, dual linear-motor autofocus and a removable tripod mount.

Mount: Sony E
Focal length: 70–200 mm
Max aperture: f/4
Stabilisation: Yes
Weight: 840 g

What reviewers say

Both praise construction, central sharpness and background blur, with weaker wide-open corners at 200 mm. Photography Blog finds fast focusing and effective stabilisation on Alpha 7R II, while criticising bulk and price. OpticalLimits reports slower focusing and shutter-vibration problems on original Alpha 7R, explicitly blaming the camera. Its mediocre sample centring also qualifies the optical assessment.

From photographyblog.com, photographyblog.com and opticallimits.com

Specifications

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Optics

Lens type: Zoom
Focal length: 70–200 mm
Maximum aperture: f/4
Minimum aperture: f/22
Optical construction: Twenty-one elements in fifteen groups
Special elements: Includes two AA advanced aspherical elements and Super ED glass
Coatings: Sony Nano AR coating
Diaphragm: Nine rounded blades
Angle of view: 34°–12° full frame; 22°–8° APS-C

Mount and compatibility

Mounts: Sony E
Image circle: Full frame
Image circle detail: Full-frame coverage; 105–300 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C
Teleconverter support: Not compatible with Sony E-mount teleconverters

Focus and stabilisation

Autofocus: Yes
Minimum focus distance: 1 m
Maximum magnification: 0.13×
Optical stabilisation: Yes
Autofocus detail: Two linear motors with internal focusing
Focus distance detail: Minimum focus distance AF 1.0–1.5 m across zoom range; MF 1.0–1.35 m
Magnification detail: 0.13× maximum magnification
Stabilisation detail: Built-in Optical SteadyShot; mode 1 normal and mode 2 panning (Photography Blog); no maker stop rating in read pages
Video features: Quiet linear-motor focusing; constant overall barrel length during focus and zoom

Design

Dust and moisture resistant: Yes
Filter diameter: 72 mm
Maximum diameter: 80 mm
Length: 175 mm
Weight: 840 g
Controls: Focus and zoom rings, AF/MF switch, focus-hold buttons, focus-range limiter and stabilisation controls
Zoom design: Internal zoom and focusing; overall length remains constant
Filter detail: 72 mm front filter thread
Weather resistance: Dust and moisture resistant design; not guaranteed to prevent all ingress
Dimensions detail: 80 mm maximum diameter × 175 mm length
Weight detail: Approximately 840 g, explicitly excluding separate tripod mount; hood and caps excluded
Tripod mount: Removable tripod mount supplied
Lens hood: ALC-SH133 round bayonet hood, supplied
In the box: ALC-SH133 hood, front and rear caps, soft case and tripod mount
Release detail: Sony original full-frame E-mount announcement dated 16 October 2013; Sony Japan final notice dated 7 March 2014 confirms local sale on 20 March. Main release retains March month because exact first global sale day unconfirmed. Two full independent reviews read: Photography Blog Mark Goldstein Alpha 7R II and OpticalLimits Klaus Schroiff original Alpha 7R. Different body stabilisation, shutter vibration, AF capability and mediocre OL sample centring qualified. OL erroneous fourteen-group count and petal-hood description corrected to maker fifteen groups and round SH133. Blog erroneous 0.3m limiter corrected by exact photo infinity–3m; review measurements are not maker stop claims. No inferred predecessor link

Pros and cons

Pros

Constant F4 maximum aperture
Internal zoom and focusing
Removable tripod mount supplied

Cons

840 g lens excluding tripod mount
0.13× maximum magnification

Closest rivals

Model	Mount	Focal length	Max aperture	Stabilisation	Weight	Released
SonyFE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS	Sony E	70–200 mm	f/2.8	Yes	1,480 g	Sept 2016
SonyFE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II	Sony E	70–200 mm	f/4	Yes	794 g	Jul 2023
SonyFE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS	Sony E	70–300 mm	f/4.5–5.6	Yes	854 g	Apr 2016

Sources

Photo: sony.jp

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