Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS Review

Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS Performance

Sharpness throughout is of a very high standard. At 70mm, the centre is already very good at f/4, becoming excellent from f/5.6 to f/16. Results are still very good at f/22, making its inclusion useful where depth of field is the priority. The edges are very good at f/4, excellent at f/5.6 and f/8, very good at f/11 and f/16 and good at f/22.

100mm sees the lens excellent at all apertures from f/4 to f/16, still being very good at f/22. The pattern is the same at the edges, excellent at all apertures bar f/22 where it is still very good.

135mm gives an excellent result at the centre and the edges from f/4 to f/16 and a very good standard centre and edges at f/22.

200mm is centrally excellent from f/4 to f/16 and again, very good at f/22. The edges are slightly behind, being very good at f/4 and f/5.6, excellent at f/8 and f/16 and very good at f/16 and f/22.

Clearly, this is a very sharp lens throughout its range.

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is very well controlled at the centre at all focal lengths, quite exemplary in fact. As expected, the edges do show some fringing, but nothing too obvious and in any event something that can be tacked in software. Correction is best at middle focal lengths, impressively so, and it is only the extremes where it strays a little.

Flare can be induced, especially as the lens was provided for review without a lens hood. However, it takes direct sunlight for the contrast to fall dramatically and even then no artefacts can be observed. In normal use the lens shows little sign of flaring.

Distortion at 70mm shows a modest -0.659% of barrelling, thereafter becoming pincushion with 100mm giving +0.613%, 135mm +1.37% and 200mm +2.29%. This is actually extremely good for a zoom lens and should cause no problems in normal use. If required, software can be used to make corrections.

Bokeh is enhanced by the telephoto focal lengths, the circular diaphragm blades and of course the optical design. The result is a satisfyingly smooth effect, especially appreciated when shooting people against busy backgrounds.

Value For Money

The Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS lens can be found at £1199. This compares very favourably with the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 version, priced at £2499.

Looking at other 70-200mm f/4 lenses, we have the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM (£1149) and the Nikon 70-200mm f/4 G ED VR (£1179).

This leaves the Sony f/4 lens being about par for the course, maybe a tad more expensive but in the right area. The pricing seems about right.

For more options have a look at the Top 10 Best Sony E / FE Mount Lenses.

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