In astrophotography, a lens with a strong zooming capacity is always appreciated. Especially when shooting the moon and large nebulae. And Sony has been a market leader in making excellent astrophotography lenses.
Sony’s 200-600mm lens has generated a lot of attention since its release in 2019. However, there’s still a debate whether it’s good enough for everyone.
So, is sony 200 600mm astrophotography good?
While Sony 200-600mm astrophotography is decent, it’s better suited for photographing wildlife. This ultra-telephoto zoom has a range of 840 or 1200mm. Sony’s Direct Drive system enables incredibly quick and precise focusing. You can use this lens to get fairly creative with good planning and composition.
This is only a synopsis. We went into great length about it in the following part. Continue reading to discover more about this camera.
First Impression of Sony 200 600mm Astrophotography
Sony 200-600mm is an excellent telephoto zoom lens. This is ideal for wildlife photography and can go as far as 840mm or 1200mm.
However, teleconverters with 1.4x and 2.0x capabilities will be required for that range. The lens is made using aspherical and ED glass elements.
This makes it possible to attain excellent resolution across the zoom range. The Nano AR Coating from Sony reduces flare and ghosting.
Sony 200-600mm Specs
Before you decide to buy you need more details about its performance and features. Let’s examine the lens’s features in more detail to see how well they function.
Zooming Quality:
With a teleconverter, you may zoom up to 600mm or 1200mm while using this lens. It works well with the 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters.
It can go up to 1200mm or 840mm maximum focal length at F13. Both teleconverters are great, with excellent image clarity and AF performance.
When photographing the moon, this fantastic zooming-in feature is really useful. The images will be sharper and more distinct.
However, you may be hoping to catch as much of the sky as you can. Then this is not the lens for you.
A wider focal length will provide the most comprehensive view available. Therefore, it is more common to use lenses with a focal length of 14 to 20 mm.
High Resolution:
This new optical design uses one aspherical element and five Extra-low Dispersion glass elements. Through the whole zoom range, these components provide excellent resolution and picture quality.
Spherical distortion and aberration are reduced by the aspherical element. The ED glass elements reduce the chromatic aberration.
This aberration can be an issue with super-telephoto focal lengths. These glasses will reduce spherical aberration when photographing nebulae and produce higher-quality photos.
Just look at this gorgeous image of orion nebula through this sony lens-
However, that necessitates accuracy in the camera settings. And even professionals make mistakes with their settings from time to time.
Fast & Accurate Focusing:
This lens uses a Direct Drive SSM technology from Sony. This system provides the power and precision required for incredibly quick and accurate focusing.
No movement is wasted due to high positioning accuracy. So, pinpoint autofocus is accomplished with lightning speed. The system is also exceptionally silent.
Shooting wild animals is made a lot easier by this function. However, the stars are too small for autofocusing.
Beautiful and Natural G Lens Bokeh:
The Sony 200-600mm lens has a circular aperture mechanism with 11 blades. This contributes to the stunning bokeh created with this lens.
This allows the super-telephoto focal lengths’ limited depth of field to be used. And as a result, it will create eye-catching photos with rich, smooth G lens bokeh.
The bokeh on G lenses is fantastic for shooting wildlife. Images of animals taken using bokeh add further definition to the subject. But, in the case of astrophotography, bokeh isn’t really useful.
Reliability and Excellent Control:
The Sony 200-600mm has an inbuilt zoom system. It ensures that the lens’s length remains constant while you are zooming for a balance.
There are three customizable focus hold buttons. For convenience, while shooting in any orientation, these are 90 degrees apart.
High reliability in demanding settings is ensured by a fluorine front element coating. Moisture and dust resistant design also ensure higher reliability in the lens.
Is Sony 200-600mm Suitable for Astrophotography?
The Sony 200-600mm was designed specifically for shooting wildlife. Because of its short exposure period, it performs best when there is plenty of light.
Sony’s 200-600mm zoom lens is not suggested for beginners for astrophotography. However, experts could have more success with it.
With these lenses, they could capture images of a lunar or solar eclipse. Although most people opt for a telescope. They can be utilized to photograph conjunctions as well.
Otherwise, due to the relatively little maximum exposure duration, there aren’t many objects you can photograph.
Alternatives of Sony 200-600mm
For astrophotography, the Samyang 135mm f/2 is incredibly popular. There are several examples of excellent photographs shot with it.
Just make sure you obtain a good copy. As the quality control isn’t as high as a Canon. It costs about the same as a used Canon lens.
Nikon also makes some good quality lenses for astrophotography. For example, the astrophotography from nikon d5200 lens is definitely worth its price. The price is even more affordable than the sony one.
William Optics RedCat is slightly slower with a focal length of f/4.9. This will be an excellent alternative, but it will cost twice as much.
If you search, you can also find a decently used Canon 200mm 2.8 for about $426.Even though it costs a lot more,70-200mm is thought to be better than 200mm.
If you want more range, the Canon 300mm f/4 is a good option. In the end, it all comes down to whether or not you have the proper setup. With the proper setup and a good sky atlas, you can shoot the sky with any lens.
Final Verdict
The moon and large nebulae like Trifid are captured with this telephoto lens in exceptionally high detail. However, that calls for attention to detail and expertise. So it is better to hand over that task to professionals.
It is preferable for a beginner to look for lenses designed specifically for astrophotography. You can also try utilizing telescopes.
For testing purposes, companies occasionally rent these lenses. If you truly want to test the quality of this lens, try it in this manner. If not, choose one of the lenses we recommended above for better functionality.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are Sony Cameras Suitable for Astronomy?
Yes, Sony cameras are good for photography. Sony A7R III is by far the most popular Sony camera for astrophotography. It is a full-frame mirrorless camera that contains an image sensor with a resolution of 42.4 MP.
Can You Carry the Sony 200/600mm in Your Hand?
200-600mm is a large lens, indeed. Compared to the 100-400 mm, the 200-600 mm is much bigger and weighs more.200-600 mm requires more effort than the 100-400 mm lens.
Which MM is Ideal For Astrophotography?
The ideal mm range for astrophotography is between 14 and 20mm in full-frame. It is 10-14mm for APS-C and 7-10mm for Micro Four Thirds. You want your lens to be able to catch as much of the sky as possible. Additionally, a long focal length will guarantee the widest field of view.
End Words
That’s all we had to say about sony 200 600mm astrophotography. There is no denying the exceptional performance of this telephoto lens.
However, it is clearly best suited for wildlife photography. But with this lens, massive nebulae like the Trifid and the North America Nebula can be captured.
Until next time, Good luck shooting the night sky.
