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I decided to switch from Nikon (D300 & D7000) to the Sony Alpha A77 in part because I was looking for a better feature set (like 12 FPS, 1080p/60 video) and maybe hoping for outstanding optics too. I was also frustrated by the lack of a modern lens of this very handy range. Sony also has the connection to Zeiss which has a pretty good rep. for quality optics! I have the Nikon 80-400 VR and it's okay (see other my review) but it was never outstanding, just okay. Likes: Optics - wow, really clean, low distortion, high contrast, so hey, why isn't everyone raving about this lens? The build quality is impressive, it feels good and solid, has three focus hold buttons, the nice big hood has an opening to allow rotation of a PL filter it seems, the tripod adapter is very solid and close to the lens. Focus is really fast. Not quite likes: it's way heavy, no, really heavy, gravitational field of it's own heavy! The focus range restrictor is helpful but the range options are not impressive. I like focus control toward the end to allow fine corrections while I'm holding the lens out there. I heard that it would zoom on its own if pointed up or down, okay maybe, but in this class of lens it's not unusual. The Nikon lens is smaller, lighter but uses old style camera driven focus and is optically not impressive - total fail! I'm not quite sure how to carry this Sony beast - the Nikon lens has it's tripod mount usable as a handle but this one is not ideal for carry but not a big deal. Price wise the Sony tends to be 50% more than the Nikon but you get optics with the Sony but the Nikon does have VR built into the lens and the Sony is just a normal lens attaching to a body with stabilization.Read full review
Like: Clarity, Quiet, Low battery power use, cropped photos have extremely high detail. Fully compatible with all camera functions. Not good in low light or in bright light with fast shutter speeds (over 2500th/sec). Addicting. You won't want to stop taking pictures once you own this lens. I don't need to use my glasses when I use my camera and when I see the results of my work, I am amazed. Keep rate of photos is over 90%. Dislike: EXTREMELY heavy, hard to hold and continuously shoot wildlife (cannot use tripod for random moving objects such as birds) because of weight, VERY expensive. With grip (holding 2 batteries, added flash, lens and camera weigh well OVER 7 lbs. NOT for the non-dedicated photographer. If I had to keep only 1 lens it would be this one. The photos are consistently amazing both in color and clarity. Used on Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D DSLR with and without battery grip. Detail is just so amazing - even with only 6.1MP!Read full review
I did a comparison with my SAL70300G and the lenses at 300MM are extremely close as far as sharpness. The 70400G just tweaks out the 70300G by the skin on my teeth. The 400mm photos are not the same quality and need to be inhansed in Photoshop to make them as sharp, compared to the 300mm photos of the same subject. What I been reading is that when you use a zoom at the end of the range, it will always lacks in sharpness. This is true with using the aperture wide open. I found that F8 gives me the best overall photos. The overall performance is quite good and I am very happy with it. I've been able to hand hold in bright sun light and take very nice photos. The lens mount is quite short, making it hard to use my quick mount on my tripod. My Sal70300G is much easier to travel with and the photo's are fantastic.Read full review
Outstanding lens. I love the images from it. By far the best lens I have so far.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Didn’t work very good on the a77m2 for some reason but on the 6500 it’s perfect super fast crisp and not as heavy as the canon 400 great deal for under 800.00
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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