I've finally had some time and went to the Bronx Zoo to test the 200-800.
This was my first time I used the lens. Unfortunately the weather was hot and damp and not too bright.
Some considerations:
The good: the range is super useful in a zoo. The non removable tripod foot in up position is useful as carry on handle. Build quality feels very good.
The bad: it is big and heavy. Definitely you feel it after a little while. The throw of the zoom is quite long, meaning you have to twist the zoom ring a lot to go from 200 to 800 and it takes time and effort. I am not a fan of non-L lenses using the same ring gor MF and control ring: It is too small and not great for MF. The biggest issue is that at 800mm you are limited to f/9 and if there is not a lot of light (i.e. animal in the shade) then AF can struggle. This is where bright prime have a definite advantage.
Neutral: people do notice it
The big one: image quality… All in all I like the image quality, considered it is a non-L zoom. A lot of shots were OOF and I think it’s inevitable with f/9 and dark subjects. I was expecting it to be soft at 800mm but I was positively surprised. Of course it is a dark lens and long as well, so you need high ISO to keep shutter speed fast.
Here are some samples - I do not claim any artistic merit
This was my first time I used the lens. Unfortunately the weather was hot and damp and not too bright.
Some considerations:
The good: the range is super useful in a zoo. The non removable tripod foot in up position is useful as carry on handle. Build quality feels very good.
The bad: it is big and heavy. Definitely you feel it after a little while. The throw of the zoom is quite long, meaning you have to twist the zoom ring a lot to go from 200 to 800 and it takes time and effort. I am not a fan of non-L lenses using the same ring gor MF and control ring: It is too small and not great for MF. The biggest issue is that at 800mm you are limited to f/9 and if there is not a lot of light (i.e. animal in the shade) then AF can struggle. This is where bright prime have a definite advantage.
Neutral: people do notice it
The big one: image quality… All in all I like the image quality, considered it is a non-L zoom. A lot of shots were OOF and I think it’s inevitable with f/9 and dark subjects. I was expecting it to be soft at 800mm but I was positively surprised. Of course it is a dark lens and long as well, so you need high ISO to keep shutter speed fast.
Here are some samples - I do not claim any artistic merit
