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SONY A6700 & 70-350MM F4.5-6.3 OSS G
At 1,118g (2.5lbs), this is the compact and lightweight wildlife and travel telephoto setup we bring everywhere.
A6700
Introduced in July 2023, A6700 is Sony's flagship E-mount APS-C camera designed for photo and video enthusiasts. It has four of our must-have features:
AI EYE AUTOFOCUS: Powered by an AI Chip, the Real-Time Eye Tracking AF has noticeably increased eyes being in sharp focus in our wildlife photos. This AI AF also works accurately and smoothly for videos, drastically reducing the focus pulsing found in other systems.
4K 60P 120P 10-BIT 422 VIDEO: Oversampled from 6K, the 4K 60p video has 14 stops of dynamic range. Captured directly from 4K area of the sensor, the 120p video has an additional 1.58X crop. This turns the 70-350mm into 166-830mm, which is perfect for wildlife. Keep in mind that 4K 60p and 120p 10-bit 422 videos require the latest computers to play back and edit smoothly.
ELECTRONIC VIEWFINDER: Under bright sunlight, it is essential to have a viewfinder to compose the shots and see the camera settings. I love this viewfinder being on the side so that my nose won't hit the touchscreen and accidentally change the autofocus area or settings.
IN-BODY IMAGE STABILIZER: The 5-axis IBIS delivers up to 5-stops of shake compensation so lenses without IS are stabilized for video and low-light. For lenses longer than 135mm, OPTICAL STEADYSHOT™ will be needed.
70-350MM F4.5-6.3 OSS G (105-525mm F6.8-9.5)
This 5X zoom is by far the most compact, lightweight, and affordable way to obtain 105-525mm Full-Frame equivalent focal range for the E-mount System. It is perfect for travel, wildlife, and daytime sports.
AUTOFOCUS: Sony's XD Linear Motor System delivers fast, accurate, and silent Eye AF Tracking, capable of handling sports and wildlife when light is plentiful.
OPTICAL STEADYSHOT™: OSS and IBIS working in tandem - OSS handling pitch and yaw, IBIS handling sensor XY shift and roll - the two systems provide improved 5-axis shake compensation for a long telephoto zoom. However, shooting video at longer focal lengths, using an AV tripod is still a necessity.
F-STOP RANGE: 70-82mm F4.5, 83-115mm F5, 116-199mm F5.6, 200-350mm F6.3
SHARPNESS
TEST IMAGE LINKS |
NORMAL VIEWING PHOTOS ON 27" IMAC
5K (5120 X 2880 = 14.7MP) |
PIXEL PEEPING @ 100% |
Sony 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 OSS
(105-525mm F6.8-9.5)
70mm, 100mm, 135mm, 200mm, 350mm |
70-350mm wide open: very sharp center & corners
Very sharp telephoto zoom with image stabilizer |
70-350mm wide open: sharp center, good corners
70-350mm: stop down for minor improvements in the center
70-350mm: stop down corners soften a little
Multiple tests, same results, maybe just this copy |
Click on the focal-length links in the left column above to see the center and corner sharpness at different f-stops. |
ALTERNATIVES
% LONGER |
SONY 70-350
F4.5-6.3 OSS G |
SIGMA 100-400 (114%)
F5-6.3 OS |
SONY 100-400 (114%)
F4.5-5.6 OSS GM |
TAMRON 150-500 (143%)
F5-6.7 VC |
SONY 200-600 (171%)
F5.6-6.3 OSS G |
COST MSRP |
$998 |
$849 (85%) |
$2,498 (250%) |
$1,299 (130%) |
$1,998 (200%) |
WEIGHT |
625g, 1.38lb |
1,135g, 2.5lb (182%) |
1,395g, 3.1lb (223%) |
1,880g, 4.14lb (300%) |
2,115g, 4.65lb (338%) |
SIZE |
ø77mm L142mm |
ø86mm L197mm (173%) |
ø94mm L205mm (215%) |
ø93mm L210mm (216%) |
ø112mm L318mm (474%) |
Is the increase in focal length worth the differences in cost, weight, and size?
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APS-C VS FF
FULL FRAME = 150% COST, 214% WEIGHT, 216% SIZE FOR A 500MM-EQUIVALENT SETUP WITH AI AUTOFOCUS |
APS-C |
$2,396 |
1,118g, 2lbs 7oz |
Sony A6700 AI AF $1,398 (493g) |
Sony 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 OSS (105-525mm equivalent) $998 (625g) (ø77mm L142mm) |
FULL FRAME |
$3,597 |
2,394g, 5lbs 4oz |
Sony A7C2 AI AF $2,198 (514g) |
Tamron 150-500mm F5-6.7 VC $1,399 (1,880g) (ø93mm L210mm) |
IMAGE QUALITY differences are not noticeable as the latest AI softwares can easily eliminate the 1-stop IQ gap between FF and APS-C. |
SIZE & WEIGHT differences are very noticeable, carrying more than TWICE THE SIZE & WEIGHT! |
A6700/70350 PHOTOS
ANNA'S MALE HUMMINGBIRD: A6700's AI Eye-Tracking Autofocus can keep up with the fast and unpredictable hummingbirds. 350mm (525mm FF) F6.3
ALLEN'S MALE HUMMINGBIRD: The number of perfectly focused bird-in-flight photos have noticeably increased with the A6700.
ALLEN'S MALE HUMMINGBIRD: 350mm (525mm FF) F6.3
A6000/70350 PHOTOS
BLACK-CHINNED FEMALE HUMMINGBIRD: I had taken well over 10K hummingbird photos with the A6000/70-350mm setup. 350mm (525mm FF) F6.3
MONO LAKE OSPREYS: Spotted an osprey nest on a Tufa Tower unexpectedly, I was able to capture this precious moment because my compact and lightweight APS-C telephoto kit was always with me. (525mm FF) F6.3
YELLOWSTONE COYOTE: A surprise close encounter while traveling. 244mm (366mm FF) F6.3
YELLOWSTONE COYOTE: 306mm (459mm FF) F6.3
YELLOWSTONE BISON: 350mm (525mm FF) F6.3
YELLOWSTONE BISON: 350mm (525mm FF) F6.3. Click on the image to see 100% crop sample.
MAMMOTH SKI AREA: A telephoto zoom is essential for landscape photography. 70mm (105mm FF) F4.5
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Copyright © 1999-2024 Albert Yu. All rights reserved.
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