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Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS - Review / Test Report |
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Lens Reviews -
Sony Alpha/NEX (APS-C)
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Page 1 of 3
Review by Klaus Schroiff, published June 2020
Introduction
Sony has been pushing full-format E-mount lenses during recent years whereas dedicated APS-C lenses have been neglected. However, there have been two interesting releases in late 2019 at least - the E 16-55mm f/2.8 G and the E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS. In this review, we'll have a look at the latter. You may argue that the Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS is a bit of an odd addition to the lens lineup. After all, APS-C users can also mount the Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS or even the FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS. However, if you don't plan to upgrade to a full-format camera any time soon, there's not really a reason to do so in the first place - if the performance is comparable at least. Additionally, the E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS is also more affordable at just south of $1000 or 900EUR as well as more compact and light-weight. The max. focal length is equivalent to a whopping "525mm" on full format cameras - that's quite a bit and sufficient for sports, your next safari, and even bird photography.
The E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS is a G-class lens thus targeting enthusiasts and semi-professional users. The build quality is accordingly high thanks to a combination of tough plastics on a metal mount. It also based on a dust- and moisture-resistant design which is, of course, a good idea because you tend to use such lenses outdoors only. Typical for its class, it uses an extending zoom mechanism. Our sample didn't exhibit any wobbling even at 350mm. While we haven't experienced any zoom creeping, it is possible to lock the zoom mechanism for transport. A dedicated focus-hold button is also provided. A barrel-shaped lens hood is part of the package.
The lens uses Sony's XD linear motor for auto-focusing. Depending on the camera, the AF speed is decent although not racer and it's, of course, noiseless. As usual manual focusing works "by wire" thus youdrive the AF motor by turning the focus ring. The focus action is very precise - more so than mechanically coupled manual focusing actually.
As the lens name implies, an optical image stabilizer (OSS) is provided. Sony doesn't provide any efficiency ratings. In real-life use, we'd rate it somewhere between 3 to 4 f-stops.
| Specifications |
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| Equiv. focal length (full-format) | "100-525mm" (in terms of field-of-view) |
| Equiv. aperture (full-format) | "f/7-9.8" (in terms of depth-of-field) |
| Optical construction | 19 elements in 13 groups inc. 1x aspherical, 3x ED elements |
| Number of aperture blades | 7 (rounded) |
| min. focus distance | 1.1-1.5 m (max magnification 1:4.3) |
| Dimensions | 77x142mm |
| Weight | 625g |
| Filter size | 67mm |
| Hood | petal-shaped (bayonet mount, supplied) |
| Other features | zoom lock switch, focus hold button, Dust and moisture resistant |
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