Product Description

Cover a broad range of frequent telephoto shooting situations with the Sony SAL-70200G. Its range makes it ideal for long-distance sports and wildlife photography.

Product Details

• Brand: Sony
• Model: SAL70200G
• Released on: 2006-08-20
• Dimensions: 3.00" h x 3.00" w x 8.00" l, 4.50 pounds

Features

• Super Sonic wave Motor (SSM) for fast auto focus
• Four Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass elements for greater visual accuracy
• Fast internal focusing without change in lens length
• Two Direct Manual Focus (DMF) modes
• 35mm equivalent: 105mm to 300mm

From the Manufacturer
A precision zoom lens with bright aperture and fast, quiet auto-focus response. Specially designed for the APS-size CCD imager of the Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 camera, this superb G-Series zoom lens covers a broad range of frequent telephoto shooting situations. Its 35mm-equivalent range of 105-300mm zooming, fast f/2.8 aperture and quiet, high-speed SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor) auto-focus precision makes it ideal for long-distance sports and wildlife photography.

Lens Features

SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor)
A built-in lens motor for faster automatic focusing with high torque at low speed, quick start/stop response, and quiet, smooth operation.

ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass
Four precision ED Glass lenses correct chromatic aberrations and deliver visually accurate results even at full telephoto zoom extension.

Internal focusing system
Internal lens elements move, so the overall length does not change -- creating a zoom lens that focuses more quickly and doesn’t affect the balance of your camera.

2 DMF (Direct Manual Focus) modes
Allow you to quickly revert to manual focus by just turning the manual focus ring of the lens.

Versatile focus hold
Three focus hold buttons in different lens locations, plus electronic slider focus range selector switch.

Customer Reviews

Worth the price...
It's important to get a quick autofocus lens that will deliver across a wide range of potential shoot options. I bought this one for the A700, using the Sony 2x converter, and despite ambiguous marketing writeups, I took a chance on the three components having FULL interoperability with the autofocus, etc. It met/exceeded all my requirements and they are fully compatible. I'll admit that them all being Sony components helped, and I've had nothing but good luck with all the Sony products I've bought. This lens, with the converter, creates a bit darker setup, but I bought it for airshows and distant scenery shots, and the camera automatically offsets for this. I am looking forward to many years of flexibility and enjoyment.

WOW!!!
This lens is very impressive! Very sharp, nice Bokeh, great colors. And of course all the obvious advantages that you can see from the spec: f/2.8 (good for low light and for shallow DOF), SSM (very fast focus).
Lately I learned about another advantage - you look professional when you carry this lens... I walked around in parades and concerts and people were happy to pose for me... Then they asked where it is going to be published... It was the first time that I could get shots of people without being afraid that they will break my camera.
However, the professional look can sometimes be disadvantage, and in general this lens attracts lots of attention. It is also big and heavy. And expensive.

Bottom line - I really love this lens and it produced many pictures that I couldn't get with other lenses (in terms of sharpness, colors and Bokeh). However, you should give it some time in order to get used to it and learn all the advantages (and disadvantages) of this lens. If you have the money - BUY IT!

No surprises here
This lens delivers everything that is promised. The build quality is fantastic. It is super fast and quiet. And of course, as everyone else has stated, quite heavy. It took a long time for me, as an amatuer photographer, to get up the guts (and cash) to spring for this lens, but there are no regrets.
I had suffered for years taking photos of my son's hockey teams with a moderate priced telephoto lens. I would spend hours post-processing the photos to brighten them, improve contrast, and frankly, I would toss more than half that I had taken. It was not a good use of time for a busy person. Now, I would say that better than 90% of my shots are keepers from a focus and brightness perspective. Now I just have to work on better composition!
As far as the weight goes, I had imagined that I could deal with it in the ice arena by using a monopod. The first time I tried it though, I found it way to cumbersome to quickly manipulate the position as I was perched on a bench shooting over the plexiglass. The action flows way to fast even at the top PeeWee level (11-12yr olds). I had much better luck shooting with it hand held although it becomes a strain on the neck and back muscles unless you are high enough to not reach to get over the glass. Eventually, I ended up shooting from the players bench. That is really the best location if your coach doesn't mind.
One other thing is that I dared not use the lens until I had something in front to protect it. It was a bit of a struggle to find a UV lens that was rated well enough to not impare the images from the G-series glass that I just spent so much money on. I ended up getting a B&W 70mm Multi-coated UV HAze 010 filter and have no complaints. Also, the lens hood is quite large which keeps things (e.g. hockey sticks, kids running with slushies) comfortably at bay.
I highly recommend this lens. It is top notch. I couldn't be more thrilled.