The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM and the Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Sony 500mm F4 G SSM is the longer of the two lenses at 368mm. The Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II with a length of 196mm, is 172mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM also has a larger diameter of 140mm compared to the Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II's 95mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II weighs 1500g, 56% (1960g) lighter than the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM's weight of 3460g.
Filter Threads
The Sony 500mm F4 G SSM has a filter size of 42mm whereas the Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II has a 77mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 42mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM:
And these are the 77mm filters that we recommend for the Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II:
Lens Mounts
Both the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM and the Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II has the same Sony Alpha lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony Alpha lenses are Sony A99 II, Sony A68 and Sony A77 II.
Focal Range
Sony 500mm F4 G SSM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 500mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
750mm.
On the other hand, the Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II has a focal range of 70-400mm and 5.7X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 105 - 600mm.
