The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sony FE 600mm F4 GM and the Nikon 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR 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 FE 600mm F4 GM is the longer of the two lenses at 449mm. The Nikon 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR with a length of 155mm, is 294mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sony FE 600mm F4 GM also has a larger diameter of 164mm compared to the Nikon 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR's 88mm diameter.
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Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of Sony FE 600mm F4 GM and Nikon 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
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. Nikon 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR weighs 1070g, 64% (1970g) lighter than the Sony FE 600mm F4 GM's weight of 3040g.
Filter Threads
The Sony FE 600mm F4 GM has a filter size of 41mm whereas the Nikon 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR has a 82mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 41mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Sony FE 600mm F4 GM:
And these are the 82mm filters that we recommend for the Nikon 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR:
Lens Mounts
The Sony FE 600mm F4 GM has the Sony E lens mount whereas the Nikon 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Sony A9 III, Sony A7C Mark II and Sony A7CR for the Sony E Mount and Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount.
Focal Range
Sony FE 600mm F4 GM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 600mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
900mm.
On the other hand, the Nikon 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR has a focal range of 24-70mm and 2.9X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 36 - 105mm.