Sony 500mm F4 G SSM is a Fixed aperture Auto Focus (AF)
Super Telephoto Prime lens with 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with
A Mount cameras.
What type of photography is the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM lens good for?
The choice of photography type for which you intend to use the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM is a crucial decision factor. Below, we have assessed its suitability for various photography scenarios:
Reasons to Buy the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM Lens
Here we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM lens in a list form to assist you in determining whether it offers the features you need.
| Weather-sealed |
| Autofocus |
| Distance Scale |
| Hood supplied |
| Tripod Collar |
| Full-time Manual Focusing |
| Focus Distance Limiter |
| Covers Full-Frame Sensor |
| 9 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh |
| 500mm reach great for Wildlife Photography |
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Lens Mount
Sony 500mm F4 G SSM is compatible with cameras that have a 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.
Size, Weight and Filter Thread
The size and weight are crucial factors to consider when searching for your next lens. Sony 500mm F4 G SSM has a maximum diameter of 140mm and a total length of 368mm. It weighs 3460g / 122.0 oz.
Sony 500mm F4 G SSM has a Drop-in type filter holder with a filter thread of 42mm.
You can also check All Sony Alpha Mount Lenses with 42mm Filter Thread Size to find the matching lenses.
Focal Range
Sony 500mm F4 G SSM has a fixed focal length of 500mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 750mm.
Weather Sealings
The Sony 500mm F4 G SSM is a weather-sealed lens, which provides extra protection to prevent water and dust get inside the lens and camera body under light rain, snow and wind. In order to have effective protection, you have to pair the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM with a weather-sealed camera body such as the Sony A99 II, Sony A77 II and Sony A99.
Tripod Collar
With a total length of 368mm and a weight of 3460g, the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM is a large lens. Fortunately, it comes with a tripod collar which you can use to attach the lens directly to a tripod or monopod instead of attaching the camera. This connection helps to better balance the lens/kit combination.
Optical Image Stabilization
Sony 500mm F4 G SSM doesn't have an optical image stabilization system so the only option to stabilize the image taken with this lens is to mount on a camera body with IBIS (sensor based In-body image stabilization).
Sony 500mm F8 Reflex is the only Super Telephoto Prime type Sony Alpha mount lens with higher max magnification than the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM.
Aperture
The Sony 500mm F4 G SSM features a maximum aperture of F4 and can be stopped down to a minimum aperture of F32. While a maximum aperture of F4 requires a bit more ambient light or a bump in ISO when shooting indoors, it keeps the physical size of the lens much smaller and easier to carry. At 500mm, this lens provides a natural perspective, and opening up to F4 offers clean background separation for typical everyday shooting. The minimum setting of F32 is excellent for deep depth of field work like macro photography, though you may want to avoid the absolute smallest settings to skip the sharpness loss caused by optical diffraction.
Optical Formula
Sony 500mm F4 G SSM's optical formula consists of 11 elements in 10 groups . Special elements used in this design is 3 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements.
Lens Hood
Sony 500mm F4 G SSM comes with a removable lens hood which is handy to reduce lens flare and glare in your photos.
Popular Comparisons of Sony 500mm F4 G SSM
Here are the 8 most popular comparisons of the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM amongst Camera Decision readers.
Top Alternatives of Sony 500mm F4 G SSM Lens
In addition, it would be interesting to check which lenses from other mounts are most commonly compared with the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM.
Top Alternatives of Sony 500mm F4 G SSM in Other Lens Mounts
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