The 70-300mm lens is a highly versatile option for sports and wildlife in particular and the market abounds with low cost choices that serve well. This lens is one of a different breed though, at a much higher price level and including, in Sony's jargon, their Optical Steady Shot mechanism.

Generally very good sharpness; Central CA almost eliminated; Ease of use; OSS system; Well made; Unique focal length for E mount

Edges soften as we zoom in; Edge CA high; High price

The Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS makes a solid case for itself by offering a useful focal range incorporating the longest reach of any E-mount lens, and all in a relatively compact package.

Announced in late March 2016, the Sony FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS lens has been designed primarily for use on the company's full-frame α7 bodies. It's the first Sony α E-mount lens to reach a 300mm focal length and the company's first E-mount zoom to cover a 70mm to 300mm range.

The Sony FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS is a crisp, all-weather telezoom. It offers a solid range, balances well with both APS-C and full-frame Sony mirrorless cameras, and delivers crisp results throughout its zoom range.

Good telephoto zoom range; Strong image quality; Quick autofocus; Sturdy build; Optical stabilization; All-weather design

Pricey; Narrow aperture; Some pincushion distortion

This lens is quite big, heavy, and expensive for its modest specifications. There is nothing too bad or too exciting about this lens. It's not as sharp as a good copy of 70-200, but it's not as bad 24-240 either, it's just average almost as good as Canon 70-300/4-5.6 IS USM.

good range; reasonably sharp

poor focusing

So far, a good solid lens. Biggest drawback is that it doesn't have a tripod collar. I don't understand why Sony didn't allow for this.

Can't use on a tripod

Sony's full format mirrorless system has been an immense success in recent years and with the release of the Alpha 9 they are now truly threatening the remaining native DSLR homelands. The FE system has been traditionally weak regarding very long tele lenses. However, Sony is trying to catch up now.

Expensive (like most lenses for the a7 series) big and heavy (which can make it feel unbalanced if you don't hold the camera in the right way) but it can take some really good real world pictures - sharp with nice bokeh and no noticeable distortion or aberrations.

The 70-300mmm G lens is the longest telephoto lens you can currently find for Sony APS-C and full-frame mirrorless cameras. This may not be the case for long, however, as Sony is committed to releasing more lenses for the E-mount system and rumors about a possible 100-400mm have already surfaced.

The full-frame E-mount FE 70-300mm F4.5 – 5.6 G OSS telephoto zoom lens features a state-of-the-art optical design including four aspherical glass elements, two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements and Sony's Nano AR coating, which all work together to effectively suppress spherical aberration,...