Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens – Lab Testing w/ 2x Teleconverter using Sony A6500

In this quick article I will show you some lab testing photos using the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens using the 24mp Sony A6500 for the camera body. I also tested the FE 2x Teleconverter in the lab so you can see how much that extra reach gets you plus how much closer you can get to your subject, because the minimum focus distance does not change with the extender.

This is a crop factor camera, so the effective focal lengths in this lab testing are 105-300mm for reference and with the FE 2x teleconverter it works out to 210-600mm effective!

Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens Key Features:

• E-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
• Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/22
• APS-C Effective Focal Length = 105-300mm
• One XA Element & Two Aspherical Elements
• Four ED Elements & Two Super ED Elements
• Nano AR Coating
• Dual Linear & Super Sonic Wave AF Motors
• Optical SteadyShot Image Stabilization
• Focus Hold Buttons; Focus Range Limiter
• Dust and Moisture-Resistant Construction
• Eleven-Blade Circular Diaphragm
• Minimum Focus Distance = 3.15′ / 96 cm
• Filter Thread = 77mm
• Weight = 3.3 lb / 1480 g
• Price = $2598 US @ BHPhoto | Amazon

Sony FE 2X Teleconverter

Key Features:

• E-Mount Teleconverter/Full-Frame Format
• 2x Magnification Factor
• Light Loss = 2-Stop
• Communication Between Lens & Camera
• Maintains Metering, Autofocus, and OSS
• Dust and Moisture-Resistant Construction
• Currently compatible with:
  • FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens
  • FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens
  • FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens
• Weight = 7.3 oz / 207.0 g
• Price = $548 US @ BHPhoto | Amazon
• Reviews >>

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My Lab Testing Photos

First, I wanted to show off some minimum focus distance test shots. For the record I was shooting in raw quality and I did apply the lens correction profile in Adobe Lightroom. I also applied a medium contrast tone curve, because the raw files were looking fairly flat on the contrast side. Everything else was untouched though, so no sharpness or saturation was added for example. I was shooting at ISO 800 in the lab, because I wanted to ensure the shutter speed was at least reasonably fast for this test so the sharpness was maximized from potential vibration influence.

Minimum Focus Distance Testing W/ FE 2x Teleconverter

Be sure to Click the Photos for the ~1500px Versions

@ 70mm + 2x which = 140mm or 210mm effective w/ Sony A6500

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@ 200mm + 2x which = 400mm or 600mm effective w/ Sony A6500

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A Few Sharpness Test Shots @ 140mm and 400mm

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Closing Remarks

As you can see the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter when mounted to the Sony A6500 and FE 70-200mm GM Lens works out to some serious zoom and minimum focus distance magnification advantages.

The sharpness however is not as good as just the FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens by itself, so you do lose a significant amount of light and a little sharpness, but you do gain insane reach effectively equaling 600mm on the a6500 and pretty awesome close-up photography opportunities. The light loss is equivalent to 2-stops, so f/2.8 ends up going to f/5.6 when shooting wide open.

For some real world sample photos using the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens w/ FE 2x Teleconverter, check out this article Here >>

More Sony FE 70-200mm GM Lens Lab Testing can be found Here using the A6500, and Here using my Full Frame Sony A7r >>

At the end of the day depending on your needs, the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter is a pretty handle tool for those needing more reach, and not wanting to purchase another whole lens like the FE 100-400mm f.5.6-6.3 GM OSS Lens for example. You don’t ever get something for nothing though, so the sharpness does soften up and bit and you do lose 2 full stops of little light when using it.

I hope you got something out of this quick lab testing article and please feel free to ask questions and comment below as always. Thanks, Jay

Gear used in this test:

• Sony A6500 @ BHPhoto | Amazon
• Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens @ BHPhoto | Amazon
• Sony FE 2x Teleconverter @ BHPhoto | Amazon