Sony already makes TWO 100-400mm lenses, but these are the more expensive Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS variable aperture zoom at around $2,698/£2,149 and the even more expensive Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5 GM OSS at around $4,298/£4,399, but the new FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS is dramatically cheaper at $848/£848 and the first genuinely affordable option for beginners and enthusiasts.
Of course, at this price, you can’t expect everything the more expensive GM lenses offer. The Sony FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS does not have Sony’s celebrated (and expensive) G Master optics for a start, and with a variable maximum aperture of f/5.6-8, it’s somewhat slower. It also comes with a plain black ‘consumer’ finish rather that the white finish that marks out Sony’s professional telephotos.
But you do get some nice touches nonetheless. One of these is dual linear motors to power the autofocus. These are high-speed, high-torque AF actuators which are likely to prove a big advantage in a big telephoto lens like this one that will often be used to shoot fast and erratic subjects like wildlife or birds in flight. In fact Sony says it can keep up with the 120fps shooting of the Sony A9 III with AE/AF tracking.
It also features optical image stabilization (OSS) despite the fact that most current Sony bodies have IBIS built in – and it’s a tacit admission from lens makers that while IBIS is great for video and shorter focal lengths, lens-based optical stabilization is still best for telephotos.
Other features of the Sony FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS include impressive close-focusing capability with a maximum magnification of up to 0.41x, dust and moisture resistance and a customisable focus hold button. And you get all of this in a lens weighing just 645g, so it should balance OK even on APS-C bodies.
We’ll have to wait for reviews to start coming in to see what the actual optical performance is like, but with two ED elements and two aspherical, it will hopefully deliver all the performance amateurs would hope for. The Sony FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS is even compatible with Sony teleconverters (sold separately), though the restricted maximum aperture would be smaller still.
This is really positive news from Sony. Photography is an expensive business, and wildlife and sports photography is the most expensive of all, especially when you start getting into super-telephoto territory, so well done Sony for thinking about regular consumers too and not just its professional users.