You might have been underwhelmed by Sony’s announcement of its new FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS and FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS. Neither is cheap and both look quite slow compared to Sony’s existing FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS primes FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS. But it’s time to let the numbers tell the story because the savings in cost and weight are HUGE.
What’s the catch? The new FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS is only an f/4.5 compared to the existing flagship 400mm lens’s f/2.8, and the new FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OS is only an f/6.3 when the existing Sony 600mm pro lens is an f/4.
But look at the prices. The FE 400mm f/4.5 GM comes in at $2,698 compared to the f/2.8 version’s $12,998. The new lens is, very literally, over $10,000 cheaper. Yes, you’re losing more than a stop of light gathering power, but would you pay $10,000 extra for that? Working professionals could probably justify that, but what these new lenses do is bring Sony’s professional G Master optics within reach of amateurs and enthusiasts.
It’s the same story with the new FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS. It’s around a stop and one-third slower than the existing 600mm f/4, but it’s over $10,000 cheaper. Even professionals sports and wildlife photograthers are likely to do a double-take and think very hard about whether they really need that extra stop-and-a-bit of light gathering.
And it’s not just the cost but the weight. The existing FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS and FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS weigh 2,895g and 3,040g respectively. The two new lenses each weigh just 994g and 995g. These two new lenses, TOGETHER, weigh a kilogram less than just one of Sony’s existing flagship telephoto primes. This doesn’t just make them much lighter to carry around but much better for handheld shooting too, regardless of the small drop in maximum aperture.
Both new lenses are G Masters, so they are built to Sony’s highest optical and engineering standards. with dual XD linear motors, optical stabilization and full compatibility with the Sony A9 III’s 120fps continuous shooting speed. The prices might seem steep for the amateur/enthusiast market, but you’re getting professional supertelephoto primes at a far, far lower price point than before.
Sony has taken a bit of a chance here, launching two lenses with visibly inferior specs to existing alternatives, and at a price which will still seem high to ordinary users. It might seem as if Sony has dropped its two lenses into an empty no-mans-land between cost and specification, But when you look properly at the numbers, the savings are so huge that the drawbacks seem modest.
- Where to get the Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: $2,698 at B&H | £2,399 at Wex
- Where to get the Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: $3698 at B&H | £3,299 at Wex