Sony is trying to make a name for itself in the world of professional sports photography, and on the camera front it’s done a great job with the Sony A9, the A9 II and then the A9 III with its astounding full frame global shutter for zero shutter distortion at any shutter speed. But you’ve also got to count in the excellent-but-expensive Sony A1 and A1 II, offering 50MP resolution and incredible burst speeds at the same time. So what’s happening with the lenses?
I read the Sony press release about the FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS (click the link to find out more on the Sony website) and thought that yes, that probably does fill a gap in the Sony line-up, while being a little bit surprised there wasn’t something like that already. But what really left me surprised was Sony saying this was a new, longest telephoto ever for the Sony E-mount lens range. What, really?
There have been a whole succession of Sony Alpha cameras which have been spectacularly good at sports (and wildlife) photography, and there’s never been an 800mm lens before?
It’s true, I checked. Previously, the longest E-mount zoom was the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS and the longest professional telephoto prime, the lens type of choice for pro sports photographers, was the colossally expensive FE 600mm F4 GM OSS. Sony does also offer the FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS (almost as expensive) and the thankfully more affordable FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS, not to mention a good choice of less extreme telephoto zooms, but it’s still a bit of a surprise to discover that if you want anything longer than 600mm it’s only now that you have that option.
What you can do, of course, is use Sony teleconverters on shorter zooms to get the extra range, but not all lenses are compatible and many photographers might prefer to avoid any kind of optical compromise. In the meantime, the Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS does indeed hit that longer range that’s been missing so far, though the price of around $2,898, high as it is, suggests this might be more of a consumer lens than a professional optic.
To be fair, Sony’s messaging around this lens seems to be aimed at wildlife photographers rather than pro sports shooters, so maybe its relatively restrictive f/6.3-8 maximum aperture will be less of an issue and its size, weight and cost might be a bit more attractive in this market.
The other point, I guess, is that for anyone investing in a full frame system for professional long-range sports photography has more to worry about than just the cost of the camera. That’s just the start!