A long-reaching and highly versatile lens, the Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS is the super-telephoto zoom built without compromise; it’s designed to meet the needs of the professional wildlife, birding, sports, and journalism photographers. Thanks to a portable design with internal zoom and focus, as well as the renowned G Master optical capabilities, this constant maximum aperture zoom offers the performance and rendering required for photographing small and distant subjects at high speeds with high precision.
G Master Optical Performance
Sony’s G Master designation is reserved for its highest performing optics, those that offer the greatest sharpness, smoothest bokeh, utmost speed, and best overall performance. This 100-400mm f/4.5 checks all of these boxes as it sets out to be a single lens replacement for several telephoto primes.
- Constant F4.5 maximum aperture is more intuitive than the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM predecessor, offering faster performance at the long end of the range while still contributing to a portable, handholdable design.
- Bright-enough design is suitable for working in ambient conditions, especially when paired with the OSS, and it also offers greater control over depth of field and subject-background separation.
- ED XA, XA, Super ED, and ED elements yield high sharpness and smooth rendering that suits distant and backlit subjects, especially when working with busy backgrounds and strong lighting.
- Nano AR Coating II suppresses flare for rich contrast and bright colors in a variety of lighting conditions.
- Floating focus design maintains high image quality throughout the focusing range, resulting in matched sharpness from infinity to the 2.1′ minimum focusing distance.
- Rounded 11-blade diaphragm results in smooth, circular bokeh quality.
High-Speed AF, Reliable OSS
Primarily designed for speed, precision, and reliability, the focusing and stabilization systems benefit wildlife, sports, and journalism applications. Additionally, the lens is well-suited to hybrid applications, including wildlife and sports videography.
- Four XD (extreme dynamic) linear motors generate fast and responsive AF performance that’s equally quiet and smooth. The focusing system is compatible with continuous shooting speeds up to 120 fps or high-speed video recording at up to 240 fps.
- Compared to the previous 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM, this lens’s AF speeds are approximately 3x faster, tracking performance has improved by 50%, and subject tracking is more accurate thanks to new algorithms.
- Internal focusing design promotes quicker focusing speeds and maintains the lens length during use.
- Internal zoom maintains the overall length of the lens during operation, as well as keeps a consistent center of gravity for easier use on a tripod, especially with gimbal heads.
- Focus breathing has been greatly reduced optically and the lens supports the Breathing Compensation function in select cameras to effectively eliminate angle of view shifts while changing the zoom position.
- Maximum magnification of 0.25x, along with the 2.1-4.9′ minimum focusing range, suits working with close-up subjects at near-macro magnification.
- Manual aperture ring offers tactile exposure control and the ring can be de-clicked for smooth and silent iris pulls or it can be locked in the ‘A’ position for camera-based aperture switching.
- The lens weighs about 4 lb, however much of this weight is at the rear of the lens for a balanced design that promotes comfortable handheld use.
- An advanced Optical SteadyShot image stabilization system ensures sharp imagery while shooting handheld at even the longest focal lengths. Multiple modes are available, including standard (Mode 1), panning (Mode 2), and moving subjects (Mode 3).
Intuitive Operability and Design
Despite a long-reaching super-telephoto range, internal zoom/focus design, and relatively bright f/4.5 constant maximum aperture, the lens still manages to be portable and usable atop a tripod, monopod, or even handheld.
- Measuring 12.9″ long and weighing about 4 lb, this lens is approximately 5″ longer and nearly 1 lb heavier than the FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens while managing to add internal zoom and focus designs and a constant F4.5 maximum aperture.
- Accepts both 40.5mm rear drop-in filters, via the included holder, and 95mm front screw-in filters.
- Four programmable focus hold buttons and a focus mode switch for intuitive focus control.
- Customizable Function Ring can be assigned to control a variety of camera and exposure settings.
- Dust- and moisture-resistant design includes rubber gaskets at each seam and a rubber ring sealing the lens mount for ensured use when working in inclement weather conditions.
- Hybrid construction uses both metal and plastic components to maximize both durability and a low weight design.
- Front lens element has a fluorine coating that repels water, oil, and other contaminants and makes the lens easier to clean.
- Removable tripod collar has a clicking design to help align when rotating between horizontal and vertical shooting orientations.
- Included lens hood features a locking button and a filter window for easier adjustment of rotating filters (e.g. polarizers, variable NDs).
Teleconverter Compatibility
The FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS is compatible with the optional Sony FE 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters. These teleconverters can be used while still retaining full autofocus and auto-exposure capabilities. When used, the 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters will provide effective focal lengths and apertures of 140-560mm F6.3 and 200-800mm F9, respectively.
