Sony’s new FE 400mm F4.5 and 600mm F6.3 GM OSS lenses each weigh about 995g, promising lighter, steadier handheld wildlife and travel photography on the move.
The trouble with reach has always been what it does to your shoulders. A super telephoto lens can bring a fish eagle on a far branch or a leopard on a distant ridge into sharp focus, but you pay for it in kilos, in tripods and in the shots missed while setting up.
A Pair of Long Range Winners
Sony thinks it has changed that sum. The company has announced two new G Master primes for its full-frame Alpha E-mount system, the FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS and the FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS, and says both are the lightest lenses in the world in their respective categories. The 400mm weighs approximately 994g while the 600 mm weighs in at 995g, with each 108 mm across at its widest, and measuring 242 mm and 263 mm respectively in length.
Of course, weight is only half of it. Sony has moved the centre of gravity closer to the camera body, which should make it easier to hold a frame on a moving subject and to pan smoothly. The company is pitching the lenses at shooting situations where a tripod or monopod is hard to use, and at long handheld sessions.
Inside the Barrel
The optical design uses three Super ED elements and one ED element to suppress the chromatic aberration that plagues super telephotos, delivering sharpness from centre to edge. Meanwhile, Nano AR Coating II is there to cut ghosting and flare in backlit scenes, and an 11-blade circular aperture handles the bokeh to perfection.
Autofocus is driven by two XD Linear Motors, and Sony says the lenses are fully compatible with the Alpha 9 III’s continuous shooting at up to 120 fps with AF/AE tracking. Optical stabilisation is built in, and the lenses support the body’s Active Mode stabilisation, coordinated stabilisation control and breathing compensation for video.
Four customisable focus hold buttons sit around the barrel, along with a function ring, focus range limiter, Full-time DMF switch, focus mode switch and stabilisation mode switch. Both lenses are dust and moisture resistant, with a fluorine coating on the front element to shed contaminants. Sony’s optional teleconverters stretch the 400 mm to 800 mm, and the 600 mm to 1200 mm respectively.
