Sony FE 100-400mm GM Real world images (click for larger)
Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5–5.6 GM OSS Review:
When Sony started their mirrorless system, they started without any telephoto lenses. I recall speculation that the Sony mirrorless autofocus system just wouldn’t work well with long telephoto. Slowly, they released a 200mm lens followed by 300mm, and finally in 2017, Sony released the Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5–5.6 GM OSS (hereinafter Sony 100-400mm). GM denoted G-Master, Sony’s highest designation for lens quality and the OSS indicating that the lens comes equipped with optical steady shot.
Every manufacturer has an equivalent lens but Sony’s 100-400mm is the most expensive and the lightest of the big three brands. (Sony 100-400mm at $2,498 and weighing 1395 grams, the Canon 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 L IS II USM currently $1899 ($2199 regular) and weighing 1640 grams, and the Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens costing $2100 currently (regular price of $2300) and weighing 1570 grams).
While third party manufacturers are starting to make FE mount lenses, they haven’t done any long telephoto lenses. The Sony 100-400mm GM is the only lens for those who want a FE-mount lens over 300mm. (Unless you count the new $12,000 Sony 400mm F/2.8).
So it’s modestly lighter than the competing camera systems and moderately more expensive. I borrowed a copy and shot with it for two weeks. In the gallery above, see some of my shots taken over the two weeks. Below, read the detailed review.
Body and Handling
While lighter than other camera system equivalent lenses, the Sony 100-400mm GM is still a very large and heavy lens. Next to the Sony 70-200mm F/4, one really appreciates the size difference with the barrel extended to maximum zoom.
Accepting that the lens will be big and heavy, there is nothing to complain about in the build quality. The lens seems well weather sealed. There is a removable tripod foot which is confusing at first but really easy once you figure it out. Convenient switches are on the side of the lens for the steady shot system, AF/MF and focus limiting. The opposite size of the barrel has a handy ring to adjust the stiffness of the zoom. I found this very helpful in fine tuning just how smoothly you want the focus ring to adjust. There are four focus hold buttons so they are easy to press no matter how you are positioning the camera. Focus hold buttons are a great place to assign eye-AF on Sony bodies.
Many Sony-haters have complained that large lenses don’t balance well on small Sony camera bodies. In my opinion, this is mostly a myth but I’ll share my handling experience. On the Sony A7riii body, the Sony 100-400mm is naturally a bit front heavy but it would be front heavy on any dSLR. When using the lens, you must support the camera with your right hand and the lens with your left hand. Properly positioned, the lens balances quite well. But it is still a heavy set-up. Every individual will have a different weight tolerance. When I was walking around with just the camera attached to the Sony 100-400mm GM, I was perfectly comfortable for a half hour to an hour at a time. Yet, the weight combination proved too much for me to carry around all day. When packing a full camera bag for the day, I found myself leaving behind the Sony 100-400 GM as it just added too much weight to the bag. Focus was fast and silent. The focus ring and zoom ring both have grooves for easy handling.
Steady Shot System
The Sony 100-400mm GM comes equipped with OSS, optical steady shot. On a camera like the Sony A7riii, the OSS works in conjunction with the camera’s internal stabilization system (IBIS). Your results will depend on your hand holding technique but I was very impressed. Below, see 100% crops taken handheld at 400mm:
At a shutter speed of about 1/80, I consistently got sharp images even at 400mm. The keeper rate steadily declined as I reduced the shutter speed but most images were sharp at 1/50th of a second and there were still a good percentage of sharp images at 1/25th of a second. At 1/8th of a second, as show above, I couldn’t quite get a sharp image but I did get close. In real world use, I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot still subjects at 1/80th of a second if necessary. In fact, the below landscape was shot at 400mm and 1/80th of a second in order to keep the ISO reasonably low:
Image Quality
As a G-Master lens, I had high expectations but my expectations were a bit tempered knowing that the Sony 100-400mm GM is still a variable aperture zoom lens. Spoiler alert: My expectations were exceeded.
Vignetting
Tested vignetting at the wide and telephoto end. At the wide 100mm lens above, you will note that vignette is present at the open 4.5 aperture but it is not extreme. The lightroom profile does not correct it entirely. Looking below at 400mm, you continue to see a moderate vignette even at F8. The lightroom profile does not seem to correct it entirely.
In real world shooting, the vignette is unlikely to detract from most images but you will want to correct landscapes.
Flare – Chromatic Aberration/Purple Fringing
Chromatic aberration and purple fringing are effectively non-issues as far as I can see. In extremely high contrast backlit situations at wide-open aperture, I can see a minimal degree of fringing, nothing to be concerned about. Flare is a bit more unpredictable but it didn’t pop up too often in my real world testing. The good news is that the Sony 100-400mm GM maintains fantastic contrast even with horrible back lighting.
Bokeh
My expectations for bokeh aren’t very high for zoom lens. With a focal length of 400mm, the Sony 100-400mm GM can certainly create narrow depth of field. Backgrounds are very smoothly blurred. Bokeh remains round but the insides of the bokeh balls are a bit busy, as one would expect in a zoom lens.
Distortion
Another non-issue for the Sony 100-400mm GM. At the wide end of 100mm, distortion is so minimal that I didn’t bother posting a corrected comparison. At the telephoto end of 400mm, the Sony 100-400mm GM shows a very minor degree of pin cushion distortion.
Sharpness
There isn’t much to say here, because everything is superb. I mean EVERYTHING. I tested centers, borders and corners at wide open aperture and F8. Starting at 100mm (click for large):
Typically, I post centers, borders and corners in separate galleries. By putting all in the same gallery, you will note very very little drop off in sharpness as you move to the edge of the frame. Even wide open at F4.5, the extreme corners are reasonably sharp. At F8, the corner reaches an absolutely incredible level of sharpness. Taking a look at 200mm:
I accidentally neglected to test the far corner at 200mm F/8 but the corner is completely usable f/5.6, even if not quite tack sharp. Turning to 300mm:
The Sony 100-400mm GM is quite sharp wide open, with just a tiny bit of softness in the extreme corners. Stopping down at 300mm doesn’t seem to change things much. One purchases the Sony 100-400mm GM in order to get the 400mm reach:
Zoom lenses are often weakest at the telephoto end but not with the Sony 100-400mm GM. At 400mm, I find even the corners tack sharp with the lens wide open. (Of course, wide open is still only 5.6). In summary, I would not hesitate to use the Sony 1000-400 GM at any focal length and any aperture. If you can’t get sharp images corner to corner with this lens, then you are doing something wrong.
Overall:
The Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5–5.6 GM OSS is nothing short of spectacular. I often hear people describe zoom lenses as having “prime like sharpness” but I typically find such claims exaggerated. In this case, it is true, the Sony 100-400mm GM is as sharp as most primes. There is really nothing negative to say about the image quality of this lens.
I was a bit torn on how to rate this lens. If you’ve never regularly used a truly heavy lens, then don’t purchase this lens without trying it first. For most enthusiasts, the Sony 100-400 GM is probably too much lens. While I enjoyed my time with it, I realized it was too heavy for me to really want to carry on any regular basis. Therefore, I have to think that many enthusiasts would be better off with the Sony FE 70-300mm at half the price and 2/3rds of the weight.
Most aps-c shooters would be better off with the Sony FE 70-300mm which will give you plenty of reach. Though if you are shooting birds, then go invest in the Sony 100-400mm GM. For full frame shooters looking to regularly photograph sports and wildlife, you won’t complain with the Sony 100-400mm GM.
When scoring a lens, I evaluate it as an enthusiast, including weight and price considerations. That made it difficult to score the Sony 100-400mm GM. The price is a bit higher than equivalent lenses from other manufacturers, but not outrageously so. The lens is too heavy for my tastes, but actually lighter than similar lenses from other manufacturers. I typically will only score a lens over 8 if it’s a lens that I would recommend for everyone. While I’m not going to personally keep this lens, I would indeed recommend it for every full frame shooter who wants to extensively shoot sports and/or wildlife. The Sony 100-400mm GM is nearly a perfect lens optically.
Rating (1-10): Score: 9
(About my scoring: 9-10 is a superb lens which could have a place in the bag of almost every photographer. 6-8: recommended with caveats. 3-5: A compromised lens that may still be suitable for some shooters and situations. 1-2: Just stick to your phone camera)
Purchase the Sony 100-400mm GM (with free extras) from Amazon here.
If you need even more reach, the Sony 100-400mm GM is compatible with the Sony FE teleconverters (click here). As you use teleconverters, image quality will deteriorate and maximum aperture will decrease. Therefore, I would only recommend the 1.4 teleconverter and not the 2x.
Testing and reviewing this lens made me wish Sony would replicate the Nikon 300mm f/4 PF lens, getting the reach (especially when paired with teleconverters) and the image quality at half the weight. If and when Sony does such a lens, I’ll snap it up.
I hope to eventually review every Sony FE lens. I’m almost half-way there as this is my ninth Sony branded FE lens review. To make sure you see all my posts and reviews, please follow me on twitter using the button on the top right.
Thank you.
