Having finally gotten my hands on the Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS, it’s not the monster lens I envisioned. And that’s no bad thing. In fact it’s not much bigger, nor heavier, than the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS. And while it’s bigger and heavier than the Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM, it has an internal zoom – so it’s quite a bit shorter when the Canon is maxed out at the telephoto end.
I tried the 400-800mm on the Sony A7R V at The Photography & Video Show in London, England, and was impressed with the combination’s AF speed.
But what really got me was the possibilities that this lens could afford enthusiast wildlife, motorsport and aviation photographers. At 5.45lbs / 2475g it’s handholdable, although prolonged use would likely warrant one of the best monopods or some such stabilization.
I wasn’t able to test the lens with a teleconverter, but it’s worth mentioning that this lens’ already monster reach can be increased via 1.4x and 2x extenders, delivering up to a whopping 1600mm reach. And while this would produce up to a very narrow f/13-f/16, a Sony rep assured me that the autofocus still works well.
And of course, use APS-C / Super 35mm mode on a full-frame Sony camera and you can turn that 400-800mm into a 600-1200mm.
Ultimately, this isn’t a lens that’s going to appeal to the very serious wildlife photographers who already have a reasonable amount of gear. And I do think for my own personal uses, the slightly wider aperture range of the Sony 200-600mm is still more my speed.
But, if you’re looking for your first super-telephoto lens and want to capture a range of subjects, the Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS looks like a great companion for, say, safaris, air shows and even motorsports.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we’re in the golden age of the super-telephoto!
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