A Classic Addition

The FE 100–400mm f/4.5-5.6 is the fi rst lens in Sony’s armoury to reach beyond the 300mm mark, and that is made for E-mount full frame cameras. Shridhar Kunte shares his experience.

- Shridhar Kunte

The lens was announced alongside Sony’s flagship camera, the A9. This was much needed as there was no lens that reached the 400mm focal length. Moreover, considering the incredible shooting speed of the A9, as well as the resolution count of the other A-series camera bodies, there were no optics available that would compel photographers to use Sony’s system to shoot sports, action and wildlife.

Features

The 100–400mm is the fourth lens to join the high-end G Master series. The lens is filled with plenty of glass. It contains 22 elements in 16 groups, which includes one Super ED and two ED glass elements. This combination of elements helps to suppress chromatic aberration throughout the entire zoom range, and helps to deliver sharp images with high resolution and contrast. Meanwhile, Nano AR coating minimises flare and ghosting.

The FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM features optical image stabilisation, which operates in two axes, and when coupled with a body with built-in stabilisation, the combination delivers 5-axis compensation. The nine blade iris system offers maximum and minimum apertures of f/4.5 and f/22, at 100mm, or f/5.6 and f/40 at 400mm.