Sony has officially expanded its flagship G Master lineup with the announcement of the highly anticipated Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5 GM OSS lens. Tailor-made for professional wildlife, birding, sports, and photojournalism photographers, this super-telephoto zoom is engineered to deliver prime-lens performance without compromising on versatility.
The lens is currently available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video for $4,298.00.
A True Constant f/4.5 Aperture
Breaking away from the variable f/4.5-5.6 aperture of its predecessor, the new G Master lens boasts a constant f/4.5 maximum aperture across the entire zoom range. This upgrade provides photographers with faster performance at the 400mm long end, offering superior depth-of-field control, beautiful subject-to-background separation, and excellent low-light capability when paired with Sony’s Optical SteadyShot (OSS) image stabilization.
Elite Optical Architecture
As a member of the elite G Master series, the lens incorporates an advanced optical layout featuring ED XA, XA, Super ED, and ED glass elements to guarantee edge-to-edge sharpness and minimize aberrations. Additionally:
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Nano AR Coating II has been applied to suppress flare and ghosting, maintaining rich contrast in harsh backlighting.
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A floating focus mechanism ensures tack-sharp rendering from infinity down to its impressive 2.1-foot minimum focusing distance (with a 0.25x maximum magnification).
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An 11-blade rounded diaphragm delivers the ultra-smooth, circular bokeh that the G Master line is famous for.
Next-Gen Autofocus and Speed
Driven by four XD (extreme dynamic) linear motors, the autofocus system operates approximately 3x faster than the previous model, with a 50% improvement in tracking tracking accuracy.
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It seamlessly supports high-speed continuous shooting up to 120 fps and high-speed video recording up to 240 fps.
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Video shooters will also appreciate the dramatically reduced optical focus breathing and compatibility with camera-based Breathing Compensation.
Refined Handling with Internal Zooming
In a major design overhaul, the new 100-400mm lens utilizes an internal zoom and internal focus design. This means the physical length of the lens remains exactly 12.9 inches whether you are shooting at 100mm or 400mm. By keeping the center of gravity constant, Sony has made this 4 lb lens significantly easier to balance on tripods and gimbal heads.
For tactile operation, the lens features a physical aperture ring (which can be de-clicked for silent video transitions), a customizable function ring, and four programmable focus hold buttons.
Built for the Elements
Constructed with a hybrid metal-and-plastic chassis to balance durability and weight, the lens features comprehensive dust and moisture resistance, alongside a fluorine coating on the front element to repel water and oil. It accepts 95mm front screw-in filters as well as 40.5mm rear drop-in filters via an included holder.
For photographers needing even more reach, it is fully compatible with Sony’s 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters, extending the focal range up to an effective 140-560mm f/6.3 or 200-800mm f/9 respectively, while retaining full AF and AE capabilities.