Product Reviews

Having owned the excellent A-mount 70-400 f4-5.6, which traveled with me for mainly wildlife photography all over the world, I wanted the performance benefits of this lens with the Alpha 7 etc series of FE mount bodies, in particular the ability to use the telephoto converters with a rich range of features. I am delighted to have made the transition. Results with and without the TCs are excellent and the autofocus features are a real pleasure. Highly recommended.

Had this 3 weeks and it is a superb example of a 100-400 professional zoom.

Ive been wanting this lens for a couple years but i kept not buying it because its so expensive. And being retired money is not easy to come by. Im 75 years old now so it was really a want instead of a need. So i just want to let others know that this lens is awesome and a definite keeper. Wish i could have bought it sooner. I have a Sony telephoto 70 to 200 f4. But found it just didn't have the reach i wanted a lot of the time. I read the reviews of others trying different brands and they didn't seem satisfied so thats why i got the Sony….its focus is amazing and I'm totally satisfied.

I bought one of these about 3-4 years ago when I first changed over to Sony as, other than the 400 f2.8, it was the biggest lens that Sony did. Soon after though, they brought out the 200-600 so I bought one of those as well. Last year I bout the 400 f2.8 and decided to sell my 100-400 to a friend. Big mistake as the 100-400 is so good and so useful so.... I bought aniother copy a few weeks back

I have owned this lens for 3mth. It’s a great lens for wildlife and other types of photography. I use it predominantly handheld and have some great results. It’s a pity the zoom isn’t internal like the 200 -600, in hides when zooming in and out particularly behind glass mean moving back and forwards. The lens is light weight enough to use for a long session handheld and travel. I do on occasions use the 1.4x extender and again have had some great results. If you’re looking for a versatile lens that give great results, then this is a good choice.

I bought the lens seconhand from LCE recently as a treat for myself after coming into some money, as I have always dreamt of owning it. It is paired with my Sony A9 and what an amazing combination it has turned out to be. It is a bit of a learning curve how to use it, with the incredible focal range, but I am getting used to it now. It's great for landscapes, wildlife, portraits of the family and of course sports (but not yet had chance to try this yet). The image quality is out of this world even when zoomed fully in, the build quality is of course excellent for a GM lens and it has now opened up a whole new world of photography for me!

I've had this lens for a few months now,very happy with it,excellent quality.

Not a lightweight lens but very high quality and sharp across the range

Spent the last few years using various other telephotos such as the sigma 100-400 and the Tamron 70-300, mainly because they’re cheaper. Finally decided to take the plunge and spend a little more (double). All I can say is I should’ve gone straight for the Sony! Better in every way and just pure joy to use. Puts a smile on my face every time I pick it up!

Got this for wildlife photos and it does not disappoint. Very happy with the image quality and how responsive the lens is.

only take it off to switch to a wide angle lens. produces sharp images and so far tracks moving objects with incredible accuracy. paired it with the 1.4 teleconverter and it is still super sharp and fast. in my opion it is well worth the price I paid

Recently purchased this lens and the build quality and performance are up there with the best.

I bought this one month ago and have been using it on my a9 have not managed to take an out of focus shot absolutely superb lens

I have owned and used the Sony 24mm, 24-105 and 70-200 lenses. I also have the 24-70 2.8. Despite other lenses being more compact, the Sony 100-400 GM is on my a7Riii all the time. I only switch when I want to photography something specific. Many people say the 70-200 is a good all around lens, but I now use the 100-400 instead, which has replaced the 70-200. I love the close focusing distance, fast focus and image quality from the 100-400GM. And yes, I use it mostly hand held, which is a testament to the overall handling of this lens.

Incredibly sharp, very fast focus, good minimal focus distance. The G Master delivers everything it promises, but you do have to pay for it.

I use other 100-400 for other manufacturers but this one sit on top in so many things, the results that you get are amazing, paired with a high resolution camera like A7R show no laws what so ever

I have recently moved from A mount to E mount and required a telephoto zoom lens, as I like landscape, sports and moving objects like birds. So I chose this lens as it it had everthng that I required. It is just a fantastic lens with great zoom capability

I knew this lens was good and since its purchase it has exceeded all my expectations, a wonderfully sharp cary around all day lens

What a super lens, it's done everything I’ve asked of it. If it wasn’t that I need more reach sometimes I would leave it on the camera all the time

First impressions, using it with my Sony A7R111, razor sharp images at all focal lengths, focusing fast and accurate. The lens feels well balanced and relatively light considering it’s size. Seems easy to use handheld but I use it mostly on a monopod, my only criticism would be the tripod foot doesn’t have a Swiss Arca fitting requiring the purchase of a suitable plate. Quality of the lens appears great but I can’t comment on durability having only had it a short while, overall I think this is a great lens and anyone taking the time to use it properly certainly wouldn’t regret the purchase

Great telephoto lens. Not good for low light applications tho. Day light photography unless you want to use crazy high iso. Auto focus is definitely on point!

This is a quality lens giving pin sharp images throughout the zoom range. It is also excellent to use as a macro lens, and also works well with the 1.4 converter. It isn't the lightest lens but I have no problem carrying it all day on a black rapid strap.

well designed lens. The selection of available lenses is wonderful that was the reason i purchased the Mirrorless camera.from Sony and dd not buy the Nikon

I tend to use this lens for holiday as it’s a great all rounder. Close focusing down to around a metre so excellent for butterflies and dragonflies too. Not to heavy and pretty compact but too expensive for what it is.

I've used this lens for over a year now on the A7RIV and A9 Mark II and it's been superb on both cameras. Image quality is excellent, great sharpness with very nice rendering. Autofocus is very snappy and accurate. My only niggle with this lens is that it does not have a zoom lock, and even with the zoom ring set to "tight" the lens does suffer lens creep (zoom extends) when walking around with the camera and lens on a sling strap. Oh, it would nicer if it was lighter too.

I have had this lens for a couple of months now and really love using it. It takes amazing photographs. One of the reasons I bought this lens was because it is so light and I have not been disappointed.

I'm still getting used to it, since I'm not really strong in tele photography, but so far I've enjoyed it a lot. The glass is clear and sharp and the hardware is silent, so it's very convenient for video as well. The only downside is that it's very heavy, but bear in mind it's aimed for professional use (which I am not).

I got this lens after asking a friend who has one his reply was "you will not regret owning it". He was not wrong this lens is the best I've owned. It is just outstanding. Sharpe, fast focusing and crystal clear.

So I’ve been using 3rd party lenses for some time and been happy for the majority of the time. I decided having bought a new Sony full frame camera, it was time to invest in a top quality lens so went with my first G Master. All I can say is WOW! The difference between 3rd party and more premium glass is on another level.

I purchased this lens to enable me to capturer things that I was unable to with my previous zoom lens, I have not been disappointed. It is heaver that I expected, however that is also a good thing, in that it's mass makes it more stable to hold however a good tripod is a useful accessary.

Perfect for my uses and tack sharp with lightning focus speed. If you are looking for this lens, don't hesitate. You won't regret it!

This is a considered purchase but worth every penny

Had this lens for just a month and so far it has been outstanding. Fast and accurate with superb image quality, just what I need to take wildlife photographs in any light. Thanks Sony.

I bought this lens few weeks ago. I went out to test this lens today in cloudy day. Took few snaps. What is my impression. Build quality is great. Doesn't feel heavy in hand but eventually you feel it. As paired with my A7R4M its cumulative 2kg. 1.4 kg from lens.Lens zoom part relapse if set on smooth. However if you turn ring towards tight it hold well. Focus is quick but if you have used GM lenses you may feel its not quickest .I think 200-600mm G OSS and 70 to 200mm GM OSS are faster. Works well at 3ft distance in case you wanna shoot something up close. Optics are sharp, but not as sharp as 70-200mm GM OSS.Low light performance is reasonable. Bokeh is creamy. Lens produces superb detail. Noise is very little on high shutter speed even in low light and hand held.Colour reproduction is excellent. When I compare image quality with my SONY FE 24-70GM or FE 70-200GM I feel that its a bit less sharp in detailing. Very difficult to quantify. Its not that its not sharp. Its a great lens I dodnot experience chromatic abrassion. There was no vignetting.Corners maintains sharpness.I have not shot a very tall linear building hence cannot talk about linear distortion. Although it maintained alignment and sharpness when I covered a wide brick wall.Unfortunately I deleted those image. For wild life many times I felt like missing my 200-600mm. But I changed to APSC mode and it was on job again. I didnot felt any loss of quality.It wins on its small length. One can pack 3 lenses and go. As it all fits in small backpack or camera bag unlike 200-600mm G OSS. What is my final opinion, Yes I would buy it, but price is hefty. I would like it to improve at par with FE 70-200mm GM lens. Here I am attaching you few pic from my todays shoot. I used apple photo to edit it. Please leave your comment for me to look into your experience. Its my early review.Thanks for read.

Better than I expected, auto focus very fast lock on focus excellent picture quality spot on this is a top notch lens

I bought this lens a few weeks ago and am overjoyed. It actually weighs less than the 70-200 GM and is incredibly sharp. Really glad that I made the purchase. Wish that the lens foot had an Arca Swiss dovetail built in so that you don't have to either add a lens plate or spend the money to replace the foot.

I bought this lens in March for wildlife photography and it has not disappointed, it is simply the finest lens I have ever owned. Thanks to its excellent image stabilisation it produces pin sharp pictures from its maximum 400mm extension even hand held. It is lighter than my previous lens of this size, important when out for a whole day in the field. Even cropped pictures retain a quality that is a significant cut above the norm. A brilliant product.

This lens is incredible for everything from close up shots of flowers or hummingbrids to fast paced action of breaching whales in rough seas. The image stabilization and autofocus are outstanding. It is also built like a tank without feeling excessively heavy or at all off balanced. Fantastic lens!

Bought it for cinema + wildlife photography. Very light, yet powerful and of high quality.

Excellent lens purchased to accompany my A9 camera. Having already used the A mount version on a Sony A77 I was aware of the versatility of this lens for wildlife photography. Foreign trips with bulky 500 mm prime lenses are a thing of the past with no more bulky luggage and packing dilemmas . Excellent product combining all my photographic needs in one !

I have been shooting Canon gear for many years and after seeing that my Sony RX10III got better results than my Canon 7D Mark II equipped with Canon's 100-400 MM L lens, I decided to look into high end Sony equipment and purchased this lens with a Sony A9 II. Amazing results - I was blown away by the immediate acquisition of birds in flight which is one of my favorite subjects. I am totally sold on this and my A9 II camera!! I also love the fact that the lens as a programmable button on it which I use to transfer the camera to crop mode.

In low light conditions this lens has a pronounced vignette at 200mm and beyond. When paired with a teleconverter the vignetting is especially strong.

I just switched from Canon to Sony ( a7Rlll and a7Riv) I was using canon and Sony both and i have now three GM lenses 24-70, 85mm 1.4 & 100-400 i am a event photographer was looking to buy the 70-200 2.8GM unfortunately Adorama have pre order the 70-200 so i decided to go with 100-400 .. i was little bit worried about because of the 4.5-5.6 but i am very happy now it is really Amazing lens and super quality of the picutre, sharp and fast focus.. i am enjoying it ...

I am extremely impressed with the quality of build and pin sharp focus of this lens. Bought for sport and wildlife, I have no regrets about splashing out - but perhaps I should not be surprised given all the good press around G Master lenses. It's true.

Superb lens, works so well with the a7r3. I was extremely impressed with the quality of this lens, ease of use,and the excellent pictures. Not too heavy either

been using the 100-400mm with a sony 2x teleconverter on a 7M3, mostly photographing butterflies, dragonflies and the odd bird. Very impressed with the sharpness and the speed of the lens using autofocus. Excellent replacement for my old canon 5D and 300mm, 2.8 USM

I rented this lens several limes before buying it. I found it very versatile, the main thing that sold it to me is the auto focus on this lens is amazing. This lens has optical steady shot as well that allows you to get away with some very slow shutter speeds.

A bit of a learning curve as this is my first long lens, previously I shot with the FE 70-200 F/4, which is an amazing lens in its own right, but when I get the focus correct, this lend absolutely delivers. I have since added the 1.4TC, and using an a7riii, in crop mode, 840mm shots of the moon are incredible. The only weakness is NOT having the dedicated lock-switch for the zoom. The resistance ring works well, but even at its tightest setting it does not stop lens creep. Really wish it would. And yes, it is expensive, but I don't know what could be done about that.

I chose this lens as it was the best choice for me to purchase along with the a7lll. I am delighted with the image quality and the Sony products have boosted my photographic experience. Still experimenting and enjoying the new learning curve.

I bought this lens for wildlife filming. I usually work underwater with macro subjects, so land wildlife with a zoom was something very new. This lens has not disappointed, it is easy to use and not too heavy. So far the images and video I have produced are better than I had expected. It maybe sometime before I can get back under warm waters, so I will have fun with this lens in the meantime.

I bought this lens to take on a wildlife trip to Norway in January. I have the 100-400 but needed a little extra distance and did not want a ‘trombone’ mechanism to zoom. The lens was easy to transport and was no problem with my carry on back pack with airlines. Temperature on location was not extreme, -4degrees with snow and some showers. No problems with the lens functioning at all. I used the lens on a fixed gamble, hand held and in a boat across several Fjords. There were no problems using the lens hand held, the eye tracking and focusing was exceptional. My hit rates increased considerably with pin sharp images. I am very pleased with my purchase and the images I managed to take. An excellent lens for this type of shooting.

I have enjoyed this for several months and it lives up to my expectations. It is much better than my previous brand.