Compact and lightweight, weighing just 654g, the FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS is also an affordable lens, with a suggested retail price of $849.99. 

Design for easy handling, even for first-time super-telephoto users, the new FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS lens from Sony is designed for keen photographers who want the long reach of a super-telephoto at an affordable price… and if possible compact and lightweight! That’s what Sony delivers here, although you’ll have to wait until September 2026 to get the lens. 

Last May Sony introduced the FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS, the newest addition to its flagship G Master lens series for full-frame Alpha E-mount cameras, a professional grade lens that is available since June for approximately $4300. This 100-400mm lens is different, compact and affordable, although it also offers the same zoom range.

Despite its super-telephoto reach of up to 400mm, the lens stays compact and lightweight, weighing just 654g (approx.). Its latest optical design incorporates two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements and two aspherical elements, delivering, Sony says, “excellent image quality and clear rendering across the entire zoom range no matter how far away the subject is. The lens also features, according to Sony, fast, precise AF (autofocus) and built-in optical image stabilization to support handheld shooting, letting you quickly capture moving subjects such as birds, sports, trains, and aircraft.” 

 “With the needs of a large set of hobbyist photographers in mind, from birders to parents, we used our expertise in professional lens technology to create a high-quality, affordable super-telephoto zoom lens that will go the distance,” said Yang Cheng, Vice President of Imaging Solutions, Sony Electronics. 

The Sony FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS features a minimum focusing distance of 0.86 m at the telephoto end and 1.13 m at the wide end, with a maximum magnification of 0.41x, that lets you shoot flowers, insects, and other nearby subjects as easily as distant ones. With an optional SEL20TC teleconverter attached (sold separately), you can double your reach, up to 800mm, or up to 1,200mm in APS-C mode. 

A built-in optical image stabilization suppresses camera shake during handheld shooting and keeps framing stable, even with distant subjects. The lens also works with the camera body’s Active Mode image stabilization and coordinated image stabilization control*3, for high-quality stills and movies with reduced blur when shooting handheld. 

Those who want to use the lens for video will be glad to know that the Sony FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS also supports the camera body’s breathing compensation function, which corrects changes in angle of view caused by shifts in focus position during movie recording. Autofocus is quiet fast and precise, according to Sony, thanks to the linear motor drive. The lens also supports high-speed continuous shooting with AF/AE (auto exposure) tracking at up to approximately 120 frames per second with the full-frame mirrorless α9 III camera. 

A customizable focus hold button, focus mode/range switching dial, and zoom lock switch give you quick operation across shooting scenes and comfortable ultra-telephoto handling. The supplied lens hood helps prevent flare and ghosting that can degrade image quality, while a 9-blade circular aperture and optimization of spherical aberration help to get the soft bokeh you expect from a super-telephoto lens.