New Sony 100-400mm OSS Lens: Super-Telephoto Without the Super-Telephoto Price

Sony has just announced the FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS, a super-telephoto zoom lens aimed mainly at hobbyist photographers who want serious reach without equally serious weight or hit to their budget. At $850, it slots well below Sony’s existing professional telephoto options while still packing in linear motor AF, built-in optical image stabilization, and dust and moisture resistance. It’s targeted at wildlife photographers, sports shooters, and, I guess, my fellow millennials who have (re)discovered their love for bird watching and photographing. Joke aside, let’s see what it packs.

The compact size is the headline of this lens. At 654g and with a relatively small profile, it’s pretty lightweight for a lens of this range. In fact, with the optional SEL20TC teleconverter, you can push the reach out to 800mm, or even 1,200mm in APS-C crop mode.

Optically, the FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS uses two ED glass elements and two aspherical elements to keep chromatic aberration and distortion in check across the zoom range. A 9-blade circular aperture helps deliver smooth, natural bokeh. It provides a minimum focusing distance of 0.86m at the telephoto end, and a maximum magnification of 0.41x.

The variable maximum aperture of f/5.6-8 is worth calling out. At the wide end, you’re getting f/5.6, but by the time you push to 400mm, you’re at f/8. That’s not an issue in good light, but in overcast conditions or low light, you’ll need to lean (much) harder on ISO. Still, at this price point and with such low weight and size, we can’t expect f/1.2 across the zoom range, can we? There has to be a compromise somewhere.

On the lens body, there’s also a customizable focus hold button, a focus mode and range switching dial, and a zoom lock switch. The dust and moisture resistance adds a layer of confidence when weather turns unpredictable in the field. And for video shooters, there are breathing compensation support and compatibility with the camera body’s Active Mode stabilization.

Sony FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS Specs

Specification	Details
Focal Length	100 to 400mm
Aperture	Maximum: f/5.6 to 8
Lens Mount	Sony E
Lens Format Coverage	Full-Frame
Minimum Focus Distance	3.7′ / 1.1 m (Wide) to 2.8′ / 0.9 m (Tele)
Optical Design	15 Elements in 10 Groups
Aperture/Iris Blades	9
Focus Type	Autofocus
Image Stabilization	Yes
Filter Size	67 mm (Front)
Dimensions	ø: 3.08 x L: 6.48″ / ø: 7.82 x L: 16.46 cm
Weight	1.4 lb / 654 g

Pricing And Availability

The Sony FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS is priced at $849.99 and is available to preorder now for $848.00 USD. Its estimated shipping date is September 9, 2026.

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