Sony FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS, FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS Unveiled

Sony announced the upcoming release of two new super-telephoto prime lenses: the “FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS” and the “FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS.” Pre-orders will begin on September 29th at 10:00 AM, with the release scheduled for October 9th.

When you hear about 400mm and 600mm super-telephoto prime lenses, you imagine large, heavy barrels. However, these two lenses both achieve a compact and lightweight design, weighing less than 1kg. They are products that pursue mobility in super-telephoto photography from a different perspective than conventional large-aperture super-telephoto lenses.

Both models weigh less than 1kg.

The FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS weighs approximately 994g. Despite being a 400mm super-telephoto prime lens, it weighs less than 1kg. Compared to the FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS, which weighs approximately 2,895g, it is about 1.9kg lighter, or about 65.6% lighter.

The FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS also weighs approximately 995g, less than 1kg. Compared to the FE 600mm F4 GM OSS, which weighs approximately 3,040g, it is about 2.0kg lighter, or about 67.2% lighter. Despite the 200mm difference in focal length, the mass difference between it and the FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS is only 1g.

*Weight excludes the tripod mount.

Sony FE 400mm F4.5, FE 600mm F6.3, GM OSS Overviews

The FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS has a total length of 263mm, making it smaller than the FE 600mm F4 GM OSS, which is 449mm long. The FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS is also compact at 242mm long, compared to the FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS, which is 359mm long. On the other hand, the new 400mm and 600mm lenses have the same maximum diameter, and the difference in total length is only 21mm. This size makes it realistic to carry around and use a 600mm super-telephoto prime lens.

From “ready and waiting” to “carrying it around and searching” with a super telephoto lens.

With conventional large-aperture super-telephoto prime lenses, the typical shooting style involves using a tripod or monopod, pre-determining the shooting position, and waiting for the subject. On the other hand, these two lenses, weighing less than 1kg, are designed for shooting while moving around the field searching for wild birds and animals, and simply pointing the lens at subjects that unexpectedly appear.

A major feature is that it’s not only easy to transport to the shooting location, but also easy to carry around during shooting. Instead of waiting in a fixed shooting position, you can move around and search for subjects, increasing the freedom of composition and shooting location.

In addition to being smaller and lighter, the lens also features a well-balanced weight distribution when mounted on the camera body. By optimizing the lens design to reduce weight at the front and shifting the center of gravity towards the body, the lens reduces strain when holding a camera steady on a subject or framing a moving subject.

Despite its compact and lightweight design, it pursues the image quality of the G Master series.

Both models effectively arrange optical elements, including three Super ED glass elements and one ED glass element. This design corrects various aberrations, such as chromatic aberration, which tend to occur in the super-telephoto range, and achieves high resolution performance from the center to the periphery of the image.

The lens construction consists of 16 elements in 22 groups for the FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS and 17 elements in 24 groups for the FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS. Both employ an internal focusing system and maintain high MTF performance even when a teleconverter is attached.

Furthermore, Nano AR Coating II suppresses internal reflections that cause flare and ghosting, aiming for sharp images with good contrast even in backlit situations. Smooth bokeh is also pursued through optimization of spherical aberration in the design and manufacturing process and the use of an 11-blade circular aperture.

Lens Construction

In the 400mm example, even the fine details of the animal’s fur can be seen, and in the 600mm example, the texture of the skin is rendered in fine detail. Despite its compact and lightweight design, this product achieves both the resolution performance and bokeh required of a G Master lens.

High-speed autofocus and optical image stabilization support handheld shooting.

The AF drive system incorporates two XD (extreme dynamic) linear motors. Combined with a control algorithm optimized for the lens, this is said to achieve high-speed, high-precision, and quiet focus drive and subject tracking.

When paired with the α9 III, it supports high-speed continuous shooting with AF/AE tracking at up to approximately 120 frames per second. Furthermore, when paired with compatible cameras, AF subject tracking is possible even during 4K 120p video recording. This AF performance also supports the lens’s mobility when capturing subjects with unpredictable movements, such as wild birds and wildlife.

*Continuous shooting speed may be slower depending on shooting conditions. Continuous shooting speed will differ if the focus mode is anything other than AF-C.

The lens incorporates an optical image stabilization mechanism. When paired with a compatible camera, it can also perform image stabilization control in conjunction with the camera body. This supports stable framing and blur-free image capture during handheld super-telephoto shooting.

The camera features three image stabilization modes. MODE1 is standard image stabilization, MODE2 is stabilization for panning shots, and MODE3 is stabilization that prioritizes framing, making it easier to track fast-moving subjects such as sports and birds. When shooting video, Active Mode and Dynamic Active Mode can be used depending on the camera used.

*To use MODE3, you may need to update the camera’s software to the latest version. For details on compatibility, please refer to Sony’s support information.

With teleconverter, maximum focal length is 1200mm.

Both lenses come compatible with the separately sold 1.4x teleconverter “SEL14TC” and 2x teleconverter “SEL20TC”. The Sony FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS becomes 560mm F6.3 with the SEL14TC attached, and 800mm F9.0 with the SEL20TC attached. The FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS becomes 840mm F9.0 with the SEL14TC attached, and 1200mm F13.0 with the SEL20TC attached.

The FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS can be extended to 1200mm F13.0 by attaching a 2x teleconverter. This opens up possibilities for exploring different equipment configurations not only for photographing wild birds and wildlife, but also for video production.

Designed with field shooting in mind, offering both operability and reliability.

The control system includes four focus hold buttons to which functions can be assigned according to the application, a function ring, a full-time DMF switch, a focus ring, and a focus range limiter.

With full-time DMF enabled, you can instantly switch to manual focus by simply turning the focus ring, even in AF-C mode. The focus range limiter restricts the focus range, assisting in quick focusing. Both models have a 95mm filter diameter and a detachable tripod collar.

Designed for outdoor use, it features a dustproof and splashproof design. Important joints and connections are sealed, and a rubber ring is used on the lens mount. This structure minimizes the ingress of dust and water droplets.

The lens coating for the front of the lens is a fluorine coating for excellent stain resistance. Its water- and oil-repellent properties make it difficult for fingerprints, dust, water droplets, oil, and mud to adhere, and any that do adhere are easy to wipe off. Designed for super-telephoto lenses, it also comes with a soft case that prioritizes portability and lens protection.

*Although the design is dustproof and splashproof, it does not completely prevent dust or water droplets from entering.

Two lenses that will change the way you shoot with super telephoto prime lenses.

The FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS and FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS are products that expand the possibilities of super-telephoto prime lenses from a different angle than large-aperture super-telephoto lenses. Although their maximum aperture is darker than large-aperture models, they prioritize mobility for handheld shooting thanks to their weight of less than 1kg, center of gravity shifted towards the camera body, high-speed autofocus, and optical image stabilization.

In addition to the traditional shooting method of “holding up and waiting because it’s a super telephoto lens,” a new option has emerged: “go out and look for subjects with a super telephoto lens.” The biggest change these two lenses bring is that you can now carry 400mm and 600mm lenses more actively when shooting birds, wildlife, sports, and other subjects.