Sony FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS Announced – 654g Super-Telephoto Zoom, Dual Linear Motors, and 120 fps AF Tracking

Lens News

by Johnnie BehiriAugust 5^th, 2026

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Sony has introduced the FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS (SEL100400), a full-frame E-mount super-telephoto zoom that weighs only 654g / 23.1oz and combines 15 elements in 10 groups (including two ED and two aspherical elements) with dual linear motors, Optical SteadyShot, a nine-blade circular aperture, and a combined focus mode and range limiter switch. At $849.99 / approximately €900 / £800, it is by far the cheapest way into the 100-400mm range on E-mount, and an optional teleconverter pushes reach out to 800mm.

Sony now has three separate 100-400mm zooms in the full-frame E-mount catalog, which says a lot about how much traffic that focal range carries. At the top sits the FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS with its constant aperture, internal zoom, and four XD Linear Motors; below it, the original 2017-vintage F4.5-5.6 GM continues to serve enthusiasts. The new F5.6-8 lands well underneath both, and Sony is explicit about the target: according to Yang Cheng, Vice President at Sony Electronics, the company set out to build an affordable super-telephoto zoom for hobbyist photographers, from birders to parents. For those of us who shoot video, the interesting question is whether a lens designed around weight and price still behaves well on a gimbal, in a documentary bag, or on a long-lens B-camera.

A super-telephoto you can carry all day

The headline number is mass. At 654g / 23.1oz, with a maximum diameter of 78.2mm / 3.1in and a length of 164.5mm / 6.5in, this is roughly half the weight of the professional-tier telephoto zooms that have defined this range for Sony shooters, and it is light enough that a mid-size mirrorless body can carry it without a lens support. The 67mm filter thread is a welcome detail too, since it matches a lot of existing Sony glass and keeps variable ND and circular polarizer costs sensible on a lens that will mostly be used outdoors in daylight.

The zoom is manually operated, and the barrel extends as you move through the range, so this is not the internal-zoom design of the F4.5 GM. On a gimbal, that means balance shifts between 100mm and 400mm, which is worth planning for if you intend to zoom during a take rather than setting a focal length and locking it off. A zoom lock switch keeps the barrel retracted when the lens is pointed downward or slung over a shoulder, which is a genuinely useful inclusion on a telescoping design of this length.

Optical design and close focus

The optical formula runs to 15 elements in 10 groups, with two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements and two aspherical elements, which Sony says reduce chromatic aberration and other aberrations for clear rendering across the whole zoom range. A nine-blade circular aperture and optimized spherical aberration handle the bokeh side, and Sony has published an MTF chart for 100mm and 400mm at both maximum aperture and F8 on the product page.

The close-focus performance is more interesting than the specification sheet suggests: minimum focus distance is 1.13m / 3.71ft at the wide end and 0.86m / 2.83ft at 400mm, giving a maximum magnification of 0.41x. That is close enough to shoot insects and flowers as pseudo-macro material at a comfortable working distance, which is a genuinely useful second job for a lens bought primarily for wildlife or sports coverage. Aperture range runs from F5.6-8 wide open to a minimum of F32-45.

Autofocus, stabilization, and the video angle

Dual linear motors drive focus, and Sony rates the lens for continuous shooting with AF/AE tracking at up to approximately 120 frames per second when paired with the a9 III and its global shutter sensor. Sony also stresses that the AF drive is quiet, which matters more for video than for stills; on-camera microphones and shotgun mics sit inches from the focus group on a lens this long.

Optical SteadyShot is built in, and the lens supports coordinated stabilization with compatible bodies as well as the camera’s Active Mode. Perhaps the most relevant line for filmmakers is breathing compensation support: the lens works with the camera’s breathing compensation function, which corrects the angle-of-view shift that occurs as focus moves during a take. Sony notes that compensation may not be fully effective on every lens.

The compromise, and it is a real one, is the variable aperture. Going from F5.6 at 100mm to F8 at 400mm means roughly a stop of exposure change across the zoom range, which is visible in a shot if you rack focal lengths on camera. Stills shooters absorb that automatically; video shooters either avoid zooming during takes, ride exposure, or accept the shift. This is precisely the problem the constant F4.5 GM was built to solve, and it is the clearest line between the two lenses beyond price and weight.

Controls built for long-lens work

The control layout is simple but well chosen. There is a customizable focus hold button that can be reassigned to other functions through the camera menus, a SteadyShot switch, a zoom lock switch, and, most usefully, a combined focus mode and focus range limiter switch offering AF FULL, AF ∞-3m, and MF positions. Folding the limiter into the AF/MF switch keeps the barrel uncluttered and means one movement selects both the focus mode and the range, which is faster than hunting for two separate switches with a long lens on your shoulder.

Sony gives the lens a dust- and moisture-resistant design with sealing at critical joints and seams, while noting the usual caveat that it is not completely sealed against dust or water droplets. A dedicated ALC-SH188 bayonet hood is supplied in the box alongside front and rear caps. Sony also states that over 41% of the product’s total plastic weight is recycled material, rising to more than 89% in the hood.

Reaching 800mm, and the light you need for it

Both of Sony’s teleconverters are supported: the SEL14TC 1.4x and the SEL20TC 2x. With the 2x attached, the combination covers up to 800mm, or an equivalent 1,200mm in APS-C crop mode, which is the kind of reach normally reserved for far heavier and far more expensive glass.

The arithmetic deserves a moment of honesty, though. Starting from F5.6-8, a 1.4x teleconverter lands you around F8-11 and a 2x around F11-16. For stills in bright daylight, that is workable. For video, where shutter angle is fixed by frame rate, and the only remaining lever is ISO, F16 at 800mm is a daylight-only proposition, and autofocus performance at those apertures is another thing that will need testing. Used natively at F8, however, this is a legitimate long-lens option for wildlife documentary work, safety coverage at events, or compressed background inserts, especially as a second lens alongside a camera like the Sony FX5.

Where this fits in Sony’s lens strategy

The launch is also a small data point about where Sony sees growth. The premium end of the telephoto lineup was refreshed only weeks ago, and the company has just proposed acquiring Tamron, a move that would give it considerably more capacity in exactly this affordable, high-volume part of the market. Filling the sub-$1,000 super-telephoto slot with a first-party lens, in a period when camera and component prices are climbing across the industry, looks like a deliberate defense of a segment that third-party makers have been steadily taking over.

The FE 100-400mm F5.6-8 OSS is priced at $849.99 / approximately €900 / £800, with European and UK figures quoted by Sony as guide prices that may vary by country and region. Sony lists availability from September 2026 in the US and from the end of August 2026 in Europe. Full specifications are on the Sony product page, and the announcement details are in Sony’s press release.

Is a 654g 800mm-capable zoom worth the variable aperture, or would you hold out for the constant F4.5? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!