Sony 100-400GM First Impressions

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DavidT

DavidT

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I have wanted to add this lens to my kit for a while now but delayed buying one since I already have the 70-200GMII, 200-600, 400GM and 600GM however I found traveling with the 200-600 when also packing the 400 and 600 was a challenge and I often fantasized about the 100-400 for shooting bugs and flowers. Last week I picked up a new one from Roberts Camera on my trip to Indy and took it out for a test drive Sunday. I have to say I think the 200-600 days are numbered!

The 100-400GM is fast to focus, light for what it is, more compact for packing, wonderful close focusing telephoto and I found it to be SHARP! I mean I was blown away at how sharp this lens is!

I am kicking myself for waiting so long to buy it and can't wait to use it again.

Here are a few of the images from it's first outing.

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i agree, it's far more versatile than the 200-600. And you will find out that it's also a great landscape lens. I always pack it alongside my 600 f:4
The 200-600 is a wonderful 1-lens solution for wildlife walk-around but the 100-400 is the one that never leaves my bag. It also takes the 1.4x Tc quite well when i need close to 600mm in a pinch.
 
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DavidT said:
I have wanted to add this lens to my kit for a while now but delayed buying one since I already have the 70-200GMII, 200-600, 400GM and 600GM however I found traveling with the 200-600 when also packing the 400 and 600 was a challenge and I often fantasized about the 100-400 for shooting bugs and flowers. Last week I picked up a new one from Roberts Camera on my trip to Indy and took it out for a test drive Sunday. I have to say I think the 200-600 days are numbered!

The 100-400GM is fast to focus, light for what it is, more compact for packing, wonderful close focusing telephoto and I found it to be SHARP! I mean I was blown away at how sharp this lens is!

I am kicking myself for waiting so long to buy it and can't wait to use it again.

Here are a few of the images from it's first outing.

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David, beautiful shots.

The 140GM has been a staple lens in my travel backpack since it came out, it's versatility can not be over stated, love it for landscape photography and travels.

Enjoy 😊

Oliver

PS: I am surprised you waited so long to get it.
 
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BlackRockArt said:
David, beautiful shots.

The 140GM has been a staple lens in my travel backpack since it came out, it's versatility can not be over stated, love it for landscape photography and travels.

Enjoy 😊

Oliver

PS: I am surprised you waited so long to get it.
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lol well I’m cheap lol. I’ve invested right at $80k at this point into Sony gear since the a1 came out a little over 2.5 years. I went with the 200-600 first before I had the 400 and 600 primes so it felt like to much overlap but I’ve been watching sh1209 post some stunning semi macro work with it and decided between easier to pack and that application it deserved a place in my bag. So far I’m super impressed.
 
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I agree with all your points and have been trying to persuade you to buy one for a year😆. The 100–400 is definitely my most used lens and I think the image quality is outstanding. It is a very easy lens to travel with or carry around due to its compact size when retracted. If I had to choose between it and the 200-600, the latter would go. I am amazed how well it performs with a 1.4 TC I mean the image quality is just about identical with or without. As far as I am concerned, there’s not a better lens available for insects.
 
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sh1209 said:
I agree with all your points and have been trying to persuade you to buy one for a year😆. The 100–400 is definitely my most used lens and I think the image quality is outstanding. It is a very easy lens to travel with or carry around due to its compact size when retracted. If I had to choose between it and the 200-600, the latter would go. I am amazed how well it performs with a 1.4 TC I mean the image quality is just about identical with or without. As far as I am concerned, there’s not a better lens available for insects.
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It’s funny seeing all your posts on IG is exactly why I bought this lens.
 
It was my first Sony-branded lens and the only reason I don't use it more often is the more recent 600mm GMaster found its way into my toy box.
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JulieE said:
@DavidT Your images are lovely. How do you figure out your f stop for semi macro work? Do you shoot a series of different dof and see what works best? Or do you sort of just “know” what to use based on experience?
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More just know based on experience. It’s a balance of what do I want to try and have in focus vs iso vs shutter speed.
 
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FB101 said:
i agree, it's far more versatile than the 200-600. And you will find out that it's also a great landscape lens. I always pack it alongside my 600 f:4
The 200-600 is a wonderful 1-lens solution for wildlife walk-around but the 100-400 is the one that never leaves my bag. It also takes the 1.4x Tc quite well when i need close to 600mm in a pinch.
Click to expand...
The 100-400 is also OK with the 2.0x TC. F11 is not as scary as it once was. I have both TCs to go with my a7iv but pretty much have the 1.4x welded on. As a walk and shoot hobbyist I didn’t want to carry around the weight Of the 200-600 combo.
 
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I bought the a7iv when it first came out along with the 100-400 GM. Over the last 12 or so months I was having issues with AF and tracking. I’m new to photography so I happily accepted many comments that it was what is behind the viewfinder that was 90% of the problem. But I was getting worse not better. As I was getting close to the end of the warranty period I put the camera and lens in for a check up. The camera was fine but the lens had a focussing issue, and it was exacerbated by the TC. Both the camera check up, and lens check up and repair ended up being accepted as a warranty job. I got them back on Wednesday and have now been out twice to see if I could notice any change. There was a huge difference, but also I now know the combo is OK and I can concentrate I my skills. I accept I am 90% of the problem but it was hard to go forward when there was an issue with the setup. Great response from Sony Support in Australia.
BTW, as a separate issue, while I get notified of firmware updates for the camera, I never have for the lens. I will now check from time to time.
 
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