Well, a couple of days after Sigma announced their new 300-600mm f/4 to much acclaim Sony has pulled the rug slightly from their feet with a £2,549 400-800mm ƒ6.3-8 G OSS supertele zoom.
Like Canon, they have realised current mirrorless sensors can focus easily with small apertures on long lenses
The saving in cost is matched by a saving in weight – 2.4kg is good for a big white lens in this class, rugged and weather-sealed (they claim ‘fully’) and with optical stabilisation to take over from I.B.I.S. which would be at the limits of movement at 800mm.
As for adding converters… it works with both 1.4X and 2X.
Sony 400-800 F6.3-8 G OSS specifications:
- 400-800mm OSS lens with G optics
- Sony’s first E-mount super-telephoto zoom lens to extend to 800mm
- 27 elements in 19 groups, with six ED glass elements
- f/6.3-8 aperture with an 11-blade diaphragm
- Fast, silent AF from Two XD Linear Motors
- Internal zoom mechanism does not extend barrel
- Optical SteadyShot (OSS) stabilisation with three modes
- Focus down to 1.7m (400mm) / 3.5m (800mm)
- 0.23x macro scale
- Compatible with 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters, extending reach to 1600mm
- Focus range limiter
- Full-time DMF
- Detachable tripod collar
- Weather-sealed with silicone gaskets
- Fluorine-coated front element repels water, oil, and fingerprints
- Lens hood features with filter window for rotating polariser
Sony 16mm F1.8: Viltrox inspiration?
The new 16mm f/1.8 is hardly surprising when Viltrox in China has made such a groundbreaking lens and taken the market by storm. Sony’s G response even fairly priced by its standards at £849 RRP, and at 304g it’s a striking 246g lighter than a bigger Viltrox.
It’s also much smaller but still a full-frame f/1.8. It focuses down to 13cm and has a declickable aperture ring with an unusual iris lock switch to prevent change of setting. It takes 72mm filters.
It lacks the A-B focus change movie function or clever (fault prone?) LED display of the Viltrox, but has a regular multi-function button. At £300 more than its independent predecessor it should become a standard addition to pro and enthusiast kits alike.