Sony’s New $850 FE 100-400mm Is a Featherweight Super-Tele, With One Big Catch

Key Takeaways

• Sony announced the FE 100-400mm f/5.6-8 OSS on August 4, 2026: a 654g super-telephoto zoom for full-frame E-mount, priced at $849.99 and shipping in September.
• It weighs less than half the 1,395g FE 100-400mm GM and costs a third of the price, so it is finally a 400mm reach you can carry all day.
• The catch is the aperture: f/8 at the long end is slow, so it wants good light or a modern high-ISO body, not dim gyms or dusk.
• It takes Sony’s teleconverters, reaching 140-560mm f/8-11 with the 1.4x or 200-800mm f/11-16 with the 2x.
• Best for travel, daytime wildlife, birding, and sports on a budget. Pros who need f/4.5-5.6 or low-light speed should still look at the GM or the 200-600mm.

For years, getting to 400mm on a Sony full-frame body meant either the excellent but heavy and expensive 100-400mm GM, or the giant 200-600mm. On August 4, 2026, Sony finally gave everyone else an option. The new FE 100-400mm f/5.6-8 OSS is a 654-gram super-telephoto that costs $849.99 and ships in September, and it is aimed squarely at hobbyists who want reach without the weight or the price tag.

It is not a GM lens, and Sony is not pretending it is. But for travel, wildlife, birding, and daytime sports, a 400mm zoom this light and this cheap changes the math for a lot of shooters.

What Sony Actually Announced

The FE 100-400mm f/5.6-8 OSS (model SEL100400) is a full-frame E-mount super-telephoto zoom. It measures 164.5mm long and weighs roughly 654 grams. Optically it uses two ED (extra-low dispersion) elements and two aspherical elements, with a nine-blade aperture for rounded out-of-focus highlights. A linear motor drives the autofocus, which Sony says is fast and quiet enough to keep up with continuous shooting at up to about 120 frames per second on the a9 III. Built-in Optical SteadyShot stabilization helps with handholding at long focal lengths.

Light and Cheap Is the Whole Point

Here is the headline number: 654 grams. The FE 100-400mm GM weighs 1,395 grams and sells for around $2,500. The 200-600mm G is heavier still at 2,115 grams. The new lens is less than half the weight of the GM and costs roughly a third as much. That is the entire pitch, a 400mm reach you will actually bring on a hike, a safari, or a trip to the ballpark instead of leaving at home.

The Catch: That f/8 Long End

Nothing is free, and here the tradeoff is light. The aperture runs from f/5.6 at 100mm to f/8 at 400mm, which is about a stop slower than the GM’s f/5.6 and noticeably slower than the 200-600mm’s f/6.3 at the long end. In bright daylight that barely matters, modern Sony bodies handle the higher ISO with ease. But f/8 at 400mm gets awkward at dusk, under stadium lights, or indoors, where you will be pushing ISO hard or fighting slow shutter speeds. DPReview put it plainly, calling the lens affordable but fairly slow. Go in knowing that, and you will not be surprised.

How Far It Reaches

The lens is compatible with Sony’s 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. Add the 1.4x and you get a 140-560mm f/8-11. Add the 2x and it becomes a 200-800mm f/11-16. That is serious reach for birders, though f/11 to f/16 is very slow and really only practical in bright light with a capable autofocus body. For most people the bare lens at 400mm will be the sweet spot.

Who It Is For, and Who Should Skip It

Buy it if you are a travel shooter, a weekend wildlife or bird photographer, or a parent shooting daytime youth sports, and you value weight and price over ultimate speed. It is also a natural first super-telephoto for anyone stepping up from a kit zoom. If you want other affordable reach on Sony, it is worth comparing against third-party options too, our guide to the best Tamron lenses for Sony E-mount covers the 150-500mm and 50-400mm, which trade some reach or size for a brighter aperture.

Skip it if you shoot a lot in low light, need f/4.5-5.6 for faster shutter speeds and shallower backgrounds, or earn a living where the GM’s build and optics pay for themselves. And if your subjects are birds and distant wildlife in good light, the heavier 200-600mm still gives you 200mm more reach for a similar price. Sony’s broader lens strategy is in flux right now, as our coverage of the proposed Sony-Tamron buyout explains, so the third-party landscape is worth watching too.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the Sony FE 100-400mm f/5.6-8 OSS cost?

It is $849.99 in the US ($1,079.99 CAD), with shipping expected in September 2026.

How heavy is the Sony FE 100-400mm f/5.6-8?

About 654 grams and 164.5mm long, less than half the weight of the 1,395g FE 100-400mm GM.

Is f/8 too slow for wildlife photography?

In good daylight it is fine, and modern Sony bodies handle the resulting higher ISO well. It becomes a real limitation at dusk, indoors, or under artificial light, where a brighter lens would help.

Does it work with teleconverters?

Yes. With the 1.4x it becomes a 140-560mm f/8-11, and with the 2x a 200-800mm f/11-16, though those apertures are very slow and best used in bright light.

Should I buy this or the 100-400mm GM?

Choose this one for travel, weight, budget, and daytime use. Choose the GM if you need the faster f/4.5-5.6 aperture, pro-grade build, and better low-light performance.

The Bottom Line

Sony did not reinvent the super-telephoto with the FE 100-400mm f/5.6-8 OSS. It did something arguably more useful: it made 400mm of reach genuinely portable and genuinely affordable. As long as you respect the f/8 long end and feed it enough light, this is the lens that finally lets a lot of Sony shooters carry a real super-telephoto without a second thought. At $849.99, that is an easy story to tell.

Keep Reading

Best Tamron Lenses for Sony E-Mount Affordable telephoto and all-in-one alternatives, including the 150-500mm.

Sony Wants All of Tamron What Sony's buyout bid means for your third-party glass.

Meike's $569 85mm f/1.4 MIX II Another budget lens taking aim at the premium players.

When AI-Enhanced Bird Photos Fake Science A must-read if you shoot wildlife with a long lens.