Sony FE 100–400mm F4.5 GM OSS vs Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| SonyFE 100–400mm F4.5 GM OSS | SonyFE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | June 2026 | July 2019 |
| Optics | ||
| Lens type | Zoom | Zoom |
| Focal length | 100–400 mm | 200–600 mm |
| Maximum aperture | f/4.5 | f/5.6–6.3 |
| Minimum aperture | f/32 | f/32–36 |
| Optical construction | 28 elements in 20 groups, including one filter | 24 elements in 17 groups |
| Special elements | One ED XA and one XA aspherical element, two Super ED and three ED elements | Five ED glass elements and one aspherical element |
| Coatings | Nano AR Coating II; fluorine coating on front element | Nano AR coating and fluorine coating on the front element |
| Diaphragm | 11 rounded blades | Eleven rounded blades |
| Angle of view | 24°–6°10′ full frame; 16°–4°10′ APS-C | 12°30′–4°10′ full frame; 8°–2°40′ APS-C |
| Mount and compatibility | ||
| Mounts | Sony E | Sony E |
| Image circle | Full frame | Full frame |
| Image circle detail | Full-frame coverage; 150–600 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C | Full-frame coverage; 300–900 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C |
| Teleconverter support | Compatible with Sony SEL14TC and SEL20TC | SEL14TC 1.4× and SEL20TC 2× supported; maker specifies up to 840 mm F9 or 1200 mm F13, with body-dependent autofocus compatibility |
| Focus and stabilisation | ||
| Autofocus | Yes | Yes |
| Minimum focus distance | 0.64 m | 2.4 m |
| Maximum magnification | 0.25× | 0.2× |
| Optical stabilisation | Yes | Yes |
| Autofocus detail | Four XD linear motors and floating focus; full-time direct manual focus and Linear Response MF | Direct Drive SSM motor and internal focusing. Autofocus functions are limited on specified older NEX and Alpha bodies; consult the maker compatibility list |
| Focus distance detail | Minimum focus 0.64 m at 100 mm or 1.5 m at 400 mm | Minimum focus 2.4 m; Linear Response MF |
| Magnification detail | Sony specifies maximum magnification 0.25×; PetaPixel reports 1:3, which is not used for the main specification | – |
| Stabilisation detail | Optical SteadyShot with standard, panning and irregular-motion modes; camera-body coordination and mode 3 depend on body compatibility and firmware | Optical SteadyShot with Mode 1 general shake, Mode 2 panning and Mode 3 erratic moving subjects; compatible bodies combine lens and body stabilisation. Original Alpha 9 requires the specified firmware for Mode 3 |
| Video features | Design reduces focus breathing; breathing compensation on compatible bodies changes the field of view slightly | – |
| Design | ||
| Dust and moisture resistant | Yes | Yes |
| Filter diameter | 95 mm | 95 mm |
| Maximum diameter | 119.8 mm | 111.5 mm |
| Length | 328 mm | 318 mm |
| Weight | 1,840 g (better) | 2,115 g |
| Controls | Four customisable focus-hold buttons, AF/MF and full-time DMF switches, focus limiter, OSS switches, zoom torque switch, tripod-ring click switch and function ring for preset focus, power focus or full-frame/APS-C switching | AF/MF switch, three-range focus limiter (full, 2.4–10 m, 10 m–infinity), OSS on/off and mode switches, three customisable focus-hold buttons |
| Zoom design | Internal zoom; barrel length remains unchanged | Internal zoom and focusing; 318 mm length remains constant during zooming |
| Filter detail | 95 mm front thread and 40.5 mm drop-in filter; Sony requires the supplied normal filter or optional polarising filter to remain installed when shooting | 95 mm front filter thread |
| Weather resistance | Dust- and moisture-resistant design; not guaranteed completely dust- or moisture-proof | Dust- and moisture-resistant design; not guaranteed completely dust- or moisture-proof |
| Weight detail | Approximately 1840 g lens; separate hood and caps excluded. Sony's specifications do not provide a tripod-mount-excluded weight | Approximately 2115 g excluding the separate tripod mount; separate hood and caps excluded |
| Tripod mount | Integrated tripod mount; both reviews note that its foot is not readily removable and lacks direct Arca-Swiss compatibility | Supplied removable tripod mount |
| Lens hood | ALC-SH187 round bayonet hood | ALC-SH157 round bayonet hood |
| In the box | ALC-SH187 hood, ALC-F95S front cap, ALC-R1EM rear cap, soft case, lens strap, case strap and drop-in filter | ALC-SH157 hood, front cap, ALC-R1EM rear cap, soft case, tripod mount and lens strap |
| Release detail | Sony UK announced on 13 May 2026 with June 2026 availability and an approximate £4400 list price; first-sale precision remains the month. SEL100400MC is the constant-F4.5 model, distinct from the earlier variable-aperture SEL100400GM | Sony Hong Kong specified mid-July 2019, Japan 26 July and North America August; main date retains earliest regional July month precision. Amateur Photographer’s full field review used an Alpha 7R IV over two weeks without teleconverters; Photography Blog used an Alpha 9. Their edge-sharpness judgments differ. Sony confirms three OSS modes, correcting a two-mode line in Photography Blog |
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