Sony FE 100–400mm F5.6–8 OSS vs Sony FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS

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FE 100–400mm F5.6–8 OSS compared with FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS

	SonyFE 100–400mm F5.6–8 OSS	SonyFE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS
Overview
Released
Released	August 2026	April 2016
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Zoom	Zoom
Focal length
Focal length	100–400 mm	70–300 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/5.6–8	f/4.5–5.6
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/32–45	f/22–29
Optical construction
Optical construction	15 elements in 10 groups	Sixteen elements in thirteen groups
Special elements
Special elements	Two ED glass and two aspherical elements	Four aspherical elements and two ED elements
Coatings
Coatings	–	Sony Nano AR coating
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Nine rounded blades	Nine rounded blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	24°–6°10′ full frame; 16°–4°10′ APS-C	34°–8°10′ full frame; 23°–5°20′ APS-C
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Sony E	Sony E
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	Full frame
Image circle detail
Image circle detail	Full-frame coverage; 150–600 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C	Full-frame coverage; 105–450 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	Compatible with SEL14TC and SEL20TC; 2× extends physical focal range to 200–800 mm with a two-stop aperture reduction	Not compatible with Sony E-mount teleconverters
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	0.86 m	0.9 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.41×	0.31×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	Yes	Yes
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Two linear motors; compatible with up to 120 fps AF/AE tracking on Alpha 9 III under Sony test conditions, with speed dependent on shooting conditions and compatibility	Linear actuator with internal focusing
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	Minimum focus 1.13 m at 100 mm or 0.86 m at 400 mm	0.9 m minimum focus distance
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	–	0.31× maximum magnification; not life-size macro
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Optical SteadyShot; coordinated body stabilisation and Active Mode require a compatible camera; Sony publishes no stop rating	Built-in Optical SteadyShot; no maker stop rating in read pages
Video features
Video features	Breathing compensation supported with compatible cameras; enabling it changes the field of view and image quality slightly and may not fully correct breathing	–
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	Yes
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	67 mm	72 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	78.2 mm	84 mm
Length
Length	164.5 mm	143.5 mm
Weight
Weight	654 g (better)	854 g
Controls
Controls	Customisable focus-hold button, combined AF FULL / AF infinity–3 m / MF switch, OSS on/off switch and zoom lock	Manual-focus and zoom rings, AF/MF switch, focus-hold button, focus-range limiter and stabilisation switch
Zoom design
Zoom design	Barrel extends towards 400 mm; zoom lock prevents unintended extension when pointed downwards	Extending zoom barrel (OpticalLimits and Photo Review)
Filter detail
Filter detail	–	72 mm front filter thread
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Dust- and moisture-resistant design; not guaranteed completely dust- or moisture-proof	Dust and moisture resistant design; not guaranteed to prevent all ingress
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	–	84 mm maximum diameter × 143.5 mm maker length
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 654 g lens; separate hood and caps excluded	Approximately 854 g lens; separate hood and caps excluded
Lens hood
Lens hood	ALC-SH188 round bayonet hood	ALC-SH144 round bayonet hood, supplied
In the box
In the box	ALC-SH188 hood, ALC-F67S front cap and ALC-R1EM rear cap	ALC-SH144 hood, front and rear caps and soft case
Release detail
Release detail	Sony UK announced on 4 August 2026 and specified availability from the end of August 2026 at approximately £800. The separate Japanese launch date was 4 September 2026; month precision records the earlier UK on-sale window, with no exact UK day published	Sony Europe announcement dated 29 March 2016 specifies April availability; exact first global sale day unconfirmed. Two full independent exact reviews read: OpticalLimits Klaus Schroiff on Alpha 7R II, sample centring described as okay, and Photo Review on Alpha 7R II and Alpha 6300. Differing telephoto corners and blur opinions retained, sensor crop and processing qualified. Photo Review initially calls hood petal but later round; maker round hood used. Its malformed price and wrong-model alternative paragraph are not used. Main maker 8degrees10minutes full-frame telephoto angle corrects its 8degrees20minutes table. Review stabilisation measurements are not maker claims. No inferred predecessor link