Sony FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS vs Sony FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS

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FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS compared with FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS

	SonyFE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS	SonyFE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS
Overview
Released
Released	September 2018	September 2026
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Prime	Prime
Focal length
Focal length	400 mm	400 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/2.8	f/4.5
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/22	f/32
Optical construction
Optical construction	Twenty-three elements in seventeen groups, including one filter	22 elements in 16 groups
Special elements
Special elements	Three fluorite elements	Three Super ED elements and one ED element
Coatings
Coatings	Sony Nano AR coating and front fluorine coating; flocked internal barrel	Nano AR Coating II; fluorine front-element coating
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Eleven rounded blades	11 rounded blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	6°10′ full frame; 4°10′ APS-C	6°10′ full frame; 4°10′ 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; 600 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C	Full-frame coverage; 600 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	Compatible with Sony SEL14TC 1.4× and SEL20TC 2×; 560 mm F4 or 800 mm F5.6 respectively	Compatible with SEL14TC and SEL20TC; Sony confirms up to 800 mm with 2×. Amateur Photographer gives 840 mm in one paragraph; the physical 400 mm focal length and 2× factor give 800 mm.
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	2.7 m	2.5 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.16×	0.18×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	Yes	Yes
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Two XD linear motors; original Alpha9 can track through F22 with current firmware, maximum20fps throughF11 and10fps atF13 or smaller under Sony specified settings	Two XD linear motors; up to 120 fps AF/AE tracking with Alpha 9 III under Sony test conditions, not a universal camera limit
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	2.7 m minimum focus distance; linear-response manual focus and full-time DMF including AF-C	–
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	0.16× maximum magnification	–
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Optical SteadyShot with normal, panning mode2 and dynamic-framing mode3; original Alpha9 mode3 requires current firmware. Compatible body combines for five-axis correction. No maker stop rating in read pages	Built-in Optical SteadyShot; coordinated stabilisation and Active Mode require compatible cameras. Sony publishes no stop rating.
Video features
Video features	Quiet low-vibration autofocus; function ring can provide power focus with adjustable speed	Breathing compensation with compatible cameras
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	Yes
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	40.5 mm	95 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	158.1 mm	108 mm
Length
Length	359 mm	242 mm
Weight
Weight	2,895 g	994 g (better)
Controls
Controls	Manual-focus ring, preset/function ring and focus-memory button, four customisable focus-hold buttons, AF/MF and full-time DMF switches, full/2.7–7m/7m–infinity focus limiter and stabilisation controls	Four customisable focus-hold buttons, function ring, focus-range limiter, full-time DMF, AF/MF and stabilisation mode switches
Filter detail
Filter detail	40.5 mm drop-in filter; no front filter thread. Supplied normal filter forms part of optical design and must be installed unless replaced by supported filter; optional VF-DCPL1 polariser	95 mm front filter; Amateur Photographer’s table gives 85 mm, but maker specification is used
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Dust and moisture resistant design with magnesium-alloy exterior, internal barrel and tripod mount; not guaranteed to prevent all ingress	Dust- and moisture-resistant design; not guaranteed completely dust- or moisture-proof
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	158.1 mm maximum diameter × 359 mm length	–
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 2895 g, including fixed non-detachable tripod mount; separate hood and caps excluded	Approximately 994 g excluding tripod mount; separately supplied hood, caps, straps and case excluded
Tripod mount
Tripod mount	Fixed rotating tripod mount, explicitly non-detachable; switchable90° click stops and ball-bearing rotation	Supplied tripod mount; reviews note the foot has no integrated Arca-Swiss plate
Lens hood
Lens hood	ALC-SH155 round slip-on carbon-fibre hood with flocked interior, supplied	ALC-SH189 round bayonet hood
In the box
In the box	ALC-SH155 hood, front cover, ALC-R1EM rear cap, hard case, lens strap and case strap; normal drop-in filter initially installed	ALC-SH189 hood, ALC-F95S front cap, ALC-R1EM rear cap, soft case, lens strap, case strap and tripod mount
Release detail
Release detail	Sony USA final announcement27June2018 specifies September shipping; Japan28June specifies shipments from earlySeptember, made to order. MainSeptember, exact first global sale day unconfirmed.	Sony UK announced on 15 September 2026 with availability from the end of September 2026; exact first-sale day is not published. Sony Japan gives 9 October 2026 for that market. UK approximate launch price is £2400.