Sony's New Compact Telephoto Primes Tested in Wildlife

Sony has launched two new compact telephoto prime lenses, the 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS and the 600mm f/5.6 GM OSS. According to a field test by Digital Camera World, these lenses offer a just-right balance between portability, price, and image quality for wildlife photography.

Hillary K. Grigonis of Digital Camera World took the lenses on a hike through a wildlife refuge. She reports that carrying them felt more like carrying two 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses rather than extreme reach telephoto primes. The significant weight reduction compared to Sony's brighter luxury primes was a key advantage for mobility.

Performance in the Field

The test began with the 400mm lens, but an unfamiliar bird prompted an immediate switch to the 600mm for more reach. Using the 600mm f/5.6 on a Sony A7 V camera, the photographer found the lens to be impressively sharp and detailed. Cropping into the 33-megapixel files revealed the bird was a juvenile black-crowned night heron, identifiable by its distinct feather pattern. The f/5.6 aperture does not blur backgrounds as heavily as an f/4 lens, and required a slightly higher ISO, but the trade-off for hike-friendly portability was deemed worthwhile.

The Surprise in the Details

The biggest surprise came during post-processing. One distant backlit egret shot, taken with the intent of capturing its silhouette, held an unseen detail. When the image was blown up on screen, a perfectly preserved spider web on the same branch became clearly visible. Even after cropping, the lens retained an impressive level of detail in the delicate web.

Contrary to her usual preference for maximum reach, the photographer ended up marking more keepers from the 400mm f/4.5. Its slightly brighter aperture and lighter weight proved advantageous. On the walk back, the 400mm lens was used to freeze water droplets at a shutter speed of 1/5,000 second and ISO 400 as an egret fished.

Lens Specifications and Context

The new lenses slot into Sony's E-mount lineup between existing luxury and more affordable options. They are positioned as a Goldilocks solution. The source provides a direct comparison of the weight between these new compact primes and Sony's existing brighter, heavier counterparts.

The hike concluded with dozens of frogs leaping across the path, a final reminder of the active, mobile shooting style these new lenses are designed to enable.