Sony has announced that they are offering something special: moments once thought to be beyond reach (without ultra-premium GM lenses) are now within the grasp of the everyman. Yes! They are democratizing the 100–400mm superzoom range (or should that be 800mm?) with a new, more-attainable lens.
Enter: the FE 100–400mm f/5.6–8 OSS. Lightweight, with a reasonable aperture range, and fully compatible with Sony’s 1.4x and 2x teleconverters for an astounding maximum possible reach. This is a lens that will take you to new frontiers, and it will be available at a Mike’s Camera near you in about one month’s time!
The value of the FE 100–400mm f/5.6–8 OSS‘s long focal length is not just in capturing subjects that are far away (although that is certainly a big part of it). If you’ve never used a super-telephoto lens, you may not be familiar with the concept of compression.
Picture the world a la the diorama: layers at different distances from the viewer. The longer the focal length, the less perceived space between the layers. The first image in the sample gallery below is a great example—look how the mountains seem to be right there with the train car. This can be used to stunning effect in video, as well; by changing the focal length while moving the camera to keep the subject seemingly still, the background seems to rush up to meet you or drop out, depending on the direction of the zoom. Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo is a prime example, to the point that it’s not uncommon to call this technique a “vertigo shot.”
In any case, many people (myself included) consider compression to be highly aesthetically pleasing in many situations.
The FE 100–400mm f/5.6–8 OSS is for ordinary people, yet is still an extraordinary lens. Its 23.1 oz weight is plenty packable, and the engineers behind the optics have endeavored to provide excellence at an attainable price. There are still aspherical and ED (extra-low dispersion) elements here—two of each—to reduce color aberrations and distortion. The lens is still capable of resolving plenty minutely to keep up with the demands of modern, high-resolution sensors, and the nine-bladed circular aperture produces well-crafted bokeh, as is obvious in some of the sample photos below.
The critical (for this length) OSS (optical stabilization system) is great to see here. Sony claims that the autofocus mechanism is capable of remaining fast and accurate even while burst-shooting at up to 120 fps, too, and it will even close-focus with a maximum magnification of 0.41x.
Intuitive-work features include a focus hold button, OSS on/off, focus mode/range limit switch, and handy zoom lock. Don’t worry: it’s dust- and moisture-resistant, too! Click here to get your order in for a mid-September release and get ready to claim a whole new world of photography.
