When I heard about Sony’s new FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS, I was excited. As a wildlife photographer, the appeal of a lens with 800mm reach in a zoom format is undeniable.
Earlier this month I took it to Namibia, where I spent a week putting it through its paces at Ongava Game Reserve and Okonjima Nature Reserve. My goal was simple: find out whether this lens could earn a permanent spot in my kit.
First Impressions
From the moment I picked up the 400-800mm, it was clear that Sony had focused on balance and usability. The internal zoom mechanism is a big win, avoiding the shifting balance that you often get with telescoping designs. The lens maintains its length throughout the zoom range, which not only makes it easier to handle but also prevents dust intake—a real bonus when working in dusty environments that I often encounter in Africa. The lens is very similar to the 200-600mm and not much larger, so it felt familiar from the outset.
The lens weighs 2.77kg (6.1 lbs), which is not exactly lightweight, but it’s remarkably manageable considering the 800mm reach. I spent long days handholding the lens, including from the cramped confines of a vehicle, and never felt that it was unwieldy or too heavy. The smooth zoom ring with its short throw allowed for quick and precise adjustments, which helped me compose my photographs with ease.
Autofocus
Autofocus performance is critical when using a long lens, and the 400-800mm did not disappoint. The high-speed linear motors delivered fast and accurate focusing, even when transitioning between near and far subjects. The tracking capabilities were on par with Sony’s G Master lenses, making it a great tool for capturing fast-moving wildlife.
Even as the light faded, the autofocus remained reliable down to the point where the image quality started to degrade because of the extremely high ISOs I was having to shoot at.
Aperture and Low-Light Performance
With an aperture range of f/6.3 to f/8, the 400-800mm is not a low-light specialist, but it performs well in natural light. Despite the f/8 aperture, I found I was able to achieve good subject isolation with pleasing bokeh, and nicely blurred foreground vegetation, thanks to the long focal length.
As the sun’s strength faded, I needed to push the ISO quite high, but modern cameras handle high ISOs well, and combined with denoising software, I found I could still get perfectly useable images in most situations.
Of course, the low-light performance of fast prime lenses is considerably better. However, the versatility of the zoom and the extended reach outweighed the low-light challenges in many situations. When you then also factor in portability, price, and flexibility, the 400-800mm becomes a very compelling option.
Pushing the Limits with a 2x Teleconverter
I was skeptical about pairing the 400-800mm with a 2x teleconverter, effectively turning it into an 800-1600mm f/13-16 lens. To my surprise, the setup was quite usable. Shooting from a hide, I managed to get sharp images by resting the lens for stability.
The autofocus remained functional in good light, and I found animal-eye AF worked quite well even at 1600mm f/16.
Comparing to the 200-600mm and 100-400mm
In my lens comparison video, I tested the 400-800mm alongside the 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G and the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM. Each lens has unique strengths, and the right choice will depend on your specific needs:
100-400mm: An excellent option for travel due to its compact size and brighter aperture, but it lacks the reach needed for distant wildlife and small birds. A teleconverter can be added to extend the reach, but this solution does not match the performance of the longer native zooms.
200-600mm: A good all-rounder with internal zoom, offering a good balance of reach and versatility. It’s ideal for those who need a single telephoto solution, but in many situations, an extra 200mm would be useful. At the wide end, it is more versatile than the 400-800mm as the 200mm focal length can include a lot more context.
400-800mm: The longest reach of the trio, delivering impressive results with strong autofocus performance. While the f/8 aperture is a consideration in low light, the benefits in good light and handheld usability make this my preferred option for wildlife photography.
Real-world Benefits of a Zoom
The 400-800mm impressed me not just with its reach, but with its real-world practicality. The ability to zoom in and out allowed me to capture the animals in their environment as well as tight portraits. The lens proved invaluable when I found Namibia’s landscape blanketed in yellow flowers—I could pull back for context or zoom in for detail, adapting to the creative opportunities presented by the vibrant surroundings.
This underscores how valuable a zoom lens can be on safari, where vehicle positioning restrictions often prevent you from changing your distance to the subject. The 400-800mm allowed me to make compositional choices that would have been impossible with a fixed focal length.
Final Thoughts
The Sony 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS is a versatile lens that has exceeded my expectations in many areas. It offers a practical balance of reach, handling, and image quality, particularly in good light. While it does have limitations in low-light conditions, these are manageable and often outweighed by the benefits of the zoom range.
This is a lens I can see myself reaching for often, particularly for bird photography and situations where maximum reach is needed. It might not replace faster primes for every scenario, but it fills a gap in my camera bag that I didn’t know I had.
For a closer look at how the 400-800mm performed in Namibia, check out my field test video below, and if you’re deciding between this and Sony’s other telephoto zooms, my lens comparison video above offers a comprehensive breakdown.
About the author: Will Burrard-Lucas is a wildlife photographer, founder of Camtraptions, and a Sony Ambassador. He dedicates much of his time to working on long-term book and conservation projects in Africa. Find out more at www.willbl.com.
Source link
