Product Reviews

Long zoom and fast focusing lens! Trade off is the lens sure is heavy! The lens is quality and fast focusing on subject.

Bought this as a back up to my GM 600/4. Tested at Mandai Bird Paradise. Very happy with the performance. It is a bigger and heavier lens to the 200-600. But a 800 f8 zoom is definitely great advantage for bird photography. Nice lens 👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️

Used the lens a few times and compared it to the 200-600G which is excellent. It's a bit heavier, a fraction longer and bigger but not overtly cumbersome. I can hand-hold it and swing it about quite easily for tracking flying birds. For someone less strong or of a smaller build, it might prove a challenge for prolonged use. You need a dedicated bag, something like the Vanguard Alta Sky 66 due to its size. AF is excellent - faster, more reliable and 'stickier'. The focus limiter at 8 meters to infinity appears to work at closer distances too and seems less fussy than the 200-600. Sharpness is better too. Colour rendition is excellent and typically natural like all modern Sony lenses. I've not yet tried it with my 1.4x convertor. It would be 5 out of 5. However, the equipment registration process via the internet is as usual with Sony, very, very poor. It's almost as if they don't want you to take out an extended warranty! The software doesn't use field updates from the same entries in previous forms. The font size is tiny with light grey text on a glaring white background! I can excuse the American address template but please, not everyone lives in a bloody city! In fact this very review form is a good example of how not to design a review form. Free text field too small, dark text on white background, no auto-update of email field etc.

This lens is everything it needs to be. Much better image quality than I expected for the price. Highly recommend.

I purchased the lens from B&H Photo Video of New York City NY. The lens did not come with case. Do you have a recommendation for a carrying case? Why does 100400GM cone with a case but the 400800G does not come with a case.?

Excellent glass. Much sharper than my 200-600 G . Also marked improvement in AF due to the dual linear motor drive and 1.7m mfd make this lens very capable for bird and wildlife photography.

Been using the FE 400-800mm for aviation and bird photography, excels well in both regards as long as there is enough day light. On cloudy, over cast days, increasing ISO would be needed to get decently exposed photos.

This is an awesome lens compare to the 200-600mm. It is heavier, longer and more zoom (800mm)/ Like the internal zoom as you don't hit anything in front of the lens compare to the 600mm. Also less worry in water getting into the lens through zooming with 200-600mm. Only setback now is the finding a light camera trolley bag to go with this lens.

Good for near and far shots . Min focal length is only 1.7m for 400mm.

A superb lens to go beyond 600mm, fast focusing and tack sharp.

The compact size is great. The zoom throw is great and fast to use. Zooming with autofocus is a great compositional too.

I sold my 200-600 to upgrade to the 400-800, I’m very happy with the lens,the 800 end is nice and shape for my type of photography,which is locating birds nest. I’m not able to supply any images,due to the sensor of showing birds on nest.

Very pleased with this purchase. Weight is decent and so is the price. Sold my 200600 in exchange for this.

Excellent,a really a nice choice for Sony users ,althought the aperture of F8 is limiting in some scenarios ,the convenience of the zoom with reach surpasses other telephoto zoom options ,and even some primes ,the lens is built with Sony's expertise so rest assured of high quality ,internal zoom assures good balance and fast zoom throw ,coupled with Sonys superlative XD linear motors insured fast focusing ,a step up from competitors,lens hood is well designed everything has a premium feel,there will times when you may need something shorter for your needs ,but for birding wildlife where you subject can be either small or distant this lens gives you opportunitys only the best primes could achieve ,kudos to Sony it has now replaced my 200-600mm Sony g lens ,as first choice .only the weight will be a limited factor for some people.

I finally bought the lens after contemplating whether there was a need to since I already have the Sony FE 200-600mm G lens. The extra 200mm reach was the main lure and I decided to bite the bullet and purchase the lens. After using it for a while, the AF was fast and sharpness is better than the 200-600mm lens.

The Sony FE 400-800mm F6.3-8 OSS demonstrates solid autofocus performance, making it suitable for tracking moving subjects like birds in flight. However, when used with a UV filter, noticeable ghosting and blurring occur during high-speed continuous shooting of distant, fast-moving subjects. Removing the UV filter immediately improves image clarity, eliminating the issue. This behaviour was consistently replicated in multiple tests with different made filters (3 makers), confirming the UV filter's adverse impact on image quality in dynamic scenarios.

bought new had for a couple of weeks mainly for bird photography but i think would be great for airshows, bit heavier than the 200-600 but sharper. F8 not so great on those dull days in the UK but the last couple of weeks of sun have been great, no issues at F8 and at 800 mm backgrounds blur very well.

The performance of this lens is superb although it is not the G Master. Focusing was fast working well with A1ii. Able to capture the details of bird's feathers even at a distance away.

A much faster focusing lens vs the 200-600mm. The reach is worth the price for what i shoot- wildlife, planes and landscapes.