Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM Lens Spotted for First Time at the Winter Olympics

Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM Lens Spotted for First Time at the Winter Olympics

A keen eye has purportedly captured the first ever photo of the upcoming Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM lens at the Winter Olympics.

Still on schedule to be released in the summer of this year, the Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS has otherwise been kept tightly under wraps (almost literally if you take a look at the photo below). There’s been no further details given to the public other than it is a 400mm full-frame prime lens with a f/2.8 maximum aperture, it has built-in Optical SteadyShot, and will be part of Sony’s G Master series of top-quality lenses. Pricing is expected to be above $10,000, not unlike the ballpark of 400mm f/2.8 lenses from Nikon and Canon.

When I questioned Sony Product Manager Mark Weir back in October if the lens could be fitted with their FE 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters, he did not have that information to disclose at the time.

After the release of the professional sports-oriented Sony a9, buyers quickly noticed that the company lacked depth in the telephoto end of their lens lineup. Hopefully this telephoto prime lens is a sign of things to come from Sony.

Ryan Mense's picture

Ryan Mense is a wildlife cameraperson specializing in birds. Alongside gear reviews and news, Ryan heads selection for the Fstoppers Photo of the Day.

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15 Comments

you can buy a brandnew nikon 400mm f2.8 for much less than that. (G series) but with this massive lens you loose the whole weight saving discussion. btw the difference between a 7R3 and a D850 is only 164 grams. less then a cup of coffee.

The weight saving discussion was for a different time anyways. Sony marketing saw the difference when FF mirrorless was being introduced and rolled with it. Unfortunately now it still gets brought up when that isn't their priority anyways.

true,. i found it a non discussion. investing in a new camera system because it saves 160 grams of weight. you buy into a system because it fits your needs or wants. i have been looking at sony but for now, i stick to my nikon. i am looking forward to the review of this new sony lens and how it performs as a sports/wildlife lens.

Yeah, and 160 grams is not worth the sacrifice in ergonomics. I do understand that a lot of people really enjoy 'the Sony package'. I'd like to have one in my bag as well, but I do not want to replace my 5DIV.

its a bit of a problem. conan has amazing lenses and range. nikon has great camera's and dynamic range. sony has the video option thats far better than other brands. so my idea is to keep my nikon and buy a sony 6500 for video's with S-log. there is no 1 allround best camera. 5div they made a mistake with the no swivel screen ,4k and dynamic range. nikon, no S-log, Sony still has issues but is better than before. i saw one that was dropped with a 70-200 and the lens broke off at the mount. maybe i should go into gearhead detox and focus more on shooting.

I don't care about weight. I love the size of the alpha cameras. I carry two bodies in the same part of my bag that used to hold one Canon. Then when I go anywhere else in life (concert, city walking, party, traveling etc.), I put on my voigtlander lens and can throw the camera in my wife's purse it's so small.

is that worth 10-15k to you ? not worth switching to me,.

I was just addressing the concern you brought up. The a9 and a7riii that I now own are better than any Canon I've ever put my hands on for many reasons. Here is one for you... People used to laugh at the sony batteries being small, but my 5D4 slows down in fps as the battery loses charge. By the time it hits 30% life it's a joke. My Sonya9 fires 20fps until the thing basically dies. As a sports shooter it's a big deal, and the no blackout shooting - I'd happily pay an extra 1k to have over the same camera without it.

i shoot nikon, i dont have those issues. problem with sony is still a not enough good lenses. a 400mm f2.8 that can compete with nikon or canon is here in next few months but its not here yet. and how about a 500 or 600mm. i do agree that sony is catching up with nikon and canon but i did see problems with the 7r3. a runner who ran towards the camera and the sony lost focus several times, nikon didnt. but its a bit of a up and down story. i do believe that sony will be at the sideline as the third brand besides nikon and canon. but like i said before, each job has its tool. some love apple, some samsung. i hate the iphone but i love my ipad. i love samsung phones and shoot nikon (but i started out with canon and im looking at sony a6500). regarding the sony a6500, im looking at it for the video bit and the fact its not a huge dslr with falic size lens. just a small camera that not many will notice. perfect for street photography or in "dont rob me" situations. with a huge dslr and huge lens in the street of new york (april) feels a bit like asking to be robbed.

all good points. When I was using Canon exclusively, I had a fuji x100T to always have on me, so I do enjoy not needing another camera now that I'm using alpha gear. I'm really enjoying trying out other brand lenses as well. The Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 II with leica mount may be my favorite lens of all time. Since this is one guy who will never buy a leica, it's fun to be able to use them on the sony. A buddy and I have a challenge to find the coolest lens we can for under $300, and then have a shootout on our alpha's. Anyway, not for everyone, but a ton of possibilities. (PS. can anyone recommend a cheap/interesting lens, I need to win this challenge, ha)?

you prob got it already but the 50mm canon 1.8 is a legend in my bag. i mean i was seriously impressed when i used it on a tripod with remote trigger on my rebel. that something so cheap can get those results,. wait am i confusing my ex wife with my lens now ? nah,.seriously the 50mm 1.8 is a good lens, plastic but good. i still use the version before the current one. 2015model.

Any updated news on this lens? I noted that B&H has it already under B&H # SO40028GM. There were some price guesstimates and honestly I agree with those, who expect a surprisingly "low" price, less than $5,000. Not only because I want to upgrade my Sony gear, though that's good point, too. Sony a7RIII and Nikon D850 are serious contenders . Sony really needs to expand on the lens market with tele-lenses to complement the new bodies released. I am considering the a7RIII etc, if this lens will be affordable. On the other hand Nikon should pay attention to the weight business, though I do not expect much in the next few years. Sadly, as for nature/ wildlife Sony does not beat Nikon yet. The race is close though, in my opinion.

sony screams video and how light they are. at the same time their lenses carry the highest prices. you could almost say that sony costs its weight in dollars. for the telephoto from sony, dude they will be seriously expensive. they wont be selling many of them. reason is that sony arnt very good for wildlife, most wildlife shooters use canon/nikon. this translates into units sold of high end telephoto lenses so low production which translates into high cost. all epic wildlife photos have been shot with old dslr tech from canon or nikon. those lenses are cheaper. stay back a version and you have great gear. a second hand nikon 500mm cost 4000-5000 dollar in great condition. not a scratch on them. you know the typ of photographers that owned them, party lenses, they are bought to brag about them at party's.

you need a sony cup,. LOL

look to the limix g9 with 2.8 200 in comparison (camerasize)

http://j.mp/2IAU5vw