Sony FE 100-400mm GM Lens Tested on a9 for Sports Events

sony alpha a9 fe 100-400mm gm lens

The new Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens will be shipping and in stock soon, you can get yours at Amazon/B&H Photo/Adorama, shipping date starts on July 27. Photographer Todd Vorenkamp had a chance to review this new super telephoto zoom lens on Sony a9 (Amazon/B&H Photo/Adorama) at Monticello Motor Club sports event. He tested Sony a9 and FE 100-400mm GM lens on photographing race cars in very challenging conditions.

From Todd Vorenkamp:

The FE 100-400 GM is not a super-heavy lens; it is lighter than the Canon of the same focal length, but after an entire day of shooting and 8,000 images (thanks to the 20 fps performance of the a9), my arms were definitely feeling it.

Together, the Sony α9 and G Master FE 100-400 lens make a fantastic combo for today’s action shooter. The α9 is very fast when operating in continuous shooting mode with its mechanical shutter engaged—around 5 frames per second. Tracking cars at high speed and close range is difficult on a good day, but when you switch to the electronic-shutter-only mode and boost up to 20 fps on the α9, the lack of blackout is a boon to the photographer panning with the action. My miss rate dropped considerably once I was shooting in 20 fps mode—only losing tracking when the cars were mere feet away.

When it comes to focus tracking and accuracy, there are zero complaints. The α9 is a smart camera and the flickering, constantly shifting focus indicators prove that the camera is thinking hard when it comes to getting every shot in focus.

Read full reviews at B&H Photo Video.