Its a large lens, but internal zoom, customizable function buttons and SteadyShot stabilization make handheld shooting manageable.
Focusing is fast and accurate, with usefully short minimum distances at the wide end.
It isnt as pin-sharp as a telephoto prime, but detail is still pretty impressive across the full range.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
Still, in bright conditions, the 400-800mm excels.
Chromatic aberrations are kept under tight control, too.
Tipping the scales at the best part of 2.5kg, this is not a lightweight lens.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
Nor is it small by anyones standards, especially with the lens hood attached.
Yet Sony has made it a surprisingly manageable telephoto zoom to shoot with.
Then youve got the tactile, accessible controls.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
With well-judged resistance, the focus ring makes manual adjustments a joy.
Add a trio of programmable focus hold buttons, and the 400-800mm becomes a super-telephoto thats easy to handle.
Its also a lens with superb focusing skills.
This isnt a perfect lens.
At the best part of 2.5kg, youll feel its weight when wielding it.
It helps that Sony has done a good job of balancing the lens.
Rather than telescoping out in front, the zoom mechanism is all packaged internally.
That keeps the weight distribution fairly consistent, whether youre shooting handheld or on a tripod.
So does the tripod foot, which sits pretty squarely beneath the lens and bodys center of gravity.
Its collar isnt removable, but youll likely find the foot useful to have more often than not.
The collar can be easily rotated, with markers for landscape and vertical orientation.
Weather seals are there to keep dust and moisture out, too.
Despite its size, Sony has tried to make the 400-800mm an accessible lens.
Then you have its stack of five focus and stabilization switches.
As heavyweight telephoto zoom lenses go, this is one of the most user-friendly.
According to Sony, the telephoto zoom can handle the 120fps maximum burst speeds of the A9 III.
The first is the focus limiter switch, which lets you give the 400-800mm a helping hand.
In practice, that lets you get the shot even when your subject is relatively close.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
What does hold the 400-800mm back in some scenarios is the slow f/6.3-8 maximum aperture.
As a result, this isnt a lens for shooting sports, especially not indoors.
Even in the dimmer conditions of undergrowth, it can be a challenge to capture blur-free animal motion.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
That slower maximum aperture also makes the lens less effective at blurring backgrounds.
At f/5.6-6.3, the 200-600mm has better light-gathering abilities and enables a tighter depth of field.
Detail is crisp at both the center and the edge of the frame, across the full zoom range.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
SteadyShot stabilization helps to keep things sharp.
Chromatic aberrations are tightly controlled, with just a hint of purple fringing creeping in at super-telephoto focal lengths.
Pincushion distortion is minimal, too, leaving you with very little to fix in raw images.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
The 11-blade aperture diaphragm also produces bokeh smooth enough to satisfy most enthusiasts.
Should you buy the Sony FE 400-800mm F6.3-8 G OSS?
It has an additional 200mm on Sonys next-longest telephoto, which gets you significantly closer to the action.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
Full-time direct manual focusing means precision adjustments are slick and quick, too.
Indoors or in low lighting, its simply not fast enough for sports.
Internal zoom makes it easier to handle, but 2.5kg is still a lot to carry.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
Given the lens’s wildlife credentials, animals were obviously a focus of my test shots.
To be thorough, I also shot architectural details, flowers, and a handful of portraits.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
