Bird Photography

[photoman38]

I'm curious if there are any other bird/wildlife photographers who would like to see Sony introduce a new telephoto 100-400 range, f/4 or f/4.5 aperture and internal focus weighing between 3-4 pounds.  Am I dreaming.  The 400 f2.8 weighs too much for me and for my wallet.

As background, my main interest  is bird photography. with emphasis on BIF. I switched to Sony about 2 years ago to acquire gear with improved AF and higher shutter speeds.  Since acquiring the a1,  my keeper rate has increased significantly.

Depending on location,species, etc. I shoot with the 70-200 or 2-600 with and without the 1.4 & 2X TC.

Recently I evaluated the 100-400 and determined that while it is a great lens, it wouldn't add much to my present lineup.

[Alpha-Van]

Hi @photoman38 ,  Thanks for your feedback regarding the 100-400mm GM lens. While I cannot speak to future products nor rumors of such, please know that we hear and value your feedback.  I agree with you that between your 70-200mm and 200-600mm, you've got a great birding setup. When paired up with the a1, you can customize the Focus Hold button on the side of the lens to toggle the Super35/APS-C mode ON & OFF to give you a 1.5x punch in on focal length. So, in Super35/APSC mode your 70-200mm looks like a 105-300mm and your 200-600 looks like a 300-900mm.  Just keep in mind that you'll loose a little more than half the max resolution and be down to about 21MP in that mode. 

[MattK]

Hi. So why doesn’t the existing 100-400mm work for you? I used to use it all the time for bird photography and it’s as sharp and light as anything out there. It seems to fit the specs you mentioned exactly? 

That said, once the 200-600mm came out the 100-400 just sits there. With bird photography you can’t ever get close enough, and now that I have the 200-600mm I never find a reason to use the other one.