One Year with the Sony 400mm F2.8 Lens: A Wildlife Photographer's Review

Gear reviews are always such fickle things to write. There is a lot of emphasis on trying out a piece of hardware for a few days and then making a firm decision on it. But for me as a wildlife photographer, I know the importance of using my gear not only a handful of times, but over the course of multiple big trips and in a variety of conditions. That's why I waited to give my opinion on my Sony 400mm f2.8 lens exactly one year after I bought it. I've taken it to the freezing conditions of Yellowstone and the Pacific Northwest, the plains of East Africa, and the blistering forests of India. After a year I can firmly say that this lens, if you can afford it, is the top of the mountain for any photographer.

Size

If you've never shot a big prime lens, my first piece of advice would be to hit the gym. Coming in at almost 6.4 lbs., you definitely are going to want to start lifting weights in order hand hold this lens. It's big, it's bulky, and you will want to invest in some sort of tripod or monopod system if you plan to shoot it over long periods of time.

Like other prime lenses, the lens size itself is permanently fixed, so you will never extend it past its 14 inch length. This is just long enough to fit inside a 30L camera bag attached to a body, which can make travel and luggage size another thing to consider when carrying it around.

Image Quality

Let's be honest, this is the most important thing that people care about when thinking about buying a big prime lens. Does that $12,000 price tag come with $12,000 level image quality? My answer would be...it's complicated

I'll admit that I myself am a pixel peeper. I love to zoom in on my shots and see just how sharp my subjects are. That's part of the reason why I felt the need to get the very best lens on the market, so that I could really maximize those details. The Sony 400mm f2.8 is definitely sharper than say the 100-400 or even 200-600 lens. But the caveat to that, is that you really need to have your subject fill your frame right at that 400mm range to really get the most out of it.

The lens can be sharp as a knife, if you can get close to your subject

If you can get your subject to completely fill the frame, then the lens will really shine

There have been wildlife encounters that I've had where I look back at my photos afterwards and am just taken aback by how sharp they are. It's a level of detail that only a prime lens can get. But I have also had very good shots taken with my 200-600 lens at a fraction of the cost. After shooting both the 600mm f4, and now the 400mm f2.8, I've found that you reach a point of diminishing returns when it comes to lenses. Yes the image quality can be unmatched sometimes, but it's not always like I may have expected.

Focal Length

I've somewhat implied it before, but by shooting aa 400mm prime, you are absolutely married to that focal length. And in my opinion, 400 can be just a little bit too short for wildlife photography. So many times our subjects are far away from us, or we're limited to staying on roads and can't get close. Like I've said, I love to crop my images, and even when shooting on a 51MP body I still find myself cropping way more than I had to in the past.

It's still a great lens, but I really found myself wanting just more reach at times with it

Now if you shoot subjects where you can hit them at that 400mm sweet spot in places like Sabi Sands or other private reserves, then the lens will be perfect for you. But not everyone has that luxury, and there were so many moments that I wish I had my 200-600 or an internal teleconverter to extend my reach. Shooting prime lenses is a learning curve for sure, and after a year I still can find it frustrating at times.

Aperture

This review may have been a bit negative up to this point, but this is the absolute best part of a 400mm f.28 lens. And that is the aperture.

F2.8 is the absolute peak for wildlife photographers. So many of the best wildlife sightings happen in low light, where you really need every little bit of help you can get in order to nail the shot. I think of how many photos I've missed in the past because I couldn't shoot at 2.8, and now I never have to worry about not having enough light. While others shooting a zoom lens may have to put their cameras down right as the sun sets, I have a few extra minutes where I can keep shooting, and that can be a huge difference maker in wildlife photography.

This cheetah shot was taken with storm clouds overhead and just as evening was approaching. Without F2.8, I don't get this shot

Another great part about being able to shoot at F2.8 is that you don't have to compromise your ISO or shutter speed in order to still get shots in low light. Many times in the past I would drop shutter speeds to dangerously low levels in order to not shoot at crazy ISO levels because I had a F.63 or F5.6 aperture. With 2.8, I can be a little less risky, which means I hit my shots with a much higher frequency.

This lioness was on the move at first light, but because I had my F2.8 I could keep my shutter speed at safe levels and still get my shot

Just because you can shoot at F2.8 doesn't mean you always should though. Understanding depth of field, and when to change it, is a huge component of wildlife photography. I'm still frequently shooting at F4-F8 when the light allows. But that 2.8 is reserved for those lowlight moments when I know I need it, like an ace in the hole.

Conclusion

After a year with the Sony 400mm F2.8 lens, I can honestly say that it's been a mixed bag. There are some things I'm really pleased with, and some things that I'm not. Image quality is great under the right conditions, and the lowlight capabilities are amazing when I need them. But for $12,000, I shouldn't be having any sort of reservations, and should be head over heels with it. 400mm just doesn't really cut it in the wildlife photography I shoot, and what I really wish this lens had was a built in teleconverter like Nikon has with their 400mm lens for the Z mount. The Sony is 5 years old at this point and I'm sure the next iteration will have some sort of system like that. But right now, I would suggest saving your money for a big trip and continue using a zoom lens until something like that rolls around in the near future.