To be fair to their weather sealing, the 100-400mm Sony is an externally zooming lens with variable volume, compared to the Canon lenses you mentioned which are internal zooming lenses with fixed volume. The Sony inherently has to move air in and out of the lens, there’s no way around that, which allows it to ingest moist air in humid conditions and would explain why it developed that condensation.
I understand that condensation comment completely, however I cannot agree with you, this is a very expensive bit of glass, and for that money, and considering what most buyers would be using it for (outdoor, long range work in variable weather conditions) there is no excuse for it. They should have gone with a sealed internal focus model if this one is suceptible to fogging. As any driver knows, the inside of the windshield of a car only has to get condensation on it just once or twice before noticeable marks are clearly visible. You can wipe a windshield, but you cannot get inside this lens to clean it can you! Sony need to rethink this one. At this price… Read more »
I know this is an old post but check out the Canon 100-500 – it will have the same problem. You want something light, small and portable or perfectly sealed like the Sony 200-600 ? You should know that a ‘pumper’ will always be able to suck in moisture and dust – no matter if it is a pro level lens or not. Next time leave the lens outside to acclimatise properly before extending it so the internal elements are not colder than the outside air and don’t cause condensation. Biggest risk of internal moisture is mould. Water vapour does not leave marks once it has evapourated. Your car window experience is not comparable since the car window has condensed… Read more »
Ziggy
March 28, 2019 11:47 pm
Just a BTW, Panasonic also have some bodies and lenses each with IS, that work together. Eg G9 & 100-400mm.
Yeshe Dorje
October 17, 2018 2:33 pm
Dvir–Thank you so much for your wonderful and very comprehensive review. If I tried to comment on your stunning photos I fear no words would suffice or do justice to your extraordinary talent. I have had the FE 100-400 GM for a year now and it has managed to surprise me almost every time I have made use of it. Although I have never had this condensation problem you ran into (with this GM lens), I have found that very same issue when I was living in Nepal. If the temperature where you store your gear (in very humid environments) is significantly different from where you are shooting, the condensation can really make a mess of many cameras–at the sensor–and… Read more »
Ramon Morales
August 27, 2018 9:18 pm
Dvir, Thanks for the review. I am considering getting this lens with the A7iii. Perhaps I missed it but I did not see any comments in your post about the autofocus performance of the lens when using the teleconverters. Could you discuss your findings on that? Thanks
Hello Ramon, The performance with the Sony FE Teleconverters is under the “Sharpness and Features” section. Here is an excerpt from that section regarding performance with Teleconverters; “) With the SEL1.4TC (1.4x) tele-converter The lens performs exceptionally well when it is coupled with the SEL14TC 1.4x tele-converter, losing very little sharpness and contrast. I did not notice any differences in autofocus performance either, so if you need to get closer to your subject, you can use this combination with full confidence. Keep in mind that you lose a stop of light, so the lens becomes an f/8 lens on the long end. If you have sufficient light, then it is not a problem and you can keep the teleconverter mounted… Read more »
Jose E Hernandez
August 27, 2018 7:41 am
Just returned from Pantanal where I used this lens with the A9 exclusively because the 100-400 range turned to be outstanding for photographing jaguars. I had rain and drizzles and experienced not condensation problems. I purchase a Arca-Swiss type foot from a RRS and solve that shortfall. I experienced repeated problems with the AF system freezing and having to turn camera on/off to getting it working again but this may be a camera issue and not the lens. The AF system also repeatedly failed to autofocus when photographing fish hawks while striking the water to catch prey. Use several AF modes with no improvements. My Canon gear has delivered better AF performance but this may be due to the 2.8… Read more »
Tom B.
August 8, 2018 7:31 pm
Excellent review with excellent images, thank you!
Kirk Moon
August 7, 2018 9:51 am
Minor point. The Canon 100-400 lens hood also has a small sliding window for access to the polarizing filter. Having owned both the Canon and the Sony 100-400 lenses the things that I like most about the Sony it is that it is significantly lighter than the Canon and, in combo with the smaller and lighter a9 body, is much more hand holdable for a full day of shooting than the Canon combo (I was using a 5DM4 body without a battery grip). I am also struck by the sharpness of the Sony images. I thought the Canon was exceptionally sharp, but, subjectively, the Sony seems to take it even further. Very impressive performance. My only concern about the Sony… Read more »
James, I would say that they are quite comparable, which I believe says a lot about both lenses. It isn’t an easy comparison to make given that the camera body you use them with makes a big difference. They are both very sharp throughout the entirety of their focal length range. I do believe that the Sony takes teleconverters better than the Canon lens. As an overall package, the Sony system is much lighter and I feel it is more suited for birds-in-flight photography due to this and the Sony A9’s lock on focus whereas I would probably trust the Canon combo in inclement weather much more so than the Sony. I would like to shot them side-by-side one day… Read more »
Any lens that changes volume when focused or zoomed, and this one appears to grow in length when zoomed, is by definition not sealed. Ambient air MUST move into and out of the lens every time it’s zoomed. Seals can be effective at keeping water out, but not air or the dust and moisture it inevitably contains. Drop the temperature of the lens too quickly and the moisture present in the air already inside the lens might condense. If the lens body is substantially constructed of magnesium then I might expect it to transfer heat faster and exacerbate this problem. I have never touched either lens but my understanding is that the Canon 200-400 does not expand when zoomed and… Read more »
The points you bring up are very valid. Indeed the best weather sealed lenses are those without any changes in size as you zoom them in or out as it is much easier to seal such a lens. As you state, both the Canon 200-400 and 70-200 don’t expand when zoomed and this enhances their ability to withstand difficult weather and high moisture. On this trip I also had a Tokina 12-24 lens with me for some snapshot photography and that lens is a zoom that does not expand when zoomed in or out but Tokina does not list it as weather sealed and indeed it isn’t. The lens suffered a similar problem as the Sony and my intention with… Read more »
Tim Mayo
August 6, 2018 12:17 pm
Superb review Dvir Barkay and excellent images. I’ve owned this lens since it launched and also written my own review on my site alphashooters.com. I’ve used the lens in both light and heavy showers with my a6500, a7R III and a9 and so far have not suffered any water/moisture ingress issues. However, I’ve yet to test it in a high humidity environment so this could well be a different story. I’ll be taking this lens to Borneo with me next month so I won’t have long to wait to find out. Needless to say, if the lens does suffer the same fate as yours, I will be a little peeved off!
Thank you for the kind words Tim. I hope that the lens holds up for you in Borneo. It should offer a good challenge given the high humidity there though I believe that this behavior is at it’s worst when you subject the lens to drastic changes in temperature and humidity which of course creates this strong condensation. Do write back to us with your results once you test the lens in Borneo as I am sure other readers would benefit from another user experience. Overall, the Sony is a beautiful lens and I really liked it’s functionality, image quality and superb focusing and was unhappy to have this one issue come up as otherwise I felt it an almost… Read more »
To be fair to their weather sealing, the 100-400mm Sony is an externally zooming lens with variable volume, compared to the Canon lenses you mentioned which are internal zooming lenses with fixed volume. The Sony inherently has to move air in and out of the lens, there’s no way around that, which allows it to ingest moist air in humid conditions and would explain why it developed that condensation.
I understand that condensation comment completely, however I cannot agree with you, this is a very expensive bit of glass, and for that money, and considering what most buyers would be using it for (outdoor, long range work in variable weather conditions) there is no excuse for it. They should have gone with a sealed internal focus model if this one is suceptible to fogging. As any driver knows, the inside of the windshield of a car only has to get condensation on it just once or twice before noticeable marks are clearly visible. You can wipe a windshield, but you cannot get inside this lens to clean it can you! Sony need to rethink this one. At this price… Read more »
I know this is an old post but check out the Canon 100-500 – it will have the same problem. You want something light, small and portable or perfectly sealed like the Sony 200-600 ? You should know that a ‘pumper’ will always be able to suck in moisture and dust – no matter if it is a pro level lens or not. Next time leave the lens outside to acclimatise properly before extending it so the internal elements are not colder than the outside air and don’t cause condensation. Biggest risk of internal moisture is mould. Water vapour does not leave marks once it has evapourated. Your car window experience is not comparable since the car window has condensed… Read more »
Just a BTW, Panasonic also have some bodies and lenses each with IS, that work together. Eg G9 & 100-400mm.
Dvir–Thank you so much for your wonderful and very comprehensive review. If I tried to comment on your stunning photos I fear no words would suffice or do justice to your extraordinary talent. I have had the FE 100-400 GM for a year now and it has managed to surprise me almost every time I have made use of it. Although I have never had this condensation problem you ran into (with this GM lens), I have found that very same issue when I was living in Nepal. If the temperature where you store your gear (in very humid environments) is significantly different from where you are shooting, the condensation can really make a mess of many cameras–at the sensor–and… Read more »
Dvir, Thanks for the review. I am considering getting this lens with the A7iii. Perhaps I missed it but I did not see any comments in your post about the autofocus performance of the lens when using the teleconverters. Could you discuss your findings on that? Thanks
Hello Ramon, The performance with the Sony FE Teleconverters is under the “Sharpness and Features” section. Here is an excerpt from that section regarding performance with Teleconverters; “) With the SEL1.4TC (1.4x) tele-converter The lens performs exceptionally well when it is coupled with the SEL14TC 1.4x tele-converter, losing very little sharpness and contrast. I did not notice any differences in autofocus performance either, so if you need to get closer to your subject, you can use this combination with full confidence. Keep in mind that you lose a stop of light, so the lens becomes an f/8 lens on the long end. If you have sufficient light, then it is not a problem and you can keep the teleconverter mounted… Read more »
Just returned from Pantanal where I used this lens with the A9 exclusively because the 100-400 range turned to be outstanding for photographing jaguars. I had rain and drizzles and experienced not condensation problems. I purchase a Arca-Swiss type foot from a RRS and solve that shortfall. I experienced repeated problems with the AF system freezing and having to turn camera on/off to getting it working again but this may be a camera issue and not the lens. The AF system also repeatedly failed to autofocus when photographing fish hawks while striking the water to catch prey. Use several AF modes with no improvements. My Canon gear has delivered better AF performance but this may be due to the 2.8… Read more »
Excellent review with excellent images, thank you!
Minor point. The Canon 100-400 lens hood also has a small sliding window for access to the polarizing filter. Having owned both the Canon and the Sony 100-400 lenses the things that I like most about the Sony it is that it is significantly lighter than the Canon and, in combo with the smaller and lighter a9 body, is much more hand holdable for a full day of shooting than the Canon combo (I was using a 5DM4 body without a battery grip). I am also struck by the sharpness of the Sony images. I thought the Canon was exceptionally sharp, but, subjectively, the Sony seems to take it even further. Very impressive performance. My only concern about the Sony… Read more »
The Sony GM has that window for adjusting polarizer filter too.
Dvir-Thanks for the review, overall how did you feel the Sony compared against the Canon 100-400?
James, I would say that they are quite comparable, which I believe says a lot about both lenses. It isn’t an easy comparison to make given that the camera body you use them with makes a big difference. They are both very sharp throughout the entirety of their focal length range. I do believe that the Sony takes teleconverters better than the Canon lens. As an overall package, the Sony system is much lighter and I feel it is more suited for birds-in-flight photography due to this and the Sony A9’s lock on focus whereas I would probably trust the Canon combo in inclement weather much more so than the Sony. I would like to shot them side-by-side one day… Read more »
Great thanks for the info.
Any lens that changes volume when focused or zoomed, and this one appears to grow in length when zoomed, is by definition not sealed. Ambient air MUST move into and out of the lens every time it’s zoomed. Seals can be effective at keeping water out, but not air or the dust and moisture it inevitably contains. Drop the temperature of the lens too quickly and the moisture present in the air already inside the lens might condense. If the lens body is substantially constructed of magnesium then I might expect it to transfer heat faster and exacerbate this problem. I have never touched either lens but my understanding is that the Canon 200-400 does not expand when zoomed and… Read more »
The points you bring up are very valid. Indeed the best weather sealed lenses are those without any changes in size as you zoom them in or out as it is much easier to seal such a lens. As you state, both the Canon 200-400 and 70-200 don’t expand when zoomed and this enhances their ability to withstand difficult weather and high moisture. On this trip I also had a Tokina 12-24 lens with me for some snapshot photography and that lens is a zoom that does not expand when zoomed in or out but Tokina does not list it as weather sealed and indeed it isn’t. The lens suffered a similar problem as the Sony and my intention with… Read more »
Superb review Dvir Barkay and excellent images. I’ve owned this lens since it launched and also written my own review on my site alphashooters.com. I’ve used the lens in both light and heavy showers with my a6500, a7R III and a9 and so far have not suffered any water/moisture ingress issues. However, I’ve yet to test it in a high humidity environment so this could well be a different story. I’ll be taking this lens to Borneo with me next month so I won’t have long to wait to find out. Needless to say, if the lens does suffer the same fate as yours, I will be a little peeved off!
Thank you for the kind words Tim. I hope that the lens holds up for you in Borneo. It should offer a good challenge given the high humidity there though I believe that this behavior is at it’s worst when you subject the lens to drastic changes in temperature and humidity which of course creates this strong condensation. Do write back to us with your results once you test the lens in Borneo as I am sure other readers would benefit from another user experience. Overall, the Sony is a beautiful lens and I really liked it’s functionality, image quality and superb focusing and was unhappy to have this one issue come up as otherwise I felt it an almost… Read more »