p.76 #1 · Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM Image Thread
For starters, sorry for placing this question here, but I can't find the discussion thread for 100-400GM .
So, my question is:
is it normal that while zooming (regardless of "Tight" or "Smooth" setting), the movement is not fluid (kinda jittery) ?
I just can't force myself to zoom in or out throughout the whole range in a fluid fashion (there are always some micro-stops where I have to apply more force to keep going).
Also, around 350-400 range the resistance of the zoom is tangibly lower...
Before you ask, I'm the first owner of the lens (from about 1.5 year or so) and I use it very, very rarely (mostly during winter and summer vacation).
I switched quite a bit between the GM and Tamron 35-150 on my recent summer trip and the difference is night and day between my copies. The Tamron requires more force to actually initiate and keep on zooming but it's very fluid, with no change to force required to keep going.
Does it make sense to send it to Sony Service so they have a look at it (it's actually my main gripe about this lens, I can get over the size/weight and white color somehow I guess, but the haptics alone are making me lean towards Tamron 70-300 or 50-400 ...).
p.76 #2 · Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM Image Thread
j4nu wrote:
For starters, sorry for placing this question here, but I can't find the discussion thread for 100-400GM .
So, my question is:
is it normal that while zooming (regardless of "Tight" or "Smooth" setting), the movement is not fluid (kinda jittery) ?
I just can't force myself to zoom in or out throughout the whole range in a fluid fashion (there are always some micro-stops where I have to apply more force to keep going).
Also, around 350-400 range the resistance of the zoom is tangibly lower...
Before you ask, I'm the first owner of the lens (from about 1.5 year or so) and I use it very, very rarely (mostly during winter and summer vacation).
I switched quite a bit between the GM and Tamron 35-150 on my recent summer trip and the difference is night and day between my copies. The Tamron requires more force to actually initiate and keep on zooming but it's very fluid, with no change to force required to keep going.
Does it make sense to send it to Sony Service so they have a look at it (it's actually my main gripe about this lens, I can get over the size/weight and white color somehow I guess, but the haptics alone are making me lean towards Tamron 70-300 or 50-400 ...)....Show more →
Same with my Sony 100-400. Though the smooth setting is kind of smooth. I'm hoping ( I can hope, I hope) Sony comes out with a version 2 with internal zooming like the 200-600. The 100-400 lives 99% of the time on my A7IV.
p.76 #3 · Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM Image Thread
j4nu wrote:
For starters, sorry for placing this question here, but I can't find the discussion thread for 100-400GM .
So, my question is:
is it normal that while zooming (regardless of "Tight" or "Smooth" setting), the movement is not fluid (kinda jittery) ?
I just can't force myself to zoom in or out throughout the whole range in a fluid fashion (there are always some micro-stops where I have to apply more force to keep going).
Also, around 350-400 range the resistance of the zoom is tangibly lower...
Before you ask, I'm the first owner of the lens (from about 1.5 year or so) and I use it very, very rarely (mostly during winter and summer vacation).
I switched quite a bit between the GM and Tamron 35-150 on my recent summer trip and the difference is night and day between my copies. The Tamron requires more force to actually initiate and keep on zooming but it's very fluid, with no change to force required to keep going.
Does it make sense to send it to Sony Service so they have a look at it (it's actually my main gripe about this lens, I can get over the size/weight and white color somehow I guess, but the haptics alone are making me lean towards Tamron 70-300 or 50-400 ...)....Show more →
Sounds normal to me. My 100-400 is smooth enough but I'd not say it gets into "fluid" territory when I zoom in and out. There are also a couple of points in the zoom range when I feel a very slight "bump" -- perhaps the "micro stops" you mention. It's never bothered me, never interfered with my photo taking, and the lens performs just fine so I'm not worried at all.
p.76 #4 · Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM Image Thread
Thanks, so it seems to be rather normal.
The IQ is top-notch, as well as AF - I was just wondering about the haptics...
This is rarely mentioned, but I also think the lens produces pretty nice background blur, especially for a "slow" zoom .
Anyways, I find long distance shooting difficult due to atmospheric conditions, but this is something I will have to learn how to deal with...
p.76 #8 · Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM Image Thread
Photo cross posted in the Sony FE Image Thread and taken at 9:39 AM.
Looking at a Great Blue Heron in Breeding Plumage.
Cropped from both sides and top, tripod mounted100-400mm GM set to 200 mm and Sony A7rIII camera; silent shutter.
ISO 100, f5.6, 1/250 second.
Exposure corrected +0.35 Stops.
May 11, 2019
At Gatorland, Orlando or Kissimmee, FL
p.76 #12 · Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM Image Thread
Photo cross posted in the Sony FE Image Thread and taken at 5:21 PM.
Looking at Great Egrets in a nesting colony.
Cropped; tripod mounted 100-400mm GM set to 327mm and A7rIII, silent shutter.
ISO 100, f5.6, 1/800 second.
Exposure Corrected +1.75 Stops.
May 11, 2019
At Gatorland, Orlando or Kissimmee, FL.
p.76 #15 · Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM Image Thread
j4nu wrote:
is it normal that while zooming (regardless of "Tight" or "Smooth" setting), the movement is not fluid (kinda jittery) ?
I just can't force myself to zoom in or out throughout the whole range in a fluid fashion (there are always some micro-stops where I have to apply more force to keep going).
Also, around 350-400 range the resistance of the zoom is tangibly lower...
I have noticed that it is "slower" to zoom at the long end, as if turning the dial moves in "linear" increments of mm rather than geometrically. I think this is wrong - you don't want a zoom to be linear (like every 50mm takes the same amount of turning), you want a zoom to be geometric, so every 1.4x takes the same amount of work.
The Sony 100-400 seems to take an equal amount of turning to get from 100-200 (2x) as 300-400 (1.33x) so I think it feels like a chore to get from 300-400. For instance, my older Canon EF 70-200 does it right, and I think this one doesn't.
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