Peire wrote:
My copy of the GM 100-400/4.5 behaves excactly the same way.And I also regard "tight" position as too tight.Also the lens feels too large for what it is and not overly lightweight.Yet pictures are so sharp and crisp from wide open and across the frame.It is the sharpest zoom of this kind I've ever had.
Could you share your partial serial number 180_ _XX?
Although I don't know if Europe numbers are in the same sequence as N. America??
Douglas L wrote:
On Smooth setting. As soon as I turn the lens vertically, it creeps from 400mm to 100mm in about 6 seconds, you can watch the zoom ring turn. I just tried the Tight setting for the first time few minutes ago, kind of too tight. I think I will stick with the Smooth setting. I have used the lens to shoot some flowers and planes, it didn't seem to bother me but I didn't hang the lens vertically much though.
My friend's copy takes only 2s to go 400 to 100 (he sent me a short video). I haven't timed mine yet but I think maybe 3-4s.
There is so much variability. This would also correlate into how you feel yours is too tight on tight where as I feel mine is okay to use on Tight.
EDIT: Mine is taking 5-6s. It just takes a second to really start creeping. Looking at my friends video his maybe more like 3-4s as I can’t tell when he lets go and if it has a slow start then it may be longer than 2s. But it is only 2s once it starts to move. Certainly looser than mine.
arbitrage wrote:
Mine is taking 5-6s. It just takes a second to really start creeping. Looking at my friends video his maybe more like 3-4s as I can’t tell when he lets go and if it has a slow start then it may be longer than 2s. But it is only 2s once it starts to move. Certainly looser than mine.
I can see it now on the Buy and Sell forum: "This lens is a 4.1 second creep lens from the factory with little change..."
FWIW the poster on BCG who had a release day copy that didn't creep at all on Smooth is now seeing very slight movement from his lens after a few weeks of use. It still doesn't do a full creep like most of our lenses do. But it is loosening up a little after a month.
He is UK based and serial in the 18044XX
I still have no idea how Sony assigns these serial numbers and if they have different sequences in Europe, Asia and NA. Also no idea if these sequences are just for the 100-400 or for a mix of products??
My fault, but an irritant; I am used to zooming from near to far. The stiff setting is so solid; I thought I was zoomed in, but I was actually set to 100mm with 2x TC, missing an ID shot. Walking with this lens, stiff is the only practical setting.
I like how the zoom friction worked on my old Canon 100-400L, it wasn't an all or nothing control ring. The friction should vary smoothly through the range IMO. By no way a deal breaker, but I would find it annoying.
Pixel Perfect wrote:
I like how the zoom friction worked on my old Canon 100-400L, it wasn't an all or nothing control ring. The friction should vary smoothly through the range IMO. By no way a deal breaker, but I would find it annoying.
I was just thinking about that today. I have both of the versions of this lens.
While I typically either loosen it all the way or tighten it all the way, it is a continuously variable ring that you turn rather than a switch.
Pixel Perfect wrote:
I like how the zoom friction worked on my old Canon 100-400L, it wasn't an all or nothing control ring. The friction should vary smoothly through the range IMO. By no way a deal breaker, but I would find it annoying.
Yeah, same as Sony’s 100-400 f/4.5-5.6. I’ve owned both EF Canon 100-400s, the RF 100-500 and the FE 100-400 that have such a ring. But as Dan says I typically had it fully at one end or the other.
I find these rings to be not quite tight enough at tight and not loose enough on loose/smooth.
As I’ve said previously the new 100-400GM is equal or even nicer to zoom on its Tight setting than those other lenses are on their Loose setting.
But the 200-600 is nicer to zoom than the new 100-400GM on Smooth. Although even though the 200-600 doesn’t creep, it is very loose and can easily be off 600mm if you don’t keep an eye on it just from your hand moving it inadvertently.
My Sony lens creeps rapidly from 400mm to 100mm when it is stationary on a desk. I have taken 2 videos but the system does not appear to allow me to upload it to this forum. A camera technician examined the lens & stated that the zoom is faulty & should not spin that rapidly on its own free will. I have never seen lens creep like this before.
I am waiting for a reply about my warranty claim
Andy Oliver wrote:
My Sony lens creeps rapidly from 400mm to 100mm when it is stationary on a desk. I have taken 2 videos but the system does not appear to allow me to upload it to this forum. A camera technician examined the lens & stated that the zoom is faulty & should not spin that rapidly on its own free will. I have never seen lens creep like this before.
I am waiting for a reply about my warranty claim
You can upload the video to Youtube and then post the link here.
Mine has creeped from day 1 but TBH I don't notice it anymore. It will be interesting to see if this is something Sony covers under warranty. I doubt I'd send mine in even if Sony offers a recall fix. I'm surprised Sony hasn't at least issued a TSB stating this is inherent to the lens.
Andy Oliver wrote:
My Sony lens creeps rapidly from 400mm to 100mm when it is stationary on a desk. I have taken 2 videos but the system does not appear to allow me to upload it to this forum. A camera technician examined the lens & stated that the zoom is faulty & should not spin that rapidly on its own free will. I have never seen lens creep like this before.
I am waiting for a reply about my warranty claim
This is only on the Smooth setting though right?
If on the Tight then you have a problem.
Doing this on Smooth is to spec as per Sony Pro Support 2nd hand reports.
Even the rare person that had one that didn’t creep on Smooth when first purchased is now seeing some creep.
I still feel that because the lens is still fairly easy to zoom when on Tight (and not totally locked on you) that having it creep on Smooth is acceptable in order to allow one to have a smoother zoom when they need to. Otherwise Tight on the new lens zooms as easily as the old 100-400GM does on Smooth. The old 100-400GM quickly creeps on Smooth also. But I guess that is more accepted being an external zoom as I never heard anyone complain about it.
That all said, we do know there are some lenses (small minority) that don’t creep on Smooth. So Sony should be able to tighten something to make it behave like those rare copies.
But be careful what you wish for because if Smooth doesn’t creep, then Tight is going to be significantly stiffer also.
Don’t expect a new lens to be any different. Everyone I know who has this lens has it creeping at varying speed. Almost everyone on this thread is the same.
Maybe your lens is on the extreme loose end of the spectrum and then maybe they will tighten it but will they get it so tight that it won’t creep at all on Smooth? I don’t know?
Personally I’d rather have the loosest lens possible as long as it didn’t creep on Tight. If it is going to creep to some degree on Smooth than might as well maximize the smoothness of the zoom when on Smooth. Maybe I’ll send mine to Pro Support and have them loosen it up a bit more
Pixel Perfect wrote:
I like how the zoom friction worked on my old Canon 100-400L, it wasn't an all or nothing control ring. The friction should vary smoothly through the range IMO. By no way a deal breaker, but I would find it annoying.
arbitrage replied:
Yeah, same as Sony’s 100-400 f/4.5-5.6. I’ve owned both EF Canon 100-400s, the RF 100-500 and the FE 100-400 that have such a ring. But as Dan says I typically had it fully at one end or the other.
IIRC, at some point in this thread there was some speculation about whether the Canon lens we are talking about here (in my case the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-f/5.6L IS v.2) creeps when you twist its friction ring to the unlocked position. (BTW, the older version of the lens did have an issue with the friction ring — wear would eventually cause it to not work as it did when new.)
Mine does not creep at any adjustment point. I just checked it with the lens at 100mm and pointed down — no creep. I also checked it at 400mm with the lens pointed up. No creep. This is a lens that I have owned and used a lot for years.
I'm interested in a specific link to what Sony has said officially about this — a direct link/quote, not a reference to a post saying that they said something. :-)
I suppose that it is possible that either of two situations are the reality her:
1. Sony intentionally designed the zoom with so little friction that creep is intentional on the low friction setting. (E.g. "We designed it that way to make zooming as smooth as possible on the low friction setting.")
2. Sony did not intend the lens to creep in either setting, including the low friction setting, and the creep at the low friction setting is a design//manufacturing issue. (E.g. "No, you rlens should not 'creep' in normal use at either friction setting.")
(It would also be useful to know if Sony intends the "tight" setting to be the equivalent of a zoom lock, or if they designed it anticipating that users would leave it on that setting even when zooming. On the Canon lens mentioned above, the assumption has always been that you loosen the ring in use and tighten it to secure the zoom mechanism when not actively shooting. That is also how zoom lock switches typically work on every lens I've used that has one.)
It would be really easy for Sony to put this question to rest.
I have posted a link to the video on YouTube but as I have only just registered for this forum they don't allow you to post links within the first 24 hours.
If you search YouTube for "Sony 100 400mm F4.5 GM lens zoom fault" it will come up.
If you set it to tight then it is too tight, if you set it to smooth then it automatically zooms out back to 100mm as soon as you tilt the lens or put it down.
have been using the lens over a month with setting at "tight". no issues what-so-ever with zooming in/out on fast BIF. Not sure what really the big deal is on this topic - maybe it is an issue for those shooting video with the lens?
