The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sony FE 600mm F4 GM and the Sony FE 400mm F2.8 GM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Sony FE 600mm F4 GM is the longer of the two lenses at 449mm. The Sony FE 400mm F2.8 GM with a length of 359mm, is 90mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sony FE 600mm F4 GM also has a larger diameter of 164mm compared to the Sony FE 400mm F2.8 GM's 158mm diameter.
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Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of Sony FE 600mm F4 GM and Sony FE 400mm F2.8 GM to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Sony FE 400mm F2.8 GM weighs 2895g, 4% (145g) lighter than the Sony FE 600mm F4 GM's weight of 3040g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Telephoto Prime Lenses in Sony E Mount for size comparison purposes.
Super Telephoto Lenses in Sony E Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
Both the Sony FE 600mm F4 GM and the Sony FE 400mm F2.8 GM have the same Filter thread size of 41mm.
Below are links to the 41mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
Both the Sony FE 600mm F4 GM and the Sony FE 400mm F2.8 GM has the same Sony E lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony E lenses are Sony A9 III, Sony A7C Mark II and Sony A7CR.
Focal Range
Sony FE 600mm F4 GM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 600mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
900mm.
On the other hand, the Sony FE 400mm F2.8 GM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 400mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 600mm.