Sony launches the first 300mm f/2.8 of the full-frame mirrorless era

Sony is today filling a hole in its range of professional optics by launching the G Master FE 300 f/2.8 GM OSS, the first f/2.8 telephoto lens (of this focal length) for all full-frame photo systems combined. After the 600mm f/4.0 and the 400mm f/2.8, Sony now has the classic trio of sports telephoto lenses; an announcement that comes at the right time as the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics approach. This allows Sony to be the only one in this focus. Because if Canon does have a 100-300 mm f/2.8, the bill has nothing to do with it: Canon’s monster costs €12,000, while Sony’s “SEL300F28GM” (its commercial code name) costs €12,000. displays at €6,700.

Let’s now decipher the nomenclature of the optics: it is a fixed 300 mm telephoto lens in full frame (FE) mount belonging to Sony’s highest range (G Master) and having optical stabilization (OSS ). 19th lens in the G Master line, the G Master FE 300 f/2.8 GM OSS is thus the 73rd lens in Sony’s E mount (teleconverters included), which makes Sony’s system the richest in the world of hybrids – logical for a brand that launched its first full-frame Alpha in 2013.

Why a 300mm?

Sony needed to fill its range for the Olympics, and we must recognize that a 300 mm f/2.8 is an lens of choice for indoor sports, whether basketball, handball, badminton , judo or swimming. Sports for which the traditional 70-200 mm f/2.8 is too short, the FE 200-600 mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS is not bright enough and the 400 mm f/2.8 is too narrow. A sport-style lens, but not only that: compatible with x1.4 (aperture increases to f/4.0) and x2.0 (f5.6) teleconverters, it is also suitable for wildlife.

Image sharpness and bokeh

With an almost flat MTF curve (which we had not been able to recover at the time of publishing these lines), the G Master FE 300 f/2.8 GM OSS sets the tone: the engineers have sought to meet the needs of the most dense (up to 61 Mpx at Sony). If this eternal search for the best image sharpness drives all optical engineers, Sony has also, at the same time, taken care of the quality of the background blur, the bokeh.

To this end, this 300 mm has a circular diaphragm with 11 blades. We will have to wait until we have tested this lens to give our final verdict, but the first images presented to us by the engineers indeed display a very soft rendering.

Optical formula and materials

No need to be a zoom to be complex: this cutting-edge fixed focal length has no less than 20 elements divided into 16 optical groups. On the menu, three Super ED elements (super extra-low dispersion, which reduces chromatic aberrations), an ED element and the use of the Nano AR II coating (reduction of internal reflections responsible for flare and ghosting) as well as a treatment fluoride on the front lens (protection). In terms of optical design, there is no extreme aspherical lens (XA at ​​Sony) or Fresnel lens dear to Nikon.

These glass elements benefit from a double XD LM motorization, that is to say a duo of linear motors (LM) with extreme dynamics (XD). An AF system which, coupled with optical stabilization, remains operational throughout the aperture range, from f/2.8 to f/22. On the barrel, no less than four programmable buttons are present, with a host of switches (including a focusing distance limiter of 6 m compared to 2 m by default). Close to the mount, we find an insertable 40.5 mm filter holder and around the barrel, a foot collar with double thread (1/4 and 3/8th of an inch).

Despite this complexity and these “large pieces of glass”, this 300 mm weighs a little less than 1.5 kg (1470 g to be precise). The trick here is to use, in addition to the magnesium alloy (which is found on the exterior part as well as on certain internal elements), plastic parts. Materials that have been carefully evaluated in the search for the right balance.

Global balancing work

If the manufacturers all pride themselves on offering the best image quality and the best autofocus, Sony scored a point during the press conference presenting the machine by evoking an element that is too rarely highlighted: balance. By cleverly using magnesium alloys and advanced plastics, Sony has designed an optical formula that pushes the weight towards the frame… but not too much. Because, as Jazz Sidharh, European Marketing Manager and head of optics, explained, “we sought to balance not the optics alone, but the complete system by taking into account the housing in the development equation.”

Sony’s stated objective is to allow sports photographers to do without (at least temporarily) the monopod support. ”By doing without a monopod, photographers find freedom in framing and tracking subjects”, adds Mr. Sidharh. A complex job, because you have to organize the 20 lenses perfectly. The trick consists of moving the front lens as far away as possible from the bulk of the optics pack.

The G Master FE 300 f/2.8 GM OSS (or SEL300F28GM) will be available at the beginning of 2024 at a price of €6,700.