Sigma 100-400mm F5 6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary (949): This built-for-mirrorless telezoom has full frame coverage and is available for both E-mount or L-mount cameras. This glass is lighter than the longer Sony FE 200-600mm and has a greater reach than 70-300mm. This is a great option for photographers who cover outdoor sports and naturalists. They can also use it without the 600mm zoom's extra magnification.
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Sony Cameras and L-Mount Cameras Available
The 100-400mm F5 6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary can be purchased for either E-mount Sony cameras or L-mount Sigma models made by Leica, Panasonic and Sigma. The two versions are identical physically, except for the lens mount. Sigma offers teleconverters in L-mount for lenses, with a 1.4x or 2.0x zoom. However, they do not offer them for Sony cameras.
It's a sizable zoom—not surprising given its coverage range—measuring 7.8 by 3.4 inches (HD) at its shortest setting. It extends when zooming, just about doubling in length at 400mm, weighs 2.5 pounds, and supports 67mm front filters. A hood is included—it adds a few inches, but goes a long way to protect the front element, and is reversible for storage and transport.
It's in line with other lenses of its type—Sony's FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS is a bit bigger and heavier all around (8.1 by 3.7 inches, 3.1 pounds), in part because it sports a built-in tripod foot. Sigma doesn't ship one with the 100-400mm Contemporary, but you can buy an add-on collar with an Arca foot for $130—and I recommend doing so if you often use the lens on a tripod or monopod, or use a sling-style camera strap.
Construction is sturdy. The barrel mixes metal and polycarbonate components, and the materials feel like they're made to stand the test of time. It's not fully weather sealed, though—there's a gasket to prevent dust and moisture from entering at the lens mount, but you don't get the same type of internal sealing as with a Sports series lense from Sigma.
It takes up most of the barrel's front, and is quite large. The rubber finish gives it the typical ridges that you'd see on zoom controls. It can be rotated from 100mm up to 400mm using about 90 degrees. The lock switch is used to maintain the 100mm zoom setting when you have the lens hanging on your side.
There's a manual focus ring too, set farther back and without any sort of rubber covering. The bare polycarbonate ridges turn comfortably, though, with enough drag for precise manual focus. I'd expect photographers to rely on autofocus most of the time—it's quick, quiet, and accurate (when tested with a Sony a7R IV). An on-lens toggle switches focus modes directly, so you don't have to fiddle with camera menus.
Other on-lens controls include a focus limiter—to swap between the full range, close subjects only, or distant subjects only—as well as a switch to control the stabilization system and an assignable control button—on my a7R IV, I had it set to engage autofocus tracking.
The stabilization system has two modes—one for use when your camera is still, and a second to use when panning along with moving subjects. With the a7R IV, I netted consistently blur-free results at 1/15-second when zoomed to 400mm.
Although you can take close-up photos, the macro lens does not allow for precise magnification. The lens can focus up to 3.6 feet (1 meter) and is capable of magnifications as high as 1:4.2. You can certainly get some detail shots from the hiking trail, but you'll need to pay attention to the zoom setting—the close-up capability is only good through about 350mm, beyond that focus is limited to 6.6 feet (2 meters) and farther. Although it seems a little odd to believe that zooming in will increase magnification, this is true with the lens.
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The Lab
I also tested the Contemporary 100-400mm along with the Sony a7R IV 60MP, which is currently the highest resolution model in the company, and Imatest software.
The lens nets resolution considered very good for the a7R IV at 100mm f/5 (4,100 lines), and stays in that range all the way through f/16. You can narrow to f/22 (and smaller settings when zoomed in), but it does serious harm to image quality—I'd avoid using the lens at its smallest f-stops at any focal length.
At 200mm, resolution is very good (4,700 lines) even with the large-opening f/5.6 aperture. This holds true through f/11. Results are still very good at f/16, but fall off with the diaphragm set tighter—you can go as narrow as f/25 at 200mm.
At 300mm, there is a small drop in resolution. Imatest results show a good range of results for the a7R III (3,300 lines), but it falls off slightly at 400mm. This is acceptable (3,050 line) results.
Because of this, I'd push a7R E-mount photographers to lay out the extra money for Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS—it netted excellent results when tested with the 42MP a7R III. It's harder to tell the differences if you use an a9 model or a 24-MP a7 one.
For photographers with L-mount systems, the 100-400mm should pair quite well with the Panasonic S5 or S1. There's not yet a Sigma Sports-level telezoom to match the higher resolution sensors found in the Panasonic S1R and Leica SL2.
When capturing JPG files, in-camera adjustments reduce distortion and vignetting. The processed Raw photos have a slight pincushion distortion that is typical for telezooms. There's also a small vignette when the lens is at maximum aperture. Adobe Lightroom allows you to correct the lens' distortion with one click.
A True Midrange Option
The Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary sits in the middle of the pack of telezooms in reach—there are others that only stretch to 200mm, and those that go as far as 600mm—and costs a bit more than budget alternatives like the $549 Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD.
For around $949, the 100-400mm offers a lot of value. Sony owners can compare it with the $2,500 FE 100-400mm GM, a lens that's a bit better built and supports teleconverters—Sigma doesn't offer them for the Sony version of the lens—but if you don't need the extra reach, and don't use a high-end 60MP camera, spending less has plenty of appeal.
There are few options for L-mount users. There are two 70-200mm zooms from Panasonic, one F4 (and one F2.8), and Leica has the $7,000 90-280mm. The 100-400mm is the best telephoto option for L-mount owners. You can also get teleconverters for L cameras, which allow you to increase reach up to 600mm and 800mm. Teleconverters are not bright lenses so it is important to use bright light in order to achieve the best results.
Regardless of your camera system, the 100-400mm Contemporary is a lens to look at if you're shopping for a zoom and want one that gets closer than a 70-300mm. There's a lot of value here, in a package that's lighter and easier to carry than alternatives like the Sony FE 200-600mm.