Sony’s new 400mm and 600mm super-telephoto primes make light work of a heavy hobby — here are my favorite wildlife photos I shot with the pair

Sony FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS / Sony FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS: One-minute review I've only just had my hands on the Fujifilm XF 400mm F4.5 R OIS LM WR lens , photographing birds of prey in flight, but I can now reveal that I was also testing two rival super-telephoto Sony primes at the same time ahead of their launch; the FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS and FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS.

Both lenses sit within the focal length range of Sony's longest zoom lens — the 400-800mm F6.3-8 G OSS — but they sacrifice zoom versatility for a couple of real benefits: they have a slightly brighter maximum aperture, and they're significantly lighter.

In fact, Sony's new 400mm and 600mm primes are the lightest of their kind, weighing 994g / 995g respectively (35oz approx).

It's the light weight that's their major appeal — plus the promise from Sony of superior MTF performance (the outright optical quality at the various lens settings) versus rivals, such as Nikon's 400mm f/4.5 VR S .

The 600mm lens is physically the slightly longer of the two lenses, but they otherwise appear largely identical. (Image credit: Future) There's no shortage of super-telephoto lenses from Sony , but these primes are probably the best option for enthusiasts who know their focal length and want to prioritize quality over zoom versatility.

They're way more affordable options than Sony's high-end 400mm F2.8 and 600mm F4 pro primes, but they still boast the superior GM quality designation over comparable 'G' zooms such as the 200-600mm and 400-800mm, and are by no means cheap.

If you mainly photograph larger wildlife, then the 400mm lens is ideal, while the 600mm lens is better suited for smaller creatures.

I took both lenses to my local wetland reserve and to a nearby deer park to really test them out over hours-long hiking and photography sessions, and I was able to get a feel for how they sit with a Sony camera – in my case the A7 V that Sony loaned to me for this review — and how each one performed.

Let's dive in.

Sony FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS / Sony FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS: price and availability The 400mm F4.5 GM OSS costs £2,400, while the 600mm F6.3 costs £3,300 Both come in a soft padded case with handle and shoulder strap, and with a lens hood Before I get into the handling and performance of each lens, let's look at the pricing.

In the UK the FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS costs £2,400, while the FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS costs £3,300.

I'll update this page with US and Australia pricing when I get it.

Each lens comes in a soft padded case with handle and shoulder strap, so they can be securely carried separately to a bag.

A lens hood is supplied, too.