Wildlife & Sports Photography On A Budget — 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary (2020): The best-value telephoto zoom for Sony FE — 400mm reach, OS, and weather sealing for under £800. Punches well above its price at every focal length.
Beginner, Family, Travel — A6100 (2019): Best autofocus in its class for the price.
Who should buy what
A6100 (2019)
Quick take: The a6100 is the most affordable; only the 100-400mm f/5-6.3 dg dn os contemporary is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary (2020) | A6100 (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £749 | £549 |
| Sensor | f/5-6.3 (variable max aperture) | APS-C Exmor CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 24.2MP |
| Video | 160cm minimum focus distance | 4K 30fps |
| Autofocus | HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) — fast and near-silent for a telephoto zoom | 425-point phase-detect, real-time tracking |
| Stabilisation | 4-stop OS (Optical Stabiliser) | None |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 11fps |
| Battery Life | N/A | 420 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1140g | 396g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 86.4mm diameter × 199.2mm length | 119.9 × 66.9 × 59.4mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | N/A | EVF 0.39" 1.44M-dot |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k-dot |
| Mount | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) | Sony E-Mount |
| Memory Cards | N/A | SD UHS-I / Memory Stick |
| Connectivity | N/A | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, Micro USB, Micro HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary | A6100 |
|---|---|---|
| Wildlife | — | |
| Sports & Action | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Casual | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — |
More comparisons with 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary
Camera family history