100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporaryvs A7C
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100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary (2020)
Starting from £749 new
Best for Wildlife & sports photography on a budget
View 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
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.
Compact Travel & Content Creation — A7C (2020): The A7C proves full-frame doesn't have to be bulky. Excellent battery life, reliable Eye AF and a vari-angle screen in a pocketable body is a compelling combination for travel and content creators. The A7C II improved on it, but the original remains a strong value buy.
Who should buy what
A7C (2020)
- Travel photographers who want full-frame in the smallest possible body
- Content creators who need a flip screen and reliable Eye AF
- Photographers upgrading from APS-C who want to keep a compact kit
- Vloggers who need 4K and great battery life on the road
Quick take: The 100-400mm f/5-6.3 dg dn os contemporary 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) | A7C (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £749 | £1,299 |
| Sensor | f/5-6.3 (variable max aperture) | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 24.2MP |
| Video | 160cm minimum focus distance | 4K/30p (oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion, S-Log2/S-Log3 |
| Autofocus | HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) — fast and near-silent for a telephoto zoom | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | 4-stop OS (Optical Stabiliser) | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | N/A | ~740 shots (CIPA) — outstanding for a Sony mirrorless |
| Weight | 1140g | 509g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 86.4mm diameter × 199.2mm length | 124.0 × 71.1 × 59.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | N/A | None built-in — use rear screen or accessory EVF |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | N/A | Single SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary | A7C |
|---|---|---|
| Wildlife | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Video | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Street | — |
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