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The 100mm Macro lens has been a staple across nearly every original equipment manufacturer since the film days. And outside of notable inclusions, such as Canon’s own Canon EF 100mm F2.8L IS USM, which features a specially designed image stabilization that actually works at near macro close focusing distances, and Sony’s STF (smooth trans focus) that improved the bokeh characteristics while sacrificing some light, the amount of innovation has been relatively underwhelming.
However, that’s until Sony decided to rewrite the rules on what a 100mm macro should be. As with most Sony GM lenses, the Sony 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM features dual linear focus motors, providing designers with maximum flexibility in moving groups of elements simultaneously at potentially different rates of speed to achieve focus. Sony claims the lens can support focus tracking at continuous shooting speeds of up to 120 frames per second. So the auto focus is fast. There is also a focus limiter switch, as well as a focus clutch, that allows you to quickly switch to manual focus, which is particularly important for macro photographers.
Out of the box, the lens is a 1.4x macro, which is unheard of. However, Sony wasn’t done making this lens teleconvertor-friendly, allowing it to increase the reproduction to 2.8x when a teleconvertor is added.
Like Canon’s newer 100mm f/2.8L Macro lenses, this lens features image stabilization. However, it’s unknown whether the Sony image stabilization units will be as effective at macro distances and movements as the Canon Hybrid IS units are. According to the image above, it appears to be the case, as it shows stabilization in the pitch, yaw, and shift, which is what Hybrid IS does for Canon Macro lenses.
This is a really impressive lens, and I hope Canon will take note of it and raise the bar. Competition is great for everyone.
Lens Construction and MTF
The lens is composed of 17 elements in 13 groups, and features two of Sony’s XA and ED elements, which Sony claims will help reduce chromatic aberrations. It also features a Nano AR II coating to minimize flare and ghosting when shooting a backlit subject. The front element also has a fluorine coating to repel oils and water. The lens is sealed to keep out dust and moisture, though the IP rating is not mentioned. It’s not a small lens, at 646g (22.8oz) and 148mm (5.8″) long.
The MTF is excellent. The [3] is the lens wide open, and the [4] MTF diagram is the lens stopped down to F/8.0. What we don’t know is the focus distance for the calculated MTF. Is it at the minimum focus distance (ie, maximum magnification) or further away? That being said, Canon doesn’t disclose this information either, and while we shouldn’t compare MTFs from different companies, Canon’s MTF for its Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro IS USM is notably more conservative, showing less contrast and resolution throughout the frame.
Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM MTF
Press Release
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Electronics releases the FE 100mm F2.8 Macro GM OSS (SEL100M28GM), the new medium telephoto macro lens in the G Master™ series, compatible with α™ (Alpha™) E-mount cameras, featuring 1.4x magnification, advanced stabilization, and intuitive handling.
Sony Electronics Expands the G Master Series with the Versatile FE 100mm F2.8 Macro GM OSS
“We’re on a constant mission to expand creative possibilities for visual storytellers, and the FE 100mm F2.8 Macro GM OSS fulfills that by going beyond traditional macro photography,” said Yang Cheng, Vice President of Imaging Solutions, Sony Electronics Inc. “With its world-class optical quality, it enables not only macro photographers, but also portrait and wedding photographers, to take their craft to a new level. We’re thrilled to offer the FE 100mm F2.8 Macro GM OSS as part of our acclaimed G Master series, maintaining a standard of peak performance Sony creators have become accustomed to.”
Beyond Life Size The FE 100mm F2.8 Macro GM OSS achieves a maximum magnification of up to 1.4x, making it easy to capture flowers, small objects, and other close-up subjects in vivid detail, revealing subtle textures and features that are difficult to see by the naked eye.
Compatible with an optional teleconverteri (sold separately), the lens offers up to 2.8x magnificationii. This enables impressive close-up shots while keeping a comfortable working distance. It is ideal for subjects that are hard to approach or for avoiding unwanted reflections.
State-of-the-art Hardware Design The optical design effectively positions elements including two XA (extreme aspherical) lenses and two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements to achieve high-resolution performance from the center to the periphery of the image, reducing chromatic and other aberrations.
To allow precise and intuitive focus adjustments for a variety of macro photography scenes, the lens offers three focus-dedicated features: a “Full-time DMF switch” enables instant MF (manual focus) by rotating the focus ring, even in AF (autofocus) mode; the “Focus Mode switch” allows instant switching between AF and MF; the “Sliding Focus Ring” enables FULL MF mode, linked to the distance and magnification scales.
The four unique XD (extreme dynamic) linear motors that enable high-speed, high-precision, and quiet lens drive, make autofocus (AF) performance up to 1.9 times fasteriii than previous models.
A dedicated aperture ring offers quick, direct control over aperture settings.
Exquisite Image Quality The 11-blade circular aperture produces beautiful, ball bokeh, while carefully controlled spherical aberration ensures an ideal balance of resolution and background blur — creating the signature creamy bokeh of the G Master line.
The unique “Nano AR Coating II” applies a uniform thin film to the entire lens surface, resulting in clear image quality that suppresses flare and ghosting even in backlit conditions.
An integrated optical image stabilization system, designed for macro photography, accurately compensates for shift shake (up/down/left/right), angular shake, and front/back shake, ensuring steady handheld shots.
Pricing and Availability The FE 100mm F2.8 Macro GM OSS will be available in November 2025 for approximately $1,499.99 USD and $1,799.99 CAD. It will be sold directly through Sony and at a variety of Sony’s authorized dealers throughout North America.
Exclusive stories and exciting new content shot with the new FE 100mm F2.8 Macro GM OSS and Sony’s other imaging products can be found at www.alphauniverse.com, a site created to inform, educate, and inspire content creators.
About Sony Electronics Inc. Sony Electronics is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America and an affiliate of Sony Group Corporation, one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world, with a portfolio that encompasses electronics, music, motion pictures, mobile, gaming, robotics and financial services. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Sony Electronics is a leader in electronics for the consumer and professional markets. Operations include research and development, engineering, sales, marketing, distribution and customer service. Sony Electronics creates products that innovate and inspire generations, such as the award-winning Alpha Interchangeable Lens Cameras and revolutionary high-resolution audio products. Sony is also a leading manufacturer of end-to-end solutions from 4K professional broadcast and A/V equipment to industry-leading 4K and 8K Ultra HD TVs. Visit http://www.sony.com/news for more information.
Notes
i Compatible with the 1.4X Teleconverter SEL14TC and 2X Teleconverter SEL20TC. ii When the 2X Teleconverter “SEL20TC” is attached iii Sony measurement conditions. Compared to the FE 90mm F2.8 MACRO G OSS SEL90M28G lens for the α E-mount digital single-lens camera.
Richard has been using Canon cameras since the 1990s, with his first being the now legendary EOS-3. Since then, Richard has continued to use Canon cameras and now focuses mostly on the genre of infrared photography.
