Our What’s In My Bag series gives us an inside look at the kits of your favorite photographers, revealing the most popular cameras and lenses in the creative space. One that continues to be a popular choice among many photographers is the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master (Buy Now). With extraordinary resolution and fast, precise autofocus it lets you capture distant action with outstanding quality and immediacy. You don’t have to take our word for it…keep reading below as a group of photographers share why you’ll always find the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master in their bags.
Photographers Who Love The 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master
Todd Frame
“This is a very nimble telephoto for handheld wildlife photography. A great lens for tracking fast moving animals. It’s lightweight and compact for the focal range. It’s also my go to lens for longer landscapes and moon photography.”
Photo by Todd Frame. Alpha 7R V. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/1600-sec., f/8, ISO 1600
Read more in What's In My Bag: 2 Cameras & 5 Zooms For Landscape & Wildlife Photography.
Luis Hernandez
“Ah the bazooka lens! I absolutely love when I get to shoot with this one, its long range makes for some super smooth bokeh and amazing compression when shooting landscapes and cityscapes. This is also an amazing lens for wildlife photography and a must have in your arsenal in my opinion. I use this lens in combination with the much wider 16-35mm to get some very interesting shots in the same locations, sometimes all we need is to (literally) zoom all the way in to get the details that matter.”
Photo by Luis Hernandez. Alpha 7R III. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/250-sec., f/4.5, ISO 50
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Two Camera, Four Lens Alpha Kit For Landscapes, Urban Scenes & More.
Katjana Cabenda
“This lens is pure versatility in my world. I use it for wildlife, distant action, and when I can’t physically get close – like photographing a group of walrus resting in Svalbard, an owl hiding under a rock on Isabela Island, or seabirds sweeping through the air. It's razor sharp across its entire zoom range and handles fast movement like a champ.”
Photo by Katjana Cabenda. Alpha 7R V. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/1250-sec., f/5.6, ISO 640
Read more in What’s In My Bag: An Alpha 7R V Kit That Goes Where The Wild Things Are.
Amy Corcoran
“Love the range of this lens. It can isolate details in landscapes, allowing me to compress the foreground and background, creating that sense of depth and scale I’m looking for. What I like shooting most with this lens are moon rises.”
Photo by Amy Corcoran. Alpha 7R V. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/30-sec., f/5.6, ISO 400
Read more in What’s In My Bag: An Outdoor Photography Kit For Urban & Natural Landscapes.
Jordan Jimenez
“A really great lens for getting closer to the action when I’m shooting from further away in arenas!”
Read more in March Photo Madness Continues: 7 G Master Lenses For On-The-Court Action.
Renan Ozturk
“Such a sharp and versatile long lens that always finds a place in my bag because of the long focal length for the weight and size. This was taken with the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master during our two-week ocean crossing to get to the volcano as we passed South Georgia island. This was a go-to lens on the sailboat for picking off landscape and wildlife details with a long lens that wasn’t too heavy to manage in the world’s heaviest seas.”
Photo by Renan Ozturk. Alpha 1. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/320-sec., f/7.1, ISO 640
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Film Director & Photojournalist’s On-Assignment Kit.
Evan Lobeto
“For when the landscapes are just too far away. This lens is a lot of fun to use in the field as it allows me to frame landscapes in a more intimate way and focus on details rather than the larger scene.”
Photo by Evan Lobeto 4 panel mosaic. Astro mod Alpha 7R III. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/200-sec., f/8, ISO 100
Read more in What’s In My Bag: An Avid Astrophotographer’s Kit For Capturing The Night Sky.
Sapna Reddy
“The tele lens is my favorite as it helps to draw attention to details that may be otherwise overlooked. Abstract images that bring attention to tonality and geometry are especially favored with this lens.”
Photo by Sapna Reddy. Alpha 1. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/500-sec., f/7.1, ISO 100
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Full-Frame Kit For Uplifting Landscape & Nature Photography.
Michael Simmons
“My telephoto lens that I have for deep star shooting as well as wildlife shooting. It's a great lens for those events where I’m shooting flowers, but also when the random elk appears. I also use the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master for deep space photography and recently with the total solar eclipse while it sat on my sky tracker.”
Photo by Michael Simmons. Alpha 7R V. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master + 2x TC.. 1/50-sec., f/11, ISO 100
Read more in What’s In My Bag: An Alpha 7R V Kit For Creative Landscapes & Astroscapes.
Tony Gale
“This lens has tons of reach and is super sharp. Whether photographing animals, birds or landscapes it is a great lens. I also use it for landscape sometimes, the compression I can get with that long zoom can really make things interesting.”
Photo by Tony Gale. Alpha 9 III. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/2500-sec., f/5.6, ISO 6400
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Pro’s Ready-For-Anything Kit For Travel Photography.
Chris Burkard
“The 100-400mm zoom lens will always come with me on any surf trip. On most surf trips we are shooting mainly from the land and we need the right lenses to reach as far as possible. The 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master gives me the reach and also doesn’t fill up my whole bag. It allows me more room in my bag and on my body to carry more when walking to and from different angles all day.”
Photo by Chris Burkard. Alpha 7R IV. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/4000-sec., f/5.6, ISO 320
Read more in What’s In My Bag: Chris Burkard’s Hybrid Kit For Travel, Adventure & More.
Benjamin Wallace
“There were enough times that I mistakenly thought I wouldn’t need the reach of this lens and didn’t pack it that I now have a rule where I pack it first. I love this lens. To be capable of reaching 400mm with such a beautiful piece of glass is a dream come true. Whether I'm photographing animals hiding out from a distance or using its seldom discussed but incredible up-close, macro-like capabilities, this lens is always the first thing I pack on every adventure I take. Often, it’s on my camera if I’m walking around the city or the neighborhoods, looking for little pieces of beauty wherever I may find it.”
Photo by Benjamin Wallace. Alpha 7R IV. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/125-sec., f/5.6, ISO 1000
Read more in What's In My Bag: 2 G Master Primes & 1 G Master Zoom For Adventure Photography.
Chris Bridner
“While I originally got this lens for my hiking and wildlife photography, I’ve ended up using it just as much in the city. When photographing an area as popular as Washington, D.C., one of the ways I’m able to create new perspectives on popular locations is to use the compression this lens offers in my pictures. When I’m out hiking, I love being able to pick out specific details of a mountain range or waterfall depending on where the light is hitting. My wife has nicknamed this lens ‘Big Boy’ for how much I can zoom in, yet it is amazingly lightweight. My only regret is not purchasing this lens earlier.”
Photo by Chris Bridner. Alpha 7R IV. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/250-sec., f/11, ISO 400
Read more in What's In My Bag: Two Simple Camera & Zoom Kits For Two Kinds Of Photography.
Nadine Sykora
“I borrowed this lens a few years ago for a trip to Africa and I was so blown away by the quality and versatility that I decided to get one to keep. It’s was such a good focal range for the safari that I went on, but I was also surprised at how much I loved it for landscapes. The image quality is stunning, the pictures are super sharp, and I appreciate that it’s fairly compact when it’s packed in my bag.”
Photo by Nadine Sykora. Alpha 7 III. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/500-sec., f/9, ISO 100
Read more in What's In My Bag: See This Travel Content Creator's Super-Simple, Full-Frame Alpha Kit.
Antonio Valente
“I find this telephoto lens really enjoyable; I often use it even without a tripod to capture details at a certain distance. The sharpness at 400mm focal length is impressive, and the autofocus is fast and accurate just like the image stabilization with the integrated optical SteadyShot. Once again, it's a compact lens despite being a superzoom telephoto, which is a significant advantage for transportation. Alongside the Sony 16-35mm GM and the Sony 24-105mm G, it forms the perfect trio for landscape photographers.”
Photo by Antonio Valente. Alpha 7R V. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/200 sec., f/13, ISO 100
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A High-Resolution Kit For Next-Level Landscape Photography.
Raj Bose
“This is another lens that I always carry with me. It is a very sharp lens with fast autofocus, and its small form factor is great for wildlife photography. I use it for landscape photography as it allows me to isolate my subject from distractions, create fantastic compression and creating panoramas in vertical orientation maintaining at least 25 percent overlap.”
Photo by Raj Bose. Alpha 1. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/500-sec., f/5.6, ISO 100
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Hybrid Sony Kit For Landscape & Wildlife Photography, Vlogging, Timelapses & More.
Naomi Jane Atherton
“I've always found it hard to capture the true magnitude of some of the mountainous areas I've lived over the years (Washington State, Canadian Rockies) but I feel like this lens does them justice. The compression this lens offers creates simple and minimalistic scenes, and draws attention to scale. I love honing in on a certain part of a scene when I’m photographing landscapes, it can lead to more impactful images and this lens is the perfect tool for that.”
Photo by Naomi Atherton. Alpha 7R III. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/320-sec., f/1.4, ISO 640
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Complete Backcountry Kit For Landscape Photography & More.
Jonas Hafner
“The 100-400mm is my favorite lens for landscapes, but sometimes I also take portraits with it as I like the unique look it delivers and opens up new perspectives when taking photos outside. The only downside is its pack size which is also the reason why I usually don’t take it along on spontaneous shootings.”
Photo by Jonas Hefner. Alpha 7R III. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/250-sec., f/5, ISO 100
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Fully-Loaded Kit For Creative Portraiture.
Dietmar Körbler
“This is probably one of the sharpest lenses out there and with its 400mm reach, it's perfect to get close to the action. I typically take this lens instead of the 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II if I need the extra reach and the bit of extra weight is not an issue. It can be packed quite compact and is just a little bit larger than the 70-200mm. Also, it is just 250g more than the 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II.”
(Skier: Christoph Mitsche). Photo by Dietmar Körbler. Alpha 7 IV. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master.
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Kit For Capturing Outdoor Winter Sports & Adventures.
Nelson Thaksakorn
“This is a stellar choice for telephoto versatility and superior image quality. With its impressive focal range, it excels in capturing distant subjects, making it an ideal companion for wildlife, sports, and event photography. The lens features advanced optical technology, including aspherical and ED glass elements, ensuring sharpness and minimal aberrations. The built-in Optical SteadyShot stabilization enhances handheld shooting, while the durable, weather-sealed design adds to its reliability in various conditions. The 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM is a go-to lens for photographers seeking exceptional reach without compromising on image quality.”
Photo by Nelson Thaksakorn. Alpha 7R V. 100-400mm f/8 G Master. 1/320-sec., f/5.6, ISO 100
Read more in What's In My Bag: An Alpha 7R V Photo & Video Kit For This Creator Who Switched To Sony.
To learn more about the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master lens, click here.
Explore the gear used by your favorite photographers in our What's In My Bag series.
