Sony just dropped its first ever macro G Master lens – and it offers up to 2.8x magnification

Sony has just announced its first ever macro G Master prime lens – and not only does it offer powerful 1.4x magnification as standard, it's also compatible with teleconverters to deliver up to 2.8x macro capability.

The Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS is the de facto replacement for the now decade-old Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS, and exceeds the original lens in every respect – including full-time DMF (direct manual focus) even on cameras that don't support it, along with new optical stabilization for macro that introduces compensation along the Z axis.

Where most macro lenses peak at a true 1:1 reproduction ratio (1x magnification), Sony's new lens pushes the boat at 1.4x for larger-than-life-size reproduction at 100mm. Combined with teleconverters, however, it can achieve 2x magnification at 140mm or 2.8x at 200mm.

These feats are not unique in and of themselves; the Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro also offers native 1.4x magnification, while the OM System 90mm f/3.5 Macro (with a native 2x magnification) is likewise compatible with teleconverters (for up to 4x magnification) – but on the smaller Micro Four Thirds format.

This makes Sony's lens a first of its kind for full-frame – and while the full story will be told when we get the lens in our lab, Sony assured me that "There isn’t a great deal of impact on image quality" when using a teleconverter and that negative effects are "minimal".

Certainly, the optical formula promises exceptional performance. The Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS boasts 17 elements in 13 groups, with 2 extreme aspherical (XA) elements to minimize aberration, 2 extra-low dispersion (ED) elements to suppress chromatic aberration, Nano AR II coating to subdue ghosting and flares, and a floating focus mechanism to improve close-up performance.

As with all G Master optics, Sony is particularly proud of the bokeh produced by this lens. Those XA elements suppress onion ring bokeh, with 11 aperture blades giving circular bokeh balls and Sony promising spherical aberration control to balance bokeh and resolution.

The autofocus performance has been dramatically improved over the 90mm Macro. Sony told me that the 100mm lens focuses 1.9x faster for stills, with full support for 120fps shooting on the Sony A9 III.

While AF is generally less important for macro photography than other fields, I have to say that Sony's insect subject detection algorithm is absolutely brilliant. If you're someone who photographs bees, butterflies and other such creatures, this new lens combined with a body like the A7R V or A7C II will create a powerhouse small shooting setup.

The focus limiter now has a more useful "near" mode, at 0.7-0.26m (replacing the 0.5m-0.28m of the 90mm) sitting between the 0.5m and infinity settings. And speaking of, given that this lens does focus to infinity (unlike some macro lenses), the Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS makes a capable 100mm f/2.8 lens for portraiture or other light tele shooting.

Something that's definitely welcome, for those who do rely on autofocus for macro (or who use it to get into the ballpark before taking over with manual), is the addition of a Full Time DMF switch – which enables direct manual focus, by turning the focus ring during AF shooting, even for cameras that do not natively support this function.

And finally, for brave souls who shoot handheld macro, Sony has boosted the optical image stabilization in this lens (which also supports the company's Body-Lens Coordinated Control). The compensation now supports depth shake along the Z axis, in addition to angles and shifts along the X and Y.

The Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS goes on sale in November, priced $1,498 / £1,400 / AU$2,599.

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