Sony 100mm Macro Lens Review

Posted by Nirupam Nigam on April 30th, 2026

Read time- 10 minutes

Published April 30 2026 | Author: Nirupam Nigam | Read Time: 5 Minutes

The Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 macro lens is one of the most exciting things to happen to Sony underwater macro shooters in the last decade. It represents a significant update to the Sony 90mm f/2.8 macro lens which has been Sony's most popular macro lens since 2015. The lens has been upgraded to bring it up to speed with Canon's popular RF 100mm macro lens and Nikon's Z 105mm macro lens. The Sony 100mm macro is equipped with a 1.4:1 supermaro reproduction ration (rather than the traditional 1:1) and an autofocus speed of almost double the 90mm.

Fortunately, I had the pleasure of being one of the first to test this lens underwater with the new Sony a7V full frame mirrorless camera. I took the lens diving in some of my favorite Pacific Northwest dive sites including the macro meccas of Sekiu Jetty and Alki Junkyard. I got to use the lens with some of the puget sounds quickest critters like mosshead warbonnets, pacific spiny lumpsuckers, and stubby squid. After weeks of shooting with the lens, I have to say, I'm impressed....but there are a few key tweaks you need to make to optimize the lens when it comes to autofocus and subject acquisition which I'll detail below.

Key Sony 100mm Macro Lens Specifications

Sony E-mount full-frame lens (compatible with APS-C cameras with a 1.5x crop)

100mm focal length

Aperture range: f/2.8 maximum aperture - f/22 minimum aperture

1.4:1 maximum supermacro magnification — more than standard 1:1 macro lenses

Minimum focus distance: 10.2 inches / 0.26m

Working distance: about 3.5 inches at full magnification

Optical SteadyShot image stabilization

Fast autofocus with 4 XD linear motors

Internal focusing — lens length does not extend while focusing

AF/MF clutch ring for quick manual focus control

Focus limiter switch to help speed up autofocus

Two focus hold buttons

Aperture ring with de-click switch

67mm filter thread

Dust and moisture-resistant design

Weight: 646g / 1.4 lb

Compatible with Sony 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters

With teleconverters: can reach up to 2.0x or 2.8x magnification

Our Sony 100mm f/2.8 underwater macro setup in the field before a dive at Keystone Jetty

Key Features

1.4:1 Supermacro Images & Incredible Sharp Image Quality

The Sony 100mm macro has a 10.2 inch minimum focusing distance which results in a 1.4:1 supermacro reproduction ratio vs a 1:1 macro reproduciton ratio that was available in the Sony 90mm macro. In layman's term, that means you can get closer to subjects with the Sony 100mm macro resulting in supermacro photos with incredible details. That's how I was able to get close to this relatively patient mosshead warbonnet below which was a little hesitant to get it's photo taken!

As you can see in the image, the details from the lens are tack sharp. And the bokeh is softer and more circular rather than hexagonal on the Sony 90mm macro. Overall, I found the Sony 100mm macro to function very similarly to the popular Canon RF 100mm macro lens - which shares many of the same specifications including 1.4:1 macro. However, the Nikon Z 105mm macro still remains the sharpest lens that we have used underwater.

A mosshead warbonet photographed with the Sony 100mm macro lens at the minimum focusing distance with a 1.4:1 reproduction ratio. f/22, 1/200, ISO 250

Even Faster Autofocus Speeds

The Sony 100mm macro is built with 4 XD linear motors that make it almost twice as fast as the Sony 90mm macro lens when it comes to autofocus. And indeed, underwater, the Sony 100mm was lighting quick... It was able to quickly aquire difficult subjects like jellyfish, squid, and octopus when paired with the Sony a7V. However, I found it to be a little too quick. Often the lens would jump quickly between focal planes. When I shot with autofocus tracking and continuous autofocus, I found it often resulted in the focal point to be just behind the subjects eye. Thankfully we have identified a few workarounds when using the lens.

pacific spiny lumpsucker photographed with the Sony 100mm macro lens

The autofocus on this Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker was ever so slightly off due to the quick acquisition and autofocus movement by the Sony 100mm macro when the fish started swimming. Notice how the focal point is just behind the eye which seemed to be a common theme.

Our Autofocus Workarounds

When using the Sony 100mm with the Sony a7V, the default auofocus sensitivity is too high. So we recommend changing the autofocus levels for crossing to 1 to stop the lens from locking on too quickly to a subject that crosses in front of your primary subject. We also recommend setting the autofocus tracking speed to "Stable" instead of "standard" or "responsive". This steadies the autofocus point as it moves around.

sony 100mm macro lens photo of a nudibranch

The autofocus on the rhinophores of his clown dorid is tack sharp! f/22, 1/200, ISO 200

Protip: Lock Your Autofocus with an Oring!

When using the Sony 100mm in the field, we discovered an insanely useful tip for keeping your lens locked in "autofocus" mode. As with the Sony 90mm, the 100mm macro is very easily to accidentally knock into manual focus. So we now carry a special oring designed to keep the lens locked into autofocus which you need underwater. Use this oring - you can thank us later!

The focus locking oring in action!

Bluewater's Bokeh Test

No underwater macro lens review is complete without a solid bokeh test! Thankfully we ran the Bluewater Bokeh test on a sea cucumber at Alki Junkyard in Seattle. I have to say - the bokeh is a step up over the Sony 90mm macro. It's smooth, creamy, and circular. It has fewer hard edges than the Sony 90mm. However, one of my greatest disappointments with the Sony 100mm macro lens is that it does not have a mimimum aperture greater than f/22. Granted f/22 is usually where you start seeing diffraction in an image - but for super macro application with a diopter, it can be nice to have the option to shoot at a smaller aperture.

Bokeh Test: f/22

Bokeh Test: f/16

Bokeh Test: f/10

Bokeh Test: f/7.1

Bokeh Test: f/2.8

Teleconverter Compatibility

With the release of the Sony 100mm there was a lot of excitment about teleconverter compatibility. Afterall, adding a 2x teleconverter to the lens increases magnification to 2.8x. That said - and this might be an unpopular opinion - I don't recommend pairing the Sony 100mm macro with a teleconverter. This is purely for the fact that a teleconverter reduces the overall image quality of an image. With high resolution cameras like the Sony a7R V and even the Sony a7V, you don't really need a teleconverter when cropping allows you to maintain relative image quality, but you can often get similarly close to your subject.

A 100% crop of a gunnel photographed with the Sony 100mm macro and the Sony a7V

Stabilization

The Sony 100mm macro has built in optical steady shot stabilization...combined with a stabilized camera you can often reach up to 8.5 stops of stabilization compensation. This is absolutely fantastic. We found that it was very easy to capture handheld video footage (as you can see from our video clips above). Even with movement from my hands, many of the shots look like they are on a gyroscope.

Who needs stabilization when you have a cooperative stubby squid eating a shrimp??

Should you upgrade from the Sony 90mm?

If you are looking for a macro lens that can get you closer to your subjects without a diopter and a lens that has much faster autofocus - it's worth considering the upgrade to the Sony 100mm macro from the Sony 90mm. That said, there is a considerable price difference between the two lenses. This makes the Sony 90mm, sitting at $1000 vs $1500 for the Sony 100mm, start to look like a more affordable alternative. Certainly the image quality is quite similar between the two lenses. Though slightly better on the Sony 100mm macro, it may not be enough to justify the extra $500 looking at image quality alone. Therefor, we think both lenses have their niche with the Sony 100mm appealing to avid macro enthusiasts and pro shooters.

An elusive horned shrimp photographed with the Sony 100mm macro lens. f/11, 1/200, ISO 100

Conclusions

And so the question remains - did the Sony 100mm live up to the hype? I certainly think so. While I was at first frustrated that the ultra fast autofocus resulted in some inaccuracies when it came to autofocus tracking, once we implemented our recommended settings, the lens started to work like a charm. It was lighting quick, stable, and gave us the additional capability of getting even closer to our macro subjects. I think the Sony 100mm is a worthy successor to the Sony 90mm and will be a macro staple in the years to come.

Nirupam Nigam

Nirupam Nigam, the President of Bluewater Photo & Scuba, is an accomplished underwater photographer and fisheries scientist with a deep-rooted passion for marine life. He began his journey in underwater photography at 15 and, by age 22, became the Editor-in-Chief of uwphotographyguide.com, the leading online resource for underwater photographers. As a North Pacific and West Coast Fisheries Observer, Nirupam spends months aboard fishing vessels in remote areas such as the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, collecting critical fisheries data for the U.S. government. He hails from the West Coast, considering both Southern California and Western Washington home.

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