Some background… I do own the original 100-400mm lens which is f/4.5 – 5.6 so when you zoom in to 400mm you’re shooting at f/5.6 not f/4.5. This new lens will allow you to shoot at f/4.5 across the range of the lens.

Also, I’ll be giving you my first thoughts on this lens from a wildlife photography standpoint only. I do shoot landscapes and cityscapes as well, but in my opinion you wouldn’t get this lens for that, so I’ll only be talking about this from a wildlife perspective.

Camera Settings and Editing

Gear: All of the photos below were shot with the new lens and the Sony a1 ii.

• I shoot on manual exposure mode.
• Typically the lowest f-stop number the lens will allow.
• Auto ISO turned on
• And varying shutter speeds depending on the light and movement of the wildlife.
• Also, all photos were taking using the Center Fix auto focus area, with tracking turned on.

As for editing, all photos were edited in Lightroom only, and most have Lightroom’s DeNoise applied to them. And I typically nudge the Sharpening slider to around 60-75 after applying noise reduction. No other plug-ins or programs were used.

Size and Weight

The first thing that surprised me, since I own the original 100-400mm lens, was the size. Typically, everyone I talk to wants smaller and lighter, I didn’t expect to see a larger lens. As you can see below, it’s definitely bigger than the original. But the weight did surprise me. The original is about 50 ounces and this one is about 65 ounces. Considering the size difference, you don’t expect to pick this up and it be as light as it was. It also feels balanced when on the camera, where is my 200-600mm (which is about the same size) definitely feels heavier.

Now, the new lens internally zooms where the old one telescopes out, so while shooting it’s not much of a change. But if you traveled with your 100-400mm a lot, packing this new one will definitely have you rethink your space.

Sharpness and Image Quality

Of course the quality and sharpness is always a hot topic. To me, just about any lens a big camera manufacturer makes these days is sharp. So it’s not anything I really look for. I guess I just expect it to be sharp, especially considering how much these lenses cost these days. But the sharpness was similar to my 200-600mm which I absolutely have always loved and is the lens on my camera most of the time. I did some comparisons but you really have to zoom in to 800% and pixel peep so to me it’s as sharp as you’d ever need.

Below are some close up detailed shots so you can see for yourself.

Autofocus Speed and Reliability

Like you’d expect from a lens like this and a price point of over $4000, auto focus was great. I can’t say I noticed it to be any faster or slower than my 200-600mm or the original 100-400mm, but it’s hard to be nearly perfect. It acquired and locked on to what I needed it to really fast.

This scene happened while I was chimping photos and I looked up, saw it, pointed and shot a burst that was all in focus. I don’t know if that’s because of the camera or the lens (or both), but technology today is incredible. To have this shot while fumbling around with my camera and not being prepared for it is pretty amazing.

Does f/4.5 Through the Range of the Lens Really Matter?

One of the big improvements of the lens is that it shoots at f/4.5 throughout the range of the lens where the old one was variable (4.5 – 5.6). This is one of those subjective things. What do you gain from having f/4.5? It let’s more light in so your ISO levels will be lower. The same photo at ISO 5000 was around ISO 3200 for me. Not a huge difference on the Sony a1 ii, but noticeable.

It also gives you some better background blur (bokeh) while zoomed in. Again, is it noticeable? It depends on you. For me, I simply can’t see the difference that much. However, it is a very pleasing bokeh. While not my best photography, I included this photo to show some of the depth and blur you can see.

Teleconverters?

I didn’t shoot it with a TC on. But the old 100-400mm performed really well with a TC, and Steve Perry who is one of the only reviews I trust on the internet, mentioned that it performs really well. Plain and simple… if Steve says it, it’s true. I don’t know of a better or more seasoned wildlife photographer on the internet today.

One thing about teleconverters… I’ve said this in my lens reviews before and I’ll say it again. It’s a bit of a miss here to not have an internal TC built in to the lens. Other lenses have had this for a while now, and I keep hoping we’ll get something similar in the Sony world.

Will I Add This to My Kit?

After doing a review the question I always get asked is whether or not I’ll be adding this to my kit. At this point, I don’t think so, but I’ve learned never to say never 🙂

My existing 100-400mm took a back seat when the 200-600mm came out because (for wildlife) I always want more reach and zoom – not sometimes… always! And the quality I get with the 200-600mm is outstanding, so I find myself not needing anything else (including the 600mm f/4 I own, that I rarely reach for anymore).

(I did write about the Sony 400-800mm here as well)

So at this point, I’m just not sure I’ll be placing an order for this one any time soon. I think the lens, for the size and weight is fantastic, but I just don’t see myself wanting to use a 100-400mm much. If I take a landscape trip, I’ve always loved taking the older 100-400mm because it let me bridge the gap of shooting detailed landscapes but also some wildlife if I wanted. But since this lens is so large, I’d need a new and much larger travel bag to carry it.

Now, if I did use that focal length a lot, I would have to ask myself what I gain from the new one? If you’re always shooting in low light, then f/4.5 through the range of the lens can make a difference. Lower ISO’s and some nicer backgrounds could make it worth it. And the lens handles fantastically. Much like the 300mm, it just feels perfect when you handhold it and I can’t say that about the 200-600mm.

Thanks and Don’t Forget To…

Thanks for stopping by. I know my reviewers aren’t really technical in nature, but they’re how I see camera gear for better or worse.

Also, don’t forget to check out my newly released Lightroom for Wildlife Photographers course. Wildlife editing has come a long way in the last 5 years and this course gives you a good solid workflow to make your photos look as good as you envisioned them. Enjoy!

But that’s changed in the most recent update a couple of weeks ago. Now you can create a Depth Range mask for all of your photos and it can be a fun tool to help work with things in your photo from a depth perspective (front, middle, back). 

We’ll take a much deeper look in to this feature in this week’s video. Enjoy!

PS: Click here for more info on the Lightroom Summit 2026

Adobe recently released some new Photoshop features this week. One of the bigger features is a new way of finding and removing distractions which is always one of the main reasons we even go in to Photoshop in the first place (as a photographer). 

In this week’s video we’ll take a look at what’s new and which ones I think you should pay attention to. 

Click Here to Find Out More About the Art of Masking course

Click Here to Find Out More About the Art of Masking Course

Enjoy!

Click Here to Find Out More About the Art of Masking Course

On-Demand Bird Photography Webinar: https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/MattK-Bird-Photo-Web

Matt’s Wildlife Editing Secrets: https://mattk.com/wildlife

Check out my free On-Demand Bird Photography Webinar: https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/MattK-Bird-Photo-Web

Click here to find out more about DxO PureRaw (Link). You can use the code “MattK” to save 15% for new customers.

If you use Topaz Photo, click here for more info. (Link)

To learn more about Bird Photography, check out my Bird Photography Course.

Before we get started, don’t forget that I’m running a special I’ve never done before. 30% off the entire MattK.com store. So if you’e been looking for presets, a course, or even a gift card to use over the holidays this is a perfect time.

As we get started, keep in mind there is NO WAY to spec out the perfect computer and tell you exact specs on what you should get. But hopefully this helps point you in the right direction or maybe keep you from getting something you may regret in a year.

DISCLAIMER: Please don’t message me asking for more details on this topic. There are thousands of combinations of computers, screens and monitors, and I won’t be able to respond to any questions on “Should I buy this…”, or “Can you elaborate on this…”. Thanks in advance! 🙂

The Hard Truth to Come To Grips With First

The first thing to come to grips with is this. No matter which photo editing app you use (Adobe, ON1, Luminar, Capture One, Topaz, etc…), you are involved in one of the MOST INTENSIVE things you can put a computer through.

You may think you’re just an amateur photographer… just in it for hobby and fun, without a lot of requirements because you don’t have clients. But the moment you fire up one of those apps, you’re putting yourself in to the top 1% of requirements when it comes to the specs you need for your computer. You require just as much power as a teen’s gaming computer or a pro wedding photographer editing thousands of photos, or even an architect doing professional 3D renderings. Your normal web browser or word processing app is nothing compared to the resources a photo editing app requires. So set your expectations (and Budget!) accordingly, knowing that running these programs is the hardest thing you can ask a computer to do. And if you want speed, then the cheapest option is never going to be the best.

Laptop vs. Desktop (or Tablet)

First, do you want a laptop or desktop? A laptop is portable and I’d ONLY go with this option if you absolutely need portability. If not, my recommendation would be to get a Desktop computer. A max’d out laptop (in most cases), will never be as fast as a desktop for similar money (generally). And in a few years, your laptop will start to feel very slow, and is typically not as upgradable as a desktop.

For me personally, things have changed a bit. I used to do all of my editing on an Apple iMac. I had an Apple MacBook Pro as well, and it held up okay. But remember, I need to be portable. Running an online business is 100% my livelihood. I travel often, and I need a laptop because I do teach on the road, travel, work remotely, etc… I need to have a computer with me all the time.

Anyway, one of the pain points for me is that you can guarantee whatever I wanted to work on was on “the other computer” when I had both laptop and desktop. So, a few years back I decided to trade in my iMac and laptop to Apple – while purchasing a new one. Then I ordered one of the MacBook Pro’s with the M chips (specs below). I now plug this in to a monitor (read on for which one) when I’m in my office – and the laptop has become my only computer. After 4 years, I can say that I’m very happy with the choice and have had absolutely zero problems with it. And it still runs everything pretty fast, to the point where I don’t feel I need a new one yet. (Yes, this is still true as of late 2025 – I will change it if I buy a new one)

What about a tablet?

While we do have a decent workflow with a tablet, I think of it more as an “extra”. Lightroom Classic isn’t available on the tablet and Photoshop only has some features (and not typically the ones you really want). So if you only use a tablet, you’ll need to use Lightroom on the tablet (not LR Classic) and be all in on the cloud, since it doesn’t work with local storage.

I’ll also add this. In my experience of diving head first in to this workflow this past year, I found that you’ll need a fairly well spec’d out iPad (preferably an iPad Pro). I tried doing a mobile workflow with a Samsung tablet that cost around $400 and it was painfully slow, so just remember that. As I mentioned, the tablet for you should only be an “extra” workflow option, for certain travel situations – not your main editing tool.

And, If you want to use it as an alternative travel workflow, then great. Heck, I’ll even teach you how with a course. 🙂

Apple or Windows?

No matter what anyone says, it just doesn’t matter. No matter how passionately they argue with you, it’s a personal choice. Don’t think either one will be faster than the other, or better for photographers or anything like that. Many will disagree, but you wanted my opinion so there it is 🙂 I will say that on average, you can get a better spec’d out PC for the same money vs. an Apple product.

But personally, I’m an Apple user and I don’t see myself switching in the future. For me, the extra money is worth the experience I get, but I know many great photographers that are PC based. When that photo gets shown on Social Media, a website, or printed on the wall NOBODY can tell you which operating system it came from. Like I said… it just doesn’t matter. And if you think it does matter then there’s probably a website you can argue that on – but this ain’t it 😉

Onto the Specs…

Okay, onto the specs. Keep in mind I am as un-tech-savvy as any person out there. As I mentioned, please don’t send me questions asking me to elaborate because I won’t be able to. But here’s what I know:

PROCESSOR: Your main computer processor is one of the biggest things that will get you speed. Get the best one, with the most cores, you can afford. I can’t give you an exact number because there are too many with all M1’s, M4’s, i7s and i-this and multi-core-that’s. Just get the best one you can configure or afford. You won’t regret splurging on this choice, so splurge away. But for me, I’d get the highest M-number I could get. Some options:

1. Prioritize High Single-Core Performance:

Both Photoshop and Lightroom benefit significantly from strong single-core performance. Processors with higher clock speeds can enhance responsiveness and reduce processing times for tasks such as applying filters and adjustments.

2. Go for Multi-Core Processors:

While single-core performance is important, certain things, like batch processing and exporting, utilize multiple cores. A processor with a higher core count can really improve your speed.

• Apple Users M4: For Mac users, the M4 chip, has up to 16 performance cores and 40 GPU cores. This is one of the newest Apple offers and will give you the longest lasting option you can get.

RAM: Right now for most applications the “minimum” specs are 8GB of RAM. That means that’s the absolute minimum for the software to operate. And when you buy the absolute minimum of anything be prepared for absolute minimal performance.

Most companies recommend 16 GB of RAM. Again, “recommend” is the word they use to get around making you spend a ton of money on a computer. And with recommended specs, you will still get minimal performance. I would suggest at least 32GB so you have room to grow, and I personally went with 64GB on my laptop. On my previous iMac Desktop, I ordered it with 8GB of RAM cheap option, and then went to Crucial.com and ordered the 64GB Upgrade kit and upgraded it on my own (it was super easy to do – took about 3 minutes and again… I’m not tech savvy at all).

HARD DRIVE: I’d recommend at least a 1 TB Internal SSD drive – 2 is even better. They are fast and they are what you’ll put your applications on so they can be accessed very quickly. Plus, 1 TB gives you room for extra stuff. But don’t plan on putting your photos on your internal drive because you’ll run out of space.

Most people will end up putting photos on external drives. I use externals for all of my photos. I don’t use RAID or NAS (I don’t even know how to spell them!). I just keep it simple – put it on the drive and make sure that drive is always backed up (I use Carbon Copy Cloner on the Mac but I’m sure there’s a program for PCs if you look).

Graphics Card: This is a really tough one to write about. There are just too many options and every program uses the graphics card in different ways. I would say get at least 4GB of RAM (or VRAM or whatever they call it) for your graphics card. My best suggestion is to do a Google search for “Minimum Specs for Lightroom (or Photoshop or whatever software you use)”. It will take you to Adobe’s website and under “Graphics Card” there are typically recommended specs and even a “Read More / GPU FAQ” or something similar.

But if it’s me, and I went to configure a new computer, I saw I had an option for + $400 for a better card and + $600 (a 16GB graphic memory) for an ever better card. I’d get the best card. If you can afford it, do it. If you can’t get the best one, I’d go with 8GB if you can.

What About Monitors?

NOTE: I have since purchased an Apple XDR screen for my laptop that I wrote about here.

Okay, this is another really tough area. 99.9% of your photography will be seen on a device of some sort when you share it (phone or tablet). So get used to the fact that you have ZERO control over how your photos are seen to everyone else in the world. You can get the best screen in the world, calibrate your monitor every day, and it won’t do any good. The best you can do is just edit consistently.

You’ll read a ton about sRGB and Adobe RGB, etc… So my suggestion is decide if you are printing A LOT or not, and how important this is. If it’s important you’re going to spend more money. If you think you’re going to print at least every week or two (lab or at home), then you may want to spring for a more expensive monitor that comes close to supporting the Adobe RGB color space. If not, no need to go with an expensive monitor like BenQ or Eizo.

I used an iMac so it had a nice glossy bright screen, and that’s what edited on mostly. If I was going to print, I’d proof the photo on my BenQ screen. But I hate the way my photography looks on the BenQ screen. Photos always look better on bright glossy screens. Think about who views your photos and where they view them… most people look at photos on their tablet, phone and maybe computer too. Most of those have bright glossy screens, so the rest of the world sees your photo a certain way. But if you have a screen that’s really meant for color proofing for printing, you’ll see your photos differently. So I try not to use a matte screen much, unless I’m printing, and even then I’ve printed enough I’m able to proof on my Apple screen now.

I know that all sounds vague, but my advice is that most of you reading this aren’t printing often. So don’t buy a screen that is made for printing, or you’re wasting money. Even if you don’t have a screen made for printing, you can easily dial in your settings and develop a workflow to get a good print with any screen (I do, and don’t use the BenQ anymore).

Finally, if you need something a little more concrete here’s some suggestions:

• At least a 23″ screen. I’d actually recommend nothing smaller than 27″ if your eyesight is as bad as mine 🙂
• What about 4K, 5K Screens? I think they’re great, but make sure you can change the native resolution. Some of those high pixel screens use a really high resolution that makes it hard to read the text. Some screens will let natively change resolution so that you can read everything and it’s still great quality.
• Remember the larger the screen the more strain you put on your graphics card and computer overall – which in turn translates to your photo apps running slower. And if you add a second screen you’ll want to make sure you have a great graphics card that can handle it. Nobody thinks about this and wonders why their computer is slow. Two screens require a lot more from your computer than one.
• Apple came out with the Studio display a while back. If you’re an Apple user, that’s what I’d get and not think twice about it.
• Dell Ultrasharp monitors are good. Honestly, all Dell’s are good.
• LG Screens are good too. Not sure if they make glossy ones anymore but that’s what I’d look for.
• BenQ makes good photo monitors if you want to spend more and print a lot. Don’t get one if you don’t print. I hate to say it, but it’s a waste of money and you’ll be seeing your photos on a surface that nobody else will.
• Eizo also makes good screens and they fall in to the same category as BenQ – don’t get one if you’re not printing a lot.

External Hard Drives

A while ago, I wrote about my hard drive and backup solution. Since then, I’ve switched hard drives to a Samsung 8TB SSD drive. The drives are really meant to go internally in your computer, but for another $15 I added this enclosure which plugs in to any USB port. Super simple to use, so even if you’re not techie, you’ll have no problem.

For those that remember, my previous hard drive was 8TB as well, and I didn’t go up in size on purpose. I’m tired of clutter. If you’re not a workflow pro with a specific need, then Almost none of us have 8TB of photos worth keeping. And contrary to the popular saying, I don’t feel that “storage is cheap” – well, GOOD fast storage that is.

So recently I’ve gotten really good at deleting photos. It’s just too much. I have Terabytes of 9-bracket HDR photos that sit and do nothing because I already picked a photo from the shoot that I like 10 years ago. I also deleted PSDs and TIFFs for photos that are finished because I know myself, and I’ll never go back and re-edit them.

So I went on a photo-deleting-rampage, and got my photo library down to something that comfortably fits on to an 8TB drive, with room to grow. And I’m more picky than ever about what I keep. Not only that, I just feel better about my photo library. It’s lean, easy to look through, and I don’t have terabytes of bad photos looming over my head anymore.

Overall I have no complaints about this switch. Oh and I have no idea how to even spell NAS or RAID or anything else that complicates hard drives, beyond the one that plugs in to your computer. In my opinion those options are for experts, which I know there are a bunch of here. Just don’t let those experts tell you it’s easy – it’s not. My advice is to go old school, and simple 🙂

PS: I do also use BackBlaze.com as an extra layer of Cloud backup protection. Cheap and easy!

Finally… Try It Out

My last piece of advice is to buy something you can try out. That may be harder with a computer, but with a monitor it should be easy. Make sure you get something that you can return. And make sure you watch the return policy. I’ll personally never buy anything from that “Blue/Yellow” electronics store because I hate their 14-day return policy. I’m just so used to 30 days that I inevitably forget and get stuck with something I didn’t want. But this time of year, most places will give you until January to return things. And if it’s shipped to you, pay attention to the return policy shipping fees. You don’t want to get stuck spending $100 (or more) just to return something that you don’t want.

Final Thoughts…

One final thought and it’s more of a way to think about this. Whatever computer you get will feel fast for a total of about 24 hours. After that, you settle into working on it and it will feel slower again. It’s just the way it works. No computer speed ever consistently exceeds our expectations for a long period of time. It may sound harsh, but you know I’m right 😉 Good luck!

PS: Don’t forget to swing by the 30% off the entire store sale.

Q. How do I install these?

A. Super simple… These are just JPG files. You don’t need to install them. You just open them like any other JPG file in any app that allows you to open a JPG file. Or you import them just like any photo in to Lightroom Classic. The video included with your download will show you what to do.

Q. Can I use them in other software like ON1 or Luminar?

A. Yep. I don’t include instructions on that, but if the app allows you to open a JPG file, you can use them. Remember, they aren’t presets that need to be installed like you may be used to. Have I mentioned that they are just JPG files and you can open them anywhere that let’s you open a JPG?

Q. Matt, I saw that one calendar option has holidays on it. You’ve left out what I consider an important day or you’ve added one that I don’t care for. Will you change that?

A. Nope. I tried on one template to include some popular holidays. But remember… I’m self-employed so I don’t even know what a holiday is anymore 🙂 Feel free to ignore it, add your own or remove something on the JPG in Photoshop. It was just an idea to try something different, and it shouldn’t take you more than 2 minutes to remove or modify them if you’d like. (the video included in the download will show you how).

Or you’re always welcome to download some one else’s free calendar templates and let them know your wishes – I’m sure they’ll be very accommodating.

Q. There’s something else I don’t like about the templates. Can you modify them for my needs?

A. Nope. But the video that’s included with your download will show you how you can.

Q. Are there other calendar templates I can try?

A. Yep… a friend of the website, Ed Weaver, has always created some really nice templates for free as well. Here’s the link to his website.