suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

For Olympus and Panasonic users (m 4/3) - any of you thinking of purchasing the Panasonic 100-400 mm lens or the Olympus 300 mm f4 lens when released?

Anyone feeling a bit let down (maybe a lot let down) after waiting what seems like forever for the Olympus 300 mm f4 lens only to discover the size, weight and price? I do.

Referring to the Olympus 300 mm f4 is anyone wondering what is the point of producing such a huge lens for a small camera? I do.

Am I missing something here?

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

Any 300mm f4 is going to be relatively big, but very managable. I have friends who use them for shooting motor racing.
Try picking up a 300 f2.8 if you want big & heavy.

Why produce 300mm-400mm lenses?
One - word reach

I used a 100-400 for years and now a 150-500mm, both for motor racing and birding.
For birding you can almost never have too long.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Just get the Nikkor 300mm f4.5 ED IF AIS and manually focus ( about $200-250 off ebay) with adapter. :D

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

Really? Admittedly I'm in a reactionary mode but a 52 oz lens is very manageable? On a really small camera- Not for me. I envisioned something that would be hand holdable and fit the camera-
I won't be getting it. Sigh.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Right now, the lenses don't fit my shooting style. As my son gets into more sports, I'll probably be considering something with more reach. That said it probably won't be either one, but more likely the old 4/3 150 f2 that I can add an ec-20 to, to get 300 f4.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Here is the Rockwell review - http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/300EDIF.htm - 35 oz. weight .....

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

Thanks for the link-

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I'm excited over the Panasonic and planning on buying it. I'm not let down. And, I see the point!

Why? A couple years ago I wanted a "wildlife kit" for both video clips and stills. The obvious choice was to spend $20K on Nikon or Canon gear. That was too much, too big, too heavy, etc. A suitable tripod was too much. Somewhere (probably B&H) I found the Pansonic 100-300 and considered the Panasonic GX7.

A point of reference for me is the four huge Thomas D. Mangelsen prints that dominate my living room. He shoots with the best Nikon can provide. The bear, wolf, moose and owl greet me everyday.

I couldn't find anybody that was doing what I wanted to do with the M4/3 gear. I took a risk and spent (about) $1500 plus another $100 for a tripod. I've been having a ball with it!

Samples: http://vimeo.com/84832972 and http://vimeo.com/146185237

Can I do better? I think so. The newer GX8 with the new 100-400 provide better everything from weather sealing to stabilization and sensor. A big part is 4K. (Have you seen photos extracted from 4K video clips?)

Using the 100-300 as a comparison, the 100-400 is one pound heavier and 1.75 inches longer. In use, the 100-400 lens hood retracts so in "carry around" mode actually a little shorter because the 100-300 hood screws on and is left there.

The 100-300 is cheap as lenses go. It can be a little soft and requires some care to use it. The softness is less noticeable with video clips than stills. I still like it and enjoy using it. In a perfect world for me, Panasonic would have improved the lens and made a 100-300 Mark II.

To your point about the size of the Oly 300, it is bigger. Compared to the 100-300 I use and enjoy, it would be 3 times the weight at a little more than 2 pounds heavier. At 9 inches it is almost twice as long as the 100-300. Compared to the new 100-400, the 300 is over a pound heavier and 2.25 inches longer. For my interests, the Oly is too big. That said, a trip to Yellowstone where all the big Nikanons are lined up along the road aiming at the same bear, it might fit in and produce great results.

The final part for me will be images and reviews. If the $1800 100-400 does not produce sharper images than my much cheaper 100-300, I won't buy it. So far, sample images are hard to find.

Shutterbugsailer Loc: Staten Island NY (AKA Cincinnati by the Sea)

Just another example of the tail wagging the dog

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

Another point of reference- Nikon has a 300 mm f4 lens that weighs around 26 oz and Pentax has the same weighing in about 36 oz and is weather sealed. Both have VR. The 300 mm f4 Olympus is 53 oz AND is priced significantly higher.

Bill- please post some photos with that new Panasonic lens when you get it.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

From what I read, that won't be possible until about April or so!

Meanwhile someone got to shoot a few indoor shots at an Atlanta photo show and posted them in another forum.

http://vimeo.com/146185237

Doesn't tell me much about wildlife shooting.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

But then you'd be stuck shooting with a DSLR...blah, I'm done with those archaic devices. The 300 is expensive, and large for what it is a 300/f4...but from all the reports thus far, it's sharp and fast, and very stabilized, due to the dual stabilization. If I had more money than I knew what to do with...I'd get the olympus...since I don't I'll have to wait several years until they hit the refurb site at a highly discounted price.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Go to SLRGear and read the review. Their tester was getting 100% good shots handheld at 1/15th of a second and over 25% at 1 second. Olympus claims a six stop stabilization with the 300mm. To get their lense to do that they are hand selecting some of the parts that go into the lense. Yes, it is the heaviest 300mm f4 and the most expensive out there, but how many lenses are able to get handheld shots at a 1/15th of a second? Or even some at a whole second? And it is as sharp as the Canon and Nikon 600mm f4 lenses.

SirLan Loc: London UK

The Panasonic 100-400mm looks good to me. This is pricey but they all are when they first come out. I cannot justify the price of the Olympus 300mm at all...way over priced. I don't see the point of that one. As good as it may be it is just not a every day lens at the price of nearly two times the price of the Panasonic. In the UK it is priced over 2,400 pounds...a pro lens without a pro camera to go with it too? Now if it went with a Sony A7R ii instead then it would be worth it but not for the bodies on offer from Olympus. They are not pro bodies so where is this going? I think Olympus have lost the point with this one...I like Olympus and have lots of lenses and a two Olympus bodies...old E510 and my trusty old Olympus slr om10.
Here is a link on the panasonic...looks good to me :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU182bZ1WIQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU182bZ1WIQ
One of these should work :)

tdekany Loc: Oregon

Tell the pros who use em-1s that it is not a pro body. And how do you know what the next em1 is going to offer? Maybe you should start your own consulting company. You seem to know better than the company. You sound like a hidden gem.