Hi Marlene - thanks for making this video. As a casual birder/wildlife photographer, I have been eyeing this lens for over a year. Your logical approach to owning and using a long telephoto lens like this one has made my decision to purchase the 100-300 over the 100-400 a no brainer. I just needed to hear it from the right person. My bank account and myself thank you.
FINALLY! Someone with my exact use case! I so appreciate the feedback on this M43 lens. I'm a FF and APS-C shooter for 20 years but recently acquired a GX9 for my street photography and casual birding. This really helped me make that decision. Thank you!
I've been using this lens for the past 6 months. I've found, like others, it works best around f8 and at slightly less than its maximum 300mm focal length. Those setting can really sharpen up wildlife photos.
I had the Leica 100-400 and reverted back to this lens. It's half the weight, smaller, quality difference is negligible, 1/3 price and really the perfect package for anyone who isn't paid for photos(which is most of us).
I absolutely love your no-nonsense advice for hobby-shooters like myself. I bought into the Micro 4/3 system to go small and light, However when I bought the 100-300mm for my G9 for i.e. birds, I also bought a battery/vertical grip for the camera. I bought the Neewer compatible grip instead of the original as it is much cheaper and still perfect quality. Although it adds even more weight, It allows for much easier and steadier hand holding with long and heavier lenses, and at the same time you have the benefit of power from 2 batteries without changing.
That's awesome Carl. Thanks for sharing your experiences with the Neewer grip. It will benefit others who read the comments as well. And I'm very happy to hear that my teaching style works for you too! Cheers and enjoy your camera gear!
I love this lens! It actually took more in-focus shots of woodpeckers than the Sony 55-210. On the ZVE10. I think I’m sticking with LUMIX G95. I got to see a dove in detail for the first time.
I am convinced, as you have done on many occasions, to purchase this in lieu of further bankrupting my photography experience! This has many valuable ideas so thank you, Marlene! Oh, and the shorts are great. Thanks for the hard work in these productions that it takes to get these out. Just don't allow all that editing to extinguish any aspect of your enjoyment of photography!!
Hi Steve! For some people they need the biggest, fastest lens for what they want to shoot. For me, this lens is the ticket. It satisfies my need for ultra telephoto, without breaking the bank or my back. Even this lens seems heavy to me on a long walk. So I can't imagine the 100-400mm. Thanks for watching and leaving many thoughtful comments. I seem to be working in fits and spurts these days. I try not to stress about the videos too much anymore. If I have a good idea, or find a new technique, I'll make 2-3 videos a month and a couple of shorts thrown in for fun. I'm shooting a lot more photos now as the weather is warming up. So I expect I'll have some fun things to make RUclips videos about soon. Thanks for all the coffees too! Cheers.
I like how you made clear that shooting with a long lens is a completely different experience than shooting with shorter lenses, not just in terms of handling, but also how you set up the camera. And yes, the problem with lenses is that it's typically the most expensive ones with extreme focal lengths or speed that get the least use where the cheaper ones with more average focal lengths are on the camera most of the time.
Hi Michael, you hit the nail on the head! We typically use our cheaper lenses more. I'm happy that my video resonates with you. Thank you for dropping your comments. Love hearing from everyone! Cheers.
Hi Marlene. I have the same setup. I programmed one of my function buttons on the front of the camera to engage "IS Lock" when I shoot video. It is amazing when shooting handheld. Makes the camera super steady like it is on a tripod!
Yes, totally. I forgot to set that up initially (you can see it on the beaver clip) but now that I have it engaged, it's much steadier. I'm not a fan of carrying a tripod or monopod everywhere, so I'm definitely going to rely on the stability of camera and lenses as much as possible. Thanks for stopping by to share!
Greetings Marlene, The local camera store I frequent has a 7 day return - $ or exchange - on their lenses so I tried both the 100-300 & the Leica 100-400. The sharper image quality & longer reach on the Leica lens - and Panasonic having discounted the price by $100 - decided things for me. The combined weight of my G9 & the 100-400 was disagreeable after a spell of use so I made an adjustable short post that screws into the camera's bottom. I've rigged my belt buccal to work as the post's lower anchor. I also found it helped things to wear suspenders ! I've always used BBF & have assigned the front - next to the lens - buttons as my far & near focus bias. Thanks for your informative videos which have helped.
Great to hear all of this Ray. Thanks so much for sharing your comparison findings and your modifications to clothing and lens to make it work for you. I don't think the weight of the 100-400mm and the price tag would push me to buy it, but I am sure others around here would. And they'd love to hear all about your experiences. Cheers and enjoy!
I’m an olympus shooter but I recently purchased this lens. The quality build and price makes it a good choice for me. Thanks for the video and tips, very useful
@@ImageMaven @ 5.6 at the long end plus stabilisation if required, plus the build quality, I think it is worth having it available for those distance shots. Bang for buck (£390 used) it's a good choice for my usage. I had the 100-400, a lot of money in comparison.
Thanks Marlene. I've used auto ISO with A or S, but am always scared of M for some reason! I'll have to try that soon. I like how you don't just push the bigger, heavier, more expensive lens. I am certainly a casual/amateur everything. Bob
Hi Bob, I was scared of Manual mode too! I'm still working out the best settings but I know there are options. I'm pretty practical, and frugal when it comes to camera gear. And honestly the weight is a huge factor for me too. Thanks for stopping to chat. Cheers!
Another great video. I have been using the P100-300 mkII on a GX85 for several months now and really enjoy it. Like you I am struggling to up my keeper rate. I read somewhere that this lens suffers from shutter shock so it’s best to use it with the electronic shutter. My camera is out for repair so I haven’t tried it yet. I also use Auto ISO and just set an upper limit of 3200 for now. So much experimenting still to do. I look forward to more of you comments. Thanks again for the great content.
I'm actually working on images for another video about this lens. I've been shooting with it a lot on my G9 the past couple of weeks. Still experimenting with different settings. Today's was M-mode, f/8 or so, Auto ISO limit at 6400 (which is really too high but it's been raining) and a shutter speed of at least 1/500s but faster if birds are moving. I will try the electronic shutter next outing. Thanks for the tip. I've been using Manual focus as well as 1-area AF which seems to work fine on sitting birds. Haven't tried that with birds in flight yet. I posted a photo in my RUclips Community tab of some baby owls I shot today. Check it out if you want to see cuteness! Great chatting with you Karen.
You motivated me get a Lumix 100-400…arrives tomorrow by 8pm….. I also get a GH6 Wednesday…. Any chance you will do a video on the GH6? As a G9 user I am most interested in to what MORE we get? My Jack Russell Terrier has 6 week old puppies….so time to start shooting!
Hi Glenn, if I get a GH6 I’ll definitely make some videos about it. Hopefully you’ll find similarities in menus and functionality. But you’re going to get a lot more video capabilities with the GH6. Enjoy it and let me know how you like it.
Thanks Marlene, I've had this lens for 2 or 3 years. Like you, I don't do much birding & stuff, so not used it much, but it does come in handy. I get nice results on bigger subjects: say a car at f/10 or f/11ish at 200 or 250mm. I don't like to stretch it.
Thank you Sebastian. Hello to Chile. Yes, a long lens definitely needs special handling. Most people don't realize that you need a pretty fast shutter speed, even with stabilization.
Wow. What a great video. Not too lengthy with the specs. Great detail on the handling and results. The callouts for additional information really helped keep it concise and to the point. Time to subscribe and see what else you’ve produced. Thank you for the great information.
@@ImageMaven It can be a little more complicated, but there are ways to edit low-res copies of your videos and then export the final version with 4K quality. It makes editing much smoother, but the final export time will be longer than what you're used to. Davinci Resolve is a piece of free software that lets you do this. It's a bit harder to use than Windows Movie Maker or iMovie, but if you already use an editor like Hitlfim, Final Cut Pro, or Adobe Premiere, the transition shouldn't be too hard. Either way, keep up the good work!
Hi Marlene hope you are well. I'm not sure which is better but FYI I always use aperture priority, auto iso and simply select the minimum shutter speed in the menu when using my GX9 or G9. You may prefer this to the manual exposure method I don't know. I also have the min shutter speed option set in the custom menu at the top for v quick access.
I sold my 100-300 to buy the PL 100-400. I wish I would have kept it as a smaller, more portable alternative. I love the big PL, but my 100-300 took some outstanding soccer and wildlife photos. I’d recommend it.
@@skfineshriber Thanks for chiming in. Was going to sell my 100-300 as I don’t use it since getting the PL 100-400 but hearing this, I may decide to keep it.
Hi, great to se you enjoying Wildlife with your new lens, good tips on using smaller apertures too. I think you have the benefit of good light to enable that, certainly better than the UK! I bought my G9 and the 100-400 for wildlife, you do get used to the weight and a monopod is useful on occasions too. After watching your tutorials I’ve been using 6k video and extracting stills from it, it can work really well. Re back button, I have custom buttons set for different scenarios, one of these I set a faster shutter speed and BBF, I’m quite happy switching between that and normal shutter focus. Don’t you find the “light” shutter button on the G9 beneficial with a longer lens, much less camera movement than with a heavier click.
Hi Sue, Great to hear from you again. I love your tips and hearing that 6K photo mode is working for you! Thank you for sharing. And yes, a light shutter touch is much better for hand holding especially with longer and heavier lenses. I see many folks move their arms down when they press the shutter -- even with their phones! I hope you get many sunny days ahead as we move into spring. Cheers!
Hi Marlene, Another excellent video and review!!! I rented the 100-400 a couple of times and really love the look and image quality of that lens, but I purchased the 100-300 for the same reasons you have expressed. I’m going to try back button focus with that setup as you suggested. Thanks again for your insights. 👍🏾
Hi Jerome, It's great to hear from someone who has used both lenses. Thank you for sharing. Let me know how BBF works for you. I definitely think it's useful for smaller animals that move around a lot. You might also want to test out the near shift and far shift settings. My pal Andrew released a video on this topic recently. It's something I'm going to try for myself. Cheers! ruclips.net/video/G-tisDjT3kk/видео.html
I’ve set and use my G9 very similarly to what you are doing. Back button focus. Manual focus with auto ISO. I have limited my ISO to 1600. If I have a noisy shot I use Topaz’s DeNoise which is DeBomb so I never worry too much about noise. Great shots from your new lens! Can’t wait for more. PS - I like your new shorts, for some things they would be just right.
Hey Steven, I think you were the one who gave me the idea to set up my camera that way. Works great! I think for slower moving/non moving subjects I’ll use Aperture priority. And set my ISO manually. But it’s early days. Still experimenting with things. Nice to have fresh gear to work with. Glad you like the shorts. Also a work in progress. But they sure are quick to produce. I need to raise the visual appeal on them. They’re not really taking off. Thanks for the chat!
@@ImageMaven Will be great to hear about your experimentations, especially since you are already very camera savvy. You are many levels above me in your expertise and yay, we also use the same camera! Gotta love a fellow G9er ;). My hope is your RUclips channel gets more popular, you do such great work. I am sure you are up to the challenge of making your shorts even better.
Have you perhaps had a chance to play with Micro Four Thirds 7-14 mm lens? Or used a wide adapter like x0.45? Would be curious to hear your impressions...
I have this lens and really like using it for wildlife shots! I was able to hand hold it and film some deer about 50 yards away and it looked like I was right up next to them! For awhile I thought it was getting fuzzy near the 300mm part but I found out I had left a filter on it and once I took it off it was clear again! LOL
Thanks for adding this to the conversation, Steve. I usually see deer on my daily walks, but of course when I went out with this lens for test photos, I didn't see any! I did run into that beaver though, and that was a first for me in that area. Glad you solved your sharpness problem. That's one reason I don't use filters. I feel it's like shooting through a window. And for lens protection, the lens hood works great to stop accidental fingerprints. I always use a lens hood on every lens I own. Cheers!
Thanks Marlene. If I needed a long telephoto I would get this 100-300 too, for the same reasons. I am interested in your experience with it. Could you show it mounted on a smaller model, GX9 for example. It would be fun to see how the handling is with smaller cameras. I am looking forward to your next video 🙂
Sure, I can do that Michael. I will post a photo of it mounted on a smaller camera, on my Community page. Give me a day to do that. Just helping out my parents this weekend with some big stuff.
Hi Laci, Great question! I usually take lens stabilization off when using a tripod or monopod - I use the switch on the lens itself - if it has one. But I often forget to disable the in-body camera stabilization and I don't think that has affected my photos, but it's something you can test yourself with different focal lengths. If you go to Chapter 6 in the extended owner's manual of the Lumix G9, it gives you all the stabilization info. In the owner's manual it says to shut stabilization off when using a tripod and I presume the same rule applies for monopods. The link to the manual is in the video description. You can download the pdf. Hope that helps a bit!
Hi Marlene, Enjoyed your video. My go-to setup for birds in flight photography is my Nikon D500/Nikon 200-500 f5.6 combo. I am used to heavy gear since I use Nikon D4s and D5 and Pro f2.8 zooms for my money making photography (mainly indoors sports). I do use MFT for casual photography for its size and weight advantage. I wonder what you view is with an Oly E-M5III/Lumix 100-300mm II combo? I don't think my Panasonic GM1 or GX9 are as good as my E-M5 III on the AF-C front. I know that I will get more pleasure out of a "value for money" or a more challenging set up than a purpose built combo like the Nikon D500's I mentioned earlier. An example of a challenging set up was a very sharp heron in flight photo I took with a Lieca M240/Leica 90mm f2 manual focus combo. They were the only camera and lens in hand at the time and the heron was not that far from me.
Wow that's a lot of BIG gear to carry. MFT must seem light as a feather for you now. A Great Blue Heron in flight is on my bucket list. I have found some herons in a small lake this year, but haven't been lucky with time of day, light direction or proximity to get a result I'm happy with. That's the fun with birding. Always a challenge with new species and locations. Haven't tested the Oly gear yet, but hoping that whatever replaces the G9 will meet /exceed my expectations. And let's hope that happens in 2022. Thanks for chatting. Cheers.
@@ImageMaven Sorry, I forgot to mention that I do use a monopod and a gimbal with my Nikon gear' even flash light when it is allowed by the event. Blue Herons are everywhere in the UK hence not difficult to find them. I have been using MFT since the system first came out. Love the system. That said, I am an agnostic towards camera systems/makes as long as they deliver what I want them to deliver for different reasons.
Hi Marlene, thank you for making this video, Please I have a question if I can get answers. I have a Lumix G9 camera, today I bought a PANASONIC LUMIX S Series Camera Lens, 85mm F1.8 L Mount Interchangeable Lens for Mirrorless Full Frame Digital Cameras. There's any way to use it to my G9 camera ? or i have to return it. Thank you
Marlene, a quick ? on this lens. I still enjoy this lens for it's price point, but I'm trying to get sharper focus with wildlife while using it on a Panasonic G85. I'm woundering if you remember finding a sweet spot with aperture? What shutter speeds do you recommend. I'm shooting in pretty good light in open settings or along shorelines or creekbeds and like most of us taking shots of small birds which as we all know move fast and mean quick response. Thanks,
Hi Greg! I recommend about 1/1000s for birds. Helps to keep the camera steady when zoomed to the max. If there’s enough light then you can use f8, but usually I’m shooting wide open unless my bird is in the open on a sunny day. But more often they’re in the trees in low light. I have been using the Topaz deNoise Ai and Topaz Sharpen Ai to assist with those aspects. I have a video with a summary of all my settings. Here’s the link ruclips.net/video/u_lW3G_w-AQ/видео.html
Yes, absolutely. I have the GH3. Great lens! If you want to take it to the next level you can also consider the Leica 100-400mm, but it's 3x the price and much heavier. The 100-300 would be a nice size with the GH3. Enjoy!
Great video Marlene 😀 Same reasons why I have the 100-300mm v2 on my G9 instead of the 100-400. Although, I would really like to try the 50-200mm Panasonic Leica!
Thank you for the coffees, Marko! Yes, that 50-200mm is definitely a more practical zoom range. Starting at 100mm is really "long" for most of my subjects. The 50-200mm is faster too at f/2.8-4. Very expensive though!
@@Joeindy The prices on the G9 dropped several months ago. Not sure it will go any lower. It's now half of what I paid. I'm tempted to get another one too. But I just bought the lens so I better take it easy!
im in a zoom meeting right now but been waiting for this review!!...will def check it out when im done!!! Thanks!! Been eying this vs the Oly 75-300...Anyone feel free to let me know your thoughts! ✌🏼
Hey Marlene, i enjoyed your videos with the G9 long time ago and i enjoy your Tele Lens experiences too! For me the decission was not easy but i bought the 100 to 400 Lens. Wild animals in Germany are very shy so i decided for the longer Lens. Greetings from the middle of Germany, Ingo 📸
Hello Ingo. Good to hear about your experience. Animals are very shy in Canada too. But I think I need more luck and maybe more patience to find them. Enjoy your 100-400mm lens!
I bought the markI of this lens used and had it on a G7. I got some great pictures with it, but ended up getting rid of it. The manual focus on it was awful. Manual focus at 600mm with a light camera handheld is iffy anyway, and this was jumpy and frustrating. Then I got a G9 and a new 100-300, the mark II by that time. Now I love it, manual focus which I have to use for high speed / slo mo video is workable, it’s not smooth like some crazy expensive cinema lens, but it’s quite usable. Dual IS with the G9 is great. The cost/benefit of going to the Pana-Leica 100-400 isn’t there for me, so I’m sticking with it.
Glad to hear the version II upgrade made the cut for you! I haven't tried slomo video yet. It's on the list. You hit it on the head with the cost/benefit of the 100-400. Too rich for my budget. Thanks for adding your experiences. Cheers!
Thanks Marlene, as always; what's that white stuff on the ground; oh, that's right, you're in the northern hemishere(brrr). When you use the back button I assume you can still shoot in manual focus, with peaking, and the shutter button still operates just to shoot; is that correct? I'm finding I use manual focus more often than not as the peaking gives me confidence with sharper focus; any thoughts? Mike in Oz (Autumn and still 30 degrees max)
Hi Mike, Yes, yes, still a bit of that white stuff around. Although it got to +7C today, so I won't last too long now. I've purchased all of my seeds so can't wait to break ground on the garden. All of my examples in this video were using AFS and switching between focus modes like Multi, Tracking and Person/Animal. I'm not used to this lens enough yet to use MF. Plus, with all the excitement of beavers dragging branches, swimming ducks and flitting birds at the feeder, I don't think I can beat it. Maybe at the zoo I'd have better luck with MF. Great to hear from you again, Cheers.
Greetings from the UK foggy start to the week, I have this lens and love it, never used back button focus though with it, so going to watch your other video on the subject, then I’m outta here to practice. Thanks for the video. As far as a cuppa is concerned can I do that from the UK ?
I have to say the BBF is fun to use with this lens. Not sure I'd use it for my wide angle lenses. But I might give it a go next time I'm at the skatepark. And YES, you can buy me a coffee from the UK! Thank you for watching. Have fun with your 100-300mm lens today. Hope the fog lifted for you.
Hello Marlene, I love your videos about bird photography! At the moment I only have a Lumix bridge camera, which is great for all-round photography, but for birds it’s not really the sharpest option especially when cloudy. I am thinking of buying the G9 and this lens. I also viewed a lot of videos about the Leica 100-400 lens, and I heard that that lens keeps the minimum focus distance at 1.3 metres, which is great for (almost) macro photography. Because I also photograph flowers and insects, I really like that feature. I wondered if de lumix 100-300 lens also keeps the minimum focus distance the same when zooming in, and thought that you would know. Sorry for the long comment/question😅
Hi Ruben, Well I just did some tests for you on the 100-300mm lens. According to my quick measurements, the closest focus from the focal plane to the subject at 100mm is about 138cm, and closest at 300mm is about 146cm. So the answer to your question is sadly no :( If you have the money to spend, I'd get the 100-400mm. It's a lovely lens, very sharp, albeit quite heavy. I rented one a few weeks back and have a video all about it. If you haven't seen it yet, it's here: ruclips.net/video/YcwFcV4G3Yc/видео.html Hopefully that answers your questions. Cheers.
@@ImageMaven thank you so much for the testing! The weight is indeed also a thing to really consider. I have a lot more weeks until I have enough money, so also enough time to think about it. Thanks again for testing this for me and thank you for making such great videos!
If you can borrow or rent the camera and lens combo that would be good. I rented the 100-400 but I can’t really justify buying it so I’m sticking with the 100-300 for now. I’m also waiting to see if the G9 successor is released this year. That will make my decision even harder!
Thankyou Marlene for another informative video Using a long lens on the G9 at times the camera really struggles especially in low light, it also struggles to focus on the subject especially birds in flight or stationary. Looking forward to how you overcome this issue. After playing around with the 42.5 Nocticron I believe that for bird/wildlife photography there's only one lens to use. The Leica 200mm in combination with the 1.4 & 2x converters. The trouble is that for most of us G9ers cost becomes the deciding factor. Personally I will probably never find out if I'm correct in my conclusion or not?
Hi Samuel, Seems that Nocticron is working for you, at least in closer range of your subjects. Your photos are amazing! I suppose you could rent some gear to do your own testing of the telephoto lenses. But, I'm sure there is a Lumix Ambassador out there who can help answer your questions. Check out Matti @sulantoblog Tell him I sent you! Cheers.
HI Marlene Thankyou for the kind words. I also subscribe to sulantoblog because of his informative clips. I watched his 200mm lens review numerous times. If you look at my latest Instagram images of Robin jumping off his perch. My G9 setting are:- Shutter priority 400m 1/1000s Cloudy W.B selected ISO 16000. (Auto iso) AFC single point focus (no back button). Once again Marlene thankyou and keep up the good work.
400 meters!! Um that’s way too far. What kind of subject? 10 meters would be my max for a large bird like owl or eagle. 30 meters max for a deer. But I prefer 5 meters or less to fill the frame for a large owl. It’s not always possible though.
@@ImageMaven i was thinking more along the lines of long-distance photography of people. Events like golf tournaments, baseball games, mechanics at pit-stops of the races etc. 400m is an “overshot”, but it’s definitely 100m+
Not likely. I don't have access to any free gear to test out. Unless by chance, I have a friend who owns something I don't. Perhaps a Lumix Ambassador or someone working in a camera shop can help you out. Thanks for your question though! Cheers.
The 100-400 seems to split opinions. I noticed some very good deals, lately, yet it still worked out to be the same price and weight as a much newer design from Sigma for L-mount (recently got a Lumix S), so I think that this cheaper, lighter 100-300 would satisfy the frame of mind I tend to have for that kind of shooting (used to have the GM5+miniature zoom)
This lens won't fit on the Lumix S, it's meant for G series M4:3 mount. So make sure you're looking at the right lens for your camera. Thanks for watching and enjoy your new camera.
Here's something for a Lumix person to explain. Tell us about the Extra Tele Conversion mode. The manual just says it takes pictures "that are further enlarged without deteriorating the picture quality." Really? Is it good for any particular photo situation? How does it work, anyway? Just a thought.
Hello DrStedder. Thanks for stopping by. I have indeed made a video on this topic. You can check it out here ... ruclips.net/video/aa3VL9Hf_yc/видео.html
Hi Marlene. Thank you for your excellent content. I own this lens and I am having trouble with it not focusing when at 250 or 300mm. It starts of focusing fine at 100 but after 250mm it doens´t want to focus anymore and then it goes crazy until i restart the camera. I have had this problem with both my g9 and my gx7. Have you ever heard of this problem? Your help much appreciated.
Hi Farouk, Hard to say from the little info you've give me. Are you using AFS or AFC? Also what AF mode are you using - ie. tracking, 1-area, 225 area etc.? That may have something to do with it too.
@@ImageMaven yesterday in my photo walk my Lumix 100-300 mark II lens started to not focus and act a little crazy. i thought it was becasue of the cold but it wasn´t that cold. today it still has the issue. how it shows up is: Turn on the camera, lens at 100mm, focuses fine. increase gradually the focal length, lens keeps focusing fine. After 250mm it starts to not focus, and sometimes if i pull it back to 100 it may recover focus, but some times it doesn´t. If i start off at 300 right away it doesn´t focus. Did you ever encounter this? it is showing the same problem with 2 different bodies (g9 and gx7) I was using AFS. 225 area.
@@ImageMaven ok i have actually checked more carefully and in all focus modes. the lens starts working fine, and ONLY when i go to 300mm, it goes crazy and never recovers. if i restart the camera it works great again, until i hit 300mm and then it goes crazy. eve heard of something like that? Thanks so much for replying to me.
Again a great video.. madam could you please guide me how I shoot vertical video? and second question yours birds videos direct from the camera or you used color grading? specially I watched your 100-300m lens birds video the colors was the best..
Hi Malik. Thanks for the question. My videos are straight out of the camera! That's why a couple of them are a little dark, in this case. But I'm not good at video grading, so I try to get everything right "in the camera" especially for video. All of the clips in my 100-300mm videos are also directly out of the camera. Thanks for watching!
Hello, if I were to buy an olympus 40-150 f2.8 lens for a panasonic g90, do you think the frame stabilizer would be enough for handheld photography and video?
I think so, but I can't say for sure as I've never used an Olympus lens on any of my Lumix cameras. I know some functionality is limited. I would check with a photo retailer. Maybe even take your camera to test it out while you're there.
I really enjoyed this video and I'm looking forward to your exploration of bird photography with the G9, something I've been getting into with less sophisticated cameras during my photo-walks. I'm hoping to buy a G9 in the near future, and I'll be very interested in what you have to say about its birds-in-flight capabilities. By the way, nice catch on the beaver!
Thanks Bruce. The G9 is excellent for capturing birds in flight. I've seen many great examples from other people. But I need a lot more practice, and I need to find the flying birds! Cheers and don't wait too long to get your G9.
Marlene, I love this video! It's almost a brand new format. 👍 The way you introduced sounds (ducks, dogs) with your stills was so cool. How do you do the coffee thing? Thank you! Jack. And yes, the 100-300 is a terrific lens!
Great to hear this Jack. That kind of thing can be a bit risky. Turns some people off. In the end, it's all about the engagement, as people have shorter and shorter attention spans. You can do the coffee thing by heading to this link, which is also in the video description. Thank you! www.buymeacoffee.com/imagemaven
I just received this lens and loving it so far. Do you use ND, polarizer, or other filters with this lends and in what settings? I usually at least get the very basic almost imperceptive protective filter. Thanks for ideas and the recommendation of this lens. For my budget as a hobby photographer, this lens is great and already getting shots I've never been able in the past at a distance and semi-macro. Thanks.
Hi Greg. Glad you like this lens! I don’t use any ND on this lens as I’m using it for birding and I want all the light I can get! As for protection, I keep the lens hood on at all times. I’m not a fan of clear filters. But I know they’re a must in some adverse conditions like blowing sand.
@@ImageMaven Thanks Marlene. As always you have great advice. Yes, I think most of the time I'll be good with no filter, but in the woods, and like you mention, dusty conditions, it might be comforting to have some protection.
Hi, Marlene, I'm a big fan of your channel. When I saw you posted a video about the 100-300 I really perked up. I've been thrashing about buying this lens or the slower, cheaper Oly version for years. I own a GX-85 and use it with a 20mm Panny and a 45mm Oly only. I like small, fast primes. At the risk of being branded a heretic, I shoot outdoors with the tiny Canon SX 720 featuring a 40x zoom up to ~1000mm equivalent. I know it's hard to believe, but I get a lot of awesome wildlife shots with that tiny bugger. As other folks have commented, do you feel that the 100mm-300mm is too big for a small body like the GX-85? Also, would you go for the Olympus 75mm-300mm over the Panny for $400 vs. $550? I know the Panny has dual IS and is a bit faster. I love your channel and hope to see more great reviews like this one. Thanks.
Hi DataPro. Nice to hear from you. Hmm, the 100-300 might be a too big for the GX-85. The physical diameter of this lens is nearly 3" and is 3.5" with the lens hood on. So that's bigger than the height of your camera. The length is 5.25" without lens hood. And it's heavy. You will be holding by the lens barrel for sure. If your Canon SX 720 works for you, then why replace it? As far as the other lenses go, I haven't tested them myself. I don't actually have access to a lot of gear. But if you have a good camera shop, I say take your GX85 camera and pop those lenses on in the store and take a few test photos. Take some outside in daylight if you can too. Compare the results at home, and you'll also get a feel for them. Another option is to get a bridge camera like the Lumix FZ300 which has a long zoom and is a pretty good all around camera. I bought one for my stepson a few years ago and he loves it. 25-600mm equivalent focal length all in one package. Sorry I couldn't be more help today. Thanks for asking though!
After yesterday’s lunar eclipse I’ve come to realize that I need a longer telephoto lens. I have the Lumix 35-100 mk i and it’s a great lens, but the 200mm equivalent focal length is sort of short for Moon photography. This 100-300 seems like an affordable option to pair with my G9. Is it weather sealed? If you mentioned it I seem to have missed it, but at this price point I don’t think it is. Great review Marlene!
Hello Ramon, I have used my 100-300mm for moon photos. You still need to crop quite a bit, but much better than the 100. Considering that I mostly share photos on social media, a cropped photo is fine. No one will even know if the image is sharp and well-exposed. This lens is splash and dust resistant. Not sure if that counts for weather sealed. But I'm not one to shoot in the pouring rain so it works for me. It's a very affordable choice for the long telephoto range. The 100-400 is just out of my price range for the amount of use it would get. And the weight of that lens really puts me off.
@@ImageMaven Thanks! Yeah, splash and dust resistance is more than enough for me. I looked at the 50-200 and the 100-400 and like you, I’m not one to use telephotos that much. I already have the Pana Leica 12-60, Lumix 35-100 2.8 and 2 small primes, the 100-300 would complete my kit for the foreseeable future.
Hi JD. To see which lens is the Mk2 you have to look at the model number, which is on the underside of the lens. The 100-300 mk2 is H-FSA100300. The 100-300 mk1 is: H-FS100300 . I haven't used the 45-200mm myself so I can't give you an honest answer about that one.
This combo of camera and long lens is too large for a gimbal, I think. But yes, I tripod or monopod (as I mentioned in the video) is perfect. But you're not as mobile that way. Depends on the situation of course. Thanks for watching Jacob!
Hey Marlene! I just got my hands on this wonderful lens, what suggestion and tips do you have for higher iso, and how to get rid of this enoying fringing? Also I wanted to know what is the maxium Iso you would go when you shooting with this lens?
Great lens! Congratulations. I give my fringing tips in the video. Hopefully you caught them. But I wouldn't worry about it too much. Maximum ISO depends on your tolerance to noise; the importance of getting the shot; and your camera sensor. I suggest you do an ISO test and see where "your" tolerance lies. Everyone has a different view on what is acceptable. I have a video about that here: ruclips.net/video/bTQbHXbQQjI/видео.html Enjoy testing out your lens.
Hello - prices of lenses for my micro 4/3 Lumix G80/85 makes me cry. Very pricy. Is it very justified to have Lumix G80 with Lumix 100-300mm II lens or it will be good enough to have compact 1 inch sensor Lumix Fz1000mkII or Lumix Fz2500 ? What are the pros of having micro 4/3 system in this situation ? Why exactly these lenses are so expensive ? How they are different from this mechanics in 1 inches superzoom compacts ? I shoot mostly birds. I don't do portraits because I don't have people to do this.
You can look for used gear, but also Sony makes a great bridge camera, Sony RX10 iv. A friend of mine and one of my loyal subscribers here, switched from Panasonic FZ1000 to the Sony and both have had great results for birds and general landscapes.
I'm always a bit nervous about digital zoom for photos. I've done a video on the topic. For video you can get away with it a bit more. And shooting 4K really does increase the reach! Cheers! And p.s. The 35-100mm lens costs a lot more than the 100-300mm.
So I guess I should be asking YOU this question. How has that 35-100 at 2x worked out? The nice thing is that the 35-100 is a lot faster than the 100-300. But the bokeh is usually better with a longer lens than a faster lens when shooting birds/wildlife. Unless you have a big budget and can get your hands on the 200mm f/2.8 with an optical 1.4x. That's a lens I may rent one day just to try it out.
@@ImageMaven so I did try it because another RUclipsr photographer said it worked pretty well but even only at 2x. You can definitely see the digital zoom and lose clarity on any smaller details. So I guess the Lumix isnt magical and digital zoom works similar to how it always has
You have extra money in your photo budget and you just want to buy something new? If you shoot a lot of subjects that need this focal length of lens? Seriously though, this is a highly personal question that is dependent on so many factors. Most people want to know if they should upgrade to the 100-400mm. But back to you.... I would take your lens to a shop and compare with the MkII. Take the same photos with each. Go home and look at photos from each lens on your computer at 100% magnification. Then decided if there is a good reason to upgrade. Cheers!
Funny enough. I used to laugh about AUTO ISO...until I used it for the first time due to some unusual circumstance. And yeah, it's quite handy when you need it.
I concur regarding price, size, weight, and quality Marlene. I'm a guy (stupid male comment), and I would not be happy going any heavier than this combo, unless stationary in a bird blind with a tripod.
Ha ha. You made me chuckle there! If I was working for Nat Geo, I'd probably get the 100-400mm but I'm happy taking photos just for me using this 100-300mm lens. I will be renting the 100-400 when the weather gets better to see what all the fuss is about. :)
@@ImageMaven lol, I think it's a combination of Leica name branding, and perceived light gathering potential based on size. But I really look forward to that review, as I have GAS bad. If I could afford it, I would own every lens out there for MFT. I would then go through them systematically to determine my favs and sell the rest or gift them. Cheers
@@ImageMaven taking photos of moving items means that the iso requirement can change very quickly - auto is takes care of that for you. I have a G9 and G90 lovely cameras.
Hi Marlene - thanks for making this video. As a casual birder/wildlife photographer, I have been eyeing this lens for over a year. Your logical approach to owning and using a long telephoto lens like this one has made my decision to purchase the 100-300 over the 100-400 a no brainer. I just needed to hear it from the right person. My bank account and myself thank you.
It's a great lens Jack. No brainer. You'll love it.
FINALLY! Someone with my exact use case! I so appreciate the feedback on this M43 lens. I'm a FF and APS-C shooter for 20 years but recently acquired a GX9 for my street photography and casual birding. This really helped me make that decision. Thank you!
Great to hear this. Enjoy your new gear. Cheers.
This is a technique primer masquerading as a lens review. This is going to help a lot of people.
I've been using this lens for the past 6 months. I've found, like others, it works best around f8 and at slightly less than its maximum 300mm focal length. Those setting can really sharpen up wildlife photos.
Excellent tip. Thanks so much, Paul.
I had the Leica 100-400 and reverted back to this lens. It's half the weight, smaller, quality difference is negligible, 1/3 price and really the perfect package for anyone who isn't paid for photos(which is most of us).
You definitely hit all the high points! Thanks for sharing. Cheers! 😀
I absolutely love your no-nonsense advice for hobby-shooters like myself. I bought into the Micro 4/3 system to go small and light, However when I bought the 100-300mm for my G9 for i.e. birds, I also bought a battery/vertical grip for the camera. I bought the Neewer compatible grip instead of the original as it is much cheaper and still perfect quality. Although it adds even more weight, It allows for much easier and steadier hand holding with long and heavier lenses, and at the same time you have the benefit of power from 2 batteries without changing.
That's awesome Carl. Thanks for sharing your experiences with the Neewer grip. It will benefit others who read the comments as well. And I'm very happy to hear that my teaching style works for you too! Cheers and enjoy your camera gear!
I love this lens! It actually took more in-focus shots of woodpeckers than the Sony 55-210. On the ZVE10. I think I’m sticking with LUMIX G95. I got to see a dove in detail for the first time.
Good choice! Happy to hear you're enjoying your Lumix gear!
I am convinced, as you have done on many occasions, to purchase this in lieu of further bankrupting my photography experience! This has many valuable ideas so thank you, Marlene! Oh, and the shorts are great. Thanks for the hard work in these productions that it takes to get these out. Just don't allow all that editing to extinguish any aspect of your enjoyment of photography!!
Hi Steve! For some people they need the biggest, fastest lens for what they want to shoot. For me, this lens is the ticket. It satisfies my need for ultra telephoto, without breaking the bank or my back. Even this lens seems heavy to me on a long walk. So I can't imagine the 100-400mm. Thanks for watching and leaving many thoughtful comments. I seem to be working in fits and spurts these days. I try not to stress about the videos too much anymore. If I have a good idea, or find a new technique, I'll make 2-3 videos a month and a couple of shorts thrown in for fun. I'm shooting a lot more photos now as the weather is warming up. So I expect I'll have some fun things to make RUclips videos about soon. Thanks for all the coffees too! Cheers.
I like how you made clear that shooting with a long lens is a completely different experience than shooting with shorter lenses, not just in terms of handling, but also how you set up the camera. And yes, the problem with lenses is that it's typically the most expensive ones with extreme focal lengths or speed that get the least use where the cheaper ones with more average focal lengths are on the camera most of the time.
Hi Michael, you hit the nail on the head! We typically use our cheaper lenses more. I'm happy that my video resonates with you. Thank you for dropping your comments. Love hearing from everyone! Cheers.
Mine just arrived today. Can't wait to head out this weekend with it mounted on my GX9!
Ooh nice combo. Hopefully you find some nice birds. Have fun.
Köszönjük!
Thank you very much, Laci ☺
Hi Marlene. I have the same setup. I programmed one of my function buttons on the front of the camera to engage "IS Lock" when I shoot video. It is amazing when shooting handheld. Makes the camera super steady like it is on a tripod!
Yes, totally. I forgot to set that up initially (you can see it on the beaver clip) but now that I have it engaged, it's much steadier. I'm not a fan of carrying a tripod or monopod everywhere, so I'm definitely going to rely on the stability of camera and lenses as much as possible. Thanks for stopping by to share!
Greetings Marlene, The local camera store I frequent has a 7 day return - $ or exchange - on their lenses so I tried both the 100-300 & the Leica 100-400. The sharper image quality & longer reach on the Leica lens - and Panasonic having discounted the price by $100 - decided things for me. The combined weight of my G9 & the 100-400 was disagreeable after a spell of use so I made an adjustable short post that screws into the camera's bottom. I've rigged my belt buccal to work as the post's lower anchor. I also found it helped things to wear suspenders ! I've always used BBF & have assigned the front - next to the lens - buttons as my far & near focus bias. Thanks for your informative videos which have helped.
Great to hear all of this Ray. Thanks so much for sharing your comparison findings and your modifications to clothing and lens to make it work for you. I don't think the weight of the 100-400mm and the price tag would push me to buy it, but I am sure others around here would. And they'd love to hear all about your experiences. Cheers and enjoy!
I’m an olympus shooter but I recently purchased this lens. The quality build and price makes it a good choice for me. Thanks for the video and tips, very useful
Hi Alan, Happy to hear that you like it too!
@@ImageMaven @ 5.6 at the long end plus stabilisation if required, plus the build quality, I think it is worth having it available for those distance shots. Bang for buck (£390 used) it's a good choice for my usage. I had the 100-400, a lot of money in comparison.
Thanks Marlene. I've used auto ISO with A or S, but am always scared of M for some reason! I'll have to try that soon. I like how you don't just push the bigger, heavier, more expensive lens. I am certainly a casual/amateur everything. Bob
Hi Bob, I was scared of Manual mode too! I'm still working out the best settings but I know there are options. I'm pretty practical, and frugal when it comes to camera gear. And honestly the weight is a huge factor for me too. Thanks for stopping to chat. Cheers!
I have just discovered your channel and I love it. Keep it up! I bought Lumix G9 and waiting for my delivery. Can't wait!
Awesome! Thank you. I have a lot of content you can watch until your camera arrives. Enjoy your G9!
Another great video. I have been using the P100-300 mkII on a GX85 for several months now and really enjoy it. Like you I am struggling to up my keeper rate. I read somewhere that this lens suffers from shutter shock so it’s best to use it with the electronic shutter. My camera is out for repair so I haven’t tried it yet. I also use Auto ISO and just set an upper limit of 3200 for now. So much experimenting still to do. I look forward to more of you comments. Thanks again for the great content.
I'm actually working on images for another video about this lens. I've been shooting with it a lot on my G9 the past couple of weeks. Still experimenting with different settings. Today's was M-mode, f/8 or so, Auto ISO limit at 6400 (which is really too high but it's been raining) and a shutter speed of at least 1/500s but faster if birds are moving. I will try the electronic shutter next outing. Thanks for the tip. I've been using Manual focus as well as 1-area AF which seems to work fine on sitting birds. Haven't tried that with birds in flight yet. I posted a photo in my RUclips Community tab of some baby owls I shot today. Check it out if you want to see cuteness! Great chatting with you Karen.
Always a clear and usefull content, love your content
I appreciate hearing this. Cheers!
I have been off line for a year and miss you! Thanks for the taking the effort!
Welcome back Glenn. Thank you so much for the Super. Cheers!
You motivated me get a Lumix 100-400…arrives tomorrow by 8pm…..
I also get a GH6 Wednesday….
Any chance you will do a video on the GH6?
As a G9 user I am most interested in to what MORE we get?
My Jack Russell Terrier has 6 week old puppies….so time to start shooting!
Hi Glenn, if I get a GH6 I’ll definitely make some videos about it. Hopefully you’ll find similarities in menus and functionality. But you’re going to get a lot more video capabilities with the GH6. Enjoy it and let me know how you like it.
Got excited there for a sec as I thought this was for the S1 line!
Sorry. I’m sticking with my M4/3. Check out Photo Joseph or Sulantoblog for S5 reviews.
Thanks Marlene, I've had this lens for 2 or 3 years. Like you, I don't do much birding & stuff, so not used it much, but it does come in handy. I get nice results on bigger subjects: say a car at f/10 or f/11ish at 200 or 250mm. I don't like to stretch it.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, William. I'm definitely going to try it out on cars and bikes once we get to summer. Cheers!
@@ImageMaven Yeah, you know what I mean, sometimes the 45-150 walk-a-round is not man enough.
@@williamdavid4823 LOL.
I love your explanation! Not only about lens: technique skills about the use of this lens is very useful. Greetings from Chile
Thank you Sebastian. Hello to Chile. Yes, a long lens definitely needs special handling. Most people don't realize that you need a pretty fast shutter speed, even with stabilization.
Wow. What a great video. Not too lengthy with the specs. Great detail on the handling and results. The callouts for additional information really helped keep it concise and to the point. Time to subscribe and see what else you’ve produced. Thank you for the great information.
Thank you for your kind comments, Daniel. I’m happy to hear my teaching style works for you. Cheers
Nice tips and review! Please consider making the jump to 4K for camera reviews. It helps a lot for looking at photo and video samples.
Thanks for watching. I'll keep that in mind. Not sure I have enough computing power to do 4K video editing and rendering of final videos.
@@ImageMaven It can be a little more complicated, but there are ways to edit low-res copies of your videos and then export the final version with 4K quality. It makes editing much smoother, but the final export time will be longer than what you're used to. Davinci Resolve is a piece of free software that lets you do this. It's a bit harder to use than Windows Movie Maker or iMovie, but if you already use an editor like Hitlfim, Final Cut Pro, or Adobe Premiere, the transition shouldn't be too hard. Either way, keep up the good work!
Thanks Marlene, I have this lens and I like it a lot.
Great to hear! I'm using it a lot these days for migrating birds. Tis the season.
Hi Marlene hope you are well. I'm not sure which is better but FYI I always use aperture priority, auto iso and simply select the minimum shutter speed in the menu when using my GX9 or G9. You may prefer this to the manual exposure method I don't know. I also have the min shutter speed option set in the custom menu at the top for v quick access.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing Richard. Always great to hear new techniques. I'll give it a go next time I'm birding. Cheers!
I sold my 100-300 to buy the PL 100-400. I wish I would have kept it as a smaller, more portable alternative. I love the big PL, but my 100-300 took some outstanding soccer and wildlife photos. I’d recommend it.
@@skfineshriber Thanks for chiming in. Was going to sell my 100-300 as I don’t use it since getting the PL 100-400 but hearing this, I may decide to keep it.
I can listen to you for days lady!! Dope videooo
I appreciate that. Thank you for making my day brighter!
Hi, great to se you enjoying Wildlife with your new lens, good tips on using smaller apertures too. I think you have the benefit of good light to enable that, certainly better than the UK! I bought my G9 and the 100-400 for wildlife, you do get used to the weight and a monopod is useful on occasions too. After watching your tutorials I’ve been using 6k video and extracting stills from it, it can work really well. Re back button, I have custom buttons set for different scenarios, one of these I set a faster shutter speed and BBF, I’m quite happy switching between that and normal shutter focus. Don’t you find the “light” shutter button on the G9 beneficial with a longer lens, much less camera movement than with a heavier click.
Hi Sue, Great to hear from you again. I love your tips and hearing that 6K photo mode is working for you! Thank you for sharing. And yes, a light shutter touch is much better for hand holding especially with longer and heavier lenses. I see many folks move their arms down when they press the shutter -- even with their phones! I hope you get many sunny days ahead as we move into spring. Cheers!
Hi Marlene,
Another excellent video and review!!! I rented the 100-400 a couple of times and really love the look and image quality of that lens, but I purchased the 100-300 for the same reasons you have expressed. I’m going to try back button focus with that setup as you suggested. Thanks again for your insights. 👍🏾
Hi Jerome, It's great to hear from someone who has used both lenses. Thank you for sharing. Let me know how BBF works for you. I definitely think it's useful for smaller animals that move around a lot. You might also want to test out the near shift and far shift settings. My pal Andrew released a video on this topic recently. It's something I'm going to try for myself. Cheers! ruclips.net/video/G-tisDjT3kk/видео.html
I’ve set and use my G9 very similarly to what you are doing. Back button focus. Manual focus with auto ISO. I have limited my ISO to 1600. If I have a noisy shot I use Topaz’s DeNoise which is DeBomb so I never worry too much about noise. Great shots from your new lens! Can’t wait for more. PS - I like your new shorts, for some things they would be just right.
Hey Steven, I think you were the one who gave me the idea to set up my camera that way. Works great! I think for slower moving/non moving subjects I’ll use Aperture priority. And set my ISO manually. But it’s early days. Still experimenting with things. Nice to have fresh gear to work with. Glad you like the shorts. Also a work in progress. But they sure are quick to produce. I need to raise the visual appeal on them. They’re not really taking off. Thanks for the chat!
@@ImageMaven Will be great to hear about your experimentations, especially since you are already very camera savvy. You are many levels above me in your expertise and yay, we also use the same camera! Gotta love a fellow G9er ;). My hope is your RUclips channel gets more popular, you do such great work. I am sure you are up to the challenge of making your shorts even better.
Have you perhaps had a chance to play with Micro Four Thirds 7-14 mm lens? Or used a wide adapter like x0.45? Would be curious to hear your impressions...
I've had the 7-14mm lens for a few years. I love it.
Thanks for the review. Nice photos!
Glad you like them! And thanks for letting me know. Cheers.
I have this lens and really like using it for wildlife shots! I was able to hand hold it and film some deer about 50 yards away and it looked like I was right up next to them! For awhile I thought it was getting fuzzy near the 300mm part but I found out I had left a filter on it and once I took it off it was clear again! LOL
Thanks for adding this to the conversation, Steve. I usually see deer on my daily walks, but of course when I went out with this lens for test photos, I didn't see any! I did run into that beaver though, and that was a first for me in that area. Glad you solved your sharpness problem. That's one reason I don't use filters. I feel it's like shooting through a window. And for lens protection, the lens hood works great to stop accidental fingerprints. I always use a lens hood on every lens I own. Cheers!
Thanks Marlene. If I needed a long telephoto I would get this 100-300 too, for the same reasons. I am interested in your experience with it. Could you show it mounted on a smaller model, GX9 for example. It would be fun to see how the handling is with smaller cameras.
I am looking forward to your next video 🙂
Sure, I can do that Michael. I will post a photo of it mounted on a smaller camera, on my Community page. Give me a day to do that. Just helping out my parents this weekend with some big stuff.
Dear Marlene! Your videos are included! I have a question: if you use the monopod, what do you do with the stabilizer?
Hi Laci, Great question! I usually take lens stabilization off when using a tripod or monopod - I use the switch on the lens itself - if it has one. But I often forget to disable the in-body camera stabilization and I don't think that has affected my photos, but it's something you can test yourself with different focal lengths. If you go to Chapter 6 in the extended owner's manual of the Lumix G9, it gives you all the stabilization info. In the owner's manual it says to shut stabilization off when using a tripod and I presume the same rule applies for monopods. The link to the manual is in the video description. You can download the pdf. Hope that helps a bit!
@@ImageMaven Dear Marlene, thank you for your informative reply.
Hi Marlene, Enjoyed your video. My go-to setup for birds in flight photography is my Nikon D500/Nikon 200-500 f5.6 combo. I am used to heavy gear since I use Nikon D4s and D5 and Pro f2.8 zooms for my money making photography (mainly indoors sports). I do use MFT for casual photography for its size and weight advantage. I wonder what you view is with an Oly E-M5III/Lumix 100-300mm II combo? I don't think my Panasonic GM1 or GX9 are as good as my E-M5 III on the AF-C front. I know that I will get more pleasure out of a "value for money" or a more challenging set up than a purpose built combo like the Nikon D500's I mentioned earlier. An example of a challenging set up was a very sharp heron in flight photo I took with a Lieca M240/Leica 90mm f2 manual focus combo. They were the only camera and lens in hand at the time and the heron was not that far from me.
Wow that's a lot of BIG gear to carry. MFT must seem light as a feather for you now. A Great Blue Heron in flight is on my bucket list. I have found some herons in a small lake this year, but haven't been lucky with time of day, light direction or proximity to get a result I'm happy with. That's the fun with birding. Always a challenge with new species and locations. Haven't tested the Oly gear yet, but hoping that whatever replaces the G9 will meet /exceed my expectations. And let's hope that happens in 2022. Thanks for chatting. Cheers.
@@ImageMaven Sorry, I forgot to mention that I do use a monopod and a gimbal with my Nikon gear' even flash light when it is allowed by the event. Blue Herons are everywhere in the UK hence not difficult to find them. I have been using MFT since the system first came out. Love the system. That said, I am an agnostic towards camera systems/makes as long as they deliver what I want them to deliver for different reasons.
Hi Marlene, thank you for making this video,
Please I have a question if I can get answers. I have a Lumix G9 camera, today I bought a PANASONIC LUMIX S Series Camera Lens, 85mm F1.8 L Mount Interchangeable Lens for Mirrorless Full Frame Digital Cameras. There's any way to use it to my G9 camera ? or i have to return it.
Thank you
Hi Mohammed, I would return it. Unless you plan to get a full frame Lumix in the near future.
Marlene, a quick ? on this lens. I still enjoy this lens for it's price point, but I'm trying to get sharper focus with wildlife while using it on a Panasonic G85. I'm woundering if you remember finding a sweet spot with aperture? What shutter speeds do you recommend. I'm shooting in pretty good light in open settings or along shorelines or creekbeds and like most of us taking shots of small birds which as we all know move fast and mean quick response. Thanks,
Hi Greg! I recommend about 1/1000s for birds. Helps to keep the camera steady when zoomed to the max. If there’s enough light then you can use f8, but usually I’m shooting wide open unless my bird is in the open on a sunny day. But more often they’re in the trees in low light. I have been using the Topaz deNoise Ai and Topaz Sharpen Ai to assist with those aspects. I have a video with a summary of all my settings. Here’s the link ruclips.net/video/u_lW3G_w-AQ/видео.html
@@ImageMaven Thanks for all the great advice.
Hello, thank you for this video, i buy this lens and i love for video 4k with my gh5.
Great to hear! Thank you for sharing! Happy Holidays.
Nice Video, can you tell me if this lens would be ok for the older GH3 camera.
Yes, absolutely. I have the GH3. Great lens! If you want to take it to the next level you can also consider the Leica 100-400mm, but it's 3x the price and much heavier. The 100-300 would be a nice size with the GH3. Enjoy!
Great video. I have this lens, so I am looking forward to your guidance...😄
Thanks John. It definitely requires some different handling than a shorter focal length lens.
Great video Marlene 😀 Same reasons why I have the 100-300mm v2 on my G9 instead of the 100-400. Although, I would really like to try the 50-200mm Panasonic Leica!
Thank you for the coffees, Marko! Yes, that 50-200mm is definitely a more practical zoom range. Starting at 100mm is really "long" for most of my subjects. The 50-200mm is faster too at f/2.8-4. Very expensive though!
@@ImageMaven worth every penny my go to the 300 very rarely trumps the 200.
@@Joeindy Good to know Joe! Thanks.
@@ImageMaven I am a G9er hoping for a price drop so I can pick up another body!
@@Joeindy The prices on the G9 dropped several months ago. Not sure it will go any lower. It's now half of what I paid. I'm tempted to get another one too. But I just bought the lens so I better take it easy!
im in a zoom meeting right now but been waiting for this review!!...will def check it out when im done!!! Thanks!! Been eying this vs the Oly 75-300...Anyone feel free to let me know your thoughts! ✌🏼
You may want to confirm if the dual IS function will work with that lens and your Lumix body.
Will do...Thanks! I use a G9 like our friend Marlene.✌🏼New to the game.
Hey Marlene, i enjoyed your videos with the G9 long time ago and i enjoy your Tele Lens experiences too!
For me the decission was not easy but i bought the 100 to 400 Lens. Wild animals in Germany are very shy so i decided for the longer Lens. Greetings from the middle of Germany, Ingo 📸
Hello Ingo. Good to hear about your experience. Animals are very shy in Canada too. But I think I need more luck and maybe more patience to find them. Enjoy your 100-400mm lens!
@IGF do you visit the black forest ever? I'm planning on going there this month
I bought the markI of this lens used and had it on a G7. I got some great pictures with it, but ended up getting rid of it. The manual focus on it was awful. Manual focus at 600mm with a light camera handheld is iffy anyway, and this was jumpy and frustrating. Then I got a G9 and a new 100-300, the mark II by that time. Now I love it, manual focus which I have to use for high speed / slo mo video is workable, it’s not smooth like some crazy expensive cinema lens, but it’s quite usable. Dual IS with the G9 is great. The cost/benefit of going to the Pana-Leica 100-400 isn’t there for me, so I’m sticking with it.
Glad to hear the version II upgrade made the cut for you! I haven't tried slomo video yet. It's on the list. You hit it on the head with the cost/benefit of the 100-400. Too rich for my budget. Thanks for adding your experiences. Cheers!
Thanks Marlene, as always; what's that white stuff on the ground; oh, that's right, you're in the northern hemishere(brrr). When you use the back button I assume you can still shoot in manual focus, with peaking, and the shutter button still operates just to shoot; is that correct? I'm finding I use manual focus more often than not as the peaking gives me confidence with sharper focus; any thoughts?
Mike in Oz (Autumn and still 30 degrees max)
Hi Mike, Yes, yes, still a bit of that white stuff around. Although it got to +7C today, so I won't last too long now. I've purchased all of my seeds so can't wait to break ground on the garden. All of my examples in this video were using AFS and switching between focus modes like Multi, Tracking and Person/Animal. I'm not used to this lens enough yet to use MF. Plus, with all the excitement of beavers dragging branches, swimming ducks and flitting birds at the feeder, I don't think I can beat it. Maybe at the zoo I'd have better luck with MF. Great to hear from you again, Cheers.
Subscribed ! Just picked up a g9 for next to nothing
Next to nothing! That's awesome, Alex. Have fun and thanks for the sub.
Greetings from the UK foggy start to the week, I have this lens and love it, never used back button focus though with it, so going to watch your other video on the subject, then I’m outta here to practice. Thanks for the video.
As far as a cuppa is concerned can I do that from the UK ?
I have to say the BBF is fun to use with this lens. Not sure I'd use it for my wide angle lenses. But I might give it a go next time I'm at the skatepark. And YES, you can buy me a coffee from the UK! Thank you for watching. Have fun with your 100-300mm lens today. Hope the fog lifted for you.
Hello Marlene, I love your videos about bird photography! At the moment I only have a Lumix bridge camera, which is great for all-round photography, but for birds it’s not really the sharpest option especially when cloudy. I am thinking of buying the G9 and this lens. I also viewed a lot of videos about the Leica 100-400 lens, and I heard that that lens keeps the minimum focus distance at 1.3 metres, which is great for (almost) macro photography. Because I also photograph flowers and insects, I really like that feature. I wondered if de lumix 100-300 lens also keeps the minimum focus distance the same when zooming in, and thought that you would know. Sorry for the long comment/question😅
Hi Ruben, Well I just did some tests for you on the 100-300mm lens. According to my quick measurements, the closest focus from the focal plane to the subject at 100mm is about 138cm, and closest at 300mm is about 146cm. So the answer to your question is sadly no :( If you have the money to spend, I'd get the 100-400mm. It's a lovely lens, very sharp, albeit quite heavy. I rented one a few weeks back and have a video all about it. If you haven't seen it yet, it's here: ruclips.net/video/YcwFcV4G3Yc/видео.html Hopefully that answers your questions. Cheers.
@@ImageMaven thank you so much for the testing! The weight is indeed also a thing to really consider. I have a lot more weeks until I have enough money, so also enough time to think about it. Thanks again for testing this for me and thank you for making such great videos!
If you can borrow or rent the camera and lens combo that would be good. I rented the 100-400 but I can’t really justify buying it so I’m sticking with the 100-300 for now. I’m also waiting to see if the G9 successor is released this year. That will make my decision even harder!
@@ImageMaven hopefully when the successor comes, the G9 gets a little cheaper😅
It's really dropped in price already compared to when I bought mine 4 years ago. I just hope they keep making them!
Thankyou Marlene for another informative video
Using a long lens on the G9 at times the camera really struggles especially in low light, it also struggles to focus on the subject especially birds in flight or stationary. Looking forward to how you overcome this issue.
After playing around with the 42.5 Nocticron I believe that for bird/wildlife photography there's only one lens to use. The Leica 200mm in combination with the 1.4 & 2x converters. The trouble is that for most of us G9ers cost becomes the deciding factor. Personally I will probably never find out if I'm correct in my conclusion or not?
Hi Samuel, Seems that Nocticron is working for you, at least in closer range of your subjects. Your photos are amazing! I suppose you could rent some gear to do your own testing of the telephoto lenses. But, I'm sure there is a Lumix Ambassador out there who can help answer your questions. Check out Matti @sulantoblog Tell him I sent you! Cheers.
HI Marlene Thankyou for the kind words.
I also subscribe to sulantoblog because of his informative clips.
I watched his 200mm lens review numerous times.
If you look at my latest Instagram images of Robin jumping off his perch. My G9 setting are:-
Shutter priority
400m
1/1000s
Cloudy W.B selected
ISO 16000. (Auto iso)
AFC single point focus (no back button).
Once again Marlene thankyou and keep up
the good work.
Good choice for my gh5 and zcam e2 m4 rig ? I have the 12 - 35mm a 45 -150 mm and 14-42 mm . Also have a g7
Definitely an affordable choice!
What would you say is the effective range for this lens where you can photograph a subject and not lose their features too much? Up to 400 meters?
400 meters!! Um that’s way too far. What kind of subject? 10 meters would be my max for a large bird like owl or eagle. 30 meters max for a deer. But I prefer 5 meters or less to fill the frame for a large owl. It’s not always possible though.
@@ImageMaven i was thinking more along the lines of long-distance photography of people. Events like golf tournaments, baseball games, mechanics at pit-stops of the races etc. 400m is an “overshot”, but it’s definitely 100m+
Marlene
Could you would you be able to do a comparison of 100-300 Panasonic and the 75-300 Olympus?
Not likely. I don't have access to any free gear to test out. Unless by chance, I have a friend who owns something I don't. Perhaps a Lumix Ambassador or someone working in a camera shop can help you out. Thanks for your question though! Cheers.
for the mm wouldn't it be doubled since 100-300 is 200-600 on a four-thirds camera?
Yes effectively.
The 100-400 seems to split opinions. I noticed some very good deals, lately, yet it still worked out to be the same price and weight as a much newer design from Sigma for L-mount (recently got a Lumix S), so I think that this cheaper, lighter 100-300 would satisfy the frame of mind I tend to have for that kind of shooting (used to have the GM5+miniature zoom)
This lens won't fit on the Lumix S, it's meant for G series M4:3 mount. So make sure you're looking at the right lens for your camera. Thanks for watching and enjoy your new camera.
Here's something for a Lumix person to explain. Tell us about the Extra Tele Conversion mode. The manual just says it takes pictures "that are further enlarged without deteriorating the picture quality." Really? Is it good for any particular photo situation? How does it work, anyway? Just a thought.
Hello DrStedder. Thanks for stopping by. I have indeed made a video on this topic. You can check it out here ... ruclips.net/video/aa3VL9Hf_yc/видео.html
@@ImageMaven D'oh! Somehow I had missed that one! I'll have to look more closely. Thanks.
Hi Marlene. Thank you for your excellent content. I own this lens and I am having trouble with it not focusing when at 250 or 300mm. It starts of focusing fine at 100 but after 250mm it doens´t want to focus anymore and then it goes crazy until i restart the camera. I have had this problem with both my g9 and my gx7. Have you ever heard of this problem? Your help much appreciated.
Hi Farouk, Hard to say from the little info you've give me. Are you using AFS or AFC? Also what AF mode are you using - ie. tracking, 1-area, 225 area etc.? That may have something to do with it too.
@@ImageMaven yesterday in my photo walk my Lumix 100-300 mark II lens started to not focus and act a little crazy. i thought it was becasue of the cold but it wasn´t that cold. today it still has the issue. how it shows up is: Turn on the camera, lens at 100mm, focuses fine. increase gradually the focal length, lens keeps focusing fine. After 250mm it starts to not focus, and sometimes if i pull it back to 100 it may recover focus, but some times it doesn´t. If i start off at 300 right away it doesn´t focus. Did you ever encounter this? it is showing the same problem with 2 different bodies (g9 and gx7) I was using AFS. 225 area.
@@ImageMaven ok i have actually checked more carefully and in all focus modes. the lens starts working fine, and ONLY when i go to 300mm, it goes crazy and never recovers. if i restart the camera it works great again, until i hit 300mm and then it goes crazy. eve heard of something like that? Thanks so much for replying to me.
Try updating your lens and camera firmware if you haven’t yet.
Again a great video.. madam could you please guide me how I shoot vertical video? and second question yours birds videos direct from the camera or you used color grading? specially I watched your 100-300m lens birds video the colors was the best..
Hi Malik. Thanks for the question. My videos are straight out of the camera! That's why a couple of them are a little dark, in this case. But I'm not good at video grading, so I try to get everything right "in the camera" especially for video. All of the clips in my 100-300mm videos are also directly out of the camera. Thanks for watching!
@@ImageMaven wow.. 100-300 mm result looks like graded.. Colors are so beautiful..thnks for reply
Hello, if I were to buy an olympus 40-150 f2.8 lens for a panasonic g90, do you think the frame stabilizer would be enough for handheld photography and video?
I think so, but I can't say for sure as I've never used an Olympus lens on any of my Lumix cameras. I know some functionality is limited. I would check with a photo retailer. Maybe even take your camera to test it out while you're there.
I really enjoyed this video and I'm looking forward to your exploration of bird photography with the G9, something I've been getting into with less sophisticated cameras during my photo-walks. I'm hoping to buy a G9 in the near future, and I'll be very interested in what you have to say about its birds-in-flight capabilities. By the way, nice catch on the beaver!
Thanks Bruce. The G9 is excellent for capturing birds in flight. I've seen many great examples from other people. But I need a lot more practice, and I need to find the flying birds! Cheers and don't wait too long to get your G9.
Thanks for your honesty and taking the time to get back to me.
@L Brown I don't have any trouble with it. And I don't have a budget for yet another camera just to do bird photography. So I'm just fine with the G9.
@L Brown So perhaps it's not a good idea to trash this camera if you haven't even used the G9 for birds or wildlife. Just saying....
About phase and contrast detection missunderstandings. 😉m.ruclips.net/video/yaJFOH_gmGM/видео.html
Wasn't a review - but thanks for making it.
Thanks for watching!
Marlene, I love this video! It's almost a brand new format. 👍 The way you introduced sounds (ducks, dogs) with your stills was so cool. How do you do the coffee thing? Thank you! Jack. And yes, the 100-300 is a terrific lens!
Great to hear this Jack. That kind of thing can be a bit risky. Turns some people off. In the end, it's all about the engagement, as people have shorter and shorter attention spans. You can do the coffee thing by heading to this link, which is also in the video description. Thank you! www.buymeacoffee.com/imagemaven
I just received this lens and loving it so far. Do you use ND, polarizer, or other filters with this lends and in what settings? I usually at least get the very basic almost imperceptive protective filter. Thanks for ideas and the recommendation of this lens. For my budget as a hobby photographer, this lens is great and already getting shots I've never been able in the past at a distance and semi-macro. Thanks.
Hi Greg. Glad you like this lens! I don’t use any ND on this lens as I’m using it for birding and I want all the light I can get! As for protection, I keep the lens hood on at all times. I’m not a fan of clear filters. But I know they’re a must in some adverse conditions like blowing sand.
@@ImageMaven Thanks Marlene. As always you have great advice. Yes, I think most of the time I'll be good with no filter, but in the woods, and like you mention, dusty conditions, it might be comforting to have some protection.
Hi, Marlene, I'm a big fan of your channel. When I saw you posted a video about the 100-300 I really perked up. I've been thrashing about buying this lens or the slower, cheaper Oly version for years. I own a GX-85 and use it with a 20mm Panny and a 45mm Oly only. I like small, fast primes. At the risk of being branded a heretic, I shoot outdoors with the tiny Canon SX 720 featuring a 40x zoom up to ~1000mm equivalent. I know it's hard to believe, but I get a lot of awesome wildlife shots with that tiny bugger. As other folks have commented, do you feel that the 100mm-300mm is too big for a small body like the GX-85? Also, would you go for the Olympus 75mm-300mm over the Panny for $400 vs. $550? I know the Panny has dual IS and is a bit faster. I love your channel and hope to see more great reviews like this one. Thanks.
Hi DataPro. Nice to hear from you. Hmm, the 100-300 might be a too big for the GX-85. The physical diameter of this lens is nearly 3" and is 3.5" with the lens hood on. So that's bigger than the height of your camera. The length is 5.25" without lens hood. And it's heavy. You will be holding by the lens barrel for sure. If your Canon SX 720 works for you, then why replace it? As far as the other lenses go, I haven't tested them myself. I don't actually have access to a lot of gear. But if you have a good camera shop, I say take your GX85 camera and pop those lenses on in the store and take a few test photos. Take some outside in daylight if you can too. Compare the results at home, and you'll also get a feel for them. Another option is to get a bridge camera like the Lumix FZ300 which has a long zoom and is a pretty good all around camera. I bought one for my stepson a few years ago and he loves it. 25-600mm equivalent focal length all in one package. Sorry I couldn't be more help today. Thanks for asking though!
After yesterday’s lunar eclipse I’ve come to realize that I need a longer telephoto lens. I have the Lumix 35-100 mk i and it’s a great lens, but the 200mm equivalent focal length is sort of short for Moon photography. This 100-300 seems like an affordable option to pair with my G9. Is it weather sealed? If you mentioned it I seem to have missed it, but at this price point I don’t think it is.
Great review Marlene!
Hello Ramon, I have used my 100-300mm for moon photos. You still need to crop quite a bit, but much better than the 100. Considering that I mostly share photos on social media, a cropped photo is fine. No one will even know if the image is sharp and well-exposed. This lens is splash and dust resistant. Not sure if that counts for weather sealed. But I'm not one to shoot in the pouring rain so it works for me. It's a very affordable choice for the long telephoto range. The 100-400 is just out of my price range for the amount of use it would get. And the weight of that lens really puts me off.
@@ImageMaven Thanks! Yeah, splash and dust resistance is more than enough for me. I looked at the 50-200 and the 100-400 and like you, I’m not one to use telephotos that much. I already have the Pana Leica 12-60, Lumix 35-100 2.8 and 2 small primes, the 100-300 would complete my kit for the foreseeable future.
That’s a great kit. Very similar to mine.
Hi! How do you tell a mk1 vs mk2 on lumix lenses? How would this compare with the 45-200mm? Thanks!
Hi JD. To see which lens is the Mk2 you have to look at the model number, which is on the underside of the lens. The 100-300 mk2 is H-FSA100300. The 100-300 mk1 is: H-FS100300 . I haven't used the 45-200mm myself so I can't give you an honest answer about that one.
@@ImageMaven thank you!
I like this lens !!!!
Me too but I also like the 100-400mm. But it’s a lot heavier too!
Marlene, would a gimbal or a tripod be helpful to keep the camera steady?
This combo of camera and long lens is too large for a gimbal, I think. But yes, I tripod or monopod (as I mentioned in the video) is perfect. But you're not as mobile that way. Depends on the situation of course. Thanks for watching Jacob!
@@ImageMaven Thank you, Marlene.
Hey Marlene! I just got my hands on this wonderful lens, what suggestion and tips do you have for higher iso, and how to get rid of this enoying fringing? Also I wanted to know what is the maxium Iso you would go when you shooting with this lens?
Great lens! Congratulations. I give my fringing tips in the video. Hopefully you caught them. But I wouldn't worry about it too much. Maximum ISO depends on your tolerance to noise; the importance of getting the shot; and your camera sensor. I suggest you do an ISO test and see where "your" tolerance lies. Everyone has a different view on what is acceptable. I have a video about that here: ruclips.net/video/bTQbHXbQQjI/видео.html Enjoy testing out your lens.
@@ImageMaven Thank you, I will take a look
Hello - prices of lenses for my micro 4/3 Lumix G80/85 makes me cry. Very pricy. Is it very justified to have Lumix G80 with Lumix 100-300mm II lens or it will be good enough to have compact 1 inch sensor Lumix Fz1000mkII or Lumix Fz2500 ? What are the pros of having micro 4/3 system in this situation ? Why exactly these lenses are so expensive ? How they are different from this mechanics in 1 inches superzoom compacts ?
I shoot mostly birds. I don't do portraits because I don't have people to do this.
You can look for used gear, but also Sony makes a great bridge camera, Sony RX10 iv. A friend of mine and one of my loyal subscribers here, switched from Panasonic FZ1000 to the Sony and both have had great results for birds and general landscapes.
How about 35-100 at full range and 2x digital zoom for noon? So 400mm equiv
I'm always a bit nervous about digital zoom for photos. I've done a video on the topic. For video you can get away with it a bit more. And shooting 4K really does increase the reach! Cheers!
And p.s. The 35-100mm lens costs a lot more than the 100-300mm.
@@ImageMaven I know I have both lenses for the range along with the 12-35
So I guess I should be asking YOU this question. How has that 35-100 at 2x worked out? The nice thing is that the 35-100 is a lot faster than the 100-300. But the bokeh is usually better with a longer lens than a faster lens when shooting birds/wildlife. Unless you have a big budget and can get your hands on the 200mm f/2.8 with an optical 1.4x. That's a lens I may rent one day just to try it out.
@@ImageMaven so I did try it because another RUclipsr photographer said it worked pretty well but even only at 2x. You can definitely see the digital zoom and lose clarity on any smaller details. So I guess the Lumix isnt magical and digital zoom works similar to how it always has
@@kenperry7723 Thanks for following up Ken!
Thanks 😊 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
You're welcome!
Is there any reason for me to consider selling my old 100-300, and upgrading to the II?
You have extra money in your photo budget and you just want to buy something new? If you shoot a lot of subjects that need this focal length of lens? Seriously though, this is a highly personal question that is dependent on so many factors. Most people want to know if they should upgrade to the 100-400mm. But back to you.... I would take your lens to a shop and compare with the MkII. Take the same photos with each. Go home and look at photos from each lens on your computer at 100% magnification. Then decided if there is a good reason to upgrade. Cheers!
@@ImageMaven So there's no compelling reason, it's not a lot lighter, the IS isn't better, the AF isn't faster, stuff like that?
Wait, never mind, I found the press release from Panasonic on the updates. I might think about it for the IS improvement.
@@DrStedder Great that you found that info. If you can afford a replacement, then it might be worth it for you. Thanks for following up!
Funny enough. I used to laugh about AUTO ISO...until I used it for the first time due to some unusual circumstance. And yeah, it's quite handy when you need it.
I was definitely a late adopter to Auto ISO. And now I use it all the time for bird photography.
👍🏻👍🏻
yo hablo español existe posibilad los videos traducidos pue la explicativa es execelente
xxxi
I concur regarding price, size, weight, and quality Marlene. I'm a guy (stupid male comment), and I would not be happy going any heavier than this combo, unless stationary in a bird blind with a tripod.
Ha ha. You made me chuckle there! If I was working for Nat Geo, I'd probably get the 100-400mm but I'm happy taking photos just for me using this 100-300mm lens. I will be renting the 100-400 when the weather gets better to see what all the fuss is about. :)
@@ImageMaven lol, I think it's a combination of Leica name branding, and perceived light gathering potential based on size. But I really look forward to that review, as I have GAS bad. If I could afford it, I would own every lens out there for MFT. I would then go through them systematically to determine my favs and sell the rest or gift them. Cheers
I always use auto iso
I'm very new at that! Kinda scared me at first. ;)
@@ImageMaven taking photos of moving items means that the iso requirement can change very quickly - auto is takes care of that for you. I have a G9 and G90 lovely cameras.
@@briansquibb2127 Totally! I'm a new convert to auto ISO.
Lumix is the best, my dream camera is S1H
The S series are beyond my budget and I'm not interested in FF anymore. (I did own Canon FF for several years). Lumix S1H is an excellent choice.