My thoughts entirely. I hope David is out in the Andes taking that sequence for National Geographic if they won’t accept those of his neighbours’ roof. What a lovely man he must have been.
I wonder if David had any idea how much his audience looked forward to him releasing another video and how well liked and appreciated he was. A wonderfully engaging voice and someone of the master of this kind of thing. Much missed.
Great perspectives from this review. 2 years ago I bought the G9 - on sale at $1000 & the Leica 100 - 400mm that was also on sale @ $1400. I found it's zoom ring to be on the stiff side so I called the camera store who said to bring the lens back in one week & they would have 3 other new 100 - 400mm Leica units for me to try. In Mikes Camera store a week later, out of the 3, one lens' zoom ring was quite smooth. Enjoy your vids & your book on the Pany G9.
Unfortunately unless you're a licensed photographer most camera stores around here will not sell you anything but M43 and APS-C based cameras. So we're "stuck" with m43 for now.
Great review David! I recently sold off my micro 4/3 kit (and Nikon FX kit) to move to the Fuji X system but I still enjoy watching your reviews. You are certainly one of my favorite reviewers along with The Camera Store guys and Christopher Frost.
Thanks Michael - I like the Camera Store guys too. They don't take themselves too seriously and seem to enjoy what they do. I don't know Christopher Frost, I must take a look and nick his best ideas :-)
You are hilarious. Love the bit about diving condors over Machu Picchu. I laughed out loud. Keep these reviews coming. You do the best job of any reviewer.
Your reviews are so pleasantly non-tech, but still your knowledge of optical equipment is evident. Thanks for the many soothing reviews over time, Sir David!
You know, without the traditional shots of your neighbor's roof I would think that I'm watching the wrong channel. I don't even own mft gear any more, but remain subbed purely for the enjoyment of these lovely reviews. All the best, and keep going.
Hello, David! I was thrilled to see the notification in my inbox for this video! I own this lens and would love, love, LOVE, to see your show-off-y photos of birds in flight and any other photo you deem interesting. This very day I've been over to Lake Whitney, Tx, down below the dam, practicing my technique with the elusive flying birds...LOL. Everything you said about the lens has been what I've found to be true. It's sharp, fast, and image quality is fantastic. My zoom ring has loosened up a lot, but still pretty tight from 300mm to 400mm. It's not smooth during that last range, but like you, I keep it at 400mm all the time and reluctantly zoom in. Thanks for the review, and please post pics from this lens. Thank you!!!!
I have to confess, Linda, that I was joking about the bird pictures. Birds are impossible and I take my hat off to the photographers who master the art of photographing them. I spoke to various birds and even offered them money to cooperate but they seemed disinterested. Almost as bad as cats, really.
This is by far my most desired lens right now. I'm ages away from being able to afford one but when I got it I'll move to Africa and become a Safari guide just to use its full potential.
I bought one after watching this review and was very pleased. Later sold it for an Olympus 300mm f4 which, on my OM1, has body and lens stabilisation. I miss these reviews these days, they were on a different level to the average m43 knocking stuff.
Another fine review I'd been waiting on. Thanks, David. My state park bird searches will really benefit from this lens and a 5 axis IBIS Panasonic camera, especially in the many darker areas of the parks, 1/30sec sorts of dark. My GH2, GX7, and GH4 with the Pana 100-300 have all served my bird hobby well, but IBIS and this new lens will make a real actual difference for these 56 year old hands.
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, the stabilization makes a massive difference to using a lens like this. I wouldn't want to rely on shots at 1/30th but it is possible. I found My hands are pretty shaky and always have been so the better the stabilization the better for me.
Another well thought out and delivered review. Like I've told you before you're the best reviewer on RUclips. I too will most likely rent this beast when I need it. My bag is already heavy with all the lenses you have recommended to us. CHEERS!
Thanks Otto! I like doing those little stop motion sequences. I'd like to do more animation, with other subjects than cameras,, actually but there's only so much time.
lol that sequence at 6:55 I picked up my copy on release and have used it non stop since; rugby and the birds that don't ride bikes. I'll have to pick up a second body just so I don't have to swap it out.
David Thorpe I tend to go straight to my 25mm 1.4 on the Rugby field. (Edit: or the 12-35). Close up arty pics vs the stuff on the other side. Having said that I note the 14-140 is one of the two lenses that is already up to date for the IBISv2 coming out on the newer bodies. They didn't stay at IBISv1 very long :O
I'll be interested to see if Panasonic ever catch up on Olympus's IBIS - according to the latest reports, the upcoming E_M1 Mk2 will give 6.5 stops stabilization. I second hand held on the 100-400mm anyone? How will photographers keep the birds - or rugby players - still that long, though!
I on't own this lens but recently tried it at a camera shop in Anchorage. I loved it. The zoom action was not tight once I ensured the lock was fully disengaged. I recently bought a Sony RX10 III for an all in one zoom out to 600mm and have been pleased with the results. The Sony has a 1 inch sensor but performed well. I still want this lens but doubt I will buy it. Great review.
Thanks, David. Lots of scope for using a long lens in your part of the world. I winder if the zoom action would stiffen up in an Alaska -10c winters day :-0
You just grab the zoom ring and pull it backwards with all your might. Does tend to smash the sensor and jam the lens but 25-400 is an excellent range. Actually, it's a simple mistake, left in from a previous text box on another video.
This lens makes me want to get an M43 camera. I've felt like getting a full frame 150-600 lens since they started showing up, but whenever I see the size or think about the weight I come to my senses.
Those big zooms for FF really are intimidating. You need a separate bag just for the lens and hand holding one for any length of time is quite a feat. Both Micro Four Thirds and FF formats have their pluses but a defining one for me is the Micro Four Thirds lens sizes.
You are a gift to the M43 community and a bane to recovering GAS addicts David! Lovely review and lovely piece of glass but I agree its probably the best lens I'd never buy, as it is, my bargain bin 45-150 sits at home on the shelf! Will you be attending Photokina next week? Looking forward to see what the E1Mk2 brings... Hoping they went with the new 16mp global shutter sensor and not the bog standard 20MP one. Keep up the great work David, always a treat to watch your reviews. :)
Great review, David. I bought this as soon as it hit the stores, found the zoom ring unworkable, tried a second copy with the same results.Will have to try again!
Hmmm...Panasonic need to sort that out. The lens is still usable but operation can be obstructive unpleasant with the stiff zoom ring. Not what you want if you've forked out more than 1,000 for it.
I was very excited to hear about this lens when it was announced. I just picked up a pristine used Panasonic 100-300 for what I think was a bargain thanks to this lens now being in the lineup. BTW -- I bought the 100-300 based on your review and so far I am quite pleased. I know that this Leica badged model will have better specs, and it has more reach, but honestly the 100-300 I just acquired seems to do all I need and more for a fraction of the price. I grabbed some great pictures of my nephew on the field playing (American) football while I was seated up in the stands with my G6 attached directly to a monopod (haven't invested in the collar yet -- not sure I will). I allowed the ISO to go pretty high which let me stop the action down on the field and created some super photos to share with the family on Facebook where a bit of noise isn't even noticed. I also took it out for some shots of birds near the water in the bright sunlight, on top of a somewhat smallish tripod, and again it did very well. I still need to spend some time with it and learn how to finesse better results out of it, but I think it was a great purchase and I owe it all to the Leica 100-400 and its impressive specs.
A hidden advantage of new lenses is the drop in price of the older model - and yet anyone who is/ was happy with the older model, well it hasn't changed. The 100-300 remains a capable lens and you hit on an important point. The advantage of newer lenses, if they perform better, is only at higher magnifications. For Facebook and much normal use, prints 12x10, screens at around 2000px, the difference isn't apparent. On the noise at high ISO, for floodlit sports and some gig shots, I like to _add_ a bit noise to FB material - it gives atmosphere! .
5 лет назад
I was thinking of selling my 100-400mm because I haven't been using it for quite some time... and it appears that I am a bird shooter by no means... but after your video I found some inspiration for using this lens for applications I hadn't thought of before. I think it will stay with me! Thank you! :)
You are the second reviewer to suggest a stiff zoom. Mine is really nice. I wonder if the zoom lock is not backing off far enough. I'm happy with mine in good light. Another great review.
I script all my videos which is probably why they sound like a book. I hate waffling and ers and ums in videos. Glad you liked it and thanks for telling me!
Mine has stiff zoom ring ... lots of people have complained, BUT I use 400mm almost 95% to take birds so its not a big deal for me. I push / pull to zoom in and out rather than turning the ring. This lens really is for the wildlife photographer and not a portrait lens. As you said it is a specialty lens. It is REALLY sharp. Image stabilization, focusing speed, tripod collar, infinity limiter ... all fantastic for the wildlife photographer!
Dan, at 100mm, I've taken some absolutely beautiful portrait type photos, just sayin'. For the most part, though, I agree that it's for wildlife. :-) I had not thought to push/pull to zoom rather than using the zoom ring. I'll have to try that. Thx!
Yes, a beauty of a lens but you need to have a use for it to justify it. I didn't find the zoom ring a problem as such but I'd prefer a smooth and lighter action. Bird photography really does push at the extremes of what a camera (and photographer) can do.
Just back from a birding holiday in Costa Rica and how I wish I had this lens, especially with all the humming birds, vultures, hawks, eagles, surfers, etc. I made do with my all purpose Panasonic 14-140mm. Great review of this lens, I'll definitely be getting this lens before my next birding holiday.
I have rented both this lens and the Olympus 300mm f4. This lens was very good, but the Olympus lens was spectacular, partly because it's extra stop of light at 300 enabled me to use a lower ISO. I often find myself struggling with noise when I go out birding on cloudy days. And, since I already own the MC-14 and MC-20 teleconverters for my 40-150, I could overcome the distance problem as well. Now for the money to buy it.
I haven't tried the Olympus 300mm but all the Pro series lenses are superb. There do seem to be some deals around on the 300mm at the moment, some of them quite enticing.
Mr Thorpe, I always enjoy your reviews but I must say that the presentation of the 250 mph diving falcon prior to the snaps of ones neighbour's roof intead, was nothing short of genious (David, you had me laughing out loud after a very tiring & stressful day, hence not a small feat!) PS I'm saving up for sticking the 40-150 2.8 onto my E-M1 II. Yep saw your review of it too (now I come to think of it saw your review of the MC1.4 that I also want:) Thank you Sir as always for the very good information.
Dear David Thorpe - have you heard anyone use olympus om-d e-m5 mark ii with Lumix 100-400mm lens? I know dual IS would not work, but I wonder if there is any issue focusing or in- body IS (while turning off lens IS). Oly OM1 Markii sound bit too good to pass ... I am hoping Panasonic would make 20mp, 5 axis, weather sealed, 6k photo, higher than 10 fps ... camera that would be head to head with Olympus OM1 markii
Hi Dan - I would think that the Panasonic GH5 scheduled for next year would compete with the E-M1ll. Re the lens, no, there's no problem with using it with the E-M511 and it will work on it just as it would with a Panasonic body. It'll function just great with either the camera or lens stabilization. It'd be worth experimenting to see which you thinks works the best but my guess is that there wouldn't be much in it.
@@Pabula And an upgrade to the autofocus with firmware 1.2 for the G9 in October 2018 is yet another improvement. I have this lens and the G9. With the G9 it is also worth noting there are 4 options (SET 1-4) for customising AF to suit the circumstances you are photographing stills. This is only available in AFC mode and in the Camera settings on Page 1 of the Menu (AF Custom Settings(Photo)).
Great review, made me laugh out loud at the neighbor's roof comment. I took this lens on a safari to kenya last summer when I made the switch to m43 to save weight during travel and I didn't regret it. I was disappointed with the stiff zoom and should have stopped videos in between zooming but live and learn. I used a lot of your reviews last year when choosing what to buy along with the GX8 Kindle guide. They were very helpful, thanks! I'm deciding on my first prime lens at the moment for an upcoming trip to Costa Rica, will be (re)watching any of your videos I can find on those next. Currently using 7-14, 12-32 (great for keeping it small and simple around town), 14-140 and 100-400.
Glad you liked the review. That's a pretty comprehensive range of lens you have there and ideal for travel. It's difficult to know what prime would be best. The 17mm f/1.8 Olympus is one of my favourites, or the 45mm f1/8. Depends what you want to do, I guess.
Thanks for the suggestion and quick reply. I agree, tough to recommend a lens without knowing shooting preferences. I do prefer having the ability to shoot in close quarters so I was looking at 25mm and under (20mm, 17, 15). The 17mm olympus sounds like a good match, I wil look into that more. Thanks again.
I wouldn't call the 40-150 Oly a lens that epithomises the system. If there is one lens,. to my mind, doing that on mFTs it is the 35-100 F2.8. It weighs 360 grams. It gets you 70-200 mm euiv FL. The Oly gets you 80-300. But it weighs 765 gram without the collar...also the 35-100 is every bit as good and to me it makes better sense with my 100-400 Panny, which is a lens I like too. 12-35 f2.8 is also great but gave a lot of purple and green neon flaring on my GH4. On my Em1.2 this has diminished greatly. Lovely review again David, classy, calm, informative and good in depth as always. Keep up the good work!
I'm with you in one sense in that the Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 better follows the Micro Four Thirds ability to be compact and have great IQ but I meant more in the sense that a 40-150 f/2.8 lens can be built at all and so exploits and extends the possibilities of Micro Four Thirds. The 40-150 and converter make more sense for me because I have so little use for a lens as long as the 100-400 Panasonic in what I do. If I did, the 35-100 would definitely make more sense. As it is, for my use the 40-150 f/2.8 replaces 2 lenses, a 35-100 f/2.8 and 200mm f/4 (if there was one). Glad you like the videos - I'll try to keep 'em comin' !
Another great review, thanks. I have this lens and mine has a stiff zoom ring, though yours looks a little stiffer. Finding moving birds in the sky at 400mm is almost impossible. Did get some close shots of the Goodyear blimp as it passed over my house a few days ago.
Thanks, David! Yes, with 16x mag, finding a fast moving subject is next to impossible and just as hard to keep in frame when you've found it. The blimp, no I didn't get a shot of it. Too much heat haze over the Mohave between me in London and you in California. It didn't look 100% sharp so i deleted it. :-)
Thanks for an excellent review! I bought this lenses when it was released and used it a lot for bird photography and large insects like dragonflies and butterflies. It is wonderful. Makes me happy every time I take it out. And it is very reasonably priced compared to DSLR lenses.
Actually I use it with an OM-D EM 5 mkII so I am restricted to the lens O.I.S., but I an still get sharp shots at 1/100 400 mm. I use a battery grip with the camera, which helps balance the lens. The one weak point of the EM5 mk II is that focusing on birds in flight is not always successful, but the focus limiter on the lens helps a bit with that.
I used a Panasonic GX8 for most of the review. That uses Panasonic's DfD to aid the contrast focusing. The S-AF focusing on Panasonic cameras tends to be a bit better than Olympus overall. C-AF on your EM5 Mk2 would be less good than on the E-M1 since the E-M1 does use the PDAF as well as the contrast. The difference won't be huge but you'd get a higher percentage of off focus shots. Having said that, an EM5 Mk2 with a skilled photographer will get better results with the 100-400 than a less good one with a 'better' camera. Keeping the focus area where you want it and predicting the subject's movement will always yield better results. Using a lens like the 100-400 will never be easy - that's one heck of a long focal length!
Hi Dave, could you confirm detail regarding this 100-400mm lens. If you put this lens on the old e5 mk11 does the his work or not at all. I ask because my tests with other long lenses like sigma 150-500mm show that the in body is can't cope with these long focal lengths, does it make any difference with the old em1 mk11? regards
The 100-400mm works just as well on Olympus as Panasonic but the stabilization would be matter for experiment. Both body and lens stabilization will work very well but which would be better would be a moot point. I doubt that there would be much in it, actually, both well up to scratch. In theory, in lens stabilization is better for long focal length lenses like this but I use a 300mm old Nikkor and find the body stabilization on the Olympus more than capable. For an old timer like me, the possibility to hand hold a 400mm let alone a 500mm, 20 times magnification lens is a minor miracle. The advice for binoculars is not to exceed 7x for hand holding!
Tried it at the weekend and the Olympus 5 axis was better than the lens IS. This was a surprise to me. Best settings were when the is was set to 300mm.
Interesting - thanks for the info. I suppose I'm not surprised because it is unlikely anything would improve on the Olympus stabilization. I read that in lens stabilization is better for very long lenses but I do tend to take those things with a pinch of salt because they are usually based in theory. The beauty of trying it for yourself is that whatever theory says, you know what works better for you personally. Which is what matters.
Thanks, David. I've been anticipating your review of this lens for awhile now. While I covet it, I probably don't shoot enough "aerial falcon drama over Machu Picchu" to merit it at this point. ;-) When it comes out, I'd love to get your take on the new Olympus 30mm macro. Considering how often I used the 60mm 2.8, I'm relatively certain I'd get my money's worth out of that lens too. Again, thank you so much for your thoughtful reviews. In my opinion, you produce the most thoughtful "real-world" photography gear reviews on RUclips. Dustin
Thanks a lot, Dustin, I appreciate your remarks and especially the aerial falcon drama ;-) I'm interested that Olympus might out a 30mm macro. It's too short for most macro as I found withy the Panasonic one but has the advantage that it would double as a standard lens. If it is f/3.5 as rumoured it would potentially be cheaper and likely have extra sharp and flat field performance due to the limited maxim,um aperture.
Yes, I know Hancock's shows. Some of that has definitely rubbed off on me. Hancock and the writers, Galton and Simpson were a dream team. No-one can forget when he goes to give blood and is irked that all he gets by way of thanks is a cup of tea. He wanted a medal for giving a pint of blood - "I mean, that nearly an armful". Brilliant stuff. That droopy, hangdog face!
Nice video. Did you ever try this lens with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II for bird photography. I need a camera with a smaller form factor on some of my wildlife trips. But I would not like to compromise on IQ and Autofocus tracking. I know both is involved, camera and lens. That is why I am asking.
Thanks, Stefan. I didn't have an E-M1 II while I had this lens and used it with a GX8. The follow focus was excellent with it (as per video). From my experience Panasonic lenses work just as well with the Olympus E-M1s as they do on Panasonic. Basically, the E-M1 II and 100-400mm are as good as it gets with Micro Four Thirds for birding. The G9 would perform much the same, too and with dual stabilization. While _the best_ DSLRs still have the finest CAF, Micro Four Thirds matches the rest and is faster on SAF. You'll likely make some compromise on focusing, therefore, but an experienced operator will do better with your preferred combination than a less good one with a top line DSLR.
Good Morning David... Have you had a chance to review the "new" Panasonic-Leica 50-200mm f/2.8-4 Lens yet? I would be curious to hear what you have to say... I know you have the 35-100mm f/2.8 and the Panasonic-Leica 100-300mm in your kit - BUT imagine this!!! Getting the 50-200mm lens AND a 2x teleconverter?!!! WOW!!! I would love to hear your opinion... As always I love your honest and thorough reviews very much... Keep up the excellent work!
Thanks, Mattheiu and good morning - I haven't tried the 2x converter but I have reviewed the 50-200 ruclips.net/video/A0PRQJYj0DY/видео.html. The 2x would be nice in terms of magnification on it but the loss of two stops means you have a 400mm f/8 at the long end which is a bit on the slow side for many of the situations where you might need a powerful telephoto. There's an inevitable loss of sharpness, too. A handy tool to have, nevertheless.
Just picked this lens up used during the recent Ebay sale, fortunately the zoom action is very smooth on my copy. Its noticeably heavier and bulkier than the 100-300, but the photos do seem to be sharper. With all the extras, and faster focusing, the 100-300 will definitely be going up for auction.
I think the zoom action is generally OK. That extra 100mm does give you an awful lot of extra reach. Not so long ago the idea that a lens with magnification of 16x was affordable by ordinary photogrphers would have seemed silly. Let alone a zoom!
Another very good informative review David, I bought this lens a few weeks back and have found the zoom ring stiffness eases with use, my thoughts are that the zoom lock fails to release fully, living in Scotland though, I fancy my chances of catching eagles, kingfishers, or indeed superman, much greater than catching a heat haze.
Thanks Chris! Interesting observation about the zoom lock ring, hadn't thought of that. I have a horrible feeling that even if I were in Scotland I'd _still_ have a better chance a catching a heat haze than those uncooperative birds you mention. Even apart from birds, this lens would give some wonderful perspective effects on land and sea scapes.
I suppose the question is whether you find the 210mm you have with the TC leaves you feeling you need more reach. 400mm is getting very specialist and such magnification gets very hard to handle with moving subjects. The Olympus Pro + TC is very versatile for all round photography other than sport etc where the 100-400 is more limited. I'd argue that the lenses are so different that unless you only photograph motorsport and aviation, you need both. Given the cost of that, keep in mind that at full stretch the Panasonic is 1½ stops slower than the Olympus + TC so the lower ISO the Olympus allows makes the result of cropping closer to the results of the uncropped 400. I guess what I'm saying is that unless you _really_ need the extra focal length, I'd stick with the 40-150. That 150mm @ f/2.8 is unique.
@@DavidThorpeMFT thank you for the reply Dave, i got into a pretty lenth debate on OMD owners forum last night and maybe due to my AF just being a little lazy as i still use the em1 mk1... so body upgrade will be a massive help
finally a proper review of this lens. certainly a lens which will end up in my bag very soon. what camera did you use in this video? I'm wondering if the af will Be just as good with my GH4 and em5?
Thanks Nicolas! Performance with the GH4 should be much the same as with the GX8 I used. I find the E-M5's continuous AF less certain than the Panasonic's (ditto the Pen F) so you get a higher off focus rate. Similar with AF-S, the Panasonic is that bit more certain with a higher hit rate.
Great review. How was this lens filming in 4K. For example in a moving car while on Safari; and is a tripod a must? I shoot 12-35 on the GH5 but find myself looking for a lens for zoom shots. Animals are not always with the 12-35 reach...I keep the 12-35 and GH5 on my Gimbal 90% of the time; Obviously different animals.
Thanks! The 10--400 works well for everything, especially on the GH5 with its excellent stabilization. You won't often need a tripod even for 400 end stuff, though I'd still use a tripod where I could, as a counsel of perfection. From a moving car, with your hand hold absorbing most of the violent movement (assuming a pot-holed track) and with care, the Dual IS will take care of it easily. Providing you aren't moving the camera during while shooting video, the I.S.Lock is incredible, an electronic tripod, though it is less effective with very long lenses. Still works well, though. Essentially, your GH5 and the 100-400mm is about the best available in any system for the purposes you outline. It is easy to forget that the 400mm with its 2.5° horizontal AoV is quite an extreme bit of glass. Most people wouldn't expect to handhold a 16x mag binoculars!
David Thorpe it’s going to be a great lens; the 2.8-4.0 and versatile. Unfortunately I’m leaving next week for Australia and I cannot get this in time for the trip... I guess it will have to wait. I like the lower F 2.8; although shooting the 100-400 indoors or low light is unlikely for me; but at 400 it could get dark.
Yes, it does. You won't have any use for the lens's inbuilt stabilization and in won't operate in dual mode in conjunction with the camera body. Hardly necessary, though, since the Olympus's IBIS is more than good enough on its own. I don't think twice about mixing and matching Olympus and Panasonic lenses and bodies.
The Olympus 300 f/4 is a fabulous lens especially with a converter but personally I'd prefer the Panasonic simply because at these long focal lengths a zoom is so much more practical. On the other hand, if you knew that 300mm or 420mm with converter would be suitable, the best results would come from the Olympus. The problem comes when you have the 300mm mounted and the subject moves closer to you. With the prime, you have to physically move away. With the zoom, just turn the zoom ring. The simple answer to these problems is always the same and always as impractical - buy them both :-)
David, would you consider the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm to this lens, in terms of IQ. IS the the extra 100 mm worth the price ? I am an amateur planning to invest in a telephoto for wildlife. I have also bought you book on Panasonic g7 and I love it
The 100 - 300 has now been updated with POWER OIS and weather sealing amont other things. A better buy than ever! www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1304871-REG/panasonic_h_fsa100300_lumix_g_vario_100_300mm.html
Sorry, Martin, that a time lapse movie, lots of still frames with tiny incremental movements. Strung together they look like a movie. Not knowing exactly your hand problem, I can only say that both Panasonic and Olympus make power zoom lenses but they do still require some hand use. You can control the zoom from a phone app rather than the lens itself but I don't know that they'd be suitable for you. The Olympus 12-50 is a handy all purpose lens but does require hands on zooming.
Thanks for the high-quality review, David. I have one question about the constant focus segment: what camera body were you using for those bicyclist shots?
I used a GX8 for those, though the GX80 performs exactly the same. Panasonics are currently better than Olympus for those sort of shots. As I said, I'd thought that moving so much weight of glass for focusing might take the edge off the speed but no so.
The thing you mentioned about dialing it back to 100 to find your subject is why personally i like zooms at these really long focal lengths. The closest equivalents to this (in my brain) would be the Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 Contemporary on an APS-C DSLR like the 7D Mark II or D500, The Sigma is half the price (about) in the US but twice the weight... Of course you could also mount the Sigma onto a Sony a6300...I bought the Sigma for the record since I run both m4/3 and a Canon DSLR system at the moment I sometimes regret not getting the Leica 100-400, but when i made the purchase it wasn't shipping and there were no reviews :( I also.. as good as the DFD is.. I still dont trust it the way i just trust my dslr yet. Then again, this lens is a lot less intimidating for outsiders compared to the 150-600!
How would you compare the 100-400mm f4-6.3 with the Sony RX10 IV with it's lens reaching 600mm f2.4-4.0 for optical quality? I generally use the Sony for zoo shots and prime lenses and wide angle zoom for my Panasonic GX85.
The Sony's sensor is about half the size of the Micro Four Thirds one so will exhibit less good image quality, just as Micro Four Thirds sensors have less good IQ than full frame cameras. The Son's is aso a super zoom which always involves more optical compromise. This is ameliorated somewhat by the ability to tailor a fixed zoom to its exact conditions of use vis a vis the camera body and mounting. The focal length range of the zoom goes up to 220mm, giving the angle of view of a 600mm lens on FF, whereas the 400mm of the Panasonic equates to 800mm. Thus, the Panasonic at the extreme end will give a bigger image onto a larger sensor. That is inevitably going to yield better iQ all round. Balanced against that, if you view on a tablet,phone or even a desktop monitor you are not going to see a great deal of difference. To really see the improvement you have to make large prints or view on a huge monitor or intend to crop heavily. I personally wouldn't consider the purchase of a £1200 _necessary_ but if I had the money without too much of a scrape, I'd be tempted!
David, I too was thrilled to see that you looked at this lens. I have been waiting for a good review! I am also pleased that it impressed you. I enjoyed your humor on bird shots. Tack sharp images of a Condor vs Eagle aerial fight would probably pay for the lens!! I noticed you showed an Olympus body attached to it. You also said you tried it on a GX8 which I have. I am guessing image quality was equal? I will probably show ignorance here, but isn't a 200-400 mm lens in M 4/3's really a 400-800 mm 35 mm equivalent? This means to me that the lens actually gives you 32X power at the 400 mm setting. The fact you can get goods shots at 1/30 sec shutter speeds is truly amazing and a testament to the stabilization system. Will I buy it? I hope to. Yellowstone beckons. But I have a water well to take care of first and they don't call it a well for nothing! Thank again for the great review.
Yellowstone with this lens sounds like a dream to me! With the magnification, it's 16x magnification because a standard lens on Micro four Thirds is 25mm. So 400/25=16x. It has the _equivalent angle of view_ of an 800mm lens on FF but since a standard lens for FF is 50mm, 800/50=16x. Glad you liked the review!
Ok, but I can take a picture with my FZ150 zoomed to show 11X, Then take a picture with my GX8 and my lens set at 140mm (280mm 35 mm equiv). Side by side the shots look pretty much equivalent on my PC with same viewer. So I say my lens set at 140mm on the GX8 is 11.2X [140 x 2 x 4/100 = 11.2X (my formula)]. Now whether either picture is actually 11X may be another story. I am just believing what my FZ150 shows on its display. So is this coincidental or am I beyond hope?
All lenses of a given focal length give the same image size. So if you put a 400mm lens on an FF camera and it fills the frame with an object 1000mm wide, on a Micro four Thirds camera it will fill the frame with an object 500mm wide and if the sensor size is half the size of Micro Four Thirds an object 250mm across will fill the frame. In every case the image size is the same. The magnification is not absolute like image size, but relative to the sensor size. A 400mm is 8x on a FF camera, 16x on a Micro Four Thirds and 32x ona camera with a sensor half Micro Four Thirds size. Again, in every case, the image size remains the same.
Thanks for indulging me. I did find: Magnification = [(35mm equivalent focal length of lens)/50 mm]. The 50mm value matches what we see with our eyes more or less. That confirms what you are trying to tell me.
Haha :). I think your advice at the end was spot on here by the way. I really wanted this lens but actually I'd probably very rarely use it. I'm going to save up for an Olympus 7-14 Pro instead I think. Thanks and keep the great work coming!
It's not something I've ever tried but you will need some very heavy ND filters of about 20X (or lesser ones stacked), I'd think to rein in exposure and avoid damaging the sensor. The 100-400 should be just fine, starting out at 400mm and maybe backing off as necessary when the corona appears, since that is bigger than the sun itself. You can actually get various very, very dense plastic films to do the job of the filter(s). I'd be inclined to do a test run on the direct sun but be very careful to use the monitor for viewing rather than the EVF. I'd shoot RAW to give maximum flexibility in PP. It'll be difficult to focus, so maybe focus on the moon and mark true infinity on the lens or tape it in position on a day beforehand. Exposure wise, If you establish a correct exposure previously for the naked sun, that should do as a guide for most of the sequence. It's year since I did such a shot but I recall using two layers of Tri-X film unexposed and developed right out to blackness as a filter. In other words, very dense! 400mm may be a little short, possibly 500-1000 could be better but the eclipse is more than just the totality, it's a long sequence. If you are in a suitable spot it might be nice to get some stuff of the landscape around you as the sun in eclipsed - a most strange sort of lighting, though whether the strangeness is allied to the sudden coldness and quietness of birds and wildlife rather than purely visual I'm not sure! I wish the eclipse was going to be visible form the UK as well. Anyone with useful ideas or preferably experience, please weigh in. My observations could usefully be made more precise.
Thanks for the great review David. Now I'm considering flipping a coin with this lens of the Oly 40-150 + tele converter! I do like the brightness & feel of the f2.8 Olympus product, but the sheer reach of this Panasonic is also very attractive. Cheers.
Thanks! Decisions decisions! As I said in the video, the Olympus's range from 40 to 210 with the converter is much more usable generally than the more extreme 100-400. Portraiture even at 100mm is putting you too far away from your subject. The answer is simple, just buy them both :-)
Well David, I've just taken delivery of the Oly lens - and I must say it's the first time I've had images from a digital camera that I can say is not bad compared to film. Just wanted to say thank you for your boundless enthusiasm and influence with your reviews & recommendations. . Cheers, Frank.
Yes, a truly wonderful lens. I use mine at f/2.8 a lot of the time without a qualm. I've just been using it for portraits and knocked out with the ease of use and quality.
Thanks for the review. If ever I had the money, I'd get this for sure, since I am into wildlife photography but find the quality at 300mm on the 100-300mm isn't very sharp. I have seen that Sigma "Sigmonster" lens before, its huge but without stabilisation its hard to use, even with a tripod. I know many people don't like crops, but this is where M4/3 as you said is great, you don;t have to use such large lenses to get the same focal lengths you would on a full frame or ASP-C camera. BTW, I'd love to see those show offy shots, they sound very interesting!
If only the show offy shots existed! Just my way of getting around the fact that bird photography is absurdly difficult and trying to joke my way out of it! The 100-300mm, yes, the weakest point is at the 300mm end. I get good results with an old 300mm Nikkor and adapter but even though manual focusing is quite easy with it, I wouldn't care to go birding with it. The good news is, I paid just £145 for the lens and £20 for the adapter.
Please remind us which Olympus body you used for these examples. I've been saddened that the demo photos from this lens on a Panasonic GX8 body didn't approach the sharpness of the Olympus 300mm prime on an OM-D5 MkII body - but that's an apples to oranges comparison given the OMD-5 MkII's lack of anti-aliasing filter and the OM-D JPEG engine's aggressive approach to sharpening.
I used a GX8 for the sharpness examples. No reason except it was to hand. I've never noticed any difference in sharpness between Panasonic and Olympus in my (for want of a better word) tests but for those I shoot RAW and open directly to Photoshop and then save to jpg at max quality. No sharpening or tweaking of _any_ kind. Shots I did on the E-M1, Pan F and GX80 for that matter all showed an excellent lens in sharpness terms. I'd expect a much more expensive prime to be better but whether that means anything in practical terms I doubt.
I have the Olympus 300mm f4 and rented this 100-400 and without a doubt, the Olympus is sharper...and of course brighter. That said, the versatility of a zoom like this one is important to us nature shooters, as there are times I wish I could instantly back up 10 steps to get the entire bird/animal in the shot.
David, Hi. Any suggestions when using this lens for Air show photography please. IOS on or off, Camera IBIS on or off (Olympus OMD1 Mk 2) When using C AF it hunts the same in C AF Trk.
Hi Steve. If you are using a high shutter speed, over 1000th, say, stabilization might as well be off. If you are filling the frame with a fast moving plane, and AFC is necessary, it'll free up processing power for tracking, too. Use as small a focus area as you can. The bigger the focusing grid, the more decision making is left to the camera and the slower and less accurate it will be. Often the most effective way of doing fast aerial shots is to pan the camera from side to side, up and down following its movement. That way you can keep the focus area on the plane and the camera should cope easily since it is occupying the same area of the screen most of the time. Zooming while following the action will throw the focusing off so set the zoom length and stay with it. Or give the camera time to pick up the subject again after doing so. The bigger the plane in the frame, the better focusing will be. With skilful panning, a plane doing several hundred miles an hour needs no more than 1/125th or even 1/60th and if there is any background in the pic, even clouds, the pan blurring gives a great impression of speed. Unfortunately, the ultimate answer is practise and familiarity with the equipment.
Thank you sir. With the Air Tattoo this weekend I will give all you suggest a try. I do have my DLSR and big lenses but want something a lot smaller hence the OMD-1 and this lens.
Totally my favourite Vlogger, I'm very new to photography and in at the deep end with a gh4 and most of the LUMIX lenses I feel like I've learned a lot from your videos and always look forward to your wit and subtle humour. Having trained as a TV presenter I would expect you could be an instant hit if you fancied being the other side of the lens. Either way sincerely thank you and please keep up the great work! Ps. How did you film the rotation of the lenses with no hands in shot? I suspect some kind of green screen but the movement was very smooth and mechanical which makes me wonder?
Thanks so much Ben and it really pleases me that my videos are helpful As K Feeney says, I use the stop motion facility on the Panasonics. I operate the camera via my phone or tablet so that i can sit beside the lens to be rotated. The stop motion facility will either fire the frames every 5 seconds or whatever you want or you can fire the shutter singly from the phone. Stop motion overlays the last frame you took on screen so you can judge how far to rotate the lens each time. Then the camera will assemble the frames into an .mp4 for you at a choice of frame rates. It's time consuming to do but well worth it!
At least we still have these videos of David. I'm currently considering this lens, and David's advice continues to be helpful. 😢❤
here here
My thoughts entirely.
I hope David is out in the Andes taking that sequence for National Geographic if they won’t accept those of his neighbours’ roof.
What a lovely man he must have been.
And I was able to buy one of his books from Amazon. Hope his family benefit financially.
Came back here because saw one of these for sale - I remember him by his love for lenses :)
I wonder if David had any idea how much his audience looked forward to him releasing another video and how well liked and appreciated he was. A wonderfully engaging voice and someone of the master of this kind of thing. Much missed.
I miss David! Rest In Peace good soul!
What happened?
@@TomeRodrigo He died from a long illness about a year ago.
New favourite RUclipsr hands down. No music; no ‘what’s up guys’ BS; a script, a personality and well chosen visuals. I love it.
I buy most of my lenses used. It's telling that this lens never is available used. The buyers must really love and treasure these lenses.
This is one lens I would never buy used based on its history of bad copies.
Great perspectives from this review. 2 years ago I bought the G9 - on sale at $1000 & the Leica 100 - 400mm that was also on sale @ $1400. I found it's zoom ring to be on the stiff side so I called the camera store who said to bring the lens back in one week & they would have 3 other new 100 - 400mm Leica units for me to try. In Mikes Camera store a week later, out of the 3, one lens' zoom ring was quite smooth. Enjoy your vids & your book on the Pany G9.
would love to see those show offfy photos!
Sorry, Joseph, I seem to have mislaid them. How inconvenient!
David, I take it that you write poems too! Listening to your speech is a real joy. Many thanks.
Jaffar, what can I say? I'm flattered - and thank you!
I have no desire to get into the M43 system but I do enjoy listening to David's soothing voice. Kind of like ASMR but informative!
I just talk like I do, so it's nice to know you like it - thanks!
Unfortunately unless you're a licensed photographer most camera stores around here will not sell you anything but M43 and APS-C based cameras. So we're "stuck" with m43 for now.
Great review David! I recently sold off my micro 4/3 kit (and Nikon FX kit) to move to the Fuji X system but I still enjoy watching your reviews. You are certainly one of my favorite reviewers along with The Camera Store guys and Christopher Frost.
You won the lottery ehh?
Thanks Michael - I like the Camera Store guys too. They don't take themselves too seriously and seem to enjoy what they do. I don't know Christopher Frost, I must take a look and nick his best ideas :-)
David... I've watched this review since you uploaded it, and I was surprised to realize that I've never commented how good it is..!!! Thank you.
Thank you for taking the trouble, Edgar. Much appreciated.
You are hilarious. Love the bit about diving condors over Machu Picchu. I laughed out loud. Keep these reviews coming. You do the best job of any reviewer.
I second that 😂
Thank you David a beautifully presented review as always.
Thanks, Alan!
I miss your reviews and voice David,
R.I.P David
Awesome review, David - as usual. I was looking at getting this lens but wasn't sure. Now, I'm sold. Thanks, mate!
I've watched this review twice in a week. That's how excellent you are at doing these.
I'm flattered - and glad you enjoy the vids!
Your reviews are so pleasantly non-tech, but still your knowledge of optical equipment is evident. Thanks for the many soothing reviews over time, Sir David!
Thank you, Larry. Especially for the knighthood. I am now searching for a damsel in distress :-)
Thanks for buying the entire m43 ecosystem David!
I haven't bought all of it. I haven't got the official Olympus hood for my 45mm :-)
David: What about Olympus 75mm 1.8. ;)
You've got me there, Stefan :-) Oh well, rob another bank, I guess!
Gasso Desec isn't it interesting how that 75mm cost almost as much as a g85? I'm not sure what to say about that
David said it was the best m43 he'd never buy. I hope someone gives one to him!
You know, without the traditional shots of your neighbor's roof I would think that I'm watching the wrong channel. I don't even own mft gear any more, but remain subbed purely for the enjoyment of these lovely reviews. All the best, and keep going.
It is such pleasure for me to read that, Jayne! Thanks isn't enough but it's all I can say.
Hello, David!
I was thrilled to see the notification in my inbox for this video! I own this lens and would love, love, LOVE, to see your show-off-y photos of birds in flight and any other photo you deem interesting. This very day I've been over to Lake Whitney, Tx, down below the dam, practicing my technique with the elusive flying birds...LOL. Everything you said about the lens has been what I've found to be true. It's sharp, fast, and image quality is fantastic. My zoom ring has loosened up a lot, but still pretty tight from 300mm to 400mm. It's not smooth during that last range, but like you, I keep it at 400mm all the time and reluctantly zoom in. Thanks for the review, and please post pics from this lens. Thank you!!!!
I have to confess, Linda, that I was joking about the bird pictures. Birds are impossible and I take my hat off to the photographers who master the art of photographing them.
I spoke to various birds and even offered them money to cooperate but they seemed disinterested. Almost as bad as cats, really.
This is by far my most desired lens right now. I'm ages away from being able to afford one but when I got it I'll move to Africa and become a Safari guide just to use its full potential.
Another kick ass review David Thorpe! Love your sense of humour and take on this
Thanks Rami - this was a very enjoyable review to do.
David, thanks for your grate M43 reviews. I like your sense of humour and the objective information.
Thanks CG, and for telling me!
Splendid humor with discerning commentary as usual.
Thanks, Craig!
Great review, I love my lens. Zoom ring started out a bit stiff but has loosened over time.
Love the neighbour's roof and the review - 100-400 Sold!
I bought one after watching this review and was very pleased. Later sold it for an Olympus 300mm f4 which, on my OM1, has body and lens stabilisation. I miss these reviews these days, they were on a different level to the average m43 knocking stuff.
7:06 well we know where David's mind was!
Another fine review I'd been waiting on. Thanks, David. My state park bird searches will really benefit from this lens and a 5 axis IBIS Panasonic camera, especially in the many darker areas of the parks, 1/30sec sorts of dark. My GH2, GX7, and GH4 with the Pana 100-300 have all served my bird hobby well, but IBIS and this new lens will make a real actual difference for these 56 year old hands.
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, the stabilization makes a massive difference to using a lens like this. I wouldn't want to rely on shots at 1/30th but it is possible. I found My hands are pretty shaky and always have been so the better the stabilization the better for me.
Another well thought out and delivered review. Like I've told you before you're the best reviewer on RUclips. I too will most likely rent this beast when I need it. My bag is already heavy with all the lenses you have recommended to us. CHEERS!
Cheers to you and thanks!
RIP Mr. Thorpe. A true professional.
Another great review David. I love your stop motion shots at the beginning. Thanks!
Thanks Otto! I like doing those little stop motion sequences. I'd like to do more animation, with other subjects than cameras,, actually but there's only so much time.
lol that sequence at 6:55
I picked up my copy on release and have used it non stop since; rugby and the birds that don't ride bikes. I'll have to pick up a second body just so I don't have to swap it out.
:-) - If you put a 14-140 on that other body, you's sweep a focal range form 14-400mm. Wow!
David Thorpe I tend to go straight to my 25mm 1.4 on the Rugby field. (Edit: or the 12-35). Close up arty pics vs the stuff on the other side. Having said that I note the 14-140 is one of the two lenses that is already up to date for the IBISv2 coming out on the newer bodies. They didn't stay at IBISv1 very long :O
I'll be interested to see if Panasonic ever catch up on Olympus's IBIS - according to the latest reports, the upcoming E_M1 Mk2 will give 6.5 stops stabilization. I second hand held on the 100-400mm anyone? How will photographers keep the birds - or rugby players - still that long, though!
Or better the Oly 12-100!!!
Oof! £2,500 on two lenses. What lenses though!
I on't own this lens but recently tried it at a camera shop in Anchorage. I loved it. The zoom action was not tight once I ensured the lock was fully disengaged. I recently bought a Sony RX10 III for an all in one zoom out to 600mm and have been pleased with the results. The Sony has a 1 inch sensor but performed well. I still want this lens but doubt I will buy it. Great review.
Thanks, David. Lots of scope for using a long lens in your part of the world. I winder if the zoom action would stiffen up in an Alaska -10c winters day :-0
Nice review David, I love the fact it's so light (relative to anything else with that much reach).
Thanks, Terry. Yes, it's a big bonus in a lens that's likely to tucked into rucksacks while hiking out looking for wildlife.
Hey! 7:24 I just wonder how you at 25mm when the lens starts from 100mm?
You just grab the zoom ring and pull it backwards with all your might. Does tend to smash the sensor and jam the lens but 25-400 is an excellent range. Actually, it's a simple mistake, left in from a previous text box on another video.
This lens makes me want to get an M43 camera. I've felt like getting a full frame 150-600 lens since they started showing up, but whenever I see the size or think about the weight I come to my senses.
Those big zooms for FF really are intimidating. You need a separate bag just for the lens and hand holding one for any length of time is quite a feat. Both Micro Four Thirds and FF formats have their pluses but a defining one for me is the Micro Four Thirds lens sizes.
Yeah, my back issues have been telling me to consider the M43 system in future. I think it might be right.
You are a gift to the M43 community and a bane to recovering GAS addicts David! Lovely review and lovely piece of glass but I agree its probably the best lens I'd never buy, as it is, my bargain bin 45-150 sits at home on the shelf!
Will you be attending Photokina next week? Looking forward to see what the E1Mk2 brings... Hoping they went with the new 16mp global shutter sensor and not the bog standard 20MP one.
Keep up the great work David, always a treat to watch your reviews. :)
Love your reviews! There are story telling that keeps wanting to hear more! 👍
Glad you like them! Thanks, Isaac.
Great review, David. I bought this as soon as it hit the stores, found the zoom ring unworkable, tried a second copy with the same results.Will have to try again!
Hmmm...Panasonic need to sort that out. The lens is still usable but operation can be obstructive unpleasant with the stiff zoom ring. Not what you want if you've forked out more than 1,000 for it.
Olympus has some good looking new lenses and a new flash too.
I'd like to see the new Oly 25mm f1.2
I was very excited to hear about this lens when it was announced. I just picked up a pristine used Panasonic 100-300 for what I think was a bargain thanks to this lens now being in the lineup. BTW -- I bought the 100-300 based on your review and so far I am quite pleased. I know that this Leica badged model will have better specs, and it has more reach, but honestly the 100-300 I just acquired seems to do all I need and more for a fraction of the price. I grabbed some great pictures of my nephew on the field playing (American) football while I was seated up in the stands with my G6 attached directly to a monopod (haven't invested in the collar yet -- not sure I will). I allowed the ISO to go pretty high which let me stop the action down on the field and created some super photos to share with the family on Facebook where a bit of noise isn't even noticed. I also took it out for some shots of birds near the water in the bright sunlight, on top of a somewhat smallish tripod, and again it did very well. I still need to spend some time with it and learn how to finesse better results out of it, but I think it was a great purchase and I owe it all to the Leica 100-400 and its impressive specs.
A hidden advantage of new lenses is the drop in price of the older model - and yet anyone who is/ was happy with the older model, well it hasn't changed. The 100-300 remains a capable lens and you hit on an important point. The advantage of newer lenses, if they perform better, is only at higher magnifications. For Facebook and much normal use, prints 12x10, screens at around 2000px, the difference isn't apparent.
On the noise at high ISO, for floodlit sports and some gig shots, I like to _add_ a bit noise to FB material - it gives atmosphere! .
I was thinking of selling my 100-400mm because I haven't been using it for quite some time... and it appears that I am a bird shooter by no means... but after your video I found some inspiration for using this lens for applications I hadn't thought of before. I think it will stay with me! Thank you! :)
That's nice, Piotr, thanks! I just love the extreme tele effects you can get with this lens, it can make ordinary scenes look extraordinary.
You are the second reviewer to suggest a stiff zoom. Mine is really nice. I wonder if the zoom lock is not backing off far enough.
I'm happy with mine in good light.
Another great review.
It's almost like a listening to an audio book, but boy I love it :-). Nicely shown and compared.
I script all my videos which is probably why they sound like a book. I hate waffling and ers and ums in videos. Glad you liked it and thanks for telling me!
Love your voice over, pleasant to ears !
Nice to hear that, thanks!
Brilliant review, always enjoy them David, another lens to dream about.Many thanks.
Thanks Martin - yes a dream lens! Lovely that such glass is available even of few of us would have great need of it.
Mine has stiff zoom ring ... lots of people have complained, BUT I use 400mm almost 95% to take birds so its not a big deal for me. I push / pull to zoom in and out rather than turning the ring. This lens really is for the wildlife photographer and not a portrait lens. As you said it is a specialty lens. It is REALLY sharp. Image stabilization, focusing speed, tripod collar, infinity limiter ... all fantastic for the wildlife photographer!
Dan, at 100mm, I've taken some absolutely beautiful portrait type photos, just sayin'. For the most part, though, I agree that it's for wildlife. :-) I had not thought to push/pull to zoom rather than using the zoom ring. I'll have to try that. Thx!
Yes, a beauty of a lens but you need to have a use for it to justify it. I didn't find the zoom ring a problem as such but I'd prefer a smooth and lighter action. Bird photography really does push at the extremes of what a camera (and photographer) can do.
Just back from a birding holiday in Costa Rica and how I wish I had this lens, especially with all the humming birds, vultures, hawks, eagles, surfers, etc. I made do with my all purpose Panasonic 14-140mm. Great review of this lens, I'll definitely be getting this lens before my next birding holiday.
Great for birders, that's for sure and very close focusing for the tiny hummingbirds, too.
I have rented both this lens and the Olympus 300mm f4. This lens was very good, but the Olympus lens was spectacular, partly because it's extra stop of light at 300 enabled me to use a lower ISO. I often find myself struggling with noise when I go out birding on cloudy days. And, since I already own the MC-14 and MC-20 teleconverters for my 40-150, I could overcome the distance problem as well.
Now for the money to buy it.
I haven't tried the Olympus 300mm but all the Pro series lenses are superb. There do seem to be some deals around on the 300mm at the moment, some of them quite enticing.
Mr Thorpe, I always enjoy your reviews but I must say that the presentation of the 250 mph diving falcon prior to the snaps of ones neighbour's roof intead, was nothing short of genious (David, you had me laughing out loud after a very tiring & stressful day, hence not a small feat!) PS I'm saving up for sticking the 40-150 2.8 onto my E-M1 II. Yep saw your review of it too (now I come to think of it saw your review of the MC1.4 that I also want:) Thank you Sir as always for the very good information.
It's my pleasure, William and thank you. The lens and TC are worth buying together - it's usually cheaper than buying them at separate times.
11:14 For me, it's faraway mountain peaks draped in clouds/mist/snow/etc. Or tree lined ridges and the like.
I like tele lenses for landscapes. It gives a truer sense of perspective, especially for mountains.
Thanks mate, spot on as usual! You are the king of MFT reviews on RUclips. 👍
What can I say except...thanks!
Dear David Thorpe - have you heard anyone use olympus om-d e-m5 mark ii with Lumix 100-400mm lens? I know dual IS would not work, but I wonder if there is any issue focusing or in- body IS (while turning off lens IS). Oly OM1 Markii sound bit too good to pass ... I am hoping Panasonic would make 20mp, 5 axis, weather sealed, 6k photo, higher than 10 fps ... camera that would be head to head with Olympus OM1 markii
Hi Dan - I would think that the Panasonic GH5 scheduled for next year would compete with the E-M1ll. Re the lens, no, there's no problem with using it with the E-M511 and it will work on it just as it would with a Panasonic body. It'll function just great with either the camera or lens stabilization. It'd be worth experimenting to see which you thinks works the best but my guess is that there wouldn't be much in it.
Well now there is the G9 that rivals the OM1.2
@@Pabula And an upgrade to the autofocus with firmware 1.2 for the G9 in October 2018 is yet another improvement. I have this lens and the G9.
With the G9 it is also worth noting there are 4 options (SET 1-4) for customising AF to suit the circumstances you are photographing stills.
This is only available in AFC mode and in the Camera settings on Page 1 of the Menu (AF Custom Settings(Photo)).
Great review, made me laugh out loud at the neighbor's roof comment. I took this lens on a safari to kenya last summer when I made the switch to m43 to save weight during travel and I didn't regret it. I was disappointed with the stiff zoom and should have stopped videos in between zooming but live and learn.
I used a lot of your reviews last year when choosing what to buy along with the GX8 Kindle guide. They were very helpful, thanks! I'm deciding on my first prime lens at the moment for an upcoming trip to Costa Rica, will be (re)watching any of your videos I can find on those next.
Currently using 7-14, 12-32 (great for keeping it small and simple around town), 14-140 and 100-400.
Glad you liked the review. That's a pretty comprehensive range of lens you have there and ideal for travel. It's difficult to know what prime would be best. The 17mm f/1.8 Olympus is one of my favourites, or the 45mm f1/8. Depends what you want to do, I guess.
Thanks for the suggestion and quick reply. I agree, tough to recommend a lens without knowing shooting preferences. I do prefer having the ability to shoot in close quarters so I was looking at 25mm and under (20mm, 17, 15). The 17mm olympus sounds like a good match, I wil look into that more. Thanks again.
Excellent review as always! So is this lens noticeably sharper than the Olympus 75-300mm ii? Thank you
Remembering David in 2022 ❤
I wouldn't call the 40-150 Oly a lens that epithomises the system. If there is one lens,. to my mind, doing that on mFTs it is the 35-100 F2.8. It weighs 360 grams. It gets you 70-200 mm euiv FL. The Oly gets you 80-300. But it weighs 765 gram without the collar...also the 35-100 is every bit as good and to me it makes better sense with my 100-400 Panny, which is a lens I like too.
12-35 f2.8 is also great but gave a lot of purple and green neon flaring on my GH4. On my Em1.2 this has diminished greatly.
Lovely review again David, classy, calm, informative and good in depth as always. Keep up the good work!
I'm with you in one sense in that the Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 better follows the Micro Four Thirds ability to be compact and have great IQ but I meant more in the sense that a 40-150 f/2.8 lens can be built at all and so exploits and extends the possibilities of Micro Four Thirds.
The 40-150 and converter make more sense for me because I have so little use for a lens as long as the 100-400 Panasonic in what I do. If I did, the 35-100 would definitely make more sense. As it is, for my use the 40-150 f/2.8 replaces 2 lenses, a 35-100 f/2.8 and 200mm f/4 (if there was one). Glad you like the videos - I'll try to keep 'em comin' !
I'm never going to buy this lens, but I love your reviews so much that I watched the video anyways!
What can I say but thanks - very pleasing to me to hear that.
Another great review, thanks. I have this lens and mine has a stiff zoom ring, though yours looks a little stiffer. Finding moving birds in the sky at 400mm is almost impossible. Did get some close shots of the Goodyear blimp as it passed over my house a few days ago.
Thanks, David! Yes, with 16x mag, finding a fast moving subject is next to impossible and just as hard to keep in frame when you've found it.
The blimp, no I didn't get a shot of it. Too much heat haze over the Mohave between me in London and you in California. It didn't look 100% sharp so i deleted it. :-)
Just randomly foudn you. Very nice review with awesome narration! And Damn it! give us the Showoffy Condor PIX!!!
Thanks for an excellent review! I bought this lenses when it was released and used it a lot for bird photography and large insects like dragonflies and butterflies. It is wonderful. Makes me happy every time I take it out. And it is very reasonably priced compared to DSLR lenses.
Nice review. Wonderful lens. Thanks.
Ulf, what camera body do you like with this lens? Just curious as I may purchase another body soon. I currently use the G7. Thx!
Actually I use it with an OM-D EM 5 mkII so I am restricted to the lens O.I.S., but I an still get sharp shots at 1/100 400 mm. I use a battery grip with the camera, which helps balance the lens. The one weak point of the EM5 mk II is that focusing on birds in flight is not always successful, but the focus limiter on the lens helps a bit with that.
Thanks Ulf! Yes, the price is fair enough for what it is. And you have perfect uses for it, too.
Thanks! Yes, lovely lens.
Am I correct you were using the Olympus EM1? Do you know if the lens would be have any slower on my EM5 Mk2 with only contrast AF?
I used a Panasonic GX8 for most of the review. That uses Panasonic's DfD to aid the contrast focusing. The S-AF focusing on Panasonic cameras tends to be a bit better than Olympus overall. C-AF on your EM5 Mk2 would be less good than on the E-M1 since the E-M1 does use the PDAF as well as the contrast. The difference won't be huge but you'd get a higher percentage of off focus shots.
Having said that, an EM5 Mk2 with a skilled photographer will get better results with the 100-400 than a less good one with a 'better' camera. Keeping the focus area where you want it and predicting the subject's movement will always yield better results. Using a lens like the 100-400 will never be easy - that's one heck of a long focal length!
Excellent review David, Thanks.
Glad you like it, Tel, thanks.
Dear David Thorpe - Did you notice any advantage of GX80 (GX85 in US) over GX8 with this 100-400mm?
No, not really. I think there would be an advantage if you really took things to extremes, though.
Hi Dave, could you confirm detail regarding this 100-400mm lens. If you put this lens on the old e5 mk11 does the his work or not at all. I ask because my tests with other long lenses like sigma 150-500mm show that the in body is can't cope with these long focal lengths, does it make any difference with the old em1 mk11? regards
The 100-400mm works just as well on Olympus as Panasonic but the stabilization would be matter for experiment. Both body and lens stabilization will work very well but which would be better would be a moot point. I doubt that there would be much in it, actually, both well up to scratch.
In theory, in lens stabilization is better for long focal length lenses like this but I use a 300mm old Nikkor and find the body stabilization on the Olympus more than capable. For an old timer like me, the possibility to hand hold a 400mm let alone a 500mm, 20 times magnification lens is a minor miracle. The advice for binoculars is not to exceed 7x for hand holding!
Tried it at the weekend and the Olympus 5 axis was better than the lens IS. This was a surprise to me. Best settings were when the is was set to 300mm.
Interesting - thanks for the info. I suppose I'm not surprised because it is unlikely anything would improve on the Olympus stabilization. I read that in lens stabilization is better for very long lenses but I do tend to take those things with a pinch of salt because they are usually based in theory. The beauty of trying it for yourself is that whatever theory says, you know what works better for you personally. Which is what matters.
What is an "old" em1 mk11?
Thanks, David. I've been anticipating your review of this lens for awhile now. While I covet it, I probably don't shoot enough "aerial falcon drama over Machu Picchu" to merit it at this point. ;-)
When it comes out, I'd love to get your take on the new Olympus 30mm macro. Considering how often I used the 60mm 2.8, I'm relatively certain I'd get my money's worth out of that lens too.
Again, thank you so much for your thoughtful reviews. In my opinion, you produce the most thoughtful "real-world" photography gear reviews on RUclips.
Dustin
Thanks a lot, Dustin, I appreciate your remarks and especially the aerial falcon drama ;-) I'm interested that Olympus might out a 30mm macro. It's too short for most macro as I found withy the Panasonic one but has the advantage that it would double as a standard lens. If it is f/3.5 as rumoured it would potentially be cheaper and likely have extra sharp and flat field performance due to the limited maxim,um aperture.
Always enjoy your reviews...
Good to hear that Alvin and thanks for telling me!
"So here's some shots of a neighbours roof", classic. Did you study the radio life of Tony Hancock? Great stuff.
Yes, I know Hancock's shows. Some of that has definitely rubbed off on me. Hancock and the writers, Galton and Simpson were a dream team. No-one can forget when he goes to give blood and is irked that all he gets by way of thanks is a cup of tea. He wanted a medal for giving a pint of blood - "I mean, that nearly an armful". Brilliant stuff. That droopy, hangdog face!
Good review as always, David. Although I am sure we would all love to have seen the aerial combat pictures you ... helped us to imagine.
So you have seen through my cunning ploy :-) Glad you liked the reeiew!
Good old roof shots. Very enjoyable video david
Thanks Rodrigo!
Nice video. Did you ever try this lens with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II for bird photography. I need a camera with a smaller form factor on some of my wildlife trips. But I would not like to compromise on IQ and Autofocus tracking. I know both is involved, camera and lens. That is why I am asking.
Thanks, Stefan. I didn't have an E-M1 II while I had this lens and used it with a GX8. The follow focus was excellent with it (as per video). From my experience Panasonic lenses work just as well with the Olympus E-M1s as they do on Panasonic. Basically, the E-M1 II and 100-400mm are as good as it gets with Micro Four Thirds for birding. The G9 would perform much the same, too and with dual stabilization. While _the best_ DSLRs still have the finest CAF, Micro Four Thirds matches the rest and is faster on SAF. You'll likely make some compromise on focusing, therefore, but an experienced operator will do better with your preferred combination than a less good one with a top line DSLR.
I loved your review David !
Thanks !
Good Morning David... Have you had a chance to review the "new" Panasonic-Leica 50-200mm f/2.8-4 Lens yet? I would be curious to hear what you have to say... I know you have the 35-100mm f/2.8 and the Panasonic-Leica 100-300mm in your kit - BUT imagine this!!! Getting the 50-200mm lens AND a 2x teleconverter?!!! WOW!!! I would love to hear your opinion... As always I love your honest and thorough reviews very much... Keep up the excellent work!
Thanks, Mattheiu and good morning - I haven't tried the 2x converter but I have reviewed the 50-200 ruclips.net/video/A0PRQJYj0DY/видео.html. The 2x would be nice in terms of magnification on it but the loss of two stops means you have a 400mm f/8 at the long end which is a bit on the slow side for many of the situations where you might need a powerful telephoto. There's an inevitable loss of sharpness, too. A handy tool to have, nevertheless.
Just picked this lens up used during the recent Ebay sale, fortunately the zoom action is very smooth on my copy. Its noticeably heavier and bulkier than the 100-300, but the photos do seem to be sharper. With all the extras, and faster focusing, the 100-300 will definitely be going up for auction.
I think the zoom action is generally OK. That extra 100mm does give you an awful lot of extra reach. Not so long ago the idea that a lens with magnification of 16x was affordable by ordinary photogrphers would have seemed silly. Let alone a zoom!
as i see it has really good quality for that kind of lenses or i don't know what to compare to?
Another very good informative review David, I bought this lens a few weeks back and have found the zoom ring stiffness eases with use, my thoughts are that the zoom lock fails to release fully, living in Scotland though, I fancy my chances of catching eagles, kingfishers, or indeed superman, much greater than catching a heat haze.
Thanks Chris! Interesting observation about the zoom lock ring, hadn't thought of that. I have a horrible feeling that even if I were in Scotland I'd _still_ have a better chance a catching a heat haze than those uncooperative birds you mention. Even apart from birds, this lens would give some wonderful perspective effects on land and sea scapes.
dave am doing more aviation and motorsport photography but currently use use 40-150+ a TC is it worth the change? 400mm seems very useful
I suppose the question is whether you find the 210mm you have with the TC leaves you feeling you need more reach. 400mm is getting very specialist and such magnification gets very hard to handle with moving subjects. The Olympus Pro + TC is very versatile for all round photography other than sport etc where the 100-400 is more limited. I'd argue that the lenses are so different that unless you only photograph motorsport and aviation, you need both. Given the cost of that, keep in mind that at full stretch the Panasonic is 1½ stops slower than the Olympus + TC so the lower ISO the Olympus allows makes the result of cropping closer to the results of the uncropped 400. I guess what I'm saying is that unless you _really_ need the extra focal length, I'd stick with the 40-150. That 150mm @ f/2.8 is unique.
@@DavidThorpeMFT thank you for the reply Dave, i got into a pretty lenth debate on OMD owners forum last night and maybe due to my AF just being a little lazy as i still use the em1 mk1... so body upgrade will be a massive help
finally a proper review of this lens. certainly a lens which will end up in my bag very soon.
what camera did you use in this video?
I'm wondering if the af will Be just as good with my GH4 and em5?
Thanks Nicolas! Performance with the GH4 should be much the same as with the GX8 I used. I find the E-M5's continuous AF less certain than the Panasonic's (ditto the Pen F) so you get a higher off focus rate. Similar with AF-S, the Panasonic is that bit more certain with a higher hit rate.
Brilliant, thanks for your time. And thanks again for the great review :-)
Great review. How was this lens filming in 4K. For example in a moving car while on Safari; and is a tripod a must? I shoot 12-35 on the GH5 but find myself looking for a lens for zoom shots. Animals are not always with the 12-35 reach...I keep the 12-35 and GH5 on my Gimbal 90% of the time; Obviously different animals.
Thanks! The 10--400 works well for everything, especially on the GH5 with its excellent stabilization. You won't often need a tripod even for 400 end stuff, though I'd still use a tripod where I could, as a counsel of perfection. From a moving car, with your hand hold absorbing most of the violent movement (assuming a pot-holed track) and with care, the Dual IS will take care of it easily. Providing you aren't moving the camera during while shooting video, the I.S.Lock is incredible, an electronic tripod, though it is less effective with very long lenses. Still works well, though. Essentially, your GH5 and the 100-400mm is about the best available in any system for the purposes you outline. It is easy to forget that the 400mm with its 2.5° horizontal AoV is quite an extreme bit of glass. Most people wouldn't expect to handhold a 16x mag binoculars!
David, thank you for the info. I think this is a great set up. Looking at the 50-200 as well.. decisions. :)
I have a 50-200 on order - I'm very interested to try it. Much more of an all rounder than the 1-00-400.
David Thorpe it’s going to be a great lens; the 2.8-4.0 and versatile. Unfortunately I’m leaving next week for Australia and I cannot get this in time for the trip... I guess it will have to wait. I like the lower F 2.8; although shooting the 100-400 indoors or low light is unlikely for me; but at 400 it could get dark.
Shame it won't arrive in time for your trip - have a good trip though.
love your reviews. does this lens work well with olympus bodies?
Yes, it does. You won't have any use for the lens's inbuilt stabilization and in won't operate in dual mode in conjunction with the camera body. Hardly necessary, though, since the Olympus's IBIS is more than good enough on its own. I don't think twice about mixing and matching Olympus and Panasonic lenses and bodies.
Great Review as always or what you call it "a Look"..David... but what about the:Peak Design stuff...is it good?
Yes, I like the fittings because they mean I can use the same straps on all my cameras. They feel nicely secure, too.
Great review David, which one you recommend more the 300 F4 with teleconverter to 400 or 100-400 lumix?
Many thanks
The Olympus 300 f/4 is a fabulous lens especially with a converter but personally I'd prefer the Panasonic simply because at these long focal lengths a zoom is so much more practical. On the other hand, if you knew that 300mm or 420mm with converter would be suitable, the best results would come from the Olympus.
The problem comes when you have the 300mm mounted and the subject moves closer to you. With the prime, you have to physically move away. With the zoom, just turn the zoom ring. The simple answer to these problems is always the same and always as impractical - buy them both :-)
David, would you consider the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm to this lens, in terms of IQ. IS the the extra 100 mm worth the price ? I am an amateur planning to invest in a telephoto for wildlife. I have also bought you book on Panasonic g7 and I love it
The 100 - 300 has now been updated with POWER OIS and weather sealing amont other things. A better buy than ever! www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1304871-REG/panasonic_h_fsa100300_lumix_g_vario_100_300mm.html
no wonder its costing $647.99 now. I think every camera in this genre should have IS - it a criminal waste of having a tripod with such a tiny body.
David, thanks for the info! Awesome review. And I second Johny; where are the condors?????
I am far too modest too show them off, so fabulous are they 😉
David Thorpe haha, you're a gentleman and a scholar. 😜
A beautiful review.
Dude how did you zoom like that @2:09
I need electric zoom cause I have a handicap so I can't use my hands
Sorry, Martin, that a time lapse movie, lots of still frames with tiny incremental movements. Strung together they look like a movie. Not knowing exactly your hand problem, I can only say that both Panasonic and Olympus make power zoom lenses but they do still require some hand use. You can control the zoom from a phone app rather than the lens itself but I don't know that they'd be suitable for you. The Olympus 12-50 is a handy all purpose lens but does require hands on zooming.
@@DavidThorpeMFT have one 45-175 Panasonic but wants more zoom :/
@@MLKs No more power zoom that I know of - sorry!
Thanks for the high-quality review, David. I have one question about the constant focus segment: what camera body were you using for those bicyclist shots?
I used a GX8 for those, though the GX80 performs exactly the same. Panasonics are currently better than Olympus for those sort of shots. As I said, I'd thought that moving so much weight of glass for focusing might take the edge off the speed but no so.
The thing you mentioned about dialing it back to 100 to find your subject is why personally i like zooms at these really long focal lengths. The closest equivalents to this (in my brain) would be the Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 Contemporary on an APS-C DSLR like the 7D Mark II or D500, The Sigma is half the price (about) in the US but twice the weight... Of course you could also mount the Sigma onto a Sony a6300...I bought the Sigma for the record since I run both m4/3 and a Canon DSLR system at the moment
I sometimes regret not getting the Leica 100-400, but when i made the purchase it wasn't shipping and there were no reviews :( I also.. as good as the DFD is.. I still dont trust it the way i just trust my dslr yet. Then again, this lens is a lot less intimidating for outsiders compared to the 150-600!
How would you compare the 100-400mm f4-6.3 with the Sony RX10 IV with it's lens reaching 600mm f2.4-4.0 for optical quality? I generally use the Sony for zoo shots and prime lenses and wide angle zoom for my Panasonic GX85.
The Sony's sensor is about half the size of the Micro Four Thirds one so will exhibit less good image quality, just as Micro Four Thirds sensors have less good IQ than full frame cameras. The Son's is aso a super zoom which always involves more optical compromise. This is ameliorated somewhat by the ability to tailor a fixed zoom to its exact conditions of use vis a vis the camera body and mounting. The focal length range of the zoom goes up to 220mm, giving the angle of view of a 600mm lens on FF, whereas the 400mm of the Panasonic equates to 800mm. Thus, the Panasonic at the extreme end will give a bigger image onto a larger sensor. That is inevitably going to yield better iQ all round.
Balanced against that, if you view on a tablet,phone or even a desktop monitor you are not going to see a great deal of difference. To really see the improvement you have to make large prints or view on a huge monitor or intend to crop heavily. I personally wouldn't consider the purchase of a £1200 _necessary_ but if I had the money without too much of a scrape, I'd be tempted!
Okay, thanks!
David, I too was thrilled to see that you looked at this lens. I have been waiting for a good review! I am also pleased that it impressed you. I enjoyed your humor on bird shots. Tack sharp images of a Condor vs Eagle aerial fight would probably pay for the lens!! I noticed you showed an Olympus body attached to it. You also said you tried it on a GX8 which I have. I am guessing image quality was equal?
I will probably show ignorance here, but isn't a 200-400 mm lens in M 4/3's really a 400-800 mm 35 mm equivalent? This means to me that the lens actually gives you 32X power at the 400 mm setting. The fact you can get goods shots at 1/30 sec shutter speeds is truly amazing and a testament to the stabilization system. Will I buy it? I hope to. Yellowstone beckons. But I have a water well to take care of first and they don't call it a well for nothing! Thank again for the great review.
Yellowstone with this lens sounds like a dream to me!
With the magnification, it's 16x magnification because a standard lens on Micro four Thirds is 25mm. So 400/25=16x. It has the _equivalent angle of view_ of an 800mm lens on FF but since a standard lens for FF is 50mm, 800/50=16x. Glad you liked the review!
Ok, but I can take a picture with my FZ150 zoomed to show 11X, Then take a picture with my GX8 and my lens set at 140mm (280mm 35 mm equiv). Side by side the shots look pretty much equivalent on my PC with same viewer. So I say my lens set at 140mm on the GX8 is 11.2X [140 x 2 x 4/100 = 11.2X (my formula)]. Now whether either picture is actually 11X may be another story. I am just believing what my FZ150 shows on its display.
So is this coincidental or am I beyond hope?
All lenses of a given focal length give the same image size. So if you put a 400mm lens on an FF camera and it fills the frame with an object 1000mm wide, on a Micro four Thirds camera it will fill the frame with an object 500mm wide and if the sensor size is half the size of Micro Four Thirds an object 250mm across will fill the frame. In every case the image size is the same.
The magnification is not absolute like image size, but relative to the sensor size. A 400mm is 8x on a FF camera, 16x on a Micro Four Thirds and 32x ona camera with a sensor half Micro Four Thirds size. Again, in every case, the image size remains the same.
Thanks for indulging me. I did find: Magnification = [(35mm equivalent focal length of lens)/50 mm]. The 50mm value matches what we see with our eyes more or less. That confirms what you are trying to tell me.
Great video - but how did you get the lens to turn and zoom all by itself? Are you practiced in telekinesis as well as teleconverters?
Yes, pure mind power taught to me by my guru, Rafsan....oh, ok then - the animation facilities on Micro Four Thirds cameras are really good :-)
Haha :). I think your advice at the end was spot on here by the way. I really wanted this lens but actually I'd probably very rarely use it. I'm going to save up for an Olympus 7-14 Pro instead I think. Thanks and keep the great work coming!
Thanks Chris - Those Olympus Pro zooms really are something special and the 7-14 is of much more general use than the 100-400.
Any tips for shooting the solar eclipse using Lumix G7 and lens selection ?
It's not something I've ever tried but you will need some very heavy ND filters of about 20X (or lesser ones stacked), I'd think to rein in exposure and avoid damaging the sensor. The 100-400 should be just fine, starting out at 400mm and maybe backing off as necessary when the corona appears, since that is bigger than the sun itself. You can actually get various very, very dense plastic films to do the job of the filter(s). I'd be inclined to do a test run on the direct sun but be very careful to use the monitor for viewing rather than the EVF. I'd shoot RAW to give maximum flexibility in PP. It'll be difficult to focus, so maybe focus on the moon and mark true infinity on the lens or tape it in position on a day beforehand. Exposure wise, If you establish a correct exposure previously for the naked sun, that should do as a guide for most of the sequence.
It's year since I did such a shot but I recall using two layers of Tri-X film unexposed and developed right out to blackness as a filter. In other words, very dense! 400mm may be a little short, possibly 500-1000 could be better but the eclipse is more than just the totality, it's a long sequence. If you are in a suitable spot it might be nice to get some stuff of the landscape around you as the sun in eclipsed - a most strange sort of lighting, though whether the strangeness is allied to the sudden coldness and quietness of birds and wildlife rather than purely visual I'm not sure! I wish the eclipse was going to be visible form the UK as well.
Anyone with useful ideas or preferably experience, please weigh in. My observations could usefully be made more precise.
Thanks for the great review David. Now I'm considering flipping a coin with this lens of the Oly 40-150 + tele converter! I do like the brightness & feel of the f2.8 Olympus product, but the sheer reach of this Panasonic is also very attractive. Cheers.
Thanks! Decisions decisions! As I said in the video, the Olympus's range from 40 to 210 with the converter is much more usable generally than the more extreme 100-400. Portraiture even at 100mm is putting you too far away from your subject. The answer is simple, just buy them both :-)
Indeed, that would be nice! I'll buy the Olympus and a mate is buying the Panasonic, so we have both covered. Again, great review thank you.
Well David, I've just taken delivery of the Oly lens - and I must say it's the first time I've had images from a digital camera that I can say is not bad compared to film. Just wanted to say thank you for your boundless enthusiasm and influence with your reviews & recommendations. . Cheers, Frank.
Yes, a truly wonderful lens. I use mine at f/2.8 a lot of the time without a qualm. I've just been using it for portraits and knocked out with the ease of use and quality.
Thanks for the review. If ever I had the money, I'd get this for sure, since I am into wildlife photography but find the quality at 300mm on the 100-300mm isn't very sharp. I have seen that Sigma "Sigmonster" lens before, its huge but without stabilisation its hard to use, even with a tripod. I know many people don't like crops, but this is where M4/3 as you said is great, you don;t have to use such large lenses to get the same focal lengths you would on a full frame or ASP-C camera. BTW, I'd love to see those show offy shots, they sound very interesting!
If only the show offy shots existed! Just my way of getting around the fact that bird photography is absurdly difficult and trying to joke my way out of it! The 100-300mm, yes, the weakest point is at the 300mm end. I get good results with an old 300mm Nikkor and adapter but even though manual focusing is quite easy with it, I wouldn't care to go birding with it. The good news is, I paid just £145 for the lens and £20 for the adapter.
Neat presentation
Thanks you, Sundar.
miss you, David.
Please remind us which Olympus body you used for these examples. I've been saddened that the demo photos from this lens on a Panasonic GX8 body didn't approach the sharpness of the Olympus 300mm prime on an OM-D5 MkII body - but that's an apples to oranges comparison given the OMD-5 MkII's lack of anti-aliasing filter and the OM-D JPEG engine's aggressive approach to sharpening.
I used a GX8 for the sharpness examples. No reason except it was to hand. I've never noticed any difference in sharpness between Panasonic and Olympus in my (for want of a better word) tests but for those I shoot RAW and open directly to Photoshop and then save to jpg at max quality. No sharpening or tweaking of _any_ kind.
Shots I did on the E-M1, Pan F and GX80 for that matter all showed an excellent lens in sharpness terms. I'd expect a much more expensive prime to be better but whether that means anything in practical terms I doubt.
I have the Olympus 300mm f4 and rented this 100-400 and without a doubt, the Olympus is sharper...and of course brighter. That said, the versatility of a zoom like this one is
important to us nature shooters, as there are times I wish I could instantly back up 10 steps to get the entire bird/animal in the shot.
David, Hi. Any suggestions when using this lens for Air show photography please. IOS on or off, Camera IBIS on or off (Olympus OMD1 Mk 2) When using C AF it hunts the same in C AF Trk.
Hi Steve. If you are using a high shutter speed, over 1000th, say, stabilization might as well be off. If you are filling the frame with a fast moving plane, and AFC is necessary, it'll free up processing power for tracking, too.
Use as small a focus area as you can. The bigger the focusing grid, the more decision making is left to the camera and the slower and less accurate it will be. Often the most effective way of doing fast aerial shots is to pan the camera from side to side, up and down following its movement. That way you can keep the focus area on the plane and the camera should cope easily since it is occupying the same area of the screen most of the time. Zooming while following the action will throw the focusing off so set the zoom length and stay with it. Or give the camera time to pick up the subject again after doing so.
The bigger the plane in the frame, the better focusing will be. With skilful panning, a plane doing several hundred miles an hour needs no more than 1/125th or even 1/60th and if there is any background in the pic, even clouds, the pan blurring gives a great impression of speed. Unfortunately, the ultimate answer is practise and familiarity with the equipment.
Thank you sir. With the Air Tattoo this weekend I will give all you suggest a try. I do have my DLSR and big lenses but want something a lot smaller hence the OMD-1 and this lens.
Have fun, Steve.
Totally my favourite Vlogger, I'm very new to photography and in at the deep end with a gh4 and most of the LUMIX lenses I feel like I've learned a lot from your videos and always look forward to your wit and subtle humour. Having trained as a TV presenter I would expect you could be an instant hit if you fancied being the other side of the lens. Either way sincerely thank you and please keep up the great work!
Ps. How did you film the rotation of the lenses with no hands in shot? I suspect some kind of green screen but the movement was very smooth and mechanical which makes me wonder?
Ben Sturge I'm guessing its the stop motion feature you can get built-in on the Panasonic M43 camera bodies.
Thanks so much Ben and it really pleases me that my videos are helpful As K Feeney says, I use the stop motion facility on the Panasonics. I operate the camera via my phone or tablet so that i can sit beside the lens to be rotated. The stop motion facility will either fire the frames every 5 seconds or whatever you want or you can fire the shutter singly from the phone. Stop motion overlays the last frame you took on screen so you can judge how far to rotate the lens each time. Then the camera will assemble the frames into an .mp4 for you at a choice of frame rates. It's time consuming to do but well worth it!