Hi Dan
Lovely blog and great pictures.
I am planning to get into M43 system and there is one question i wanted to ask. Panasonic zoom 100-400 or Olympus 300 F4 ? You have used them both right?
Also want your inputs on the zoom stiffness problem that i see mentioned everywhere on the net. Has it been rectified, or is it not a problem at all to begin with…
Regards and appreciation,
Anurag
Anurag, First of all, please accept my apology for taking so long to answer this great question. I’ve been running behind on answering ” Questions for Dan” due to my travel schedule and a glitch in our Blog software. We have the software glitch figured out so I’m confident I’ll be able to do a better job in the future.
Regarding which lens would I recommend, the Leica 100-400mm or the Olympus 30mm F/4? That’s a great question since both have their pluses and minuses. I’m actually a good one to ask since I bought and regularly use both. I will say that due to the convenience of the 100-400mm’s multiple focal lengths, I most often reach for that lens. However, there are times, typically when the light is less than ideal, I first reach for the faster Olympus. Below is a list of the Pros and Cons to each,
Leica 100-400mm
Pros:
- Multiple focal lengths from 200-800mm equivalent
- Relatively lightweight and compact for the magnification is provides
- Very sharp
- Dual IS with Lumix GH5 and G85 cameras
- Very high-quality build
- Relatively inexpensive compared to Olympus and any major brand lens in the 600-800mm range
Cons:
- Slow maximum aperture of F/6.3 at 400mm (800mm equivalent) Not great in poor light.
- Stiff zoom mechanism
- Tripod collar that only rotates 45 degrees. Great for verticals one direction but not the other
- Image stabilization switch is easy to accidentally switch off. I tape mine. It could use a lock button.
Olympus 300mm F/4
Pros:
- Equivalent to a 600mm F/4 at a 30mm F/4 size
- Relatively lightweight and compact for the magnification is provides
- Extremely sharp!
- Can use Olympus 1.4X teleconverter that is also very sharp with 30mm F/4. Gives you 840mm equivalent
Cons:
- $700.00US more expensive than 100-400m
- No ability to have multiple focal lengths like zoom has.