Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. Lens
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Best mirrorless wildlife lens, period
This lens is so exceptional, that I actually adopted a second camera system just to use it. Let me explain. My daily driver, with which I am mightily pleased, is a Sony a7rII. Love everything about it except for the lack of native zoom power. Then, when my wife adopted the Olympus em10 mark II, and we were on vacation, my 70-300mm Sony Zoom failed. I really had no choice except to use her Olympus 42mm-150mm zoom (which yields the equivalent of 30... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Best mirrorless telephoto bar none
I've been shooting mirrorless for a while now with a Sony a7RII and have been disappointing only with the availability of great native telephoto lenses specifically for birds. My wife started shooting recently with an Olympus EM10-II, and I was so impressed with her results that I put this Leica on my Christmas list. I have been nothing less than blown away with the results, using this lens with a new Olympus camera. The range limiter doesn't wor... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent lens
Switched from Canon to micro 4/3 for nature and wildlife photography and I am loving it. The smaller gear is much easier to handle in the field and not much sacrificed in quality. The only reason I'm giving this 4 instead of 5 stars is because the zoom ring is a little tight.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Very Good Amateur Lens
IF you demand images that are comparable with top quality full-frame cameras, then you shouldnt be using a Micro 4/3s camera! Capturing an image that is only one-quarter the size of full-frame means that good quality full-frame cameras using good quality lenses will always beat the Micro 4/3s competitor. No matter how good the Micro 4/3s system gear is (or will become) the inherent limitations of the system means that you can always do better IF ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
It's me not the lens.
I think this is going to be a great addition to my lens lineup, but it will take some practice to get the kind of wildlife shots I've been hoping for. It's not all about the glass. On the plus side, the good shots are very good. As others have mentioned, the zoom is very stiff, especially for my small hands. That said, I bought this to shoot birds and wildlife from a distance, so I doubt zooming will be a big issue. The one other downside is the weight. It is by far the heaviest lens I own. If my object were anything other than wildlife it would not be worth it. Still hoping for great things.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Panasonic 100-400, Update after several months
The one item I've seen referred to in many reviews is the zoom stiffness. I can report that after several months of fairly steady use by my bird photographer spouse, the zoom action has loosened up noticeably. There's a bit more stiffness at the 300-400 part of the range than in 100-300, but it's now actually practical to use the zoom lock at times. Otherwise, the lens continues to impress with its stunning sharpness, stabilization, and ease of c... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Mediocre
This lens, after having used it on a wildlife shooting trip to South Africa and Botswana for two months on a Panasonic GH 4 body for video and stills, was disappointing my expectations and sometimes even frustrating. Although I would rate the optical rendition as good to very good in the 100 - 300 mm range, handling and performance in the field on a GH4 body isn't more than mediocre, to say the least. The greatest flaw in mechanical design: You c... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great but?
Optically this lens exceeds my expectations; which is why I give it 5 tars. However some of the design features I question. 1. The lock and unlock switch really doesn't work that well and it's confusing when your locked or unlocked. 2. Has anyone used this lens in winter? Try grasping the lens hood knob; tiny is not the word for it. 3. Others have talked about the space between tripod mount and lens; you have to adapt to turning the lens from the... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good Lens
I photograph birds primarily. I can't afford an 800mm prime. This lens on my micro 4/3rds camera gets me close. I have been using it for a week and have had no problems.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Best Long Telephoto for Micro 4/3
Three years ago I decided to switch from a Canon DSLR with an APS-C sensor body to an Olympus OM-D E-M1 micro 4/3 body. My favorite subjects were wildlife using a Canon 600mm, f4 lens. I knew when I switched to the micro 4/3 system I would not have available at the time the telephoto reach that I had enjoyed with the Canon equipment. The Canon 600mm lens with the APS-C body and a 2x teleconverter provided a (35mm) equivalent focal length of a who... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Just what I hoped for
I felt that this was a bit of a risky purchase, based on some early reviews regarding zoom stiffness and of course the usual M43 skeptics. This lens was meant as an upgrade for the Panasonic 100-300, which has been a serviceable lens for the past couple of years, used with OM-D 5 and now a 5 MkII. It's primary use is nature/bird photography, and the upgrade is remarkable. The autofocus is extremely fast, accurate, and silent, and the lens sharpne... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Love it!
I bought this lens to complete my kit and use with my GX8; I had previously tried some of the Panasonic 100-300 options, but found them lackluster. So I decided to give this a whirl, and am I glad I did! I admit, when I first received it, I wasn't particularly impressed. But then I went on vacation and had an opportunity to put this lens through its paces shooting wildlife and lavender fields. On a tripod, the shots are majestic; but even handhel... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
An exceptional long lens for m4:3
I have been very pleased with this lens. It is amazingly compact for it's range and reach, and very light as well. I like the cleverly designed tripod foot and controls. Optically it is quite good. It tested very well for me. The OIS is nothing short of amazing and it's possible to make hand held shots with this lens that I would normally never attempt. I've seen complaints about the stiffness of the zoom, but my sample is not unusually stiff. I ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Simply the best!
Fantastic image quality at all f stops including wide open. Perfectly balanced for mtf bodies, well build, and build to go were you go, hot cold, rain of snow. I have problem taking this lens out in any weather. A nice short buildin lens shade, handy when using rotating filters like polarizers and grads. Included full size shade attaches to the build in shade with a locking screw. Rotating tripod mount. When it rotates the lenses control switches... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Zoom movement was too stiff
One star because I found the lens to be unusable...the zoom action was way too stiff. Basically, you set the focal length and you are stuck with that setting. I have other zooms, the Leica Lumix 12-35, the Leica lumix 35-100, the pany 45-200 and the pany 100-300. All of these have a nice feel and you can zoom the lens while looking through the viewfinder. But not this new 100-400. It takes two hands to zoom the lens, i.e., change the focal length... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Better than expected
Optically, this lens surprised me and it is better than I expected it would be. At 400mm wide open, I don't really notice much difference, center to edge, on a GX8 shooting at distant mountain scenes. I mainly use this lens for birds and animals and my lens/camera sometimes has difficulty nailing the focus on small, distant birds, but this is to be expected. One thing to note: the lens manual says to turn off the lens OIS, but I have tested this ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Yes
Use mainly for wildlife, this lens is amazing, with all the lens I have owned this is by far the best, it is not stiff to use, make sure you have the lens lock off. worth the money
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent lens!
Much improved performance over my old Lumix 100-300. Especially when combined with the GX-8. Sharp and fast, with hand-held shots almost routine. Worth it if you can afford it.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
This is the lens I've been waiting for.
I use this lens with the GX8 body and they work very well together for the landscape and nature photography that I enjoy. I've only used this lens on a bean bag or handheld to this point but will attach to a tripod and do more thorough testing soon. I was surprised to be able to get some very nice results handheld at 400 mm in late day lighting. The lens is very well made and the controls are just about right for my use. The only issue I found was that in very low lighting this body-lens combination struggled to focus.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Perfect
Its nice when you buy something that is expensive and after using it realize it was worth every penny. I had previously used the lumix 100-300 lens and returned it because it was so hard to get sharp shots at the longer end of the zoom range. Not so with the 100-400. Pictures across the zoom range are sharp - the image stabilization seems to work extremely well even at modest shutter speeds (1/100-1/200 sec). It works quite well even hand held which is quite an accomplishment.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Fine lens. I'd buy it again.
There is not a lot to say that can add to what other users have posted. My wildlife photos may not be a perfect match for those taken with a $13,000 Canon, but I think I'll come close enough! But, maybe with the Dual I.S. and hand holding I'll be getting the shots the Canon owner misses while they are setting up their massive tripods and gimbals.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Far superior to the 300mm lens
Spent part of my tax refund on this lens, bought at store but the girl at the B&H store helpfully suggested that they ship it to me. It arrived in one piece a couple of weeks before my trip to South Africa, so not much practice before my trip. I'm only an intermediate-level photographer, who only just began to use A or S mode this year. However, I'm pretty used to Manual Focus on my wildlife shots before. For me, this lens was pretty easy to get ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Really excellent lens
I posted test images at https://jimrome.smugmug.com/Micro-43-Lens-Tests/PanasonicLeica-100400mm-f4063/. I used this on my DMC-GX8. With the dual image stabilization, things are quite sharp. I also advise using a minipod, with 2 of the 3 arms up on your chest to steady things. But you will want to think twice before lugging this around. The Panasonic 100-300mm is about half the weight, but nowhere near as sharp and contrasty.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Quality Lens
I shoot this lens hand-held on Olympus E-M1. I was deliberating whether to get Olympus 300mm f4 or this Panasonic 100-400mm lens and ended up going with the latter (with no regrets). The reasons for choosing this lens over the Olympus 300mm f4 was: 1. Lower cost 2. Greater flexibility due to a wider focal range 3. Providing extra reach without the teleconverter Overall my experience is as follows. The lens is very sharp and can be shot wide-open.... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
