Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. Lens
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BUY AT YOUR PERIL
My Leica 100-400 was mounted to a G9 when someone accidentally pushed it off of a chair, falling less than 16 inches. Not only did the lens mount, made of plastic, snap off, it left a gouge in the camera body, and the sensor was scratched. Both lens and camera a complete write-off, and neither was yet a year old. In over 3 decades of owning Canon DSLRs with large L zooms, they've taken a knocking without ever suffering such damage. And if they ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Fabulous lens
I am very pleased with the results I am getting from this lens. Yes, I have to turn off IS on my Olympus OMD EM1X, but the quality of the photos is fabulous. Before switching to Olympus, I used a Canon 100-400ii with a 1.4x converter and this is a fabulous replacement.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Has a Achilles heel
I was getting ready to pack this for a trip. As I picked it up the camera very lightly hit the side of my soft suitcase and the lens mount exploded. It turns out that the steel flange is screwed into a plastic housing with steel screws, and the whole thing is an accident waiting to happen. Completely unacceptable for a lens meant for wildlife photography. Panasonic wants $813 to repair it. Look it up online, and you will see that this has happene... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
This lens produces crisp pictu
I know this lens costs a lot but I have been using it for a while on birds flying and stopped elk Buffalo insects ECT .I am verry glad I bought it it has stabilisation that mates to my lumix g9.these are a winning combo.ill never get rid of either of them
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Sharp lens with great IS.
Solid quality construction, very sharp, and amazing image stabilization coupled with my G9. Vastly better than the Panasonic 100-300 that I replaced with the Panasonic/Leica 100-400.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good performance but some worry
The lense seems to produce good IQ throughout its range. From what Ive read, there is an issue with unrepairablility if the mount end of the lens if damaged. Panasonic is offering to extend the warranty to 3 years. That is fine but when I went to the page and tried to sign up for it, the page freezes when I clicked submit. Ive tried it twice with no success.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
great lens. sharp and seriously long.
One of the things I like about using Micro Four Thirds is the compact size. This lens is not that large but has a great focal length. The images are sharp and stable.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent lens for m4/3
I knew it is a great choice for my needs to photograph birds but really was surprised by the exceptional service and fast delivery to an over seas customer 1 week is outstanding, It made me love the lens more. Thanks B&H online service
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Wonderful Range
This is a wonderful lens to have in your bag. It has incredible range and impeccable stabilization, especially with dual IS with the GH5. I would definitely recommend for surfing, wildlife, & anything else that needs a super telephoto. With GH5 or G9, I can be at 400mm and still shoot semi decent handheld video at 60fps with dual IS.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Debunking the zoom issue
Let me start by saying that I am a semi-professional photographer. My main focus is wildlife, landscape, and fine art photography. I am not a wedding or event photographer. I have been published in numerous publications (Yankee Magazine, Audubon Report, Newspapers, books, calendars etc.). My photography has also won numerous awards. This past winter I was facing surgery. I knew my activities would be limited for a while due to surgery. So I start... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Panasonic 100-400
This lens is not compatible with EM 1 Markii. Verify with Olympus if you dont believe me. Your camera mount will need to be adjusted to accomdate this lens which requires you to send it in for service.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great Leica quality lens.
This lens is extremely well made and very sharp. I see several design flaws however as mentioned by other reviews. The lens collar should rotate 360 degrees for easier operation. The tripod foot should be cut for the Arca-Swiss quick release tripod heads. Having the entire mount/ring remove may be desirable also. The zoom ring is tight as others have mentioned. I read that the Lumix mount had some ridge of excess metal on the ears of the lens mou... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent sharp tele zoom lens
I had the Olympus 300mm F4 lens which was a ted sharper at 300mm than this lens at 400mm, but comparing the two using a 1.4x on the Olympus lens differencewas negligiblebetween the two. This lens is more than sharp enough for me and with a lot more flexibility. Using it with the Lumix DC G9 camera and having dual IS is absolutely fabulous. I can soot easily 1/125 sec at 400mm (800 equivalent in FF) with tack sharp images. I love this combination.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Un-repairable
Yep, this beautiful baby got dropped. And though it was secure in my well-padded camera bag, the mount broke. When I looked at it I was horrified to see that this lens is held on to the camera with cheap silver-colored plastic. Had Square Trade insurance on it, thank goodness. But, Square Trade notified me that this is un-repairable. They are sending me a reimbursement check. As tempting as this far-reaching lens is, I would never buy this again. Oh, and just FYI, AS the mount broke it apparently touched the unprotected camera sensor and now it is scratched. Just. dont. buy.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Better than I expected
This is a great lens that produces great quality photos. I purchased this lens before I went on safari hoping that it would be worth the investment and it was! I did find out the hard way that at long range of the focal length lens filters degrade the quality and almost make photos unusable. After removing the filterI was more than satisfied with the quality even shooting handheld at 400mm. My only complaint about the design and/or quality is how stiff the collar is to rotate. There is no way around that design flaw. Its very stiff and I have missed shots while fumbling with the lens.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great for my application
Sharper and lighter than the 12-60 with a 1.4x and adaptor that I'm replacing. Focus is fast. The limitations are more my subjects and motion rather than the lens (birds in flight or birds in foliage are tricky, so I take more shots to up my odds). I use the camera's IS so I don't have to remember to switch it back when changing lenses. I'm still amazed the images are this sharp hand-held at such an extreme telephoto range.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Not for me
I have the standard Panasonic 12-60 lens for my Lumix G9 and really enjoyed shooting over 2500 images in Eastern Europe. I usually carry my Nikon D850 and the 28-300 lens, but lived not having the weight compared to the G9. Purchased the Leica 100-400 for a birding trip to Arizona and unfortunately this lens was terrible. I might get a tack sharp image on a ratio of 1 to 16...which is terrible for shooting birds. Called B&H and I will sent the ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
nice sharp lens .... large telephoto in small package
Nice sharp lens .. I use this on an EM1 Mkii and it works well. Fast focus .... very compact and light for a lens in this range. only complaint: manufacturers, please make a tripod foot with built in Arca Swiss mount so an additional plate is not necessary!!
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Heavy, solid and good quality
It is the best you can get for mirrorless micro four thirds in a zoom from 100 to 400mm. There is a locking mechanism that makes the zoom function stiff or easy to move. The unlocked position is still stiffer than a smaller lens but OK for me. The lens is heavy but how can that be avoided? It seems solid and takes very good pictures. The lens stabilization and Pansonic GH5 stabilization together are exceptional. You really do not need a tripod for pictures. I bought mine locally but B&H would be a good way to go. The attached moon shot was handheld.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A beautiful lens.
Not a perfect match to my Olympus OM-D EM-1 mark II but does all that I expected. A beautiful lens from 100mm - 400mm. And the price from B&H was right.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Unrepairable
I found the lens separated from my GH5 in the camera bag. I found that the metal mounting flanges had broken. No big deal, 5 screws and replace the mounting flange...right? The McAllen repair facility says the lens is unrepairable. The gentleman I spoke with said that there is a ribbon cable attached to the flange (not sure this is true) and that the lens is thermo-molded during manufacture so it is not repairable. Then the offer to replace it fo... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Repairs no longer possible
The focus mechanism on my 100-400 failed. I have been advised by Panasonic that they are no longer making the repair kit to fix it. So I loved this lens, but it's hard to recommend if it can never be repaired.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Didn't fit on my Oly body!
I'd suggest buying this only if you can check your copy in person and the store has a favorable return policy. Mine was beset with problems, including that it would not fit on one of my Oly bodies that I use the most, as many internet posts say. Who knows if it would fit on any future models? Poor quality control for a lens this expensive. I really wanted to like this lens but who knows what problems might pop up in the future. Best wishes!
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
This is a great telephoto lens for micro 4/3 cameras
I have a Panasonic Lumix camera and have been using the Lumix 100-300 mm zoom for photographing birds. I was intrigued by this lens, but put off by the price. I finally sprang for it, and was able to use it on a vacation trip recently. It is a beautiful lens. There are some comments in the reviews about it being too stiff to zoom, but I suspect that at least some of those are coming from people who forgot to twist the lock off before trying to zo... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
