Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. Lens
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Excellent images, far too stiff
I am a bird photographer and videographer and I have been excited about the prospect of owning this lens for some months. The first one I had was so stiff that I had to return it. YES, I did have the barrel unlocked! The replacement zoomed in much more smoothly, but zooming in was jerky and stiff. I had to return this one, too. I feel bereft. All I have left is my 100-300mm Panasonic lens which has never been very good.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Beautiful, sharp, natural color photos, great zoom reach
The zoom allowed me to follow the wildlife and as the animal came closer, I was able to keep it in the frame.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Awesome lens with great range and very sharp end to end
I was concerned with this purchase as the early indications from photog review sites showed the lens was not sharp. Panasonic & Leica seemed to recognize this and held up release of the lens to make appropriate adjustments. Knowing this & seeing a late and very positive review after it was finally released I took a chance and ordered it once it became available. Thank goodness I did that because this is a wonderful addition to our lens collection... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
very good performance so far
I pair this lens with a GX8. The two work together without a glitch. The lens appears to be sharp at all apertures and distances, at least in the center (which is where most will want it I would imagine). It balances very well with the camera. The size and weight of course are amazing. I had not shot to any extent with a telephoto lens beyond 500 mm equivalent and the reduction in the field of view at the 600 - 800 equivalent lengths does create ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
still debating whether to send this back
On paper the lens looks good and its reach would certainly be an addition to anyone's camera bag. Up to 300 mm, I didn't see any image quality above my 75-300. I'm not convinced the extra 100 mm is worth the cost of this lens. This lens is very heavy and certainly goes against why I got into m43 in the first place. While it may be smaller than comparable non-m43, it is huge and it is heavy. Look at the specs. It feels much heavier than it looks o... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Outstanding Value
This lens is the same size as the Nikon 24-70mm FX lens except that the field of view is 200-800mm. That is incredible. Because of the Image stabilization and lightness of the lens, it is easily hand held at 800mm. It's very sharp and it is only 1/3 of a stop slower than F5.6 at 800mm. You get all this for a cost that is much lower than an 800mm FX equivalent The zoom ring is stiff but for what you getting, what is there to complain about? If pan... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Well worth the Money
Autofocus at 800mm! Only 1/3 of a stop slower at F6.3 than full frame equivalents. Optics are very sharp. Lens is small and light compared to a full frame 800mm, and this all for $1797! What's not to like. Best deal in town. Only drawback is a stiff zoom ring and that is the reason for only 4 stars; but, for the price and the performance of the lens, it's a small annoyance to live with.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
The best lens for wildlife and sports photography. Barr None
I was once a Nikon D3s owner with a Nikon 600mm AFS II VR lens. Due to a serious car accident that has disabled me and made it impossible to carry such heavy gear, I thought my wildlife photography was over. With this lens it might be possible to resume my favourite pastime. Albeit less aggressively. This lens has every bit of sharpness that any of the big Professional zooms. It's focus is faster than those lenses, and the weight makes it easier ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great lens for wildlife and flowers
I purchased this lens to replace an aging Panasonic 100-300. I was looking for better image quality and auto focus that could keep up with the 9 frames per second continuous auto focus on my Olympus E-M1. I got all I wanted, and more. Not only is this lens great for long range critters and birds, but it is fantastic for close work with flowers and bugs. Worth every penny.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great lens
Exceptional lens. Very solid build. Locking mechanism is weird. Lens zooms locked or unlocked. Stabilization works very well.
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Soft Focus
Used on Olympus OMD EM1. returned lens due to soft focus, unsharp images. Had AF adjusted to +8 to no avail., the long end 400mm was soft.
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Everything as advertised.
My wildlife photography has been a lot easier with the 100-400. The dual stabilization with the GX8 is excellent, but the OIS alone on the GH4 body is also outstanding. Detail is easy to get in the feathers of birds and telephoto macro shots are better than I have experienced before. If you enjoy using telephoto lenses, this is the one to get. It weighs a little more than the 100-300, but a monopod can help carry the load and for the quality of the images this lens produces, I can ignore the added weight.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Superb lens
A great improvement over the old 100-300mm lens. Image quality is terrific - very sharp and clear images. Autofocus speed and accuracy very impressive. Image stabilization excellent. Weight is heavier but fine, nicely balanced. Quality of lens is very nice - smooth manual focus and zooming. Nice extra features such as zoom lock and tripod mount. Price - definitely worth it.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Expected better, but it works
It's cheap plastic, just like the 100-300. For $1800 I was expecting a more solid feel. I suppose they used plastic to keep the weight down. Why put a tripod foot on that isn't the standard Arca-Swiss? It's useless to me. Fortunately, the lens is light enough that I can put the GH4 body on the tripod and I don't feel like the weight of the lens is stressing the joint. It does have very fast and quiet focus. Because of the cheap plastic, the zoom isn't silky smooth. That isn't a big deal for me as it seemed to be to a previous reviewer.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Leica Quality Through and Through
I bought this lens because of its reach and because of my positive experience with Leica glass. I am not disappointed! The build quality is excellent and the lens is easy to hold and operate. I use it with the Panasonic GX8. I am not a birder so I typically use the lens handheld for action shots like surfing, landscapes, sunsets and other interesting things that show up where I live in Hawaii. I like capturing shots of planes and boats and I live... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent optics, very stiff zoom
I was planning to use it mostly for wild life. I was very please with the IQ and fast focus but I returned the lens due to excessive zoom stiffness. The high friction makes it hard to adjust the zoom. In addition, the lens was rotating slightly in the bayonet mount every time I reversed rotation on the zoom. Making fine zoom adjustment even more unpleasant to do. After using it for a day, I started not to use the zoom anymore and using it at 400m... Show More
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Just what we've been waiting for
This rounds out the Panasonic MFT system so that we can shoot wildlife with a quality telephoto lens
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Well built lens with good sharpness.
While this lens does not equal the new Olympus 300mm f/4 lens (I Have both lenses) it is very sharp and with a touch of extra sharpening I can not tell the difference. However my lens, but I heard from other people who also have this problem, has a slight back focusing issue at 300-400mm. In my Olympus E-M1 I have to use -10 AF adjustment for the lens to get the sharpest images this lens can produce. I certainly hope that Panasonic will fix this issue with firmware update.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Solid Lens
Lens is very new to me have only shot with it on 2 occasions. Things I like: Great zoom 800mm on my Olympus OMD - EM1 Weight and size is very manageable Nice and sharp when shooting with good light Focus speed is adequate Things I am not so fond of: Not great performance in low light especially zoomed out at F6.3 Built in lens hood is very short The locking mechanism does not fully lock all of the time (works sometimes)
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Short time with it, very impressed
I spent maybe an hour with this lens at my local camera shop, on my blackmagic pocket cinema. I usually have a very hard time nailing focus at 300mm on my Panasonic glass, but with this monster it was very easy. The image was absurdly crisp and the color was definitely stronger than normal. This lens is extremely impressive, I will be picking it up soon for a nature documentary.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
GREAT LENS
GOOD WITH 5 AXIS STABILIZATION SHARP LENS FOR THE ZOOM RANGE BUILT IN LENS HOOD SHOULD BE THE WHOLE HOOD INSTEAD OF ONLY HALF THE HOOD; HAVE TO ATTACH THE OTHER HALF MANUALLY
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
