Nice to see a review from someone who knows how to use Olympus gear and not that tool Tony N who made a video earlier this week hating on the Oly 300mm because of unsharp pictures because he doesn't k ow how to use the camera, and looking at your really sharp pictures was nice to see. A question to you is did you use the silent shutter or the mechanical one?
Great review Peter.... the images are so sharp and BRIGHT!! Wow, I may have to reconsider not spending the money for a big lens..... that thing is tempting!!!!! The selective depth of field is truly what I desire..... thanks again for the images.
Excellent video, Peter! I have had the 300mm F4.0 PRO since it was introduced in 2016, and find it to be an excellent lens for wildlife (again, contrary to Tony N.'s recent video and as mentioned by others as well). When paired with the MC-20, it provides an equivalent FF reach of 1200mm - simply incredible; could you imagine trying to hand-hold full frame equipment with that reach? As you noted, the lens is extremely sharp and the IQ is excellent. By the way, for some photo-shoots where I do not want to miss any quick action while changing lenses (photographing birds-in-flight at varying distances, for example), I carry two bodies with the 300mm F4.0 PRO with MC-14 mounted on one body (my M1X) and the 40-150mm F2.8 PRO with MC-20 mounted on the other (my E-M1markII) - easy to do and quite manageable with the light weight and size of the micro-4/3 equipment! Thanks for your videos, thoughts, and tips. Looking forward to your comparison of the 300mm F4.0 and 40-150mm F2.8 in the future!
Excellent Video, Peter! I am a hybrid shooter using more FF and CROP sensors but now gone back to MFT just to have and shoot with professionally and this was really nice to watch. It makes sense
My 300 F4 is almost always on my E-M1 MK II, usually in combination with the MC-14 :) I always use the battery grip. The weight saving isn't confined to the camera and lens. A 600mm will usually be teamed up with a beefy tripod and a heavy gimbal head. And you need a bigger and heavier bag to carry it all. Oh and the 600 can't focus closer than about 4 metres so it's much use if you suddenly want to photograph a butterfly or bee.
Once I had the autofocus lock on a nearby swarm of mosquitoes while I was photographing a distant bird! This is the perfect birding lens. I use it it’s the 1.4 converter. I’m looking forward to using the 2.0.
Loving my new EM1.2. The AF is fast and accurate and the body is tough and weather proofed. In a couple weeks I am going to drive to the city and try the 300mm f 4 and most likely buy it. Thank you for the review it really helps.
Very interesting vlog Peter It's nice to see what this lens can do but can I suggest to compare take a shot with 25mm(50mm ff) then perhaps a 40-150 2.8 @ 150mm and another with 300mm (600mm ff) so we appreciate how much difference there is between them. !
I'm debating buying this next or a new bag and the 75mm again. Bird photography isn't my thing, but I'd like to see what all the hype is about. And i like that the lens is set up like a prime, which is the only lenses i buy lol
After the Tony review this week, i was mad. I don't own this lens (yet) but he is simply lying. I used a lot of lenses over the years but never found a zoomlens sharper then a fixed focus one. i am testing it next week to see if all the other reviews that say it is extremely sharp, are right. Thx for your input Peter...
Tony is single handedly reviving the "my sensor is bigger than yours" argument. And i think olympus didnt want to sponsor him or killed his family or just wanting clickbait, but he sounds and looks biased. I wouldn't trust his reviews.
Well, this tipped the scale. 40-150 has been fantastic - but this bit of kit has been on my list. Regarding cost: the value proposition has to be rooted in individual photographic goals and the way one might choose to pursue them. Horses for courses. Every system has trade-offs. That perspective is often missing in competitive analysis. Thank you for focusing on the system, the capabilities and fit for intended purpose.
Yes, E-M1X is great for that combo. The E-M1MKII with firmware 3.1 and the battery grip is also a good choice. Without the battery grip it is a bit unbalanced.
Peter, you do an outstanding job with your videos. You also highlight the beauty of Helsinki! Trying to to decide on whether I want a sharper lens or a more versatile with the 1.4 converter...the latter being the 40-150 F.2 pro? How much of a fall off in sharpness would I be looking at based on your personal use?
Hard question. I cannot say for sure. I have not used 300mm f4 that much. If a telephoto prime is not a problem for you I would get the 300mm f4. But that also depends on the use.
Hello Peter, very nice video. This lens is a gem, I had the chance to use it for a while but on the end I got the 40-150/2.8 Anyway, I will eventually get this one too for my flower shots . Thanks
Some great bird shots, thanks for sharing them. That 300mm f4 really make it easy to get out and get such nice shots. I don't find the E-M1.2 + 300mm f4 to be uncomfortably unbalanced, would only take the battery grip along if there's a chance of some extra special shots that require some extra patience, and battery life to capture.
I bought a 300mm F-4 and use it with the MC20 adapter. I seem to be getting a doubling or shake in the background. I am wondering what is the best shutterspeed to use with the 300 mm and 2x. Also what shake reduction settings. I would like to send you an image or two.
Although I have the 40-150 2.8 & 1.4 teleconverter, whenever I go out to try and capture shy creatures, I bring my Pana-leica 100-400, and I find those images very sharp.... the new forthcoming 2x teleconverter might change that depending on image quality. The Olympus gives me that wonderful manual focusing clutch that comes in very handy when trying to focus birds through branches and such. The difference would be only a half of stop light gathering with the teleconverter, but but the Panasonic gives me another 200 mm.... Hmmm
The images you shot are beautiful, Peter. Were they post processed or right out of camera? Also, I really like the quality of your video. Can you mention what camera your assistant used to shoot your videos and any extra gear. Thanks!
Thank you. Those images were shot with Muted profile, saturation -2 and contrast -2. Saturation and contrast were then added in post. This video I shot by myself with an E-M1 MKII and used the OM-Log400 profile.
This lens is one of the strongest points of mft standard. For its actuall 600mm 4.0 its pretty small compares to similar lenses created for other formats and very high quality. How much weight will be full frame 600 4.0? may be 4-5 kilos?
@@nicokremers7150 You may test it by yourself: Get an FF 600 mm f4 and the MFT 300 mm f4 and make a photo. You 'll see, image section and exposure time are nearly identical ;-)
@@Rolandus60 I already have done that. I started my digital adventure with the combination of an olympus OM10 with a Zuiko 300mm f4.5 . Currently I use a Sony A7 with a Zuiko F350 f2.8 plus a 1.4 converter, so basically a 500mm F4. It is all about gathering light.
Peter! I respect and highly trust your reviews, and I can't argue with the results you had gotten with this lens. And in addition to that, your results and opinions reflect what many others have noted about this lens. So my question to you... and others reading this maybe... is how these opinions, results and observations can be so different than one other reviewer, who not only compares this m.zuiko 300mm 4.0 unfavorably with full frame Nikon lenses, but also shows very poor results (patterns on book covers) from this lens. Yes, they do have some praise for it, for weight, IS, and so on, but seem to dismiss its many flaws as something a micro 4/3 user will have to accept, and will accept, as they will not know better. I am of course talking about the T&CN review of about the same time you made yours. So why the huge differences, do you think? I suppose the question could be distilled down to: "Is this a lens empirically very good, even in the world of other alternatives; or is it only good, or even acceptable, when reviewed in the vacuum of the Micro 4/3 world?"
Another informative video Peter. Thanks. I would love to own this lens but it will remain a dream until I win the lottery! One suggestion/request, please could you show your camera settings for individual shots - i.e. shutter speed, aperture, ISO and focal length? This would really help in understanding how to get the best shots. Thanks.
Our local camera store has an event twice a year where you can borrow gear for an hour to shoot on the zoo grounds. I got a chance to use this lens, and it is everything you say it is. I found it heavy for my hands though. I will be interested to see your comparison video. I own the 40-150 Pro, and I am waiting for the 2.0 teleconverter to come in.
If you feel like lightening your load I will happily take the 40-150 and 300 pro off your hands as I will happily use them 😁 I just got one of my images into the final 24 of the capturing the moment 2019 competition at BBC Countryfile Live next month! Opportunity for an EM1X and these lenses please Olympus 👍🤣👍
Peter when using this lens on my E-M1 Mk3 I presume I need to activated lens IS priority in the camera. Do I need to turn this off when I am using lenses without built-in IS?
If you are using M.Zuiko lenses you do not need worry about that at all. The camera will detect the lens. If you are using other brands m4/3 lenses and those have stabiliser in the lens, then you need turn either the IBIS off or the stabiliser in the lens off.
Peter, I have new copies of 300mm f4 and 24 to 150 f2.8. The inner element have fogged up recently. Once with outdoor shooting and the other with indoor shooting. On both occasions I was in the company of other photographers using a variety of cameras other than Olympus. Are you familiar with such issues and possible solutions. I feel the camera warming up plus holding the camera to my eye are factors?
Been waiting for this one. Wow the side shot of the duck killa. Also the snail photo makes it look good enough eat. I think you should use this zooms more often mate.. Your doing some great stuff there. The red plane in 40 150mm f2.8 fantastic. Few week ago Cost is a big factor, But "people" if you don't get anything at all, because your aim to high. "" for the top gear"" eg nikonFF sonyFF Then that time out of the game. That loss in growth in the time waiting, Another year to save even more money. due with ff everything cost more. and your more cautious reluctant to use it. i think Expanding what you already have otherwise your like "A Fish out of water". all the other brand are not versatile where's full custom button setup also great thing…That why Olympus system are great there not out of reach and flexable...Olympus group know that all this stuff is high pricing and keep a lot of people out of the market of field. Growth is the most important thing People!. Getting " pretty good shot" when you can are better then "no shot". P.S. Remember learning has it's good and bad moments. (Mistakes can happen) Just remember people, that these huge lenses, eg Nikon 600m 12K costs are on going, Maintenance maybe out a reach. Wear and tear maybe higher. They also come at huge risk. people sell you them don't tell you that huge glasses, can still be damaged and at a huge costs for it repair; If can be repairable at all.
another good review. How I feel when I do photos out of my comfort zone? Was amazing, when I saw my results I understand were I had had to improve for the next time. Now a question for you, how perform the olympus omd 1 x with animals? And can you show some crop from your pictur (crop about 50%)? I'm really interested to this gear, because I do wildlife photo in high mountain, and could use light gear with a good quality is a great thing.
What is the difference between city and country birds , one is a flying rat and the other is joy to behold...lol BTW, coming from the other end of the world from you , I am always amazed to see the the way grass and plants grow after being covered in snow all winter , so green , my country is mostly brown ,towns running out of water ,no water for stock or crops but some of the best beaches in the world . Greetings from Down Under.
I wonder how it compares to my OM Zuiko 300mm f/4 legacy lens. I also have a 1.4x converter for it. Slap that on my OMDE5 and compare it to my 400mm f/5.6 on my Pentax 645z.
Dear Peter, beautiful images - BUT I do not believe you not having only few experiences with long telephoto lenses. Though there had been only few birds in flight they were sharp (and good taken). Considering the angle of view of 4° and the smallness you must have a lot of experience. My problem using such a focal length is to get flying birds "into" the lens especially small ones who fly fast and unpredictably. E.g. in 20 meters distance 4° means about 1,5 meters and 30 meters distance about 2! Birds flying only 25 km/h corresponds to 7 meters per second! Big birds are flying more predictably and often not so fast so one can estimate the flight course and even follow with the lense. As far as manual focusing is concerned for me it is practically impossible above 150 mm focal length hand held.
I got out my comfort zone recently with travel photography. Just back from holiday in Spain, with very little luggage allowance. Could not fit my normal M43 gear, so we took a Lumix GF8, 12-32mm pancake and 20mm f1.7. Really was not happy without a viewfinder, and having to take turns with my wife on the camera. So I've shopped around, and the only option for me has been to buy a pretty outdated Lumix GM5, and the little 35-100mm lens to go with it (because it has OIS). It'd be cool if the next Olympus EP-L had IBIS and an evf, plus a classic look, and was about the size of a GF8.
Nicely done. Thanks. Almost didn't watch. Had this lens for 6 months before it was stolen in a house burglary. Still feel the pain of the loss! :( I have the 40/150. Look forward to seeing a comparison video.
I think people see city birds as pests and not natural, since its a concrete jungle environment. Your seagulls are called shit hawks where im from. They just piss me off. But im only kidding, You have great videos, been watching them all day. The settings one you did really had me go through all the settings and assign personal functions and then researching and reading the manual on some functions I didnt know. The preview button, no idea what it did before, then being able to change it to always on or off after clicking the button.
That's because you are not multiplying the aperture...as you must. The FF equivalent is a 600mm f/8, not a 600mm f/4. So, the Sony 200mm-600mm f/6.3 is faster and sharper than the Oly lens...and cheaper.
I like to test different lenses and test different genres. I was an Olympus Visionary at the the time so I had access that lens. You are right that I use that focal length very seldom if at all. At the moment my longest lens is a 56mm for my Fuji X-S20. It is for my portrait and video work.
Olympus glass and how great it up there with the Leica. The 40 - 150mm f2.8 at 2x telcon 80 - 300mm drop down f5,6 bet both of the Leica and Lumix. not match in anyway the only short fall is the leica 400mm but f 5.6 but 760g less weight then the leica 985g. $200 less and the manual Olympus coil smooth and fast closer to the Lumix with out the 2 x telcon 100mm and 150mm 2.8 unmatch in and way to it like in leica is for yourself open them side byside. compare. www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/panasonic/100-400mm-f4-6.3-asph-power-ois-leica-dg-vario-elmar/blur/panasonic-gx1/ www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/olympus/40-150mm-f2.8-pro-m.zuiko-digital-ed/blur/panasonic-gx1/ change the f stop 5.6 too see how clear it.
"Almost nobody's shooting micro four-thirds. Well, almost nobody." First Tony Northrup, now Ken Wheeler (aka The Angry Photographer). ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7c9Qn7h7E3I.html (Go to 5:05)
I say it again, I think you should stop referring to FF all the time. You’d better compare to bridgecameras or smartphones. The chances of winning over users of those formats are much greater than winning over FF user, just because of the sheer numbers. The m43 system is better served by marketing it as a step up from smartphones and the like than as an alternative to FF (middle format).
