What to do? What to do?

Chris R-UK wrote:

Like you I have a 12-40 f/2.8, 40-150mm f/2.8 and 100-400mm. I also have a couple of small primes and a 9-18mm wide angle.

I do wildlife photography, travel photography and have recently started doing some sports photography.

That’s good. It does sound like the kind of photography I do.

I do most of my photography on trips/vacations, but also do a certain amount of general purpose shooting. For major wildlife trips I take a backpack with most of my lenses and a backup body. For shorter trips I take a small shoulder bag with the 12-40mm plus a couple of small lenses or a flash. That left me with a problem if I needed something longer than 40mm for a short trip.

I considered the 12-100 long and hard when it came out and, although it would be perfect for some shoots, I couldn't justify the cost and I didn't want to carry the extra weight (over the 12-40} on trips. The 40-150mm f/2.8 is too important a lens for my low light wildlife and sports and the 12-100 wouldn't be an adequate replacement. So, for me, the 12-100mm wouldn't replace any of my existing lenses.

So I guess what you are saying is that the difference between the f/4 and f/2.8 is an important consideration?

I therefore bought a used Panasonic 45-150mm as a travel lens for non-wildlife trips. It was extremely cheap, is very light and gives me coverage for the occasional shot where the 12-40mm isn't long enough.

I have a similar lens (Oly 40-150 kit lens) but it still means I have to change lens and accept a lower IQ and a slower lens.

If I was starting now from scratch my decision might be a different one and I might start with the 12-100mm as my primary, general purpose lens and build my lens collection round it.

Thanks for your comments. It is very helpful, especially because you seem to do similar type of photography than I do.