panaleica 100-400mm problems. buy tamron150-600mm g2 instead?

The 100-300 is substantially lighter and smalller than the 100-400 and produces very good images. Purple fringing is a rare issue and can be mostly corrected. If carrying a two lens kit while walking, I would prefer to carry something like 12-60 plus 100-300 and reserve the 100-400 when I really know I am going to need the extra reach, for example, on safari.

a German guy once destroyed a lens gradually, taking test pictures in between. Pictures only showed quality degradation once there was severe damage / front lens was broken.

nikxfuji said:

HI im hoping someone who has experience with both can answe this. thank you!

at first i was very excited to get a pana 100-400mm because of the weight and very good IQ( based on reviews). but as i research more about the lens i find a lot of issues. specifically

1.) it sucks a lot of dust
2.) It is very hard to repair ( is it expensive to have the lens cleaned also?)
3.) zoom ring is very stiff.

in my country it costs 1750 dollars brand new. so I am having 2nd thoughts. I want to buy a 2nd hand from ebay or amazon for 1k dollars but im afraid because of the issues mentioned.

Would it be better to go the nikon route with a 150-600mm g2 + d7200/d7500?

nikon would cost me around 2000 dollars brand new.

panaleica + g9 would cost me 3000 dollars bnew. 2.2k dollars used

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If you want the 100-400, just make sure you can return it, if there is a lot of dust inside or the lens should harm the mount.

The worse problem is that Panasonic probably won't repair these lenses and will charge you the price of a refurbished sample, as has been reported here on this forum.

If size and weight are no problem, get the Nikon combination. I always prefer to have more than one body to minimize lens changing. And you save money too!

Peter

Late to the party here. I have the Panleica 100-400mm and have had no problems. I have taken it to Africa, Europe, and Latin America. It is a great lens.



The Nikon/Tamron combo performs well, also, and is cheaper. Really, the choice might depend on how important to you the smaller size and weight of the M43 rig is. For me, when I travel overseas I desire lighter gear, partly because of increasingly restrictive airline carry on baggage limits.

Doug Greenberg, Berkeley, CA

Having owned and using 100-400 for more than two years, at current price, it is totally worth it. I have not experienced any of the problems mentioned in this and other forums. Why do I sense conspiracy sometimes LOL

I've owned a PL100-400 for a year now and had no problems. I think it's a fairly robust lens, myself having fallen over a couple of times holding it without any damage or mishap befalling the lens - maybe I've just been lucky. As most have said here, it's very sharp even at 400mm. I'm not keen on the attachable metal lens hood which can fall off easily and get scratched if not securely fastened to the built in mini-hood, a strange design as if the designers thought whoops! we haven't made the lens hood big enough, better stick a separate bigger one on.

I've got some flecks of dust inside the front lens element which doesn't bother me much. Any zoom lens of this design is possibly prone to ingress of dust or mould. I had a Tamron 150-600 which was a real vacuum cleaner with lots of dust inside the front element and also a Fuji 100-400 with no dust but fungus which reduced it's resale value somewhat.

Is that $US $AUS or $CAN

The PL 100-400, amongst others, has been used in dusty conditions in game parks by me over quite some time performing flawlessly and with great sharpness. I learned from old pros to wipe the barrel from dust at every opportunity as built up grinding paste will damage the dust seal before too long if you allow dust buildup. I addition I put an old towel over lenses when not actively photographing e.g. when travelling along a dusty road in an off-road vehicle. It is still immediately accessible for a surprise shot. Clean it thoroughly when you get the chance. In particular at the seal. This kept non-sealed lenses healthy for generations.

Miron09 said:

a German guy once destroyed a lens gradually, taking test pictures in between. Pictures only showed quality degradation once there was severe damage / front lens was broken.

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Try sticking a small piece of masking tape in the centre of your front element, about 1cm diameter, and take a photo. You’ll be amazed how little it affects the image.

The main problem with dust is it makes flare slightly worse when shooting into the light.

...and it is very strongly visible in the out of focus bokey areas. Every physical glas disturbance will rough up the bokey area and introduce visible patterns.

nikxfuji said:

HI im hoping someone who has experience with both can answe this. thank you!

.....

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I've had the Panasonic 100-400 almost since it came out. The zoom was kind of stiff in the beginning, but fine now. Otherwise no issues. I've used it on Olympus E-M1 and E-M1 II.

I'd certainly buy the lens again, but if BIF is your thing then you might get better AF-tracking performance with a Nikon D7200/D7500 and the Tamron lens. However, I'd probably get the Nikon 200-500 lens in stead if I were going to get a Nikon dSLR.

Another option (a bit more expensive) as long as you're considering another system is one of the latest Sony bodies (like the A6600) with the Sony 200-600mm.