Does 1/2 a stop matter?

I use a mixed system and I personally don't have problem with that.
As for the  lenses, the difference of 1/2 a stop may be relevant in  some situations but I think the ability to use the lens wide open is more important. I've got  the Oly 75-300mm and it does very well wide open, so to  me it's much preferable to an f/5.6 lens that requires stopping down to take photos.

anomalous wrote:

Yes, you guessed it, another Olympus 75-300 II vs Panasonic 100-300 thread! But maybe from a different angle this time.

I have an E-M1 (and grip) with 12-40 and apart from it being too small, it's quite nice to use and produces excellent images. So I went lens shopping.

I live a long way from any decent camera shop, so when I was near a sizeable one I tried every M43 lens they had. This was a pleasurable diversion but, to cut a long story short, the only focal length that appealed to me was zooms to 300mm, and that means the 75-300 II vs the 100-300.

I've read a number of reviews now and all of them say you should stop these lenses down to f/8 at 300mm and at that point the images are indistinguishable. So, the 1/2 stop advantage of the Panasonic is moot, right? I'm considering them to be optically the same unless someone shouts "Stop!" right now and proves the difference.

No.  You can indeed use the 100-300mm wide open at 300mm and it does very well.  That difference is not unsubstantial when you are trying to keep shutter speed up in a slightly more demanding lighting or motion situation...

So it seems I'll be basing my choice on other factors, like how the combination feels to hold, how it looks, what it weighs, in body vs in lens stabilisation, the weirdness about rotating the zoom ring the opposite way on Panasonic lenses and lastly: Olympus' petty decision to charge extra for a lens hood, if you can find one. I mean, by the time you add a hood to the Olympus it costs about the same as the Panasonic, and the Panasonic includes a pouch of some sort. Looks like Olympus needs a smacking here.

The Panasonic feels nice to use and looks better on the E-M1. But the zoom action the wrong way round? Will that weird feeling pass?

I use both Oly and Panasonic lenses, and to be honest with you, I just don't notice the difference in zoom direction, but that's me....

Anyway, my real question: do you people stick to one lens manufacturer within the micro four-thirds lens system? Or do you mix and match? And will I ever get over being surprised by the zoom rotation direction?

I have both Oly and Panasonic cameras as well as lenses.  Here's the thing, though...if you ever plan to get a Panasonic body, or one of the smaller Oly bodies with the less than wonderful IBIS, then a stabilized lens has a big leg up on the unstabilized, especially when you get out to longer focal lengths.  The OIS in the 100-300mm is very good, and because it is there, I have been able to use that lens on the EPM2 and the GM1 (yes, it is an odd size match, but having it available on a second body instantly is a great option), which would be just about impossible without a tripod otherwise.

I'll be back at that store in a few days and if my initial gut feeling remains (i.e. the Panasonic feels better to shoot with) then my camera bag will host a mixed system.

Will they get on? Will they fight? Will I regret straying outside my limited circle?

You will be very happy with the 100-300mm.

Just one word of caution:  These are very long lenses, so they require a bit of a learning curve to get used to.  I can get sharp shots at 300mm at this point, but I have figured out my holding technique and what shutter speeds are best for that.  Don't be surprised if the first few times you take the lens out it does not give you what you expect at the long end...it really does require that you figure out the best holding technique for you (or use a tripod).

-J

I'd stay with the same brand as your body. In your case it's Olympus but if you had a Panasonic body I'd stay with the Panasonic lens.

The main reason is the better support for the lens. For example, Oly bodies do a better job of correcting Oly lenses. Even more extreme, the new Panasonic body will only use the spiffy new focusing system with Panasonic lenses.

If there were a lot of differences between these lenses other factors would matter more, but there aren't so there isn't.

DonSC wrote:

I'd stay with the same brand as your body. In your case it's Olympus but if you had a Panasonic body I'd stay with the Panasonic lens.

The main reason is the better support for the lens. For example, Oly bodies do a better job of correcting Oly lenses. Even more extreme, the new Panasonic body will only use the spiffy new focusing system with Panasonic lenses.

If there were a lot of differences between these lenses other factors would matter more, but there aren't so there isn't.

In case you didn't notice, the OP has the EM1, which corrects for CA in both Oly AND Panasonic lenses now.....

Since the OP does not have the GH4, and is able to use the EM1's CF-Tracking mode if he wants while shooting with the 100-300mm  (which does make use of PDAF, which Panasonic does not have...), your comments are entirely irrelevant to the topic at hand.

M43 is a SYSTEM.  You can use lenses from both manufacturers with both cameras.  What little difference there was (CA correction on Panasonic bodies for their lenses) has now been addressed in the EM1, and in the EM10, and, one would assume, will be in all future models that Oly makes.

To the OP: Buy the lens that you like the best, and that has the features you want.  There is no compatibility issue with your gear and any Panasonic lens.

-J

jalywol wrote:

In case you didn't notice, the OP has the EM1, which corrects for CA in both Oly AND Panasonic lenses now.....

Thanks for that info. I didn't know that. It seems I've picked the right time to enter the m43 world.

Since the OP does not have the GH4, and is able to use the EM1's CF-Tracking mode if he wants while shooting with the 100-300mm (which does make use of PDAF, which Panasonic does not have...), your comments are entirely irrelevant to the topic at hand.

Now you've reminded me of another advanced E-M1 feature: the dual focus system. I've not thought much of CF on previous Olympus cameras so I should try it on the E-M1. It might actually work.

To the OP: Buy the lens that you like the best, and that has the features you want. There is no compatibility issue with your gear and any Panasonic lens.

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Amusingly it may come down to the shiny black finish of the Panasonic. Awfully vain of me but the two do seem made for each other. It's handy that they also produce good pictures.

Starting to look forward to my shopping trip now.

LMNCT wrote:

Funny that you think the zoom action is the wrong way round...I have that problem with my Olympus lenses (he he).

I'm hoping my brain can cope. Clearly it doesn't drive everyone insane.

The 100-300 is best (for me) at f 7.1 or f 7.2 when at full extension.

OK. So just a tad less than f/8. I'll play around with whichever one I get and see if this sort of fine tuning makes a big enough difference for me to see.

I do wish that it was an internal focus lens (like the 45-175 and 35-100) because those lenses do not have the possibility of picking up little travelers.

Oh now you've done it! I love internal zoom. I had thought that my next decision would be the Olympus 40-150 base model vs the pro version (when it comes out). Now the field is wide open.

jalywol wrote:

I have both Oly and Panasonic cameras as well as lenses. Here's the thing, though...if you ever plan to get a Panasonic body, or one of the smaller Oly bodies with the less than wonderful IBIS, then a stabilized lens has a big leg up on the unstabilized, especially when you get out to longer focal lengths.

In the gloom of the camera store I had almost convinced myself that the Panasonic in-lens stabilisation was better than the E-M1's in-body stabilisation. But then I realised it was shot-to-shot variation because the system includes me in it and I'm at my limits.

The OIS in the 100-300mm is very good, and because it is there, I have been able to use that lens on the EPM2 and the GM1 (yes, it is an odd size match, but having it available on a second body instantly is a great option), which would be just about impossible without a tripod otherwise.

The GM1? With a 100-300? Hmm. I used http://www.four-thirds.org/en/special/matching.htmlto try that out and it looks like you've got a somewhat oversized rear cap on your big lens.

The shop has the GM1 too, so I should try this weird idea of yours...

Just one word of caution: These are very long lenses, so they require a bit of a learning curve to get used to. I can get sharp shots at 300mm at this point, but I have figured out my holding technique and what shutter speeds are best for that. Don't be surprised if the first few times you take the lens out it does not give you what you expect at the long end...it really does require that you figure out the best holding technique for you (or use a tripod).

I know already from trying to use a 70-300 on an E-520 (I wasn't ready back then). I will be cursing myself rather than the lens if I fail to operate it within the limitations of the equipment and available light. But I think that cursing will be largely unnecessary as I've already got sharp (but high ISO) shots in a dark camera store. Yes, the stabilisation (both in body and in lens) is that good!

The Panasonic 100-300.

Why?  It felt a bit better in my hand.  It looks nicer (to my eyes).  It came with a hood.  If I got a 2nd body and it was a Panasonic, the stabilisation would be useful.  And the clincher: in the dimness of the camera shop, the 100-300 would take sharp pictures and the 75-300 would not.

It seems it was just on the cusp of "too little light to bother" and at that point, the dreaded shutter shock seemed to actually exist and actually matter.  I set my E-M1 to the new "0 sec antishock" mode and that made the 100-300 sharp and the 75-300 still not sharp.

Whether this would have mattered in the real world, I don't know.  I've taken some shots in low light and have concluded that I really should have packed my tripod and not been so optimistic about stabilisers.  So the 75-300 probably would have been identical in practice.

Anyway, I've given the 100-300 a bit of a workout and my view is:

- This is a good lens.  If you can't get good shots with this lens, then work on your technique.

- Wide open works fine, no need to stop down (so far).

- "Backwards" zooming is a pain, but you only make that mistake a few times before you remember it's Panasonic zooming and not Olympus zooming.

- It's civilised to be given a hood and a little bag with the lens.  Boo to Olympus here.

So, no regrets.

Well, just one regret: Olympus is giving 20% off on a range of lenses here for a while, including the 75-300.  D'oh.  If I'd only known...

I forgot to mention my copy of the 100-300 had a sticky patch in the zoom action when I first used it.  I was disappointed because the copy I tried in the shop was smooth.  Luckily this somewhat stuttering zoom feel went away after a while.  So, still no regrets.

When deciding between the two, I had a look at weight, image quality and price.

the image quality is quite similar. But as you pointed out, three Panasonic is a bit brighter. however, in most situations that difference is negligible. However another thing to look at is the fact that the olympus starts at 75 instead of 100, which makes the lens a bit more versatile.

The olympus is smaller and lighter which also appears negligible, but seeing how its a bit of a tight fit how both my bags are set up, I'm glad I went with the olympus.

If olympus did not release a version II, Panasonic had a huge lead in. that department. Now it is quite close.

Finally the olympus goes better with olympus body because of IBIS and the Panasonic is more versatile in that regard.

I personally went with olympus after considering all these things, but the truth is that both lenses are similar.

anomalous wrote:

I forgot to mention my copy of the 100-300 had a sticky patch in the zoom action when I first used it. I was disappointed because the copy I tried in the shop was smooth. Luckily this somewhat stuttering zoom feel went away after a while. So, still no regrets.

I have had 2 copies of 100-300mm. First ones AF died.  Both are very sticky, impossible to zoom during video.