A bird in the hand (PL 100-400) is worth three in the bush

I came to micro 4/3rds after three years with the Panasonic FZ200 (1/2.3 5.6x crop), which produced surprisingly good 12mp images at 600mm and 3mp in-camera crops at 1200mm, with large DOF, constant f/2.8 lens and phenomenal image stabilization. It suffered from high noise in the greens and shadows even at base ISO 100, very limited dynamic range, and did not capture enough detail to tolerate any cropping.

During the last year, my wife has been shooting with a 24mp Nikon D5300 (APS-C 1.5x crop) with dynamic range and resolution to spare, instantaneous auto-focus, and very well tamed noise up to ISO 1600. She started birding with me using a kit 55-300 zoom that produced amazingly sharp 450mm EFL shots. Wanting more reach, she tried the Nikon 80-400 which proved too heavy for her to use comfortably. She settled for the Nikon 300 PF f/4 with a 1.4x teleconverter which gives her 630mm at f/5.6. Looking through the viewfinder at 630mm, the world goes into slow motion when she half-presses the release. The image stabilization of this lens allows her to hand-hold down to 1/40th to 1/60th. She shot a screech owl in the canopy of a tree, after dusk, under a cloudy sky at 1/40th ISO 1600 that shows the individual hairs around the owl's face like you would not expect.

I wanted better image quality than I could get with the FZ200, but I also wanted an EVF, (a LARGE EVF actually), 4K video, and a zoom lens... A LONG ZOOM. Looking at specs alone, I tried the 20MP GX8 with the Panasonic 100-300 lens. I discovered that I prefer an SLR form factor with a deep grip, and was not impressed enough by the dual image stabilization or DFD focusing at 600mm to justify the high cost of the combination.

Everything fell into place when Panasonic announced the 100-400. I decided to buy the Panasonic G7 with the 14-140 lens to get by until the 100-400 would ship, and this proved to be the right choice for me.

With the arrival of my Panasonic 100-400, my birding pleasure is complete. The camera plus lens is two ounces lighter than my wife's 630mm outfit, and gives me all the features I set out to achieve.

The 100-400 focuses very fast, including for BIF and birds behind branches in trees and bushes. I use smallest spot focus area for most shots, and a large spot focus for BIF.

The image stabilization handheld is quite good at both 800mm, at 1000mm (4k 8MP), and even manages clean "HDTV (2MP)" images at 1600mm when I brace my elbows on a railing or shoulder against a tree.

Handheld 4K video with the lens at full zoom seems to be better behaved than with the 14-140 kit lens.

The zoom ring requires slightly more than 90 degrees rotation from min to max focal length which takes some getting used to for me (especially after only power-zoom of the FZ200). The long travel of the ring does allow very fine adjustment of the focal length.

Manual override of the auto-focus is as smooth as soft butter, and surprisingly easy to use.

So how are the images? I think my wife's 50% more pixels, larger sensor (larger pixels), prime 630mm, no AA filter, same cost outfit has slightly better resolution, slightly better image stabilization, and slightly better micro-contrast, BUT the Panasonic 100-400 is only slightly less than phenomenal.

Here are three comparison shots (mind you the Nikon shots are SOOC JPG, where the 100-400 shots are PP'd raw): https://flic.kr/s/aHsky19A8S

Here is a 1759mm handheld shot like I mentioned: https://flic.kr/p/GhwXuo

the reason you where not impressed by the dfd and dual is at 300mm is because it is not supported on the 100-300mm lens old tech lens .

the is on the 100-400mm will be superior to a dslr Nikon ,canon if you wait for 5 axis ibis ,already here with g80 so will only get better look at the video it can produce at 400mm stunning.

like you say comparing a prime to zoom ,wonder how good the prime is when you run out of space and need to shoot 250mm it happens ,also changing to and from t/c can mean missed shots

think some one on another forum tested the Nikon 100-400 and 7100 ,Olympus zukio 55-200mm with 2x t/c and the pana leica 100-400mm

the pana leica out performed the above with the em-1

Are you sure it is 50% more pixels 24 to 20mp does not look like 50% to me

Paul, I believe the G7 has 16mp not 20,

katy

paul cool wrote:

think some one on another forum tested the Nikon 100-400 and 7100 ,Olympus zukio 55-200mm with 2x t/c and the pana leica 100-400mm

the pana leica out performed the above with the em-1

Can you give us a link? Or at least the name of the forum?

Robiro wrote:

paul cool wrote:

think some one on another forum tested the Nikon 100-400 and 7100 ,Olympus zukio 55-200mm with 2x t/c and the pana leica 100-400mm

the pana leica out performed the above with the em-1

Can you give us a link? Or at least the name of the forum?

Found it here:

https://www.mu-43.com/threads/panaleica-100-400mm-oly-50-200mm-w-2x-tele-adapter-nikon-80-400mm.84317/

very true 16mp not 20 ok so yes 50% difference just the newer 20mp sensor means that aps-c can not crop to achieve equivalence .

16-to 24 makes things equal or better with larger pixels ok I get it .

Agree completely.  The 100-400 is a wildlife photographers dream come true.

Here is a handheld available light shot that came out surprisingly good:

Screech Owl - Panasonic G7 with 100-400, handheld at ISO 800 1/30th

alanmcdonley wrote:

Here is a handheld available light shot that came out surprisingly good:

Screech Owl - Panasonic G7 with 100-400, handheld at ISO 800 1/30th

I would be flat out getting a decently sharp 1/30 pic with a 12mm lens, let alone a 100-400.

Excellent review and discussion of your photo journey. In honesty, I don't need this dang lens and if I had it I would just waste time messing around taking unimportant pix of the occasional bird or whatever just because it was there.

But I keep compulsively looking at the great work coming up on this forum and longing for the lens simply because it is obviously a great tool -- and I could have made such good use of it 20 years ago! LOL.

Wonderful!

Can't ask for more can we?

Who'd have thought m/43 would come so far? Not me!

katy

Just to give an idea how the PL 100-400 does for hand-held 4k video, I put three rushes together with no adjustments on Vimeo.

Panasonic G7 with 100-400mm Handheld 4k at Max Zoom - 1041mm EFL: https://vimeo.com/164355535  (1 minute of 29Mbps UHD)

(I don't shoot videos ... I shoot handheld 4k bird rushes and love watching them from "too close" on a 48" Samsung 8500 UHD TV.  The G7 UHD is so sharp, I can't stop watching the rushes.)

Alan

So is the video.

I wish we see more of the Panasonic 100-400 shots on the forum. Not many.

Cheezr wrote:

Panasonic G7 with 100-400mm Handheld 4k at Max Zoom - 1041mm EFL: https://vimeo.com/164355535 (1 minute of 29Mbps UHD)

at Wako? Those babies are really too cute.

Correct.  As for "too cute", I have to admit that their behavior captures my heart, but my wife won't let me live down describing them once as "so ugly they're cute"

Alan