Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f/4-5.6 OIS II REVIEW

FANTASTIC! I loved the last video, the road trip - the editing and music is perfect!

Really great man. I know it's an old thread but I never saw it (recent member) and I'm so appreciative that Miranda replied and brought the thread back to life so I could see it.

Inspiring work, Toxic Tabasco, thanks!

Great review for a great lens!  I like it due to the compact size, lightness, and ease/speed of the zoom.  It's great for events like daytime sports.

Just wanted to check, as thinking of getting this lens for my G80M, can you use the manual focus ring okay for peaking, as I use this quite a bit, and a few people have mentioned that the manual focus ring is a bit stiff?   Sue

Kingate Cavies wrote:

Just wanted to check, as thinking of getting this lens for my G80M, can you use the manual focus ring okay for peaking, as I use this quite a bit, and a few people have mentioned that the manual focus ring is a bit stiff? Sue

I have no comparison with other copies of this lens, so I can only speak for mine.

I did have the impression that it was a bit stiff (nothing drastic at all, for instance there is no stop-and-go behaviour whatsoever) if compared with the soft focus rings on my other (smaller) lenses. Perhaps the plasticFantastic 40-150mm by Olympus is comparable.

However, I realized that if I repositioned the lens collar*, it was less stiff, actually quite nice. WIth the lens collar tightened I see no lens creep while it's hanging downward. WIth the lens collar loosened, if I shake it pointing downwards, it does give a bit. So no, I don't think it has a stiff focus ring.

* http://roesch-feinmechanik.de/29701.html

Edit: My apologies, I went on about the ZOOM ring. The FOCUS ring is indeed a bit on the stiffer side, but, again, it is consistently opposing the same resistance along the entire range, which I do not mind at all for close-ups.

Very well done.  Thank you for sharing.

rico7578 wrote:

"4) Image quality is on par with high end super telephotos for most of its range."

-> I disagree with that point.

The Panasonic 100-300mm II lens is the only m43 lens that I sold due to a lack of sharpness... Mine was pretty poor quality from 250mm...

I since acquired a Panasonic 200mm F2.8 (for 900 euros only, brand new, with Pana promotions), which is much better of course.

Have you looked at the date of this thread? It's pretty old.

I appreciate it's an old thread AND therre are Covid travel restrictions, but there is another Advantage that is worth mentioning - size and weight when travelling on aircraft - my 100-400 is always with me when I'm driving within the UK, foreign travel, it's always the 100-300.

dabhand wrote:

I appreciate it's an old thread AND therre are Covid travel restrictions, but there is another Advantage that is worth mentioning - size and weight when travelling on aircraft - my 100-400 is always with me when I'm driving within the UK, foreign travel, it's always the 100-300.

I understand. I thought I'd sell the 100-300 after getting the 100-400. But no. Although it's not that much lighter than the 100-400 with the Roesch custom collar and a heavy fast-release metal plate attached to that.

If you take macro pictures of a perfectly flat surface, then I guess you could claim that you couldn't see the difference between a 50mm macro lens and a 100mm macro lens.

But most people shoot macros of insects, or flowers, or other three dimensional objects.  Since the distance between the front of the lens and the object will vary with focal length, the difference (especially in the background) should be discernable.

BIF?

Banded iron formation?

Best in frame?

Barfy internal focus?

Obscure acronyms don’t tell me anything.

lecycliste wrote:

BIF?

Banded iron formation?

Best in frame?

Barfy internal focus?

Obscure acronyms don’t tell me anything.

You've been a member of DPReview since 2009 and you're only asking that question now? And you're asking someone who posted this way back in 2019? I suspect your account has been hacked.

lecycliste wrote:

BIF?

Banded iron formation?

Best in frame?

Barfy internal focus?

Obscure acronyms don’t tell me anything.

XD obscure lololol

funny place to say that, interact on the forum, or maybe read it and you'll understand these strange terms we use, otherwise these strange terms arent for you anyway.

Or assume it mean bananas in front.

but maybe banded iron formation or bananas in front could be good photo subjects!