Telephoto for M43?

[nekrosoft13]

What is a good telephoto for M43?

I ordered Panasonic 100-300 from Amazon, I got a used one from Amazon Warehouse deals, and it was rather really soft at 300mm, so will be returning that.

Is the Olympus 75-300 II any better?

What other decent options are there?

 

[Neftun]

The oly has been described as not so hot on the long end, but what I've seen is not too bad at all. Seen som great shots with it, and judging from some testshots I've done, it can indeed be described as decent.

 

[pdk42]

I think there's little to chose between the 75-300 and 100-300. Neither are stellar, esp at the long end. I think if you want a high quality long tele, you need to go legacy.

 

[chonbhoy]

I think the above comment is fair, you lose AF but for now it's the only option. The 4/3 Olympus 50-200 gets mentioned a lot in these discussions and it can be bought for a decent price but the 40-150 f2.8 should be out by September.

 

[MaK543]

Oly has a new 300mm f/4 planned as well.

 

[DynaSport]

Based on the prices of the P100-300 and O75-300, you really can't expect them to be great. I mean, compared to long lenses from Canon and Nikon, they are dirt cheap. But I have seen some great photos from a few people on here with those lenses, especially in the bird thread. So, I believe it is possible, but it seems like you need good light and very good technique as you approach 300. But that only makes sense. I'm pretty sure the P100-300 is in my future. The thought of a 600mm equivalent lens is very exciting to me. Even if I'm only happy with it to 250mm, it will still be great.

 

[chonbhoy]

The 300 probably won't be out until 2015 along with the Olympus 7-14 f2.8.
To be honest the 100-300 has been on my radar for a while and is a little bit sharper at 300 than the 75-300 plus it's a little bit faster although bigger physically. I have legacy that goes up to 210 and a mirror lens that is 400 which are a lot bigger so i can't make my mind up, i think that the 300 f4 will be what i need instead in the long run and if we do get a TC for it or the new 40-150 it's game over lol.

 

[nekrosoft13]

You think panasonic 100-300 is sharper? Not what a lot of reviews been saying...

 

[Crdome]

If your body is Panasonic you will want a Panny lens' POWER O.I.S.

 

[EarthQuake]

Before sending the 100-300mm back, do some controlled testing on a tripod. Nailing sharp shots at 600mm equivalent takes solid technique.

Give this a read as well: http://cameraergonomics.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/panasonic-100-300mm-lens-reappraisal.html (and this thread too: https://www.mu-43.com/showthread.php?t=64023)

 

[T N Args]

Try a new one

I ordered Panasonic 100-300 from Amazon, I got a used one from Amazon Warehouse deals, and it was rather really soft at 300mm,

A used lens? Maybe try buying a new one. The previous owner might have sold it for a reason, such as it was a bad sample, or it had a knock that affected it.

Buying used is a lottery.

Here is a recent real-world review of the 100-300. He says "Towards the 300mm long end resolution and contrast drop a little from excellent to very good".

Thom Hogan, Nikon ambassador and long term straight-shooting blogger with a DSLM camera site, says of it, "Optically it delivers excellent performance for a low-cost telephoto. Yes, there's some vignetting and corner softness at the extreme, but we're talking about 600mm equivalent here. I don't know of any other bargain 600mm that performs as well."

Maybe try a new one.

 

[jonlong]

I like my 100-300 a lot, but you have to remember how susceptible it is to movement. A steady camera and fast shutter speed are important. Bump up sharpness a little in post and the pics look wonderful.


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