Testing the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm lens in poor light - an in depth field test.
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- Опубліковано 16 жов 2024
- Having done a comparison video for the Panasonic and Olympus 100-400mm lenses a while back (you can watch it here - • 100-400mm SUPER-TELEPH... ) I decided it was a good time to take out each lens for a real world test, with all the poor light that you normally experience when you're out on a shoot.
So, join me this time for a wander around Fradley Junction in poor light and I'll let you know what my findings are and drop a few shots in for good measure.
If you enjoyed this video though, please do give it a thumbs up and leave a comment below with your thoughts - I'll be sure to read them all and I'll respond to as many as I can!
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Excellent footage from Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm lens. A big LIKE for the video. Happy birding!!
Thank you 😊
I just got this lens in mkii. So far I really like it with my g9. Have you noticed a very faint gear turning sound when zooming, mostly in?
I didn't notice it when I did the tests no, I think the mk2 they did some fairly major reworks though (certainly to improve the tight zoom) so it might be something that's only happening on the newer model perhaps?
Hi Leigh. Would you recommend the 100-400mm or the 300mm f4?
If you have the budget the 300 f/4 with 1.4x teleconverter would be my choice but it's definitely not a cheap option. The clarity is definitely a step above though!
300mm it is. Note: I already have the MC14 teleconverter. I use it with the 40-150mm f2.8 pro.
You'll definitely love the 300 - if I hadn't bought the 150-400 I'd still have it!
Hi Leigh & hello from Oz, having just traded all my Canon equipment for the OM-1 system this was a very helpful video. The biggest downside for me was the zoom ring direction, which probably says more about me than the lens, but I did try other lenses on my Canon before I bought "L" series lenses & could never get used to zoom ring working in the opposite direction.
Good work mate & cheers from Oz.
I hear you about zooming in the opposite direction. Back when I was still shooting Canon I traded in my beloved 70-200 F2.8 IS lens for a lighter Tamrom 100-400mm which zoomed in the opposite direction to Canon. I just couldn't get used to it, plus there was a greater than expected drop in IQ. At the time I also had the Tamron 24-70 which I was able to adjust to easily, but not the 100-400. Anyway, I moved on to Olympus eventually and have never looked back.
@@bevdonovan Glad it's not just me 🤣
Yep, that backwards zoom really takes some getting used to! 😂
Excellent images,love the Moorhen plus the Long Tailed Tit,top class 👏🏼
Cheers Andy! ☺️
Excellent images.
Thank you 😊
I have this lens & a G9II as well as the OM-1 and the Oly 300mm f4. My wife and I were in Newfoundland last month photographing puffins & gannets during their nesting season. As you stated the OM-1 & Oly 300mm Is a little sharper and faster than the Panasonic 100-400 on the G9II but they are very close in results. The tracking was excellent for the Panasonic kit and without carefully inspecting the photos they were very close in quality. I backed off to 350-375mm with the Panasonic kit and I found that a bit better. The Panasonic kit weighs 58oz and the Oly kit about 77oz with 1.4 TC so you can tell the difference in weight. I still prefer the Oly kit but since I have a full kit of Panasonic Leica lenses the purchase of both cameras made since for me. The G9II is far better for bird photography vs the original G9 but the G9 is just fine for general photography. I still have the original G9. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and photos.
Thanks for the details Gary - really good to hear from someone using it on the native Lumix kit!
I have the Pana Leica 100-400 and the 200 f2.8 and use them both on my OM-1. Really like both lenses, but I am frustrated by OM Systems limitations that they place on them. They will only work in the 25FPS mode in SH2, not 50FPS, and the regular pro-captue mode is not available either. I am planning to get a G9II soon, as Lumix don't impose any of these restrictions, and the extra 5MP will be an advantage for cropping.
I must admit I'd love to try one on a G9 II as I think it would be a fantastic set up!
I just got back from 2 weeks in Iceland with this lens and the OM1.1. It is a stellar performer within its limits and like any lens, there are trade-offs. I have the older version of the lens and yes, I wish Oly and Panasonic would play better with each other, but the lens stabilisation is fairly awesome. The reason I stuck with this (acquired about two weeks before Olympus released its version) is that the Olympus 100-400 is not a pro lens and hence the combination of IBIS and lens stabilisation is NOT supported: this is fabulous on the 7-14 and 12-100, both pro lenses and make up my travel kit (what other system can you put 14-800 in FF equivalent into a medium-sized camera bag, in my case also a Sigma dp0 quattro and an EM1x. There are times when putting this lens on a good tripod makes sense - landscape at low light under windy conditions that makes hand-held hard (think 30km winds at -6°c and see how well anyone can hand-hold that even with the proper gear). This was a well-done and thoughtful video, thanks!
Thank you John! I have the Oly 100-400 so I'll be doing a video on that at some point too but I was impressed at what this lens can achieve within it's limits. If I were in the position to get this paired up with a Lumix body though I think it would really shine!
@@LeighWPhotos I have been very tempted by that idea as well, especially given the prices for a used G9.1, but I balk at yet another system with yet another battery. I have the EM1.1, EM5.2, EM1x and the OM1.1, as well as an EP1, EPL1, EPL2 and EPM6 (all bought used for a song and at least they use the same batteries!) and that is like 4 different batteries. In Iceland I did not take chargers for the EM1x and OM1.1, just plugged them in at night via USB c and charged in-camera. Made life vastly simpler, and having a few powerbanks helped as well.
I originally had this lens, paired with an EM-1 II, but eventually swapped it for the Olympus version. In retrospect I probably should have stuck with it, trading mainly for build quality which was already okay, water sealing that I’ve never really put to the test, and teleconverter compatibility I’ve never used. Ultimately I’d love to have the 150-400 (of course), but as a non-professional it’s an expense I can’t justify to myself.
I'd love the 150-400 too, but that's a dream for another day I think! I've tried the new 150-600 but wasn't blown away by it. Certainly this lens and the Olympus 100-400 are a great compromise.
@@LeighWPhotos I’d been considering the 100-650 due to the additional reach and IS synchronization (which I’d think would be a big advantage), but am put off by the weight and expense. What aspects didn’t impress you?
(I was quite impressed, I forgot to add, by the bird images you got on this outing - quite nice given the lighting conditions.)
The images seemed a little softer than I'd like, but then again I have the 300mm f/4 so the comparison for me is always against that lens which is astoundingly clean. I also found the weight was too much for my liking - understandable as it is the same lens as I used to have for my Canon full frame, just with OMDS adding their Sync-IS magic to it. It just felt a little too nose heavy to be comfortable and obviously it's a massive chunk of glass to be hauling around too - the exact reason I went to micro four-thirds was to reduce the weight.
And thank you - it was definitely a challenging morning for it!
I had this lens but went to the Olympus and never touched it again. It was like using two pieces of scaffolding pole when it zoomed,!