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Fun with Panasonic 100-300

3

330toSRT8

Guest
Glenn & biglouis, nice shots you just posted! Were those with tripod or without?

Has anyone out there used the 100-300mm with an E-PL1? I know it would be quite unbalanced, but I'm not worried about that. I would like to have the reach for surfers, birds, etc. Assuming there is plenty of ambient light and I can hold the camera steady enough, are there any technical issues with this combo, e.g., any AF issues?

I'm not looking for Peter Lik IQ, just comparable to the samples in this thread. Thanks.
 

Rich M

Member
Glenn & biglouis, nice shots you just posted! Were those with tripod or without?

Has anyone out there used the 100-300mm with an E-PL1? I know it would be quite unbalanced, but I'm not worried about that. I would like to have the reach for surfers, birds, etc. Assuming there is plenty of ambient light and I can hold the camera steady enough, are there any technical issues with this combo, e.g., any AF issues?

I'm not looking for Peter Lik IQ, just comparable to the samples in this thread. Thanks.
Here's some surfing.....handheld, GH2, 1/1000, ISO400, 286mm



Not as sharp as a FF camera and a 500mm prime with IS.....but c'mon, do we REALLY expect to equal that?

R
 

lcubed

New member
very nice!! much nicer than the snow and gray sky outside here.

i originally wondered if the link was broken, until the image suddenly appeared about 90 seconds after the text!
 

Glenn

New member
Glenn & biglouis, nice shots you just posted! Were those with tripod or without?
Thanks, glad you like them, hand held, I was in a hotel restaurant and the feedr was outside in the garden so I just snapped through the window.

Rich M - great surfing shot and I totally agree about IQ, who needs better for the size and weight of M4/3 gear.
 

biglouis

Well-known member
Rich, those are very nice shots.

This is probably one of my best shots so far using the 100-300. To answer the poster above the camera is mounted on a Manfrotto monopod.

 

Rich M

Member
This is probably one of my best shots so far using the 100-300. To answer the poster above the camera is mounted on a Manfrotto monopod.
Louis......very nice, sharp with nice feather detail. The bokeh is not at all distracting.

Question......do you leave the OIS on when you shoot on the pod? Timer or CR?

And thanks for the kind comments on the surfing shot......it was pretty funny being out on the beach with a legion of white lenses. There was a lot of WTF looks. I don't delude myself into believing the the GH2/100-300 combo is comparable to my Canon kit.....but the other kit was HOME and this one wasn't.

Regards.....R
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
And thanks for the kind comments on the surfing shot......it was pretty funny being out on the beach with a legion of white lenses. There was a lot of WTF looks. I don't delude myself into believing the the GH2/100-300 combo is comparable to my Canon kit.....but the other kit was HOME and this one wasn't.

Regards.....R
It's probably only a question of time until either Olympus or Panasonic launches a 300mm f/2.8 or f/4 for this system. I guess f/4 is the most probable, since Olympus got a lot of criticism for not designing such a lens for the original 4/3 system. I'm quite sure that from an image quality point of view, a lens like that will represent serious competition for any 500 or 600mm prime from Canikon at a third of the weight and price, or even less.

We will still get those WTF looks, but apart from a tiny bit more DOF, there will be little real world difference in image quality unless we are going to print very, very large.

Edit:
I just calculated the difference in DOF. A full frame camera with a 600mm f/4 wide open will have 1.65m DOF at a 50m distance, while a GH1/2 with a 300mm f/4 will have 3.32m. If the 300mm is f/2.8, it's 2.34. Seen from 50 meters away, these are small differences. There will of course be full frame enthusiasts who claim that they don't like lightweight equipment and that the 5 kilograms of a 600mm f/4 helps them take better photos, but I don't think they take that lens on holiday, although I might be wrong :)

I'll mount the Nikkor 300mm f/4 on the GH1 next time I'm around town.
 
Last edited:

Terry

New member
It's probably only a question of time until either Olympus or Panasonic launches a 300mm f/2.8 or f/4 for this system. I guess f/4 is the most probable, since Olympus got a lot of criticism for not designing such a lens for the original 4/3 system. I'm quite sure that from an image quality point of view, a lens like that will represent serious competition for any 500 or 600mm prime from Canikon at a third of the weight and price, or even less.

We will still get those WTF looks, but apart from a tiny bit more DOF, there will be little real world difference in image quality unless we are going to print very, very large.
Can I say pretty please with sugar on top, deliver one to me for August!
 

biglouis

Well-known member
Rich and Terry, thanks for the comments.

Rich - I was using a monopod (not a tripod) and I did not turn off the OIS. Perhaps someone can clarify whether you need to turn it off when using a monopod (I believe you are supposed to turn it off when using a tripod)?

Terry - I was about 10 feet away from the bird. It is about 50% of the frame (is there a way to find out in LR how much of the frame you are cropping?). The bird is very common in the UK: a Starling. Actually, the head is slightly out of focus at 100% - I did capture other frames which were perfectly in focus but I thought this shot had more character.

I am amazed what you can produce with the 100-300 but it does take a lot of practise (which I know is true of many lenses I have owned over the years). I'd like to do more bird photography as it is a lot fun and I'm as pleased as punch that I can experiment with it for such a relatively low investment.

Rich - Your comment about the other photographers and their kit made me 'lol'. I won a photo competition last year and the prize is a day out with a professional wildlife photographer at a bird sanctuary in the UK. I bet I get a few raised eyebrows when I whip out the GH-2 and the 100-300 :) Actually, I reckon my M8 will also cause great amusement!

LouisB
 
3

330toSRT8

Guest
Hi all, here are my first test shots with the 100-300mm. Ordered it from Amazon on Monday and it arrived Tuesday.

Both shots are on the E-PL1, completely handheld, fully extended lens (300mm), iso 100, f6.3, 1/200 s, Mega O.I.S. off, body IS on. Taken from my balcony. Deer were approximately 100 ft away. Both shots taken in RAW, imported into LR3, cropped to leave about 75% of original, auto tone, clarity & vibrance increased.

Based on what I've read on this forum, the recommended shutter at 600mm equivalent would be 1/600. Unless I misread. Anyhow, 1/200 probably sounds crazy, but it's gloomy here in MD, so I didn't have much choice.

Feel free to critique, even if they're the worst shots you've ever seen. I can take it. :)



 
3

330toSRT8

Guest
I like this shot, but apparently it's time to get the VF-2 so I can ensure precise focus. The LCD just doesn't cut it.
 

biglouis

Well-known member
330toSRT8, it takes a bit of time to get the best out of the lens, although I suspect a viewfinder would also help. Are these jpegs out of camera? I only ask because they could do with a small amount of sharpening. I've shot down to 1/200 at 600mm but that is using a monopod. Hand held, the lowest I would go for is 1/320 but you are right that 1/500 and above will yield better results.

LouisB
 
3

330toSRT8

Guest
330toSRT8, it takes a bit of time to get the best out of the lens, although I suspect a viewfinder would also help. Are these jpegs out of camera? I only ask because they could do with a small amount of sharpening. I've shot down to 1/200 at 600mm but that is using a monopod. Hand held, the lowest I would go for is 1/320 but you are right that 1/500 and above will yield better results.
These are converted from RAW. Specifics on the tiger are: ISO 200, 300mm, F5.6, 1/320 s. Manual focus is so difficult on the low resolution LCD that I didn't even attempt it for any of these shots.
 

biglouis

Well-known member
These are converted from RAW. Specifics on the tiger are: ISO 200, 300mm, F5.6, 1/320 s. Manual focus is so difficult on the low resolution LCD that I didn't even attempt it for any of these shots.
BTW, I wrote '600mm' but of course, I meant 300mm (just did the crop factor conversion in my head as I was writing).

LouisB
 
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