With the lens hood attached and the zoom retracted to 100mmm, the lens is very similar in length to the 300mm prime. ZERO (Zuiko Extra-low Reflection Optical) Coating is used to reduce ghosting and flaring, for clear image quality, even in poor, backlit conditions. However, if you bought the cheaper version you will be pleased to know the difference in optical quality is not great and the 100-400 has the advantage of being much lighter and more compact.

None of the images below are cropped (as a matter of fact, of all the images in this article only the two hummingbird shots are cropped and they have only been reduced by about 20%). The rain and slight breeze made it difficult to get the flowers as sharp as I wanted due to flower movement. It may just be me and the fact that I'm using older Olympus cameras, but with the Olympus 100-400mm I get sharper photos with the camera's IBIS off and the lens' OIS on. We tested the portability out on a few walks and were very surprised with how the lens performed at the extremities of its focal length.It's a bit confusing, and I'm not exactly sure why Olympus didn't incorporate 5-axis Sync IS compatibility with this lens.

Switches: I don't use switches on either of the lenses, and I really wish I could disable them because sometimes they get knocked out of position. Given the super-long focal lengths (not to mention when using the teleconverters) and dim aperture range, you really need some stabilization to properly hand-hold a lens like this and get usable shots. That said, its optics are a mixed bag—we enjoyed sharp results at the wide end, but quality drops off when zoomed in. The Olympus lens is not a pro lens, so you don't getter faster FPS, you don't get sync IS and worse OIS.This performance makes it possible to zoom in close on subjects that are difficult to approach, delivering flattening effects for shooting which is unique to such a super telephoto lens. Excellent – The equipment should be close to being ‘Like New’ but there may be some small cosmetic blemishes that lower its grade. My wife arrived to the cottage late in the evening and after some unceremonious unboxing, I ogled the lens, attached it to my E-M1 Mark III, pointed it through the trees at a sailboat that was moored near our island, and took my first shot.

at the telephoto end, the Olympus 100-400mm lens gives you the opportunity to work well in low-light without compromising quality. Plus, despite the fantastic IBIS of the E-M1X and E-M1 III and the onboard optical IS of the lens, the view through the viewfinder can still feel quite shaky at times, especially when using the 100-400mm and 2x TC at maximum zoom and when you're trying to actively pan and move to track in-motion subjects. Unfortunately, these switches get hidden awkwardly under the tripod foot when rotated for shooting in portrait format. I think if Panasonic bring out a new version of the G9 it may take some sales away from the Oly combo?Even when working close to cooperative subjects, like the rabbit I spotted in my backyard above, the detail the lens shows at wider settings is lacking. These are contained in its overall design of 21 elements in 15 groups, and which also includes ZERO Coating. The 100-400mm has built in image stabilization, which is effective - look at all the shots I have shown here, some even taken at 1/20 seconds hand-held, and still came out super sharp! With excellent optical and depictive performance across the entire zoom range and superb close-up shooting performanc, this lens is also dustproof and splashproof.

With low-light and High ISO performance being Micro Four Thirds cameras' relative weak spot, I try to keep my maximum ISO level around 1600-3200 when using these cameras. Featuring a complex optical arrangement with a total of 21 elements, including four ED elements, two Super HR elements and two HR elements, the Olympus 100-400mm doesn't skimp on optical quality, despite lacking the "Zuiko Pro" naming. Assessing the OM System 100-400mm for image quality can be a difficult task, because its performance is so intimately tied to the fact that long telezooms are most likely to be used outdoors to shoot moving subjects, such as wildlife, sports, or vehicles. But the lens becomes extremely difficult to handle, and the tiny aperture means there’s precious little fine detail to be seen. Since receiving it in late November, I’ve been out in the field regularly, capturing thousands of photographs, in a range of conditions.Once you start shooting real-world subjects, you’ll rapidly find that with its small aperture and demand for fast shutter speeds, this is an incredibly light-hungry lens. However, keep in mind the versatility here -- and just how compact and lightweight this particular 100-400mm lens is. Without it, it's a little too easy to snag your finger on the small metal nuts that are exposed when the collar is removed. Long telephoto lenses, especially for full-frame cameras, can easily tip the scales at well over five pounds and can approach almost two feet in length with their big lens hoods.