The Micro Four Thirds System is one of the most popular compact system cameras systems available in market with over 39 lenses produced for this system with a multitude of offers ranging from wide angle lens to telephoto ones.
In terms of telephoto zoom lens available in this system the longest ones available at the moment are two: one manufactured by Olympus the Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 for Micro Four Thirds and the other the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4.0-5.6 for Micro Four Thirds.
Olympus M.ZUIKO ED 75-300mm f4.8-6.7 for Micro Four Thirds Lens vs Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4.0-5.6 Micro Four Thirds Lens
The Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 lens is available in two colors, silver and black, while the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4.0-5.6 Micro Four Thirds Lens is available in black.
- Olympus M.ZUIKO ED 75-300mm f4.8-6.7 for Micro Four Thirds Lens available in Black and Silver
Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm F4.0-5.6 Micro Four Thirds Lens with OIS Black
Let’s make a comparison of both this telephoto zoom lenses from a technical point of view.
Technical details of the Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 and Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4.0-5.6
| Technical Details | Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 | Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4.0-5.6 | Comments |
| Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds | |
| Type of lens | Telephoto zoom lens | Telephoto zoom lens | |
| Focal length | 75-300mm (full frame equivalent 150-600mm) | 100-300mm (full frame equivalent 200-600mm) | The Olympus has a higher zoom ratio |
| Maximum Aperture | F4.8 – F6.7 | F4.0 – F5.6 | The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm is faster |
| Minimum Aperture | F22 | F22 | |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 90 cm | 150 cm | The Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mmcan be used for taking closer photographs |
| Weight | 430g | 520g | The Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mmweighs less |
| Diameter | 70mm | 74mm | The Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mmhas less diameter |
| Length | 116mm | 126mm | The Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mmhas a centimeter less in length |
| Angle of view | 4.1° at 300mm – 16° at 75mm | 4.1° at 300mm – 12° at 100mm | |
| Filter thread size | 58mm | 67mm | |
| Lens Hood included with lens kit | No has to be purchased separately | yes | big thumbs up to Panasonic for providing a lens hood |
| Lens Hood code | LH-61E | H-FS100300 | |
| Tripod collar mount | no | no | |
| Image Stabilization | not available with lens so only available withOlympus micro four thirds camera bodies | included in lens so available in both panasonicand olympus micro four thirds camera bodies |
The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4.0-5.6 is half a stop faster when compared to the Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 lens. So this means that for the same exposure of light available you get about half a stop advantage either in terms of ISO or shutter speed (example for same ISO and at widest aperture you would get a shutter speed of 1/250 in the Panasonic and 1/180 in the Olympus) which can be critical at times specially at the long tele end of 300mm (full frame equivalent of 600mm) where a small shake can totally blur photo.
For both lens the minimum shutter speed recommended with image stabilization switched on (either in body or in lens) is of about 1/250 seconds which (once again the Panasonic provides a half a stop advantage that can prove to be valuable specially when close to a shutter speed of 1/250 as in above example).
Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 recommended only for Olympus camera bodies
- Olympus M.ZUIKO ED 75-300mm f4.8-6.7 for Micro Four Thirds Lens Review
The lack of image stabilization in the Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 makes it recommended only for Olympus bodies as otherwise in a Panasonic body you will not have this feature forcing you to take photos in the long tele (300mm) at a shutter speed of at least 1/500 seconds in order to avoid getting blurred photos compared to a conservative 1/250 available with image stabilization features.
Samples of photos taken with the Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 compare to the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4.0-5.6 Micro Four Thirds Lens
Instead of focusing comparison of the same frame taken with both lens we have decided instead to provide you real world examples of what each one of this lens can deliver (images from flickr). We believe this way your choice will be easier as you can see real photo scenarios instead of studio ones.
Samples of the Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7
- Olympus-M.ZUIKO-ED-75-300mm-f4.8-6.7-for-Micro-Four-Thirds-Lens-Sample
- Olympus-M.ZUIKO-ED-75-300mm-f4.8-6.7-for-Micro-Four-Thirds-Lens-Sample
- Olympus M.ZUIKO ED 75-300mm f4.8-6.7 for Micro Four Thirds Lens Sample
- Olympus-M.ZUIKO-ED-75-300mm-f4.8-6.7-for-Micro-Four-Thirds-Lens-Sample
- Olympus M.ZUIKO ED 75-300mm f4.8-6.7 for Micro Four Thirds Lens Sample
Samples of the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4.0-5.6
- Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm F4.0-5.6 Micro Four Thirds Lens Sample
- Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm F4.0-5.6 Micro Four Thirds Lens Sample
- Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm F4.0-5.6 Micro Four Thirds Lens Sample
- Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm F4.0-5.6 Micro Four Thirds Lens Sample
- Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm F4.0-5.6 Micro Four Thirds Lens Sample
Final Conclusion on the Olympus M. Zuiko 75-300 F4.0-6.3 vs Panasonic Lumix 100-300 F4.0-5.6 and Which One to Buy
Both the Olympus M. Zuiko ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 and the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4.0-5.6 are good lens for its specs and size when compared to APSC or Full-Frame ones when taking size, weight and price into equation.
The Olympus lens is half a stop slower and costs you more though it is able to produce sharper results when compared to the Panasonic one. However the lack of image stabilization of the lens could be a culprit if you are using a Panasonic body. With the half a stop loss in terms of shutter speed or ISO the sharpness advantage gets clearly lost unless you are taking photo of a still object or under midday sun so we would advise anyone to get instead the Panasonic Lumix 100-300 F4.0-5.6. It costs considerably less (about 30%) works in both camera bodies (Olympus and Panasonic) with Image Stabilization and besides that it has a higher resell value as you can always sell it to photographers owning etiher a Olympus or Panasonic body.
