Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Zoom Lens Review

Handling and Features
Performance
Verdict
Specification


This super-telephoto zoom from Panasonic covers a range equivalent to a 200-600mm lens on a 35mm camera, focuses internally, includes optical image stabilisation and costs around £460.

Photographers looking at this lens may also consider the Olympus 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 lens, which costs around £660. This lens covers a range equivalent to a 150-600mm lens on a 35mm camera but has a slower maximum aperture and no optical image stabilisation.

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Handling and Features

High quality plastics have been used for much of the construction of the lens barrel finished in a smart semi-matte finish that is quite hard wearing. The lens mount is metal and should be durable enough for may lens changes. On the Panasonic Lumix G3 used for testing, the combination is quite lens-heavy, but not overly so.

As focusing is performed internally the 67mm filter thread does not rotate during use, making this lens ideal for use with graduated and polarising filters. Focus speeds are reasonable, but certainly not lightning fast. The lens tends to track back and forth a little before confirming focus, especially in low light conditions.

The minimum focus distance of 1.5m makes this lens suitable for frame filling close ups at maximum zoom, as that distance is much closer than you would find on a typical 600mm lens on a 35mm camera.

With a little care, the optical stabilisation system allows sharp shots to be taken just over half the time at 300mm at 1/40sec, and about two thirds of the time at 1/80sec which is roughly three to four stops slower than the usual rule of thumb would dictate.

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Performance

At 100mm and maximum aperture, sharpness is excellent in the centre of the frame and approaching good levels towards the edges. Stopping the lens down a stop or two improves sharpness across the frame, until f/8. Here the clarity across the frame is good with the centre remaining excellent.

At 200mm, the clarity in the centre of the frame drops a little, but the sharpness towards the edges catches up. At maximum aperture sharpness in the centre is very good, and good towards the edges of the frame. Peak quality across the frame is reached at f/8, where the sharpness across the frame is excellent.

As is typical with zoom lenses, quality drops off a little more at maximum zoom, but at f/5.6 the sharpness in the centre is still good. F/8 will result in peak quality, as it does throughout the zoom range and sharpness is good across the frame.

Resolution @ 100mm		Resolution @ 200mm
Resolution @ 300mm		How to read our charts The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges. Averaging them out gives the red weighted column. The scale on the left side is an indication of actual image resolution. The taller the column, the better the lens performance. Simple. For this review, the lens was tested on a Panasonic Lumix G3 using Imatest.

For a super-telephoto zoom, levels of chromatic aberrations are remarkably low. At their worst they just exceed half a pixel width, which should not pose too many issues, even in large prints, or harsh crops from near the edges of the frame.

Chromatic aberration @ 100mm		Chromatic aberration @ 200mm
Chromatic aberration @ 300mm		How to read our charts Chromatic aberration is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software. Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more. For this review, the lens was tested on a Panasonic Lumix G3 using Imatest.

As falloff and distortion are corrected by the camera's image processing engine when shooting JPEGs, falloff and distortion will only be easily visible when shooting in RAW format.

Falloff of illumination towards the corners is reasonably well controlled throughout the zoom range. At 100mm the corners are 1.2 stops darker than the image centre and at 300mm they are 1.58 stops darker. Visually uniform illumination is achieved one stop below maximum aperture throughout the zoom range.

Distortion is typical for a 3x telephoto zoom lens. At 100mm 1.58% barrel distortion is present and at 300mm 0.845% pincushion. These levels should pose few issues day to day, but if you do require absolutely straight lines, the distortion pattern is uniform across the frame, and should be relatively easy to correct in image editing software afterwards.

This lens is reasonably resistant to flare. Shooting into strong light sources will result in a noticeable loss of contrast, but images taken under these conditions are still very usable and easily corrected. Strong light sources just outside of the frame are dealt with well by the supplied lens hood.

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Sample Photos

Sharpness is very good across the frame when the lens is stopped down a little | 1/125 sec | f/6.3 | 120.0 mm | ISO 160 High-Res	The long narrow angle of view is ideal for isolating distant subjects | 1/250 sec | f/5.6 | 300.0 mm | ISO 800 High-Res
Wide-angle | 1/160 sec | f/5.6 | 100.0 mm | ISO 160 High-Res	Telephoto | 1/200 sec | f/5.6 | 300.0 mm | ISO 320 High-Res
1/500 sec | f/5.6 | 300.0 mm | ISO 320 High-Res	1/160 sec | f/5.6 | 300.0 mm | ISO 160 High-Res
1/1300 sec | f/5.6 | 100.0 mm | ISO 160 High-Res	1/400 sec | f/8.0 | 193.0 mm | ISO 320 High-Res

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Verdict

Although £460 may seem a little expensive for a 100-300mm lens, if you think of it in comparison to a 600mm lens for a 35mm camera, it suddenly seems like better value, and should be a popular choice for wildlife shooters who own a Micro-Four Thirds camera.

The performance of the lens is good too. Although it isn't the highest performing lens Panasonic make, it is certainly adequate, producing sharp contrasty images.

	The Panasonic 100-300mm lens offers good value and would make a good choice for wildlife shooters.

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Pros

Good build quality
Good sharpness in the centre at all focal lengths and apertures
Good sharpness towards the edges when stopped down
Lightweight for a lens providing an angle of view equivalent to a 600mm lens on a 35mm camera

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Cons

Focusing could be faster
Could be sharper towards the edges at maximum aperture

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Specifications

Manufacturer	Panasonic
General
	Lens Mounts	Panasonic Micro Four Thirds
Lens
	Focal Length	100mm - 300mm
	Angle of View	4.1° - 12°
	Max Aperture	f/4 - f/5.6
	Min Aperture	f/22
	Filter Size	67mm
	35mm equivalent	200mm - 600mm
	Internal focusing	Yes
Focusing
	Min Focus	150cm
	Stabilised	Yes
Construction
	Elements	17
	Groups	12
Box Contents
	Box Contents	Lens caps, Lens hood, Soft pouch
Dimensions
	Weight	520g
	Width	73.6mm
	Height	126mm

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