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

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.

Add your message