Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsYes, it is an excellent lens. No, it is not the same as a 600mm f/4.
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2021
Olympus needs to stop claiming this 300mm lens is "comparable" to a DSLR 600mm f/4. Olympus uses that word repeatedly in their marketing. I have used micro four thirds cameras from both Olympus and Lumix with this lens. The OIS and resolution are impressive. But do not put this lens on your m43 camera and expect to get results even remotely similar to a 600mm f/4 lens on a 24x36mm sensor camera.
If you are invested in m43 and want the best long lens you can get, then buy this lens. Performance is especially good if you use Olympus. The stabilization is not as impressive on a Lumix body as it cannot combine the IBIS with lens OIS. You only get the full potential when used on Olympus bodies.
Do not buy into the m43 system just to get this lens believing that it is a 1-for-1 substitute for a Canon/Nikon/Sony camera with matching 600mm f/4. The results from the Olympus 300mm f/4 are comparable to putting a 300mm f/4 on a full frame body and cropping half the image. With a larger sensor camera you also get 2 stops better noise and ISO performance plus the option to not crop down the final image.
To make a m43 lens "comparable" with a full frame lens you must convert the focal length AND the aperture. A 600mm f/4 full frame lens would be equivalent to a 300mm f/2.0 m43 lens! Nikon made a few. They were manual focus and weighed 16 pounds. A modern 600mm f/4 has auto focus and only weighs 8 pounds.
I am not a Canikony fan boy just trying to rain on the m43 parade. I use m43 and I enjoy in specific circumstances. I also use APS-C Fuji cameras and full frame cameras. My experience with the m43 system in general and this lens specifically led me to decide that m43 is ideal for ultra light weight, compact equipment used for bright daylight shooting. It is not ideal for low light or long focal lengths. You can get "comparable" (there's that word again) results using a APS-C or full frame sensor camera with a equivalent focal length and aperture. A 600mm f/8 lens yields similar background separation for the same subject distance. For roughly the same price, the Canon 7D II and EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L II lens yields nearly identical results to the Oly E-M1 II and this 300mm f/4 while being a far more all-around useful combination. For even less money, the Nikon D500 and 300mm f/4 PF lens is actually smaller and lighter. If you are starting from scratch or already own a Canon or Nikon body, go that route instead.
This is a 300mm f/4 lens. It does not magically become a "600mm" when attached to a small sensor camera. A 300mm lens is always 300mm. Period. Compare it to other 300mm f/4 lenses, all of which cost less than half of what this lens does.
