Not every photographer on the planet prefer to use a DSLR as there are others who like to use the Micro Four Thirds system; and for those who prefer the latter and would want to take great telephoto images, then there’s the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 300mm f4.0 IS PRO. Simply put, it is a gem of a lens, and since that it is a fine piece of glass, it’s price tag reflects that as well. It is perhaps be the most expensive lens available for the mirrorless camera system to-date. But what you get is a great “bang for your buck” lens as it has a long telephoto reach, a very strong image stabilization system, 1:4.2 macro magnification, and a weather-sealed design.
The Olympus M.Zuiko ED 300mm f4.0 IS PRO is a Gem of a Lens With a Price to Match
First of all, you should know that the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 300mm f4.0 IS PRO is a lens with a lot of heft for a unit such as this. It weighs 3.3-pounds, and it is quite long as it measures in at 8.9 x 3.6-inches for its height and depth. That measurement does not even count the tripod collar attached to it and will extend further still with the extension attached. It is terribly not a good match for small cameras such as Panasonic GM5 (because of balance issues). But for larger mirrorless cameras, such as the Olympus OM-D E-M1, then there’s little to no balance issues there.
The front element of the M.Zuiko ED 300mm f4.0 IS PRO is able to accept 77-millimeter filters. It also has an integrated, collapsible lens hood which makes it quite easy to install or remove a filter. On the lens, there are two switches that you can see: one is to toggle the built-in image stabilization feature (which does a very good job at making sure you get sharp images) and the other one is to set the focus limiter function.
While image quality is insanely good, the lens does have a hard time in hunting across its full range as it will sometimes have difficulty in focusing onto distant subjects. Even with the limiter enabled, it is still struggling quite a bit when focusing on subjects in busy scenes. If this is the case, you can toggle the automatic focusing system off so you can do manual focus instead.
But the caveats found in the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 300mm f4.0 IS PRO are not total deal-breakers; as a matter of fact, they can easily be remedied. Therefore, there is nothing notably negative about this particular lens. Anyone who wants to take great telephoto images, and has the budget to spend, should definitely get this.