At least we still have these videos of David. I'm currently considering this lens, and David's advice continues to be helpful. 😢❤

I miss David! Rest In Peace good soul!

New favourite KZfaqr hands down. No music; no ‘what’s up guys’ BS; a script, a personality and well chosen visuals. I love it.

I wonder if David had any idea how much his audience looked forward to him releasing another video and how well liked and appreciated he was. A wonderfully engaging voice and someone of the master of this kind of thing. Much missed.

I buy most of my lenses used. It's telling that this lens never is available used. The buyers must really love and treasure these lenses.

Great perspectives from this review. 2 years ago I bought the G9 - on sale at $1000 & the Leica 100 - 400mm that was also on sale @ $1400. I found it's zoom ring to be on the stiff side so I called the camera store who said to bring the lens back in one week & they would have 3 other new 100 - 400mm Leica units for me to try. In Mikes Camera store a week later, out of the 3, one lens' zoom ring was quite smooth. Enjoy your vids & your book on the Pany G9.

David, I take it that you write poems too! Listening to your speech is a real joy. Many thanks.

I miss your reviews and voice David,

I have no desire to get into the M43 system but I do enjoy listening to David's soothing voice. Kind of like ASMR but informative!

would love to see those show offfy photos!

You are hilarious. Love the bit about diving condors over Machu Picchu. I laughed out loud. Keep these reviews coming. You do the best job of any reviewer.

David... I've watched this review since you uploaded it, and I was surprised to realize that I've never commented how good it is..!!! Thank you.

Great review David! I recently sold off my micro 4/3 kit (and Nikon FX kit) to move to the Fuji X system but I still enjoy watching your reviews. You are certainly one of my favorite reviewers along with The Camera Store guys and Christopher Frost.

This is by far my most desired lens right now. I'm ages away from being able to afford one but when I got it I'll move to Africa and become a Safari guide just to use its full potential.

Your reviews are so pleasantly non-tech, but still your knowledge of optical equipment is evident. Thanks for the many soothing reviews over time, Sir David!

I bought one after watching this review and was very pleased. Later sold it for an Olympus 300mm f4 which, on my OM1, has body and lens stabilisation. I miss these reviews these days, they were on a different level to the average m43 knocking stuff.

Thanks for buying the entire m43 ecosystem David!

Awesome review, David - as usual. I was looking at getting this lens but wasn't sure. Now, I'm sold. Thanks, mate!

Thank you David a beautifully presented review as always.

I have rented both this lens and the Olympus 300mm f4. This lens was very good, but the Olympus lens was spectacular, partly because it's extra stop of light at 300 enabled me to use a lower ISO. I often find myself struggling with noise when I go out birding on cloudy days. And, since I already own the MC-14 and MC-20 teleconverters for my 40-150, I could overcome the distance problem as well. Now for the money to buy it.

Another informative and entertaining review! This is why I love the micro 4/3 system, a massive 200-800mm telephoto focal length in a compact size.

Remembering David in 2022 ❤

Love the neighbour's roof and the review - 100-400 Sold!

You know, without the traditional shots of your neighbor's roof I would think that I'm watching the wrong channel. I don't even own mft gear any more, but remain subbed purely for the enjoyment of these lovely reviews. All the best, and keep going.

This lens makes me want to get an M43 camera. I've felt like getting a full frame 150-600 lens since they started showing up, but whenever I see the size or think about the weight I come to my senses.

Olympus has some good looking new lenses and a new flash too. I'd like to see the new Oly 25mm f1.2

Great review, I love my lens. Zoom ring started out a bit stiff but has loosened over time.

7:06 well we know where David's mind was!

I on't own this lens but recently tried it at a camera shop in Anchorage. I loved it. The zoom action was not tight once I ensured the lock was fully disengaged. I recently bought a Sony RX10 III for an all in one zoom out to 600mm and have been pleased with the results. The Sony has a 1 inch sensor but performed well. I still want this lens but doubt I will buy it. Great review.

RIP Mr. Thorpe. A true professional.

Mine has stiff zoom ring ... lots of people have complained, BUT I use 400mm almost 95% to take birds so its not a big deal for me. I push / pull to zoom in and out rather than turning the ring. This lens really is for the wildlife photographer and not a portrait lens. As you said it is a specialty lens. It is REALLY sharp. Image stabilization, focusing speed, tripod collar, infinity limiter ... all fantastic for the wildlife photographer!

Hello, David! I was thrilled to see the notification in my inbox for this video! I own this lens and would love, love, LOVE, to see your show-off-y photos of birds in flight and any other photo you deem interesting. This very day I've been over to Lake Whitney, Tx, down below the dam, practicing my technique with the elusive flying birds...LOL. Everything you said about the lens has been what I've found to be true. It's sharp, fast, and image quality is fantastic. My zoom ring has loosened up a lot, but still pretty tight from 300mm to 400mm. It's not smooth during that last range, but like you, I keep it at 400mm all the time and reluctantly zoom in. Thanks for the review, and please post pics from this lens. Thank you!!!!

I've watched this review twice in a week. That's how excellent you are at doing these.

Just back from a birding holiday in Costa Rica and how I wish I had this lens, especially with all the humming birds, vultures, hawks, eagles, surfers, etc. I made do with my all purpose Panasonic 14-140mm. Great review of this lens, I'll definitely be getting this lens before my next birding holiday.

Splendid humor with discerning commentary as usual.

David, thanks for your grate M43 reviews. I like your sense of humour and the objective information.

Just randomly foudn you. Very nice review with awesome narration! And Damn it! give us the Showoffy Condor PIX!!!

lol that sequence at 6:55 I picked up my copy on release and have used it non stop since; rugby and the birds that don't ride bikes. I'll have to pick up a second body just so I don't have to swap it out.

You are the second reviewer to suggest a stiff zoom. Mine is really nice. I wonder if the zoom lock is not backing off far enough. I'm happy with mine in good light. Another great review.

Another kick ass review David Thorpe! Love your sense of humour and take on this

Another fine review I'd been waiting on. Thanks, David. My state park bird searches will really benefit from this lens and a 5 axis IBIS Panasonic camera, especially in the many darker areas of the parks, 1/30sec sorts of dark. My GH2, GX7, and GH4 with the Pana 100-300 have all served my bird hobby well, but IBIS and this new lens will make a real actual difference for these 56 year old hands.

I was thinking of selling my 100-400mm because I haven't been using it for quite some time... and it appears that I am a bird shooter by no means... but after your video I found some inspiration for using this lens for applications I hadn't thought of before. I think it will stay with me! Thank you! :)

Olympus and Panasonic make it so tough to decide which route to go. I have the Panasonic 35-100 F2.8 and decided to also get this Panasonic 100-400mm. I spent around $2500 for this combination. I got it because for planes and flying birds, you really can't have 'enough' zoom. However you can get away with 200mm or even 150mm most of the time if your subjects are at reasonable altitudes. From a financial and practical standpoint the Olympus makes more sense as you obviously can buy the Olympus 2.8 Zoom with a Teleconverter for considerably less than the 35-100, 100-400 Panasonic Combo. I really got into taking action shots at my nieces sporting events with the Panasonic 35-100 2.8. It takes amazing shots but always wish I had another 50-100mm, so I didn't have to crop my photos so much for distant shots. You can use the 400mm Panasonic but then you need very high ISO at F6.3 and would almost be better off cropping a 150mm F2.8 shot. The Panasonic 400mm is a no-brainer if you're in sunny outdoor conditions but not so much indoors. Overall I still like the combo I picked, as it covers everything you could ever need. However if you are primarily an Action shooter and not that into wildlife/very distant subjects.. I agree with David and say the Olympus better fits the bill in terms of practicality. Aaargh decisions, decisions lol.

Another well thought out and delivered review. Like I've told you before you're the best reviewer on KZfaq. I too will most likely rent this beast when I need it. My bag is already heavy with all the lenses you have recommended to us. CHEERS!

Just picked this lens up used during the recent Ebay sale, fortunately the zoom action is very smooth on my copy. Its noticeably heavier and bulkier than the 100-300, but the photos do seem to be sharper. With all the extras, and faster focusing, the 100-300 will definitely be going up for auction.

"So here's some shots of a neighbours roof", classic. Did you study the radio life of Tony Hancock? Great stuff.

Another great review David. I love your stop motion shots at the beginning. Thanks!

1/12/2022 thank you for sharing this information

Nice review David, I love the fact it's so light (relative to anything else with that much reach).

I was very excited to hear about this lens when it was announced. I just picked up a pristine used Panasonic 100-300 for what I think was a bargain thanks to this lens now being in the lineup. BTW -- I bought the 100-300 based on your review and so far I am quite pleased. I know that this Leica badged model will have better specs, and it has more reach, but honestly the 100-300 I just acquired seems to do all I need and more for a fraction of the price. I grabbed some great pictures of my nephew on the field playing (American) football while I was seated up in the stands with my G6 attached directly to a monopod (haven't invested in the collar yet -- not sure I will). I allowed the ISO to go pretty high which let me stop the action down on the field and created some super photos to share with the family on Facebook where a bit of noise isn't even noticed. I also took it out for some shots of birds near the water in the bright sunlight, on top of a somewhat smallish tripod, and again it did very well. I still need to spend some time with it and learn how to finesse better results out of it, but I think it was a great purchase and I owe it all to the Leica 100-400 and its impressive specs.

Great review, David. I bought this as soon as it hit the stores, found the zoom ring unworkable, tried a second copy with the same results.Will have to try again!

It's almost like a listening to an audio book, but boy I love it :-). Nicely shown and compared.

Love your reviews! There are story telling that keeps wanting to hear more! 👍

You are a gift to the M43 community and a bane to recovering GAS addicts David! Lovely review and lovely piece of glass but I agree its probably the best lens I'd never buy, as it is, my bargain bin 45-150 sits at home on the shelf! Will you be attending Photokina next week? Looking forward to see what the E1Mk2 brings... Hoping they went with the new 16mp global shutter sensor and not the bog standard 20MP one. Keep up the great work David, always a treat to watch your reviews. :)

Brilliant review, always enjoy them David, another lens to dream about.Many thanks.

I'm never going to buy this lens, but I love your reviews so much that I watched the video anyways!

miss you, David.

Mr Thorpe, I always enjoy your reviews but I must say that the presentation of the 250 mph diving falcon prior to the snaps of ones neighbour's roof intead, was nothing short of genious (David, you had me laughing out loud after a very tiring & stressful day, hence not a small feat!) PS I'm saving up for sticking the 40-150 2.8 onto my E-M1 II. Yep saw your review of it too (now I come to think of it saw your review of the MC1.4 that I also want:) Thank you Sir as always for the very good information.

Thanks mate, spot on as usual! You are the king of MFT reviews on KZfaq. 👍

Thanks for an excellent review! I bought this lenses when it was released and used it a lot for bird photography and large insects like dragonflies and butterflies. It is wonderful. Makes me happy every time I take it out. And it is very reasonably priced compared to DSLR lenses.

I wouldn't call the 40-150 Oly a lens that epithomises the system. If there is one lens,. to my mind, doing that on mFTs it is the 35-100 F2.8. It weighs 360 grams. It gets you 70-200 mm euiv FL. The Oly gets you 80-300. But it weighs 765 gram without the collar...also the 35-100 is every bit as good and to me it makes better sense with my 100-400 Panny, which is a lens I like too. 12-35 f2.8 is also great but gave a lot of purple and green neon flaring on my GH4. On my Em1.2 this has diminished greatly. Lovely review again David, classy, calm, informative and good in depth as always. Keep up the good work!

So here are some shots of the neighbours roof, nice touch, can't wait till you get to Andes Mountains LOL. Great video good info thank you.

Good review as always, David. Although I am sure we would all love to have seen the aerial combat pictures you ... helped us to imagine.

The thing you mentioned about dialing it back to 100 to find your subject is why personally i like zooms at these really long focal lengths. The closest equivalents to this (in my brain) would be the Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 Contemporary on an APS-C DSLR like the 7D Mark II or D500, The Sigma is half the price (about) in the US but twice the weight... Of course you could also mount the Sigma onto a Sony a6300...I bought the Sigma for the record since I run both m4/3 and a Canon DSLR system at the moment I sometimes regret not getting the Leica 100-400, but when i made the purchase it wasn't shipping and there were no reviews :( I also.. as good as the DFD is.. I still dont trust it the way i just trust my dslr yet. Then again, this lens is a lot less intimidating for outsiders compared to the 150-600!

i totally enjoyed this review...3 or 4 months ago,, i bought the smaller brother..50 - 200mm leica to go with my G9.. i love the results,, and the craftsmeship,, in that lens.. that lens is on my G9 probably 90 % of the time.. sighhhhh...lol

Great review, made me laugh out loud at the neighbor's roof comment. I took this lens on a safari to kenya last summer when I made the switch to m43 to save weight during travel and I didn't regret it. I was disappointed with the stiff zoom and should have stopped videos in between zooming but live and learn. I used a lot of your reviews last year when choosing what to buy along with the GX8 Kindle guide. They were very helpful, thanks! I'm deciding on my first prime lens at the moment for an upcoming trip to Costa Rica, will be (re)watching any of your videos I can find on those next. Currently using 7-14, 12-32 (great for keeping it small and simple around town), 14-140 and 100-400.

11:14 For me, it's faraway mountain peaks draped in clouds/mist/snow/etc. Or tree lined ridges and the like.

Good old roof shots. Very enjoyable video david

Excellent review David, Thanks.

Another great review, thanks. I have this lens and mine has a stiff zoom ring, though yours looks a little stiffer. Finding moving birds in the sky at 400mm is almost impossible. Did get some close shots of the Goodyear blimp as it passed over my house a few days ago.

I loved your review David ! Thanks !

Thanks, David. I've been anticipating your review of this lens for awhile now. While I covet it, I probably don't shoot enough "aerial falcon drama over Machu Picchu" to merit it at this point. ;-) When it comes out, I'd love to get your take on the new Olympus 30mm macro. Considering how often I used the 60mm 2.8, I'm relatively certain I'd get my money's worth out of that lens too. Again, thank you so much for your thoughtful reviews. In my opinion, you produce the most thoughtful "real-world" photography gear reviews on KZfaq. Dustin

Love your voice over, pleasant to ears !

love your words (speech)

Wow, I am quite impressed with this glass. I am looking to switch from Nikon FX sensor (D4S) to the GH5 system. The 600mm f/4 is such a beast but by the time you switch to this and even the GH5 with battery pack, it's so much less cumbersome, while being able to shoot at 800mm equivalent. Thanks for this review.

I like the review - added lens to Santa's delivery list! A cry "Fowl!" however! Next time I want to see the gannets with struggling fish! LOL!

I enjoyed the photos of the neighbours roof, who wants to see Kingfisher - Gannets diving for fish anyway or even Sparrowhawks hunting for food. Give me a rooftop anyday.

I would love to have such an incredible lense

Thank you for your excellent review, practicality, and celebration of space in your dialogue; I could listen to you read the phone book. By all means, please DO show off the whirling birds sequence. C'mon!

Always enjoy your reviews...

My next lens. Once I sell off unused other lenses!!

A beautiful review.

Thanks for the review. If ever I had the money, I'd get this for sure, since I am into wildlife photography but find the quality at 300mm on the 100-300mm isn't very sharp. I have seen that Sigma "Sigmonster" lens before, its huge but without stabilisation its hard to use, even with a tripod. I know many people don't like crops, but this is where M4/3 as you said is great, you don;t have to use such large lenses to get the same focal lengths you would on a full frame or ASP-C camera. BTW, I'd love to see those show offy shots, they sound very interesting!

Narative....Best in class, thank you :)

Another great Video. Can't wait to pair it with the GH5.

this is a very nice lense for sports ang wild life photography.

Shame David couldn't be reviewing the new mk2 version, instead of the I have crowd.

wow great feature set.

Good Morning David... Have you had a chance to review the "new" Panasonic-Leica 50-200mm f/2.8-4 Lens yet? I would be curious to hear what you have to say... I know you have the 35-100mm f/2.8 and the Panasonic-Leica 100-300mm in your kit - BUT imagine this!!! Getting the 50-200mm lens AND a 2x teleconverter?!!! WOW!!! I would love to hear your opinion... As always I love your honest and thorough reviews very much... Keep up the excellent work!

Dear David Thorpe - have you heard anyone use olympus om-d e-m5 mark ii with Lumix 100-400mm lens? I know dual IS would not work, but I wonder if there is any issue focusing or in- body IS (while turning off lens IS). Oly OM1 Markii sound bit too good to pass ... I am hoping Panasonic would make 20mp, 5 axis, weather sealed, 6k photo, higher than 10 fps ... camera that would be head to head with Olympus OM1 markii

Thanks for the great review David. Now I'm considering flipping a coin with this lens of the Oly 40-150 + tele converter! I do like the brightness & feel of the f2.8 Olympus product, but the sheer reach of this Panasonic is also very attractive. Cheers.

By the way, Panasonic has just announced the GH5. Will be available mid next year. Main highlight is 4K video at 60p and 4:2:2 recording internally but apparently no sensor stabilization (I hope I am wrong)

Neat presentation

Another very good informative review David, I bought this lens a few weeks back and have found the zoom ring stiffness eases with use, my thoughts are that the zoom lock fails to release fully, living in Scotland though, I fancy my chances of catching eagles, kingfishers, or indeed superman, much greater than catching a heat haze.

You are right. These are for specific to people capturing wildlife and for voyeurism. =P In all seriousness, I think for most people, the 12-40mm f2.8 and 40-150mm f2.8 is all they will ever need as those two lens will fulfill 95% of their general needs. I have a couple of zoom lens and prime lens but I tend to use the 12-40mm the most with the occasional 45mm f1.8 for portraits. The rest are just sitting in my bag. I think I will sell them. Not sure if I even want to buy the 40-150mm. It's a great lens and I want it, but I don't know if I will use it as much to justify the investment.

Great review as usual. Thanks!

Great review Dave nice bird ing lens

as always another great review, thanks

I thought I was the only one who tested telephoto lenses on the neighbors roof.

Great review! I _do_ like to photograph birds. This would be my dream lens at the moment. Its price is just too steep. I've been using 45-200mm Pana and 500mm Samyang now.100-400mm would cover almost all my bird photography needs. But sometimes even the 500mm is too short for taking picture of a small bird that's far away. Although that happens very rarely. I wonder why didn't Olympus make 2x tele converter for their 40-150mm..? Although 300mm starts to be too short too often.