When Photographed, glad you enjoyed the video.

SamIsOnline I totally agree with you

Thank you so much. Very grateful for your kind comments.

+Volker A. Stark Volker, it is not huge by any means. It's a nice fit for the GX8 and even better with the GH4 with a battery grip. But overall it's much, much smaller than the Nikkor 80-400mm and the Canon 100-400mm. People I have shown the lens to and held it in their hands never once said, "wow, this is big". Most have always said, "wow' can't believe how small this thing is." I think you will find the same.

mediamannaman glad to know you enjoyed the video. Good luck on your journey with the birds. Nothing more enjoyable than time in the outdoors with feathered friends. Thanks for visiting.

I've been looking at the same setup as yourself (40-150 f2.8 w/ mc 1.4) or this Panasonic 100-400mm. Would you recommend the Olympus setup or vice versa? I like that I can use the 40-150 2.8 as a portrait and landscape lens but also have the ability to throw on the tele converter and make it a solid wildlife lens. But like you said, noise is a concern once converted.

Did you get the 100-400?

+bourbakis I have supplied a series of RAW files for anyone who wants them to download. You can find them on my blog at at these two places. naturalexposures.com/lumix-diaries-leica-100-400mm-samples/ naturalexposures.com/leica-lumix-100-400mm/

Thanks Rajendra.

+Serenoj69 Burst mode does just fine in AF-C. I have not had a chance to really test it with a really fast subject coming at the camera but it seems very capable. The AF is rocket fast, now we just need to test the DFD Predictive AF capabilities. Did some of that with the birds but not necessarily a lot.

+Daniel J. Cox Hi Daniel! Thx for your swift response. It must be so much fun for you. I remember when you got a first interview many months back (I think a year ago) with Panny and they promised something we would all love to see, but you could not disclose what it was. Cliffhanger! And now you are the first one inthe world to test that very lens...It is a dream of anyone interested in both photography and gear as well. I am surely going to sell the 100-300 which I do not respect much. 45-200 will be on its way out too, since 12-35..35-100 and 100-400 complement eachother perfectly fine. I guess with the Gh4 it will al work great and it has the advantage of a faster burstmode (in AF-c) and a larger buffer too over the GX8....But a series of 12-35, 35-100 and 100-400 plus body at what...just over 2Kg...It is exactly what I hoped for ever since I bought the G1 in dec. '08...Might add the 7-14 f2.8 Oly to top my travel kit off...Looking forward to your images and DFD test.

+Bowline Media Bowline, I've found it's necessary to shut down the lens Image Stabilization as Panasonic suggests in the manual while on tripod. I shot many images with IS on when on tripod and I was getting less than optimum results so I inquired with my Lumix friends and they reminded me all Lumix IS lenses are supposed to be shut off when on tripod. I've been doing the since and find it's helped in situations I was having issue with.

+edshotsdotcodotuk Hi Ed, all shots in the video either used a GH4 or a GX8.

+GlennQ Definitely not turning of IS with birds in flight. It is necessary to turn IS off if on tripod.

+Dustinrhoades So far from my limited use the in lens IS works very well with the Olympus OM-D EM-1.

Hi I'm thinking about getting the 100-300 ii. What's your thought on it? Iq etc?

+Bobby Thompson It's also on the video immediately afterwards which could not have been shot with the 100-400. So maybe a combination of both video post as well as photo edit post work.

+Bobby Thompson Hi Boby. I'm the filmmaker who did the edit and I did add some vignetting on all the shots in post. It was a creative choice. I'll let Dan speak to the vignetting on the 100-400 as he is the pro photographer. All video and stills were either from a Gh4 or Gx8 though a variety of lenses were used for the interview and scenics. All shots where the Panasonic 100-400 were used are specifically titled as such.

The Weekly Fly Nice work!

+David Dornblaser David, unfortunately I don't know but I have to say I doubt it. Would be nice if Panasoinc and Olympus would take their cooperative efforts to this level but I'm guessing they won't.

Thanks. After I posted I realized that neither Panasonic nor Olympus have an incentive to accommodate the purchase of the others lenses. Thanks again for your review.

+Daniel J. Cox Usted cree que se pueda usar para foto deportiva?? (soccer)

Hi. I have an Olympus E-M1 ii with this Panasonic Leica 100-400mm. As Mr. Cox had said, the dual IS won''t work here, you must have the same brand body and lens. Nonetheless, I found the Power O.I.S of this lens works great on its own even at the longest focal length. I like shooting wildlife and I don't like to use tripod, the combination of E-M1 ii and the 100-400mm works very well for me. Handheld shooting never has a problem. Focus speed is great too. I'm a long time Olympus user and I'm glad owning this Panasonic lens.

Flight Frames manual zoom only.

+Jason Disbrow Maximum aperture at 300mm is F/5.6

Daniel J. Cox that's a little disappointing rumors were saying perhaps constant f4 to 300mm or f4.5 @ 300mm. For things like BIF where stabilization is sorta useless and you need to maintain high shutter speed that extra stop would of been very useful. The new olympus 300mm f4 at say dusk could be shooting at ISO 3200 which IMO is still god quality where the panasonic would need to be at ISO 6400...not awful if exposure is spot but not really ideal either. I wish Panasonic would of sacrificed some focal length for a wider aperture at 300mm, say 200-400mm. It's going to be tough to decide whether to get the olympus or the panasonic now.

+Jason Disbrow I agree Jason. I also would have loved to see a faster aperture but as usual photography is a constant exercise in compromises. I'm hopeful that if this lens does well it may encourage the next step. This really was a HUGE leap for Panasonic and we should applaud them for making this lens happen. Additionally, all we need is for them to pull an amazing sensor out of their hat for the GH5 or whatever it will be called and our need for the larger aperture is gone. I'm thrilled with this lens and can't wait for others to get their hands on it to show what it can do.

Unfortunately, no David. Haven't had a GX9

+Bill Johnston, Jr. I haven't tried it on an Olympus body yet but plan to shortly. Will report on this on my Blog within the next month or so. I'm confident it's going to work beautifully on the Olympus.

Hi Bill, I've been shooting this lens on GX8 and E-M5 for fast moving subjects. AF and IS is very good to use with either body. Can happily shoot handheld at under 100th of a second at 400mm with my E-M5, probably lower though I haven't tried. Ruairi Johnston (another clan member)

+Let's Go Outdoors I'm sooting it a great deal with the GH4. The GX8 does give it some additional IS capabilities with the Dual IS but most of the important IS is coming from the lens since in body IS is not as effective with really log lenses. That's one of the main reasons Olympus added in lens IS to their new 300mm F/4.

Thanks. Just picked up the lens. Video is looking real nice!

I use mainly the G9 for all my video work. Sometimes the GH5.

@@danieljcox i have have a G9 and i absolutely love your color grading

I need to clarify about the cameras I use. I Did not shoot this video but a friend of my dad. He used the Lumix GH5. And did his own color grading. Just wanted to clarify that this video is not shot with a G9.

@@danieljcox its stellar, thank you for the reply

+Tom Schulte Lumix GH4

I saw Mr. Cox has another video named Japan Winter Wildlife, you can see this body and lens draped in snow and it still works great. I think it sort of answers your question.

I rinse my Oly EM5 under a slow tap after exposing it to salt water on the beach, never had a problem. My GF1 has survived a lot of abuse and spills, so can't see it being a problem

That's a good question. I'll do some checking and get back to you.

I agree Brian. I'm anxiously awaiting the upcoming Olympus 150-400mm with a constant F/4.5. That said, the Leica 100-400mm is going to be very inexpensive compared to the new Olympus and considerably smaller and lighter. So there is always a trade-off. Photography is a constant game of compromise.

Unfortunately, the 50-200 just doesn’t have the same reach. I guess it just depends on what you’re trying to do? If you’re seriously interested in bird photography or other wildlife subjects, you cannot beat the 100-400 lens.

@@danieljcox Well, I use the 70-200 2.8 on canon full frame and that lens can double for portrait and some wildlife photography. I don’t think the 100-400 will be useful in a portrait setting but I guess we can’t have it all. Thanks for your reply.

+far0ashgar I've heard the release date will be March 27th. I believe.

Hi Rob, your concern about the fragility of the lens mount is not unfounded. I personally know of at least five or six people who have broken the mount as you describe. That being said, I've been shooting the same individual lens since the 100-400mm was first released, which is now almost exactly four years. In all that time I've never had the issue you describe. I just checked my Mylio image library and it shows that I've shot exactly 134,577 images with this lens. So the reality is it can be an issue, but not if you are at least reasonably careful. Keep in mind I travel to a lot of places that would be considered less than hospitable for camera equipment and I'm not easy on my gear. In fact, I tell my students all the time, "if your gear looks brand new, you're not having enough fun." That's not to say you want to see it break but I can honestly admit that the Lumix cameras and lenses I've been shooting since I switched from Nikon, are the most reliable and robust cameras I've ever used. I'm not just blowing smoke here. I honestly mean that and I believe it's due to several things which include many less moving parts, the fact all cameras today are better sealed and more weatherproof and Panasonic has a stellar reputation for durability across their entire product line. What it boils down to is electronics are more reliable as long as you keep the water out. And I've found that to very beneficial. I'm curious what Photo Joseph had to say? Finally, there does seem to be something unique to this lens that doesn't allow Panasonic to repair it here in the states. I've heard it's a very complicated lens to tear down and put back together. So the people I know who've had a lens mount issue have received a "Refurbished" one in exchange. This reduces the time extensively that they're not able to have the lens. When Lumix first started offering a refurbished lens they were charging what many people thought, including me, was an exorbitant price. They've reduced that dramatically and in some cases have replaced the lens for no charge. My recent experience with their Lumix Pro Services, lumix-pro.us which anyone can signup for, has been exceptional. I recently had a general clean and check along with the repair of outer rubber grips on three bodies and all were returned in less than two days. So in short, it's not a perfect lens mount but it's way less of a problem than the internet suggests.

Daniel J. Cox Thanks for the in depth response. Overall the lens has positive reviews with the exception of the mount and zooming the lens. From what I can see shooting while zooming is not very feasible with the tightness of the zoom. I’m happy with my Canon lenses on the camera with the exception of the weight of full frame lenses. Thanks Again.

+Tom Tom Very good observation! I've been saying this since the first days of starting to shoot MFT gear. When photographing people they are much less intimidated by smaller cameras, park rangers and other in positions of authority aren't nearly as difficult. I've noticed this a great deal over the past few years.

Curious why you think park rangers and others in position of authority are intimidated by large camera gear?

Not sure what you mean. X26 of what?

Ultimately its a 200-800 f4-6.3 but only using the central half of the view, so the light gathering is the same as any 1-400 f4-6.3, but DOF is like, well, a 100-400 f4-6.3.....which is what it is. If they could've shoe horned 2.8-4/5.6 into this it would've been amazing, but as it is, considering the DOF can be actually beneficial at this FL and also modern m43 bodies can go as high as ISO 6400 without too much trouble, I agree with mr Thorpe that this is a great lens for the system. a 200-800 FOV with a 200-800 f4-6.3 DOF (FF equiv) would've been massive, so pointless.

@@samandchar2004 The light gathering is NOT the same as a full frame f/6.3, that is a very common misconception. The sensor is literally 1/4 the size, meaning it gathers a full two stops less light than any modern full frame sensor. This means that in terms of the final image quality is like shooting with an 800mm f/12.6.

TechnoBabble I should’ve worded my reply differently - as far as exposure goes, equivalence is irrelevant as far as stills go, the exposure will be the same, just the FOV changes. Obviously full frame will give better quality in a line for like situation, just like medium format will beat full frame, that’s just physics. But m4/3 will still get the shot, and with significantly less size and weight. And presuming you don’t want to print your shots on the side of Parliament, the final image should do the job. I get that bigger sensors gather more light, but I also believe in the right tool for the job - MF are fantastic for landscapes, m4/3 and APSC have real life advantages for long telephoto, FF hits the sweet spot for sports (particularly indoors), and isn’t far behind MF for landscapes, but FF and MF require huge lenses, so it’s not worth getting obsessed with sensor size - use the best tool for the job

+mookondo If you are serious, which I think you are since I'm also a big fan of this jacket, you can get at the National Geographic Store at shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/product/gifts/best-sellers/microfiber-travel-coat. It has a down liner that is very warm and lots of fabulous pockets. Absolutely my favorite coat.

+Daniel J. Cox. Albert A , Can you say whether your marvelous bird pictures are continuous videos shot at 30fps say or in short burst mode fast enough to still capture the movement. I ask this question with autofocus in mind?

LFC markeb sorry to hear that LFC. Don’t give up longterm. There will be many coming on the used market once Olympus releases their new 150-400mm.

LFC markeb hang in there buddy

@@danieljcox the 100-300 isn't that bad in reality especially the mk2 with power OIS

It is affordable, 12x more affordable than the canon equivalent, but is in no way cheap It uses higher quality glass and will produce better images in adequate light. Just see for yourself

@@andrewally3570 I have and it's really low quality for that money sorry but I'm not impressed at all with this lens or setup.

@@Equossanos I'm afraid you really are expecting too much from this camera. You can't think this will get as sharp an image as a prime because of the amount of elements and groups to get the range. Added to the fact that there is no 35mm equivalent with this focal range and even if there was it wouldn't be as sharp either because you would need even more glass and it would more than likely not be leica glass and thus not as high quality. You are looking at maybe the Olympus 300mm Pro lens which is fantastic in it's regard but is very specialised and not ss versatile as this. In terms of build quality, imo its decent from the hard plastic construction, you can expect that or lower from pretty much every telephoto lens and if they were to make it from metal the weight would be a drawback honestly. And even if it is relatively expensive to what my wallet can handle lol, it isn't relatively expensive compared to full frame equivalents in focal range. The closest competitor is the Sigma 50-500 for apsc with approx the same focal range at the expense of weight, but aperature slight advantage. This is a quality lens and does perform exceptionally well, believe me.

@@inkoengbersen7252 And no zoom on that 800mm f/11, lens either. I own the Panasonic 100-400, have had it for a year and love it. Been using MFT since 2014, I am well aware of the "disadvantages" of MFT but I primarily do video, MFT is way better for video. Yes, this lens does zoom out to 800mm f/12.6 equivalent (f/12.6 equivalent aperture opening to full frame, and f/12.6 full frame equivalent depth of field etc). MFT is on the limit of what one actually needs, wants are a different thing. The full frame stuff is often overkill. Even in low light, most critters do pause for a bit or barely move, you can hand hold the 100-400 at 400 and get 1/50th sec exposure easily (but fire a burst to guarantee). Even with all the full frame options these days, I prefer MFT as I enjoy hiking and am happy to trade off some light gathering ability for the strengths of MFT like handholding this 800m equivalent focal length at low shutter speeds. MFT is fun, people forgot how to have fun and now most seem to expect "the best" in every way ... if it's not "the best" then it must be bad ... this lens is ideal for so many people, it's wonderful. Sure, the zoom ring is a little stiff, my only complaint, but I accepted that before I bought the lens :)

Grahamm5790 you are the problem... or a FF Troll...

+xDECORx Wow, and you can actually tell all this from a KZfaq 1080 video? Impressive!

+Jean V thanks jean. take a close look at the sample pics and you will be enlightened.

+Jean V thanks jean. take a close look at the sample pics and you will be enlightened.

+xDECORx Too bad I don't own a FF camera and don't ever intend to buy one. I'm not impressed with the 150-600mm because it won't fit on my MFT cameras. This lens looks like the ideal telephoto zoom for stills and video on my GH4 and OMD EM5 II.

+xDECORx you totally missed the point of the physical size and weight.