Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm f/4.0 IS PRO Lens for Micro Four Thirds, Black

2022-12-26T19:00:00

Been an Olympus user since 1980 when my dad gave me his old OM-1. Been an avid user since. The 300 is incredible. Paired with the new OM-1 I have seen huge improvements in my wildlife photography and specifically BIF. This lens is bright, SHARP, extensively well built, and is perfectly sized. A couple of my daily shooting peers stand with me multiple times per week with their 500mm Canon and Nikon full-frame lenses and I feel for them. They are HUGE! Combining the reach, aperture, size, and sync-IS I cannot imagine a better pairing. Simply awesome!!!

Jeffrey

Originally posted at

2022-04-29T08:10:43

Great lens. Very sharp, relatively lightweight and very well made.

COREY C.

2021-12-17T10:34:57

This lens performed as advertised. Love it.

DAVID S.

2021-10-15T08:55:33

Heavy Duty Telescopic Bird Banger...

Kenneth K.

2021-06-01T20:00:00

Love the lens enough already said on that. But, I do not like the built in hood. When retracted it is loose and often extends partially. I cracked mine shortly after buying and well what can I do?

JPoet

Originally posted at

2021-05-18T20:00:00

This lens is a gem ?. In no shape or form it can be rivaled by competition, handled, at low shutter speed and you get razor sharp image wide open at f4 without being tired and enjoying your shoot?.NO ONE ? NO ONE ?.can do that but OLY?!!!!!!!

mohammad

Originally posted at

2021-05-05T20:00:00

Very clear, crisp, bright images. It is a big lens by Olympus standards, but small compared to what a FF equivalent would be. My only reservation on it is that it developed an issue with the manual focus clutch shortly after I got it. It is out for warranty service and I am out $54 for shipping and insurance. Hopefully, the repair will be quick, effective, and permanent.

Jeff

Originally posted at

2020-06-15T20:00:00

Love this lens, it is incredibly sharp. I am able to hand hold while shooting birds and still get great sharp shots.

Mary

Originally posted at

2020-05-10T20:00:00

I am in love with this lens! Fast focus, brilliant, crisp photos. IS works flawlessly! Paired up with my E-m1 mark II, very potent!

John

Originally posted at

2020-01-28T19:00:00

Incredible lens that produces sharp images. Love it when combined with the 2x Teleconverter! Either combination allows you to get great shots of wildlife and birds from a distance. So glad I bought this lens!

Jeff

Originally posted at

2019-07-31T20:00:00

This is an amazingly sharp lens. To get similar quality at 600mm equivalent in a Nikon or Canon lens you would have to pay at least double. .

Richard

Originally posted at

2019-07-18T20:00:00

This has been a great lens. Amazing detail and color even wide open. I have been using it with my EM-1 MkII for 3 years and I love the way it handles and how quick it focuses. And it has only improved with firmware updates to the camera and lens. Looking forward to adding the MC20 in the near future.

Ken

Originally posted at

2019-07-14T20:00:00

Super sharp, not too big nor too heavy. Focuses instantly and works well with the MC-14 teleconverter. The autofocus clutch could be tighter. Just what I need for bird photography.

Jules

Originally posted at

2019-07-11T20:00:00

This is more than a Great Lens. This is a Fantastic lens. Light, Extremely Sharp even when using the 1.4X teleconverter. I use this lens and other Olympus lenses with my Panasonic Lumix DC-G9. This lens is a work horse. Amazing Sharpness. A must buy for Bird Photography with a Micro 4/3 Camera.

Pierre

Originally posted at

2019-06-18T20:00:00

Great lens. Does what the sales guy said. Gives just that perfect extra touch you need to get sharp pictures, hand held.

Jean

Originally posted at

2019-06-12T20:00:00

Make no mistake, this is a beautiful lens. The size, weight and image quality are fantastic for a 600mm equivalent lens. I?ve given the lens 4 stars for the following reasons. While I really like the attached lens hood (I always use lens hoods on all my lens) and find it super convenient that it?s only a push/pull away, I also find it can be quite difficult to retract. The focus/manual focus slide should have a twist feature to come out of autofocus. A few times I?ve accidentally put it into manual focus while leaning around bushes for bird photography only to miss a shot.

John

Originally posted at

2019-06-10T20:00:00

Just got this lens and instantly took it out for a test run. Using it without the 1.4X adapter was great! Sharp! Adding the 1.4X to it, was just a bit more reach and again...sharp! I haven't put this lens down ever since its been on the camera. If you really want that extra reach with a fixed Aperture....this is the ONE!

Alexey

Originally posted at

2019-05-31T20:01:49

I have combined this with a 1.4 converter. So far so good with a few dozen photos.

Scott C.

2019-05-27T20:00:00

This is an excellently designed lens with outstanding sharpness combined with a super light weight design. The manual focus is brilliant and smooth and works better than the competition. The ability to focus on close objects is also extraordinary.

Scott

Originally posted at

2019-05-26T20:00:00

Absolutely as good as they say, and still super with the MC-14 teleconverter. Image stabilization is superb, but good long lens technique still helps. One tip: remember to use the focus range limiter switch for fastest possible focusing.

Tim

Originally posted at

2019-05-12T20:00:00

Love the size and weight of this lens - with or without the 1.4x teleconverter the images could not be sharper. Olympus never disappoints with their quality of lens build. This is truly a PRO lens. Personally I like the retractable hood and have never had an issue with it. The lens has terrific reach and is great for my bird photography.

Virginia

Originally posted at

2019-05-08T20:00:00

First of all this is a heavy lens but not too heavy for a good 3-4hr shoot. The build quality is typical first rate Olympus. The retractable lens hood is a bit finicky but works well for the most part and is super convenient. Focusing is fast but slows down in low light or with the 1.4x converter. At f4.0 (5.6) it's not meant for low light and performs very well in bright light situations. The lens is very sharp and I have gotten very good results with bird shots that show excellent detail depending on the focusing distance. This along with the 12-40mm PRO are the best two lenses I own.

Robert

Originally posted at

2019-03-18T08:11:44

I was using the Panasonic 100-400 lens on my Olympus M1 mark II for birding. The Olympus 300 mm lens is superior, except for the increased weight. The Olympus lens is brighter. Pictures are sharp, quick, clear and have excellent color reproduction.

FRAN P.

2019-02-23T19:00:00

The lens is extraordinary for distant shots of wildlife even in relatively low light environments. The image stabilization is amazingly good which allows most shots to occur without use of a tripod. The only true flaw I see is not the lens, but the integrated hood. The hood can easily get stuck when extended and is not removable. The hood assembly design on the 40-150mm F2.8 is superior in how smooth it operates and its ability to be removed or replaced if damaged. If it wasn't for the poor lens hood design I would have given this lens 5 stars.

BRIAN

Originally posted at

2019-01-25T01:51:39

This is a fun, enjoyable lens. I switched from Nikon D500 because I could afford the weight or price tag of a wildlife lens. Olympus makes it possible for me. I can be out hiking and watching the Eagles while carrying this lens. Spent hours snowshoeing and was able to enjoy photopat same time.

Kathy C.

2018-09-14T08:37:57

This is very impressive lens--great functionality and built like a tank!

Dave H.

2018-07-31T20:00:00

Fantastic image quality and solid build. Great for wildlife, but the close focusing ability opens up many opportunities. Another great Pro lens.

Russ

Originally posted at

2018-05-03T20:00:00

First, let me give you a little background. I was a hardcore Canon guy. Even so, I really was always open to good systems regardless of name. For really long wildlife shots, I used a Tamron 150-600mm Zoom which, to be honest, was nothing short of amazing. Super sharp photographs, super fast autofocusing, and very well built. The price was really reasonable for the level of excellence it provided. However; it was huge, heavy, and most often I would not take the lens into the field on one of my two harnessed cameras. Why? Because it was huge, heavy, absolutely requires a tripod or monopod at the least, and that all is simply too much to wrangle... No other reason than that. It was simply easier to leave the huge heavy lens in my lens bags and use a lesser smaller and lighter zoom lens, and miss the potential shots of a lifetime... I see and hear this a lot among other photographers, "I don't carry my huge heavy lens because it is a huge heavy lens." I switched to MFT and decided upon Olympus as the system I would switch to. Olympus glass is really really sharp. I have always found that Olympus MFT glass is extraordinary, light by comparison, and VERY easy to operate quickly in the field when the shot is fleeting, take a second too long and you miss the shot of a lifetime. The 300MM PRO 4.0 is equivalent to 600mm and I have the Olympus 1.4 teleconverter mounted on my OM-D M1 Mii. It mates perfectly and the quality is very complimentary. The 300mm PRO 4.0 is REALLY well built, and it feels like it in your hand... It is super solid, meticulously detailed, and actually really nice to look at... I know, not THAT big a deal, but sometimes lenses take a beating in the brush and tumble of the daily working photographer. Being strong and beautiful is a good thing... I can't pretend to be very technically knowledgeable so I will skip all that mumbo jumbo and I will tell you this.... Daaaaaaang this glass is super sharp!! Because this is a prime lens and not a zoom, it is much more difficult to acquire and lock on flying birds, but when you do, WOW! With the 300mmPRO4.0 it is really imperative that you learn how to do custom sets on your C1 C2 C3 settings on the M1... Why? Because if you are shooting flying birds you need to actuate the tracking feature on the M1, which is awesome. (There are lessons here on this site to help you with these things) If something is still I use manual focus almost all the time. I just find it easier, especially if the background is complex. So you could set up a C1 setting for flying birds, or moving subjects that require tracking, and you could set up C2 to settings which capitalize on the high functionality of this system and lens for incredibly sharp photographs. This lens is comparatively light and the OM-D M1's stabilization is so extraordinary, and the lens stabilization is sickeningly good, I confess I handhold a lot more than I could do with other systems. I should use one of my two tripods or my monopod, but I end up handheld and this camera and lens is so extraordinary, it comes through almost perfectly. I write 'almost' because a tripod or monopod at the very least most often provides that additional mind-bending level of clarity and sharpness that this camera and lens is known for. I have only shot approximately 4,000 images in the few days I've owned this lens and I would say I am still just learning the lens and camera system. That said, what in the world will this system do once I actually learn to use it expertly!? For some the price is an objection... I get that, no one GIVES me lenses or camera systems and I save and save... and save for equipment just like everyone else, hoping I am not wasting my money, and that I get lots and lots of good use out of it... That said, I, and probably all other photographers have this objective to eliminate unnecessary dead weight in their go bags in order to go farther and faster into the field... In order to do this, we always hope we select the JUST RIGHT lenses so we can consolidate our glass to cover all of our bases photographically, and generate great work without carrying the kitchen sink with us. As I am sure you can imagine, that is the lure of zoom lenses, multiple focal lengths in one lens. So you might ask, "Why then do you advocate for the 300mm PRO 4.0 since it is a PRIME lens?" Well, THIS lens is entirely different than any lens you may have ever used. It is TACK Sharp edge to edge and even with the teleconverter it is simply amazing. It is the biggest (size wise) lens in the MFT subset, but the more you use this lens, its impeccable construction and design make it a joy to use.... If feels perfect in your hands, at least it does in mine. Set the focus to C-AF-TR for moving subjects and set the fire rate to whatever rate you choose. I use as small a focal point as I can because I am an addict for bird or animal eyes... I am addicted to super sharp feathers or fur on the animals I am photographing... and, although I am not a moon photographer, with the Olympus 300mm 4.0 PRO any putz can be a good moon photographer, and if a person is NOT a putz, and actually uses a tripod and cable or wireless release, you will capture amazing moon shots... truly so sharp you can actually discern what type of cheese is in each part of the moon and even more, you can determine if it is organic cheese or cheese product... Yes, it is THAT sharp... I love this lens.. I love this system... Imagine when I can actually use it to it's fullest capability! You might ask, why four, and not five stars...? Simply because the sliding buttons that actuate the Lens IS are too easy to click off without knowing it... Also, the hood is cool that it is retractible, but I haven't figured it out totally yet. I am excited to keep learning this system... Olympus is an extraordinary company with an extraordinary system... Might I add one brief note not related to the lens or Olympus specifically? Photography is a precious thing to me... and those photographs you shoot, at some point, whether accidentally or not, will capture something amazing and that image might happen only once in your life.... Revere it... Photography captures moments to remember. Once in a lifetime... Might as well use the best system available to do it.

The D.

Originally posted at

2018-04-26T15:52:22

This lens . handles well built quality is great weather sealed .and it is a sharp lens on my omd em1 mark11 i would recommen it . to anyone

CLAUDE O.

2018-02-21T07:45:10

This lens is one of the best I have used. Tack sharp and fast. Takes time to learn as this is the first prime lens I have had. Can't get too close to the subject so great for wildlife.

David H.