Panasonic H-FS100300E Lumix G Telezoom Lens (100-300 mm, F4-5.6 O.I.S)

I bought this lens to fit my new Lumix G3 camera. Unfortunately the first one had a serious fault. The OIS stabilization unit didn't want to be turned off. When you put the lens to your ear you could hear a continuous `whirling' sound at all times. Flicking the switch to `off' made no difference. Fortunately a friend had just bought the exact same rig, so I was able to compare like-for-like. On her's, when the switch was tripped the lens went silent. I emailed a question directly to the Lumix site and was advised, yes this lens was faulty and I should seek a replacement. I was a bit disappointed that a £400+ lens had not been better quality controlled before leaving Panasonic.This was the first time I had asked for a replacement from Amazon and have been delighted at the speed of replacement - even upgrading the delivery to Royal Mail First Class. Not so please at the courier Yodel. After waiting in all day they failed to call to pick up the old lens - no communication at all. Maybe they'll condescend to call tomorrow.The replacement lens works fine, you can clearly hear the OIS being switched on and off.I've run off a load of trial shots at different focal lengths (nice bright afternoon) and looking on the `puter screen they look pretty good for a hand-held 600mm (equivalent) telephoto. I have the G3 set to `intelligent ISO' and the camera seemed to handle things pretty well as I ran up and down the aperture numbers. Sitting on the G3 I can still fit it into a bellows pocket, so quite compact for a big focal length lens. The zoom operation is smooth enough for stills, but I think movie makers would find it too jerky. Very pleased so far.Well, 5 months on and I've had chance to evaluate things a lot more (used on a Lumix G3). I still think, value wise this is a good lens. But quality of shots is a bit iffy. I've just spent 3 weeks birding in India - blue skies and plenty of light. Trying to use at 300mm (hand held 600mm @ 35mm equivalent) it just doesn't cut the mustard. Shots are very soft and even at speeds of 1/600 the stabilisation doesn't cut out the shakes. The only way to get a half decent shot is to stick at 100 to 150mm and then use photoshop to crop down. Shots are then a lot cleaner. Good for a stick-it-in-your-pocket rig, but won't get you a prize-winning photo.

I ordered this lens to partner with a Panasonic DMC-GX1 camera. I am an enthusiastic amateur looking to develop further as a photographer, and I decided to buy this lens with a certain amount of skepticism. Other Panasonic lenses have proven to be superb - the 20mm f1.7 prime, the 7-14mm f4.0 Ultra-Wide are both examples of exquisite design and build - but the 100-300mm comes with the reputation of being a bit soft around the edges, especially at the long end of it's prodigious 600mm equivalent range. So how does it stand up?Pros:1. Optically, it is quite a bit better than I expected. Initial shots on static targets deliver images that are every bit as good (subjectively slightly better) than the Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L partnered with my Canon EOS 7D. That came as a very pleasant surprise.2. Shortened down to 100mm it's compact and light, so ergonomically it's comfortable to use, even on a relatively lightweight body such as the Panasonic DMC-GX1.3. The auto-focus system is very good. By "very good", I mean that it is effortlessly faster and visibly more accurate than the Canon combination I was using for comparison.Cons:1. Build quality, whilst mechanically OK, under-sells the lens. It feels just a little on the "economy" side of the spectrum, which is a massive shame, since this is in complete contrast to image quality. Like most zoom lenses, it extends from 100 to 300mm via a rotating barrel collar. The movement is not completely smooth; if the lens gets warm in sunlight you may sense moments of "stickiness" in that movement.2. Subjectively, whilst the short end is nice and wide at f4.0, it does seem to slope off quite quickly to f5.6.3. As several reviews have observed, it is a little prone to going soft at the edges when pushed out to it's maximum 300mm (600mm equivalent for a full-frame 35mm camera) extent.This lens incorporates Panasonic's O.I.S. Image Stabilisation system, which is worth half a stop to a full stop of aperture, even when hand held and reasonably long in the range. This IS solution is noticeably inferior to that of the Canon 100-400mm (but the Canon costs three times the price of this lens). Unless you are a professional sports or wildlife photographer, you aren't going to notice the difference.In practice and general use, this lens is actually a lot of fun to use. Spend an afternoon at any sporting event and your shoulders will know it - you get all the shots without having the aching shoulders from holding aloft heavy full-frame gear, and the quality is absolutely there. It's quick to focus, light to handle and will give you excellent images. The only reason I would not give this lens a full 5* rating is that build quality. Only time will tell if the materials tolerances result in image quality dropping away with use and wear.Back in May, Panasonic announced a 12-35mm (24-70mm equivalent) f2.8 that is "X" branded, to identify it as a "Premium" quality lens. If Panasonic produce an "X" branded version of this model, it may deserve 5*, 6* or more... But for now, if you need the versatility and pulling power of a long lens for the MFT format, you honestly could not ask for better than this.It really is a cracking lens.

Don't get me wrong, I like this lens, but.......the further away the subject, the softer the result. In other words, for nature photography, when you are often having to crop final images to get the composition/detail you want, it isn't ideal. Unless the subject offers a good full frame or near to full frame image, the results are generally soft. When I say "full frame", I mean either shooting at 16MP or when using the electronic teleconverter option and shooting at 8MP with intelligent optical zoom activated. I'm not sure it's a stabilisation issue because I've tried mounting the camera on a steady flatform, and the results are still soft. Comparing it to the results you get with a Canon 100-400mm lens, it is inferior. The results are also softer than those achieved with the Panasonic DMC-FZ150 bridge camera!However, in good lighting, when the subject is close enough, the results are great. It's a case of getting to know what the lens can and can't achieve. For nature photography, I'd like to see Panasonic bring out a 100-400mm lens or even a 400mm prime lens (giving an equivalent reach of 200-800mm or 800mm respectively).(For those of you who are interested, I'm using a Panasonic DMC-G3 body)

Beautiful lens. Smooth, crisp and sharp as a bell. Nice build and not too heavy considering it's size (thank you, MFT!). Beautiful bokeh. Completes my lens collection of focal lengths from 7.5mm to 300mm and opens up lots of exciting new creative possibilities. Plan to use it 90% for video and 10% for photo... LOVE IT! Was initially cautious about ordering the international version with no US warranty, but money is tight and the price difference was substantial (more than $100). I contacted the seller in HK thru Amazon with questions prior to my purchase and they responded within 24 hours with all the answers (always a GOOD sign)! For those of you wondering...YES, the lens I received was made in JAPAN, not China and comes with all accessories (caps, covers, nice carry pouch)I'm as happy as a pig in mud and you will be too...GO for it!

Con quel prezzo, quelle dimensioni, quel peso e un'estensione focale paragonabile, nel formato 35 mm, a un supertelezoom 200-600, difficile chiedere di più. Forse un po' morbido alla focale estrema (300 mm) e a piena apertura, ma basta chiudere di due stop il diaframma e la resa torna eccellente. Del resto, un obiettivo con la stessa estensione focale in full format, che fa certamente meglio, costa circa 13 volte il Panasonic, e pesa cinque volte tanto....Dato l'elevato fattore di ingrandimento alla massima lunghezza focale, avrei gradito un collare per il fissaggio dell'ottica a un treppiede, ma stranamente Panasonic non lo prevede neppure fra gli accessori. Ho rimediato con un ottimo prodotto tedesco, fabbricato in alluminio aeronautico da un laboratorio meccanico di precisione. In attesa del Variolux Leica 100-400, che dovrebbe essere davvero il non plus ultra per chi fa fotografia naturalistica con il micro 4:3, credo sia una lente senza rivali.

Télé objectif ndispensable en complément au 14/140 du Panasonic G7. Vraiment une bonne optique ! Rapport qualité/prix excellent. Bon produit

I have Panasonic GX1 & was looking a telephoto zoom. I saw this lens on Amazon & immediately ordered. The service from Amazon was excellent. The lens itself is very incredible. I was able to shoot hand held at 300mm at shutter speeds of 1/50- 1/30 sec. & still managed to get sharp photos. I also have Nikon D7000 with Nikon 80-400 lens which is a very combination to carry. This Panasonic lens is sharp, the mega o.i.s. works beautifully. Highly recommended......

Hay 3 objetivos Panasonic (Leica) en micro 4/3:12-35 f2.835-100 f2.8100-300 f4.0-5.6. Dificil enfoque en focales largas en ambientes poco luminosos o poco contraste.Y a parte de otras focales fijas el macro 60mm f2.8. ExtraordinarioEsto en un cuerpo de una Olympus M5, sobradamente suficiente para aficionados avanzados y M1 en los más exigentes, sin desmerecer la primera