Olympus 300mm f4 prime lens

Olympus 300mm f4 prime

Update: 2016/01/07 The lens has a 5 axis stabilizer which can work together with the in camera stabilizer as well in case of Olympus E-M1 and Olympus E-M5 Mk II cameras. See the video below that page.

There are also official specifications available, see at specification section below.

Update: 2015/10/29 New informations regarding stabilizer

This picture is from a Japan website Egami. I am not particulary good at Japan language but seems, the new 300mm f/4 lens has a stabilizer. If I see well, there is a built in hood as well.

Official name

The official name is Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm 1:4 PRO

Olympus 300mm f4 prime lens release date

The Olympus 300mm f4 prime is expected in 2015.

Introduction

Seems Olympus makes a 300mm f/4 lens for the micro 4/3 format. This means it would be a 375mm focal length lens on Aps-C format or 600mm on Full frame format. With the f/4 widest aperture looks quite promising. A good long prime lens, I guess won’t be cheap.

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Specifications – Olympus 300mm f4 prime

Optical formula: 17 lens in 10 groups
Minimum focal length: 1.4m (4.59′)
Max magnification: 0.45x it is not bad
Focal length: 300mm this is 25% longer than on Aps-C (375mm equivalent)
Max Aperture: f/4
Min aperture: f/22
Aperture blades: 9 is the most likely
Magnification: 1:2
Stabilizer in lens: yes
Weight: 1270g (2.8 lbs.) 1475g (3.25 lbs.) with tripod collar
Dimensions: 227mm x 92.5 mm it is quite compact
Filter size: 77 mm is the most likely
Compatibility: Olympus, Panasonic
Available mounts: Micro 4/3
Converter compatible: yes

Range – Olympus 300mm f4 prime

The 300mm for the micro 4/3 cameras like Olympus and Panasonic are a good useful focal length, f/4 brightness, together with the smaller size and weight it is quite appealing. Until now Olympus and Panasonic has 70-300mm and 100-300mm zoom lenses but this lenses are not the same category as a good 300mm long prime lens.

Optical quality – Olympus 300mm f4 prime

No information about optical quality yet.

Autofocus speed – Olympus 300mm f4 prime

No information yet. I guess the autofocus will be fast in good light.

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General knowledge to this lens – Olympus 300mm f4 prime

This lens in the micro 4/3 mounts is something like a 400mm lens on Canon or Nikon Aps-C cameras. There is one difference though, the f/4 aperture which is one stop better than the usual Aps-C offerings at not very high budget. Canon 400mm f5.6 or Nikon 300 f4+1.4x converter or Canon 300 f4 is + 1.4 converter or 200mm f2.8+2x converter etc. The real question is how good will be the new lens optically especially at f/4 aperture. I would prefer to make even longer prime lenses for micro 4/3 like 500 or 600mm, which cost a fortune in Canon or Nikon land.

Bokeh

This long lenses usually produce nice out-of-focus blur for closer distances, the bigger aperture also can help with that.

Mechanical quality

Seems the lens will be properly assembled, the “Pro”moniker also reassures that, it is claimed to be dust and splash-proof.

Lens fabrication

The lens probably will made in Japan.

Alternatives:

There are not really any as I know with this parameters. Similar lenses are not yet common in the Micro 4/3 format. There are the f2.8 300mm Olympus lens for 4400 dollars, and a consumer zooms of 70-300 or 100-300 mm from Olympus or Panasonic.

Price/performance

It is perhaps the most interesting question for many people. It depends on how good will be the new lens optically, and what will be the price of the lens. Many other lenses died because of the too high price.

Strengths:

What is already known is a good long focal length with an f/4 aperture, smaller than usual size and weight.

Weeknesses:

No information yet.