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Panasonic-Leica 100-400mm: first impressions

I received the lens this afternoon and went for a quick walk to play with it, even if the temperature was not suitable for testing - cloudy dark with a few drops, cold and windy.

Attached to the EM-1, it feels comfortable in the hands and well balanced. It is quite a bit heavier than the 100-300mm (985 -vs- 520g) but still easy to carry and handle. It is 40% lighter than the MB/400mm and it does not feel front heavy like the 400mm. Using it handheld is no problem and the zoom is a welcomed feature at close range.

I don't like the 2 piece hood and I much prefer the simple twist and lock hood of the 100-300mm which is simpler to use and provides better protection for the front lens element.

Focus is quick and accurate, if not instantaneous. Unlike the 100-300mm, it doesn't hunt and locks every time. I took more than 200 shots, all handheld, and I estimate that at least 80% were focused correctly, even in difficult situations, like in branches. Focusing is MUCH BETTER than the 100-300mm - it is a pleasure to use.

The zoom is somewhat stiff, but I like it that way. It is smooth and accurate. I found it easy to use, much better than the sticky zoom of the 100-300mm. It doesn't slip, even when the lock is not engaged.

My 100-300mm is very sharp at close range and I cannot say, after only 200 shots, if the 100-400mm is sharper. I didn't test it for long distance shots in this bad weather.

The first photo is 400mm, the second one is 100mm and the last 2 are 200mm. All ISO 800. All are cropped quite a bit.

It definitely is a keeper !
 

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Pretty good for starters!;)

I suspect that the zoom will loosen up a little with use, but I garee with you, better a little too tight than too loose. Sticky is the worst. Have fun with it! I suspect you will. :king:
 
Pretty good for starters!;)

I suspect that the zoom will loosen up a little with use, but I garee with you, better a little too tight than too loose. Sticky is the worst. Have fun with it! I suspect you will. :king:

Thanks Dan. Yes it is a bit tight but I don't mind. It is smooth, precise and stays where you put it.
 
Thanks Dan. Yes it is a bit tight but I don't mind. It is smooth, precise and stays where you put it.
Definitely better with a tad too stiff than too loose. Makes me remember the Bigma, the zoom creep is terrible, engaging the zoom lock when on the move is amost a necessity.
 
The seller has acknowledged my complaint and will issue a refund. Took a few pictures with the extender just to test and the results were quite pleasant, sharp but lacking some contrast. The IS worked great and focus acquisition reasonably fast, a bit depending on the target. And I have found another item, supposedly free from defects.
Scratched extender returned and refund honored.
Bought another one at a good price, free from defects except paint shows signs of wear but I don't really mind. Tested it the past weekend and the results look promising, sharp, contrasty and free from visible CA after quick inspection.

Still I experience the AF not always consistent, quite a few shots are OOF even when using the electronic shutter so blur from shutter shock can be ruled out. I have tried with another EM1 body and the behavior is very similar, including focus refusal at times. Makes me think the intermittent issue is to be found somewhere in the adapter/lens. As I mentioned before the radial play is quite pronounced, maybe that is the cause? I could upload photos or a video for you guys to compare with the play you have in your setup.

Anyway, having a 400-560mm carry-around setup, lightweight, easy to operate handheld is a nice complement to the scope (which still would be my choice of tools in most situations).
 
Didn't have a solar filter, so I had to take advantage of one of the few clouds that passed in front of the sun. 1/16000 at f/8. The 400 on the E-M1. Wish I could have used the scope, but I figured the pros will get much better shots than anything I would be able to do.
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You really get a feeling of how tiny Mercury is when it is right in front of the sun!
Cool. I had planned to photographed the Mercury passage (it was sunny here) but totally forgot about it, absorbed by work duties...
 
We have wanted for a while to go out to a friends vineyard to get some pictures of the Hoopoe and her chicks that reside in a nesting box put up by a local Hoopoe expert, but one thing and another, we didn't get around to it till today, and only then because someone else canceled. The local guy has set up a portable hide, and without that, there is no chance. They are VERY shy, and if anyone is around, they won't come near.
We got there just in time to see one of the young ones sticking his/her head out of the box.
9 uhr 39.jpg
A couple of minutes later the mother showed up with a worm, fed the chick and hopped up on the post that the box is attached to.
9 uhr 43.jpg
Suddenly a big fat Common Buzzard flew over, and both Hoopoe took off like lightning in different directions. Half an hour later the mother showed up again with a worm, but there was no one there to take it.
10 uhr 20.jpg 10 uhr 21.jpg

She stayed around for maybe 10 minutes, and slowly wandered off, worm in beak, maybe looking for the young one. That was it. No more Hoopoe till next year.

All E-M1+Canon 400/5.6, ISO 200.
 
We have wanted for a while to go out to a friends vineyard to get some pictures of the Hoopoe and her chicks that reside in a nesting box put up by a local Hoopoe expert, but one thing and another,

Wonderful pics, Dan. What an experience :) Never seen one.
Not long ago I saw a show (nature, tv) from Austria about Hopoes and the work to get them nesting in rural areas - and vineyards as well. Very nice.
 
Carlos,
The guy in that video, Manfred Eckenfeller*, set up the nest box on our friends vineyard. He lives right across the road. Nice guy and very dedicated. The Hoopoe had all but died out completely in the area due to the insecticides the wine growers use, but now there are about 600!
*http://www.hoopoe.world/english/
film here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmot9FSS9rE
Here is an overview, the full frame taken with the 50-200 at 200mm from the hide.
P7105692.jpg
Here is the best I could do the first time we went out before Manfred set up the blind (Ameristep Doghouse, 60x60):
P7044490.jpg
About 50 meters away and HOT! Scope + EC-14. No way to get closer. They are very cautious and very shy. You can tell by the head feathers that she knows we were there. Go anywhere near and they take off, so you have to be careful not to disturb the feeding when the chicks are small.
 
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It was a thrill for us to be sure. we have seen and heard a few from a great distance, but never this close. They are truly amazing. They migrate all the way to Africa and return to the exact same nesting spot the next year, and that WITHOUT GPS!;)
 
Carlos,
The guy in that video, Manfred Eckenfeller*, set up the nest box on our friends vineyard. He lives right across the road. Nice guy and very dedicated. The Hoopoe had all but died out completely in the area due to the insecticides the wine growers use, but now there are about 600!
*http://www.hoopoe.world/english/
film here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmot9FSS9rE

Yeah that's the film :) Wonderful programme.

Though I haven't seen one, we, (me and the wife) were in the vecinity of one last year. We were at one of our local spots (Häringe Slott) looking at a long tailed tit nest high up - almost invisible due to it's perfect camo, when suddenly people starting to show. And more people. You never see other than us here. All asking after the Härfågeln (Hoppoe)... It had been sighted somewhere in the area, one lone bird. (it's quite rare, but it happens - so they say). Unfortunatedly we never saw it :)
 
One more, the last shot of the young one before it left the nest. The mother was perched up on the post above the box.

9 uhr 45.jpg

These were all done with the electronic shutter, but I am not happy with the distortion it causes if there is even the slightest movement with the 400. Doesn't really show here, but there were a number of shots that looked simply funny out of shape. I was hand holding, but supporting the end of the lens on the opening of the hide.
Hard to know whether the sound of the normal shutter would have alarmed them or not. My plan was to first get a bunch with the silent mode, and later try with the normal mode. Didn't get the chance...
 
I hope the new models (to be announced) of Oly/Pana cameras will have a quieter normal shutter. On the Pana GX80 they already say the have one with less risk for shutter shock.

Niels
 
Nice to see some juveniles. I came across a whole flock less than 5 meters from me, unfortunately low standing bright sun blinded me and I had to fallback to some stragglers that landed behind me.
 

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This is one of our home grown Black Redstarts. They left the nest box about 10 days ago but are still hanging around.
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E-M1/Metabones/Canon 400.
Silent shutter makes 1/125 hand held easy!B :)
 
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Angels

Taken early in the evening on the Isle of Harris this spring. All with the E-M1 and the Canon 400/5.6 with the Metabones adapter. Very dull light.
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The E-M1 sensor struggles in situations like this due to its somewhat restricted DR, so I usually shoot + .7 to +1 EV against the sky (+1 when it is all gray) in hopes of getting enough light under the wings without blowing the highs and destroying the contours of the wings. The AF seldom misses!
 
This is one of our home grown Black Redstarts. They left the nest box about 10 days ago but are still hanging around.
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E-M1/Metabones/Canon 400.
Silent shutter makes 1/125 hand held easy!B :)
Nice. The last sighting I had of our homegrown Red Redstarts was late July. they are probably already heading south. Looking back at my photo archive I see the first documented nesting I have dates from 2009, this species has been returning yearly to our tiny garden since then.
 
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