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Anyone here have the Panasonic 70-300?

W

WT21

New Member
Thinking of trying L-mount. If I did, I think I'd go 3 lenses: 20-60, 85/1.8 and maybe a telephoto. I see there is a P70-300, which is a nice range, having had the EF70-300 with my Canon 6D years ago.

Anyone have this lens? Thoughts? Pics?
 
I have it. Big. Very big in my view, but I am a nerd with this. Heavy. Optical quality is very good. Have used it only once for a field hockey game with the Lumix S5. For this the 70-300 range is very good and I do not want to use F2.8 to risk not having the kids out of focus.
 
I have the 20-60 and can’t say enough good things about it. It’s a no brainer. I got mine used from MPB for £135 and it’s probably the best £135 I’ve spent on photo gear in a long time!

But as to the 70-300… I bought one quite recently (new). Took me two attempts to get a decent one with the first one being decentered. It’s a nice lens in many ways, but if I’m honest I’m struggling with it. I find for macro style shots, shots of people, shots of things in shouting distance, then it’s really excellent. But I find at close to infinity focus and when near the end of the zoom range I’m getting variable results. Sometimes it’ll nail it but other times the edges will get mushy. It could be field curvature, or IS issues (I usually shoot handheld), or haze, or … I dunno! I’m blaming technique at the moment, but the fact remains that I’m struggling. Since I want it mainly for picking up landscape details, infinity focus is really important to me.
 
Here’s a good example - 300mm, 1/125 at f8. It really isn’t sharp.


Swans on Loch Lomond by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

This on the other hand, a stitch of two landscape-orientation shots at 195mm is excellent (1/100s at f8):


The Head of Loch Awe by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

As I said, I think it’s technique (or rather, the lack of good technique).
 
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I've all three lenses mentioned, the 20-60, the 85 and the 70-300 macro. I bought the 20-60 and 85mm I a set with the S5. The 20-60 is pretty good for what it is. Very good or excellent at the wide en, and good at the long end. At least on the 24 Mpix S5. The 85mm is excellent, only downside was the close focus distance, why I have got the 70-300. I'm also very happy with it. It's very good up to 200mm and good over 200mm. Some say it's better than the 70-200/4. I haven't tried the 70-200/4, so no personal experience.
 
Hi Paul,

First of all really nice images!

pdk42 said:
I dunno! I’m blaming technique at the moment
Click to expand...

Do you use a polarizing filter?
 
I've had the Pan 70-300 for a couple of years now, used mostly on the CL, but recently also on the S5II. I find the lens good for landscape, semi-macro, wildlife if you can get close enough, pretty much anything really. Your idea of a 20-60, 70-300 and a fast prime of choice makes for a nice all round kit.

Some examples from my Flickr:

On the CL

Today's street by Jayne Booton, on Flickr

Rainy Rook_ by Jayne Booton, on Flickr

Always a Robin around by Jayne Booton, on Flickr

S5II

Happy Boy - Always by Jayne Booton, on Flickr

Across to the Wrekin by Jayne Booton, on Flickr

Morning Light 65-24 by Jayne Booton, on Flickr
 
Jayneboo said:
I've had the Pan 70-300 for a couple of years now, used mostly on the CL, but recently also on the S5II. I find the lens good for landscape, semi-macro, wildlife if you can get close enough, pretty much anything really. Your idea of a 20-60, 70-300 and a fast prime of choice makes for a nice all round kit.

Some examples from my Flickr:

On the CL

Today's street by Jayne Booton, on Flickr

Rainy Rook_ by Jayne Booton, on Flickr

Always a Robin around by Jayne Booton, on Flickr

S5II

Happy Boy - Always by Jayne Booton, on Flickr

Across to the Wrekin by Jayne Booton, on Flickr

Morning Light 65-24 by Jayne Booton, on Flickr
Click to expand...
All excellent shots Jayne. Love esp the rook and the robin.
 
Jayneboo said:
I've had the Pan 70-300 for a couple of years now, used mostly on the CL, but recently also on the S5II. I find the lens good for landscape, semi-macro, wildlife if you can get close enough, pretty much anything really. Your idea of a 20-60, 70-300 and a fast prime of choice makes for a nice all round kit.

Some examples from my Flickr:

On the CL

Today's street by Jayne Booton, on Flickr

Rainy Rook_ by Jayne Booton, on Flickr

Always a Robin around by Jayne Booton, on Flickr
Click to expand...
Wonderful pictures, Jayneboo!!

The Leica CL was always on my radar, I really like the image quality that camera produces, it has something special, which I cannot explain with my precarious English, but I have always been attracted to that camera a lot. If it had IBIS, USB-C charging and tilt screen I would buy it without hesitation.
 
xaviergut said:
Wonderful pictures, Jayneboo!!

The Leica CL was always on my radar, I really like the image quality that camera produces, it has something special, which I cannot explain with my precarious English, but I have always been attracted to that camera a lot. If it had IBIS, USB-C charging and tilt screen I would buy it without hesitation.
Click to expand...
It's interesting that Leica are still mostly wedded to fixed rear screens. I really can't think of any good reason not to make the screen at least tiltable. A fixed screen is so limiting.

Likewise, IBIS is a game changer. Why build a camera without it?

The Sigma fp cameras seem to follow the Leica path too - fixed screen and no IBIS. Worse, there's no built-in EVF. However small and cute they are, there's no way I'd buy a camera that failed on all three counts of no IBIS, no EVF, and fixed screen!
 
WT21 said:
Thinking of trying L-mount. If I did, I think I'd go 3 lenses: 20-60, 85/1.8 and maybe a telephoto. I see there is a P70-300, which is a nice range, having had the EF70-300 with my Canon 6D years ago.

Anyone have this lens? Thoughts? Pics?
Click to expand...

I replied to your post on the same subject over on DPR (saying that I love the 70-300mm), but here are a few links to photos I've taken with the 70-300mm.

All trains. That's what I shoot.
LVR's 4473 at Goulburn, NSW by Peter Watters, on Flickr

NSW Rail Museum's 2705 at Buxton by Peter Watters, on Flickr

SSR empty grain at Goulburn by Peter Watters, on Flickr
 
pdk42 said:
It's interesting that Leica are still mostly wedded to fixed rear screens. I really can't think of any good reason not to make the screen at least tiltable. A fixed screen is so limiting.

Likewise, IBIS is a game changer. Why build a camera without it?

The Sigma fp cameras seem to follow the Leica path too - fixed screen and no IBIS. Worse, there's no built-in EVF. However small and cute they are, there's no way I'd buy a camera that failed on all three counts of no IBIS, no EVF, and fixed screen!
Click to expand...
I agree. If Leica (or Lumix, or Sigma) makes a full frame rangefinder style camera with IBIS, USB-C charging and tilt screen, it would be a "bestseller" camera. Leica did a very interesting Q2, but they could do a more flexible version in terms of the possibility of changing lenses.
 
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As far as I know from research you can get a version that ain't sharp at all.

the 70-300 is on my bucket list also, and with the really close focus distance it makes it a good replacement for the 14-140 I mainly used on the g80 back in the days :)
 
pdk42 said:
I do sometimes, but not in these.
Click to expand...

if you have a lot of humidity in that area, the "wet" air will reflect the sunlight more and this gives a foggy appearance, like a dirty lens. That is sometimes also depending on the time of the day (early in the morning, later in the afternoon, temerature, a sea , if it was raining beforehand etc. ) This could be a reason for the "foggy" atmosphere in a picture. But normally this would not happen only at the corners :)

You see, I am only guessing. But it it worth it to make the next time the same picture with and without a polarizing filter. And no other filter on the lens.
 
I have the 70 - 300 and am really impressed. The stabilization with the S5 II is superb and I have managed some excellent test shots. Excellent value, a little on the large size but overall a good relatively sharp lens and excellent value for money ($300 off at the moment). Will post some pictures soon when I get out into the field and can photograph something other than my standard poodles running around like wild things.
 
I like the 70-300 as 2 lens combo with the 16-35. There seems to be an issue with assembly quality with this lens, so check your copy if you get one. I took this full frame shot wide open at 5.6 at 300mm, where the lens is reported to be at its weakest. I think it did a fine job.

I think I need to learn how to attach downsized image. The origina looks a lot bette.
 

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