OM SYSTEM OLYMPUS M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO For Micro Four Thirds System Camera Powerful Telephoto Prime lens Weather Sealed Design MF Clutch

This lens is unbelievably good. You can look at the reviews which will tell you it's good, but if you buy it you'll be blown away by the quality. Not is this lens sharp but the detail is amazing. You can literally count the feathers on a hummingbird! I've used Canon L lenses with various 1D cameras, but when I sent the first shots taken with this lens to friends they all commented on how fantastic the images were. I don't think Canon has a lens this good at anything approaching its price point. If you can afford it, and have a need for a lens with this reach, buy it.The other advantage is the stabilization. It usually takes me a little practice to get used to a lens and to learn how to minimize errors. There is always a learning period during which you make bonehead mistakes. This happened with this lens. The second time I took it out with my E-M1 I ended up taking some shots of a pygmy owl in its hole. After I finished shooting I realized I had taken the shots at 1/13th of a second. I was totally bummed since this lens is the equivalent of a 600mm. Shooting unsupported upwards I assumed there was no way there wouldn't be some serious shake. But when I looked at the images to my surprise they were sharp. At 1/13th of a second. Are you serious? Obviously a higher shutter would be preferred but it's a huge plus that you can shoot at these speeds and have the images be sharp.As a final observation, while I have the 1.4TC I've found the images are better if I skip the TC and just crop. With the TC the images are still good but some of the detail gets lost. YMMV.

This lens is amazing. Razor sharp images!

Stunning addition to the Olympus line up. Most of the time I use Nikon professionally and the new D5 and D500 are outstanding cameras and are capable of 99.9% of the work I do which is primarily Theatre photography. However a few years ago I bought the OMD EM5 and then a EM1 to use in live Theatre situations where bulk and noise were inappropriate. The OMD EM1 in particular has had good use and the ability to use the 40-150 with a teleconverter invaluable. The upgrade to the EM1 Mk 2 and the addition of this lens has been phenomenal. The image stabilisation in lens and in body apparently results in 6 stops handheld, using it I can believe this is correct. There are certain productions I photograph from the very back of a theatre and 600mm (35mm equivalent) is not too long, however handholding a full size 600mm Nikon lens would be impossible as well as very tiring. However the sheer fun of using a lens of this focal length in general photography is great and would be a real boon for any street photographer. Like all Olympus Pro lenses the optic is pin sharp and with the new Mk 2 body Olympus have a genuine Pro offering. In my younger days I photographed Formula One, how I wish I had this combination at my fingertips.

This is unquestionably Olympus' best lens in quite a while. It is built like a tank and while it's fairly hefty, it shoots very well for a long prime. Having in-lens I.S. is an enormous help, and has allowed hand-held shots at under 1/50, which is not easy at all to do on a long lens. Having the focus limiter helps things when most objects aren't going to be too close to you anyway (birds, wildlife, sports, etc) and focus is quick.Sealing is fantastic and this has already gone through rain and snow without a problem.This is not a cheap lens, to be sure. There are some zoom lenses that cover this range at far less expense than the 300mm f/4.0, but if you've got to have a stabilized, sealed prime, and you want images to be tack sharp, it's incredibly hard to beat this.

I've had this lens twice because the first time the lens hood got stuck so I returned it for replacement.The second lens hood got stuck also, but I had a good tech support at Olympus and that person walked me through how to properly use the lens hood.Slowly, carefully extend the lens hood and then secure it to the right gently, just until it stops rotating. If it gets jammed you'll have to return it for repair! Then to retract it carefully twist it to the left a bit so that it is loose and can move freely back. If you don't handle it carefully it will get stuck.Not all Olympus technical support is the same, and I have concerns about that.The Em1 Mark II and this lens are amazing for bird photography, tack, tack sharp. The Olympus Workspace software is wonderful since I don't have Lightroom. You can fix exposure, sharpness, bring up a color and it fixes things like that to a degree. The lens is built like a tank, it is beautiful and for a 300mm it actually is a 600mm. I got the 1.4 tele extender, but don't recommend it, the images are soft.All of the above said, I am a novice with photography, so keep that in mind also.I love the Olympus micro four thirds system, the camera and this lens, but beware about the retractable lens hood.