Comparing a 24mm Versus 50mm Lens for Photographing People

By: Meredith Clark

#Canon#Image#Lens

Image taken with Canon 60D and Canon 24mm EF-S lens.

A number of dPS readers have recently been asking about the Canon 24mm EF-S pancake lens, and how it compares to a 50mm lenses for photographing people. Both are great options, given the price point, but they do have slightly different strengths when it comes to people photography. In this article, I’ll show you several different images of the same model, location, and posing, photographed with both a 24mm and a 50mm lens. This will provide a good visual of the difference between the two lenses, as well as give you insight as to when you might want to reach for each one.

Image taken with Canon 60D and 50mm lens.

For continuity, all images in this post were taken with a Canon 60D, and either the Canon 24mm f/2.8 or the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lenses. The 60D is an APS-C sensor (cropped sensor) camera, so first you need to multiply the focal length of each of your lenses by 1.6x in order to determine the functioning focal length of them on this camera (if you use Nikon it may be 1.5x, check your manual). So on a cropped sensor camera, the 24mm lens functions roughly as a 38mm lens, and the 50mm lens functions as an 80mm lens. In other words, the 50mm lens is great for head-and-shoulders portraits, while the 24mm lens is great for photographing people in the context of their surroundings. In the above example, you can see that the 50mm lens provided a tight shot of these two sisters, with a blurred background that keeps all the attention on their faces.
However, the context for this session is also important, in that it took place at a family vineyard, and the clients wanted to be sure that the grapes were also visible in the background of some of the images. As you can see above, the grapes really weren’t visible in the portrait taken with the 50mm lens, nor would closing down the aperture really give the perspective of the vineyard that my clients were looking for. So, after taking a few portraits with the 50mm, I switched over to my 24mm lens in order to capture a few wider shots.

Image taken with Canon 60D and Canon 24mm EF-S lens.

Same girls, same exact location, very similar pose. The only real difference here is that with the switch to the 24mm lens, you can see more of the girls and the the area around them. In some instances, you may want to minimize the area around your subject, in which case the 24mm lens would not be ideal. However, in this case it allowed for the images that highlighted both the girls and the vineyard, which was what the clients were after.
Bonus tip: Photographing sibling sets with a 24mm lens also allows you to see the height differences between siblings more easily with the wider angle shot, which is something that a lot of parents really enjoy.

Image taken with Canon 60D and 50mm lens.

Another thing to consider, besides the contents of the background in your images, is the coloring of the background. In the image above, the deep colored wood background brings a moodiness to the image that could be appropriate for a musician. However, the interesting thing is that the overall feeling of the image changes quite a bit when you look at it from the 24mm angle of view.

Image taken with Canon 60D and 24mm EF-S lens.

The second image, though in the same location, feels a lot less moody and dramatic than the first. The lighter stonework around the door brings a sense of balance to the image that just wouldn’t be achieved as well with the 50mm lens in this location. In my experience, this balance is especially important when it comes to converting images to black and white.

As you can see in the left image, the lighter stonework, around the darker door, serves as a frame for the subject, and naturally draws your eye in towards him. In addition, the increased contrast and texture provide some of the key ingredients for black and white images, which makes the image more aesthetically pleasing than the image on the right.
Overall, while there may be instances in which the content or coloring of your background may cause you to reach for one of these two lenses over the other, I’m very much in favor of using both of them whenever possible. Here’s a quick example from my own life to explain why both are so great for their own reasons. I recently photographed my girls in their Halloween costumes. I started with the 50mm lens because it’s my favorite.

Image taken with Canon 60D and 50mm lens.

I love this image of both girls (above) – the 50mm lens really lets you see their faces and expressions well, and the bokeh of the 50mm f/1.8 helped soften the literal construction site in the background of the image. However, the closer crop also means that only a small portion of their costumes were visible.
So, I switched over to my 24mm lens to take a full-length photo (below) of my little monkey and my lion as well. Now, I can really see them from head to toe. I can see the little fake feet of the monkey costume that freaked my youngest daughter out so much that she begged her sister to switch costumes with her. I can see the height difference between the two of them. I can see the black flats that my oldest daughter is so proud of, and wears to any event that she deems remotely “fancy”. Those are all things that I want to look back on, and remember. I love both images for different reasons, and am so happy to have them both, thanks to my trusty 24mm and 50mm lenses.

Image taken with Canon 60D and 24mm EF-S lens

I hope this has given you a good idea of how these two focal lengths compare when photographing people.
Have you tried the Canon 24mm EF-S lens? How do you use it? Do you have a nifty-fifty and do you use it for people photography? Which is your favorite? Please share your comments and images below.

Share this article.

5 Tips for Mastering Shadows in Your Photography

By: Karthika Gupta

Walking into a dimly lit room can be a photographer’s worse nightmare. Dark walls, low lighting, and weird shadows are enough to give even the calmest photographer a case of anxiety. Does this sound familiar? It did to me when I was first starting out and claimed to be a natural light photographer.
Because let’s face it, I did not know how to use my flash and more importantly did not know how to read light. Yes, I said that right. As a photographer, you not only see light but also need to learn the art of reading light – the type of light, the quality of light and also how the light will affect your final image.
The more I started to photograph people and places, the more I realized that but finding light among the shadows wasn’t really that scary or daunting.


#Photographers#lowlighting#Shadows

Master the shadows

Imagine for a moment the confidence you would feel if you can walk into any indoor lighting situation and think to yourself, “Yes, I got this”. And I don’t mean using your off-camera flash or strobes to light up the whole scene like the fourth of July fireworks display. I mean using only available light to create some magical photos.
Now don’t get me wrong, I still love images taken in natural light as they feel really light, airy, and inviting to me. But shooting in a low-key style, embracing shadows to create some dramatic portraits is just as fun and exciting.
For the past few years, I have felt a little limited in my photography in terms of only photographing in bright, open, natural light conditions. Living in Chicago, our summers are quite short and fall is usually a mix of rain, thunderstorms and more rain. I learned very quickly that I needed to get out of my comfort zone and figure out how to photograph indoors and do it confidently and creatively.
A less I quickly learned is that shadows play such an important role in shaping light, setting the mood, rendering depth, and creating drama. In the absence of floor-to-ceiling multi-windowed, light-filled rooms to photograph in, embracing shadows may be the perfect solution for unleashing your creativity.

#1 Gear choices

If you have a choice between prime and zoom lenses, choose the former. Primes are generally considered fast lenses with an aperture of f/1.8 or larger and allow what light there is to reach the camera’s sensor. My Canon 50mm f/1.2 is on my camera 80% of the time I am photographing indoors.
Make sure to also meter appropriately. I use spot metering most of the time and have my center spot set to the brightest area on my subject’s face/skin. This, in itself, will help to get a dramatically lit image. It will expose the highlights properly and allow the rest of the scene to have shadows for a range of tones.
Ensure you expose properly as well. If the capture is underexposed, attempting to correct it in post-processing only adds noise. In general, I tend to overexposure my photos by at least 1/3 stop no matter where I am photographing. I have found that this allows me to minimize noise and retain as much detail as possible in the shadows.
My White Balance is set to Auto. You can choose to set White Balance via the custom Kelvin function so that it can cut down processing time later. I find that being in Auto works really well in most cases and I am okay with minor adjustments in post-processing if required. Learn to embrace a bit of noise by increasing the ISO especially if the room is really dark.

#2 Single light source

A single light source such as a small window or open door can work wonders for your image.
When you are working with dark spaces and limited light, you’ll be surprised how little light you actually need.
If you have north-facing windows, they tend to bring in a softer and more directional light as
opposed to east or west facing. Those tend to bring strong light depending on where the sun is in the sky at the time you are photographing.

Backlight magic.

The bride is facing the window and her profile is evenly lit. But the dark drapes behind her render the background almost black – I quite love the drama of light and dark happening in this photo – achieved by just placing the subject in a specific spot.

#3 Direction and quality of light

Both the direction and the quality of light play significant roles in the mood of an image. So understanding the variety, nature, and use of each will help you make informed decisions
about how to achieve your end goal.
Hard, focused light tends to amp up the overall drama of the image, emphasizing texture
and detail, and producing contrasty shadows with sharp, defined edges. Soft, diffused light
gives shadows soft, feathered edges that recede gently (dither away), making it flattering and versatile for human subjects for the way it minimizes texture and detail (i.e., flaws).
The angle and direction of the light you choose depend on your shooting style and your intent
for the image or session. Typically, I do not position the subject facing the light source because it gives a flat, one-dimensional look to the subject’s features. I prefer lighting my subjects from
the side for the depth and dimension the shadows give the subject’s features and the rest of the
frame. Backlighting the subject has its uses, particularly if your intent is to somewhat abstract the subject to get an airy, dreamlike feel.

On the left, the bride is facing the window straight on, so the light on her face is even and soft. 

On the right, the bride is facing the window but at a 45-degree angle. So her portrait is a mix 

of more dramatic light as well as darker shadows.

#4 Mathematics in photography

The mathematical law of the Inverse Square describes how the illumination from a light source diminishes over distances.
Imagine the beam of a spotlight as it widens and grows dimmer in the distance. Now center a subject in the beam close to spotlight itself and the light will be harsh. But if you move the subject in a straight line to stand about 6 feet from the light, how much less light is hitting the subject them? With the distance doubled, the light hitting the subject is diminished by three quarters.
In a real-world context, let’s say you’ve got a background to work with and maybe a surface to bounce light into the scene. Plus all kinds of diffusers and filters to modify the light source, and a choice of where to place the subject in relation to the background and the light source as well as placing yourself and the camera.
Generally, you can add drama to the image by positioning your subject close to the light source and away from the background. The light will illuminate the subject and everything behind her will dwindle into shadow. That’s a quick and easy way to create a dark background in-camera. Conversely, placing the subject further from the light source and closer to the background will create a more evenly lit scene with a more gradual shift between light and shadow (the background will be lighter as well).

On the left, the bride is farther away from the light source and hence she is more in the 

shadows as compared to the image on the right where she is facing the window light and 

is closer to the light source. So more of her face is being illuminated with the light coming 

from the window.

#5 Modify or mold your light source

If you find yourself with an over-abundance of natural/available light, using modifiers is an
easy way to control the amount and intensity of the lighting on your subject.
Sheer curtains and blinds can be used to reduce or diffuse light, making it softer and subtler.
You can decrease the size of the light source to increase shadows and increase drama with the
use of blackout curtains or by partially shutting doors. Remember, the more light you let in,
the less intense the shadows.
I hope these examples motivate you to look differently at shadows. There are no photography monsters hiding in them! They are, in fact, quite useful in adding some drama and interest
in your photographs.

Share this article.

Embracing Shadows in Photography – A Lesson for Light and Life

By: Caz Nowaczyk

In this fantastic video by Sean Tucker, he takes a look at the ways shadows can be used in photography to create mystery and depth.

Shadows in film

Throughout this process, he examines the work of cinematographer, Roger Deakins, and looks at stills from his films Skyfall, Bladerunner, Jarhead and Unbroken. Using these amazing film stills, he analyses how the Deakins uses color, backlight, selective lighting and loads of deep shadows to create mystery and mood in his images.
According to Sean, many photographers say that using film as a point-of-reference for this type of photography is difficult because the same type of images cannot be captured in stills. As photographers, we simply don’t have access to million-dollar lighting set-ups and set design.

Photographers who tell stories through shadows

So, as part of this perspective, Sean also looks at photographers, Constantine Manos, Ray Metzker, Saul Leiter, and Trent Parke who manage to capture shadows in creative ways. These photographers manage to do this through the use of natural light and in the genres of landscape, portraiture and street photography. Through these images, they sculpt light, create character and tell stories with an interesting narrative. These images draw the viewer in and tell richer stories.
In the video, Sean also discusses the limitations of cameras to see the full dynamic range of the eye. He shows us exactly how this theory works with our camera through a diagrammatic presentation. A helpful tool for those wanting to understand dynamic range.

Share this article.

Embrace your Shadows: A lesson for Light and Life

Review of the Sigma 500mm F4 DG HSM OS Sport Lens

By: Lara Joy Brynildssen

The Sigma 500mm F4 is a big lens. I shoot with bigger lenses because I need the longer focal lengths when I’m on the wild horse ranges but this is a really big lens – the biggest I’ve ever used, actually. It’s a big ticket item too, as my dPS editor Darlene gently reminded me. Be extra careful.

Sigma has their lens safely back and I didn’t trip, fall, drop or dunk it so I guess it’s okay to share now that I’m very hard on my gear. This lens withstood two weeks with me and emerged unscathed. Bonus points to Sigma. This lens is built like a tank.

#Sigma500mm#PrimeLens#Canon#Nikon

Finch on feeder, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL
Canon 5DIII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 6400, 1/1000th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

What I really wanted to know when I tested this lens

When I tossed my name in the hat as a reviewer for this lens, what I really wanted to know was if a large 500mm prime lens is a practical focal length for the rigors of photographing horses, birds, and wildlife? How is it to shoot using support, rather than hand held as I normally do? Is the autofocus responsive? Does the lens make ultra sharp images?
I tested it in as many situations as possible in the limited time that I had it, starting with a few birding trips to the Chicago Botanic Garden. Birding was followed by visits to the Lincoln Park Zoo to get up close with the lions and tigers. I wrapped everything up by using it for the “at liberty” portion of an equine portrait session with four polo ponies. I love my results. Read on to find out why.

Striding goose, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL
Canon 5DIII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 400, 1/1000th, f/6.7, monopod with a gimbal head.

A few technical specs

• Weight/Size: 7.3 pounds (3.3 kg), approximately 5.7″ wide x 15″ long (144.8 x 380.3 mm)
• Focal length: Fixed 500mm prime, the lens does not extend further when focusing.
• Maximum aperture: F/4.
• Filter: Rear drop-in, 46mm.
• Mount: Available for Canon, Nikon, and Sigma
• Recommended uses: Nature, wildlife, sports and action
• Price: $5999 USD
• Release date: December 2016, shipping January 2017.

You can read more detailed specifications here.
Shop for the Sigma 500mm F4 for Canon or for Nikon mount at Amazon.

Detail of Sigma 500mm drop-in rear filter slot.

Supporting the lens

When photographing animals, birds, and wildlife, your typical gear is probably similar to mine. I mostly use the affordable Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens with either the Canon 7D Mark II or Canon 5D Mark III. If I’m a bit further from my subject, I add a Canon Extender EF 1.4X III. Normally I shoot handheld.

Comparison of my 100-400mm lens with the Sigma 500mm F4.

Comparison of my extended 100-400mm with the Sigma 500mm F4.

The Sigma 500mm lens with my Canon 5D Mark III (which also has an L-bracket on it) weighed approximately 10 pounds. That’s about three pounds more than my typical gear. It initially seemed possible to hand hold but fatigue and a resulting loss of sharpness set in quickly. My solution was to use a quick release plate to attach the foot of the Sigma 500mm F4 DG HSM OS Sport lens to my heavy-duty Feisol monopod with a Jobu gimbal head.
This combination supported the weight of the lens/camera combination while allowing me to position the lens exactly where I wanted it. It wasn’t as flexible as hand holding, but far more so than using a tripod.

Backward glancing goose, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL
Canon 5DIII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 400, 1/1000th, f/6.7, monopod with a gimbal head.

Using support, I was able to shoot for a lot longer without fatigue – and without the shaky shots that come from fatigued hands. I also found the gimbal/monopod combination very portable and easy to maneuver when using this lens.
I would recommend using a sturdy tripod (rather than a monopod) to anyone setting up in a blind, with the intention of waiting for wildlife to approach a known watering hole or feeding spot. Over time, balancing this lens and camera combination on a monopod did take its toll on my shoulders. You wouldn’t want to miss a shot that you’d been waiting hours for, because your body was too fatigued from supporting your gear on a monopod, so use a tripod in that situation.

Horse profile with fence, Somewhere in Suburbia, IL
Canon 5DIII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 500, 1/1000th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

Profile of two horses with fence, Somewhere in Suburbia, IL
Canon 5DIII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 500, 1/500th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

Three “guilty” horses II, Somewhere in Suburbia, IL
Canon 5DIII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 500, 1/500th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

Performance in adverse weather

Illinois in the fall is mainly cool. It’s rainy sometimes but more dry than humid. It is also often very windy. I did not have a chance to test the Sigma 500mm F4 DG HSM OS Sport lens in rainy conditions but it shot flawlessly in the cold (the coldest temperature tested was about 30 degrees Fahrenheit, -1 celsius). Wind was more of a factor because of the large profile of the lens. Some gusts would really grab it and that movement caused a loss of sharpness.
Of course, this isn’t an issue specific to this lens – any larger, longer focal length lens will be affected by gusty winds. Solutions would be to shoot in a more protected area, to use higher-than-normal shutter speeds, or to wait for a less windy day to shoot (which is what I would have done if I wasn’t reviewing the lens in a limited timed frame).

Japanese Macaque (Snow Monkey), Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL
Canon 7DII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 800, 1/100th, f/10, monopod with a gimbal head.

Autofocus performance

The autofocus on the Sigma 500mm F4 DG HSM OS Sport lens is flawless.
First, you can turn the annoying autofocus beep off with a simple switch right on the barrel of the lens. Turning the autofocus beep off is essential when photographing wildlife since the noise can make your subjects anxious. Thumbs up to Sigma for putting this feature in such an accessible location.

Detail of Sigma 500mm F4 option switches.

There are also settings for autofocus, manual focus, and manual override. The point of the manual override mode is to have the lens in auto but be able to easily switch it into manual by grabbing the focusing ring. Because I could manually override the autofocus at any time, even when the lens was in auto mode, that’s the mode I preferred to use.

Stabilization

I tested the Sigma 500mm F4 DG HSM OS Sport lens with and without the stabilization turned on. There are two options; OS1 for handheld photography, and OS2 for panning and tracking. While using my monopod and gimbal head, I didn’t see a noticeable difference in sharpness between OS1 and OS2. There was, however, a noticeable difference in sharpness when OS was turned to the off position. Ultimately I switched it to OS1 and left it there.

More convenience at your fingertips

In addition to the stabilization, beep, and autofocus options there is a “focus limiter.” This switch allows you to choose within which range you need the lens to focus. For example, if you know you aren’t focusing on anything close to you, you can set the lens to focus only from 10 meters to infinity. Setting this limiter allows the lens to focus a smidge faster and that gives you a better chance of sharply capturing fleeting moments.

My favorite feature

Detail of the Sigma 500mm F4 Recall Button.

Perhaps my favorite feature is the group of four rubber buttons circling the front of the lens.
To use them, find a location you want to have as a primary focusing point, hold down one of the buttons and hit the set button on the lens barrel. This action programs the lens to focus on the specific point you selected. The focus lock on that point is based on distance so if you move, you need to reset your buttons.
If you are stationary, sitting in a blind photographing birds or wild animals, this is an amazing feature. You can essentially compose four different shots in four different locations by assigning one of these buttons to each location. When a bird lands in one of your four locations, press the button for that focus point, press the shutter and grab your shot. I tested this with some of the spunkier zoo inhabitants and it worked like a charm.
Again, the advantage here is that this is a little faster than asking the lens to refocus. That millisecond is a precious advantage when photographing wildlife.

Approaching lion, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL
Canon 7DII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 1000, 1/640th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

Image quality

Image quality is a subjective thing but without it, state-of-the-art features and well-placed buttons don’t mean a thing. I was blown away by the images I produced with this lens.
Straight out of camera the colors rendered beautifully. They were soft, nuanced and creamy. Backgrounds blurred softly away creating a clean canvas for wildlife compositions. The separation between elements was also phenomenal. I had a lot of fun experimenting with “layering,” like the series of four monochrome equine images above and the zebra image below.

Layered zebras, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL
Canon 7DII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 2500, 1/640th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

Images made with this lens are tack sharp. Details of eyes, fur, and feathers are crisp and well-structured. There is no visible distortion and only very minimal vignetting. For wildlife images, I prefer the  range of f/8 to f/11 but I didn’t find any unusable apertures. I could have happily shot at f/4 if the circumstance called for it.
Because I was so happy with the quality, all of the wildlife and bird images included in this review were very minimally processed in Lightroom CC. I sharpened the RAW files, adjusted the white balance, and made a few targeted adjustments to enhance details.

Transporting and carrying the lens

While the weight and length of Sigma’s 500mm F4 lens aren’t unusual for this lens category (the Canon version is almost exactly the same weight and dimensions, and also $3000 more!) it is a factor when using it. First, you need to be careful about how you carry a large lens like this to prevent damaging your camera’s lens mount. During a typical shoot you might normally hold your camera by its grip, and let the weight of the lens hang off of the camera body. With a lens this large, that isn’t recommended. Instead, make it a habit of holding onto a lens of this size by the foot, and support the camera’s weight with your other hand. You can also cradle the lens like a baby, which I did often (I didn’t sing it any lullabies, though).
You also need to consider carefully the logistics of hiking to your destination with such a large lens. Investing in a special large lens backpack like this one might be a solution for ease of carrying. Lastly, if you have weight and bag restrictions when you travel, you’ll have to find a workaround for that.

Baby zebra portrait, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL Canon 7DII, Sigma 500mm F4,
ISO 1600, 1/640th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

Zebra with turned head, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL
Canon 7DII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 2000, 1/640th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

This lens performed very well for me. Images were sharp and overall quality was excellent. For me, because I am often hiking (or recently, biking!) to locate and then keep up with very mobile herds of wild horses, the size and weight of the lens were a bit difficult to manage. Horses are also unpredictable and I often need a shorter focal length to capture all of their behaviors as their curiosity overcomes them and they start to approach me.
If you’re like me, I’d recommend the Canon 100-400mm I mentioned earlier in this review. For an affordable option with an even longer focal length, try Sigma’s own 150-600mm that weighs in at around 4 pounds for under $1000.
I would recommend the Sigma 500mm F4 DG HSM OS Sport lens for a birder, or any type of wildlife photographer that stations herself in a blind, and waits for the animals to come into view. If you’re that photographer, sign up at B&H to be notified when this lens will ship (here for Canon mount, or click here for Nikon) to ensure you get one of the first copies. You won’t be disappointed.

Share this article.

Review of the Olympus 300mm F4 PRO Lens

By: David Shaw

About six months ago, I made a heart-wrenching, painful, and difficult decision: I switched from Canon to Olympus.
Now, I’m not some crazy, brand-loyal photographer. I think the Canon versus Nikon argument is ridiculous. But I had invested thousands of dollars, tens of thousands really, in my Canon gear.
However, my photographic priorities have been changing. I’ve established something of a niche in Alaska wilderness photography and the size and weight of my Canon kit was becoming a hindrance.

#Photographer#WildernessPhotographer#Canon#Nikon

I’ve been extremely impressed by the sharpness and clean bokeh of this lens. Swainson’s
Thrush, Alaska. Lumix G9 with Olympus 300mm F4 PRO.

Size and weight were a factor

Access to many of the places I work on assignment or lead photo workshops and tours is via small plane or on foot. In other words, the weight of my gear is a major consideration.
More and more often, I was forced to pass over my beloved Canon 500mm f4L, because it was just too darn heavy and bulky. Rather, I’d pack something more compact, even if it wasn’t as good. Leaving that big lens behind was painful, but necessary, and I constantly wished for something comparable that wasn’t so darn big.
As a result of leaving the big glass behind, my wildlife work suffered. So I started experimenting with a variety of alternative lenses for the Canon system: Tamron’s and Sigma’s 150-600mm lenses, and Canon’s 100-400mm and the 70-200mm f/2.8 with a 2x teleconverter.
All were decent, but none matched the quality and dreamy bokeh of the 500mm f4.

Spruce Grouse, Denali National Park, Alaska. Lumix GX85 and Olympus
300mm F4 PRO.

Some smaller options

Unrelated to this search, I purchased a little Lumix GX85 as a backup camera for wilderness trips. Surprised by the quality of the micro 4/3rds system, I rented a couple of long lenses for it. First the Lumix/Leica 100-400, (which I’ve previously reviewed here on DPS), and then the Olympus 300mm f4 PRO.
While the Lumix/Leica 100-400mm combo gave me a staggering reach (200-800mm equivalent on the 4/3rds system), the sharpness at the long end was imperfect, and the bokeh was lacking. It’s a great lens, but just doesn’t quite compare to the 500mm f/4.
The Olympus 300mm F4 on the other hand… that one took me completely by surprise.

A tough, all-metal housing and full weather sealing mean the durability of the Olympus
300mm F4 PRO easily compares to the best lenses by Canon and Nikon.

Six months after first renting the Olympus, I sold all of my Canon gear and purchased a Lumix G9 body, a variety of Lumix/Leica lenses and the Olympus 300mm f4 PRO lens.
Here is what I think of it.

Price – Olympus 300mm F4 PRO

Bull moose. Denali National Park, Alaska. Made with the Olympus 300mm F4 PRO on a 

Lumix GX85 body.

A new Canon 600mm F4L currently sells for $11,500. The Olympus 300mm F4 PRO is about $2,500.
Yeah, no contest there. You could buy the Olympus and still have enough left over for a trip to Alaska to photograph brown bears AND a trip to Africa to see lions and elephants (travel is always money well spent).

Size and Weight

At 9 inches long (with the hood retracted) and 3.25lbs, the Olympus 300mm F4 PRO
is a third the weight and half the length of the Canon 600mm F4L.

Thanks to the smaller sensor of the 4/3rds system, you can fit equivalent or greater magnification into a lens while retaining the same maximum aperture in a MUCH smaller package. Canon’s 600mm F4 lens weighs in at a whopping 8.6lbs (3.9kg) while the Olympus with the same equivalent magnification and maximum aperture is a comparably dainty 3.25 (1.47kg).
Physically, it is also much more compact. At about 9 inches (22.9 cm) long it is roughly half the length of the Canon lens. When it comes to size, the Olympus is a clear winner for a wilderness photographer like myself.
But how is the quality?

Sharpness

I made this image of a Smith’s Longspur in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with a 

Canon 5D Mark III and 500mm F4L. It’s sharp and crisp, as you would expect.

When I first considered replacing my Canon gear with Olympus I took both systems out in the field for a week-long photo workshop I was leading. On the trip, I was able to shoot both under similar conditions. Later, when I examined the images at 100%, I felt the sharpness was more or less equivalent even when they were shot wide open at F4.

Just as sharp as the Canon 500mm. Fox. Umnak Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Lumix G9 

and Olympus 300mm F4 PRO.

With a sigh of relief, I moved on to . . .

Bokeh

Few lenses can compare to the dreamy bokeh of the Canon 500mm F4 L. (Canyon
Wren, Joshua Tree National Park, CA.)

The bokeh of a lens is one of the most important aspects of image quality. In wildlife photography, the ability to separate your subject from the background is a huge asset, meaning you need a shallow depth of field. The big Canon can achieve this with aplomb. Its bokeh is smooth and creamy and creates a perfect background for your subject. This, I knew, would be the greatest challenge for the Olympus 300mm F4 PRO.
And it is the one place the Olympus fell short… but only just (and I mean by the narrowest of margins). Since a 4/3rds sensor crops rather than physically magnifies an image, the depth of field is the same as you would achieve with 300mm f4 on the full-frame Canon camera if you cropped the image by 50%.
Which is to say, it still has a great, shallow depth of field, but the bokeh retains more form than it does with the 500mm or 600mm.

Though not quite the amazing bokeh of the Canon 500mm, the Olympus 300mm f4
PRO attains something VERY close and just look at that sharpness! (Common Raven.
Juneau, Alaska. Lumix G9 and Olympus 300mm F4 PRO.)

When it comes to bokeh, the Canon had the edge, but not by much.

Performance

Autofocus

The Canon 500mm F4 has lightning-fast autofocus. That is not up for debate and is one of the reasons that so many pro wildlife and sports photographers select that lens.
So how does the Olympus compare?

This image made with the Canon 500mm F4L was easy to grab with the lightning fast 

autofocus system.

This was a harder comparison to make because autofocus ability is a combination of camera body and lens and how the two communicate. When I use the Olympus, my choice of a camera body is the Lumix G9. At first, I expected that this mixing of manufacturers would hinder the performance, but I’ve been relieved to find that is not the case. Lumix bodies are fully compatible with all features of Olympus lenses with no apparent loss in performance.
I’ve found the autofocus of the Lumix/Olympus combination to be precise and extremely fast, attaining focus as quickly as the Canon.

Birds in flight, particularly against a background like this are hard for any autofocus system to 

handle. But the Olympus 300mm F4 PRO was able to make it happen and fast.

Another nifty feature of the Olympus 300mm F4 PRO is you can switch between auto and manual focus simply by giving a little tug on the focus ring. It snaps down, and suddenly you are in manual focus, click it back, and autofocus returns. There is no fumbling around for switches.

Stabilization and Handhold-ability

Waterfall, Umnak Island, Alaska. Made at 1/15th of second handheld (!!!) with the Olympus 

300mm F4 PRO on a Lumix G9 body.

Canon’s image stabilization is extremely good, but they’ve stubbornly refused to integrate stabilization into their camera bodies. Lumix, however, has stabilization built into the body which communicates with simultaneous stabilization in the lens!
Here, the Lumix/Olympus combo is a clear winner. I’ve found I can hand hold the Olympus 300mm f4 PRO on the Lumix G9 as low as 1/15th of a second and still get acceptably sharp images. The small, easily handled size certainly helps with this, but I would NEVER be able to hand hold the Canon 500mm at 1/15th.
The overall performance winner? The Olympus 300mm f4 PRO.

Bald Eagle, Unalaska Island, Alaska. Lumix G9 body with the Olympus 300mm F4 PRO.

I’ll be honest here, from time to time I miss the big Canon 500mm f4L. But not for reasons of image quality or field performance. Rather, I miss the snob appeal of that big glass. It’s the stupidest of stupid reasons, but it’s a real one.
As a pro photographer, the big lens was a badge of honor. Fortunately, I’ve (mostly) outgrown the need to be seen as a pro when I’m in the field shooting. Now, I try to concentrate on making images good enough that they speak for themselves, and leave the lens size contests to others.

Caribou in Alaska’s Northwest Arctic. Lumix G9, Olympus 300mm F4 PRO.

When I put aside the size and snob appeal, I’m not at all sorry to have moved away from Canon. Now, my big lens is small enough that I carry it everywhere (even on my evening dog-walks). It’s light and unobtrusive and I can even carry it backpacking. The quality is so close to that of the bigger glass, that the differences are almost unimportant.
So yeah, I like the Olympus 300mm f4 PRO. A lot.

Share this article.