The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Leica SL 100-400 f5-6.3 and the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro is the longer of the two lenses at 227mm. The Leica SL 100-400 f5-6.3 with a length of 198mm, is 29mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro also has a larger diameter of 93mm compared to the Leica SL 100-400 f5-6.3's 88mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro weighs 1270g, 16% (260g) lighter than the Leica SL 100-400 f5-6.3's weight of 1530g.
Filter Threads
The Leica SL 100-400 f5-6.3 has a filter size of 82mm whereas the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro has a 77mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 82mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Leica SL 100-400 f5-6.3:
And these are the 77mm filters that we recommend for the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro:
Lens Mounts
The Leica SL 100-400 f5-6.3 has the Leica L lens mount whereas the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro has the Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Leica SL3-P, Panasonic S1 II and Panasonic S1 IIE for the Leica L Mount and OM System OM-3 Astro, OM System OM-5 II and OM System OM-3 for the Micro Four Thirds Mount.
Focal Range
Leica SL 100-400 f5-6.3 has a focal range of 100-400mm and
4.0X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
150 - 600mm.
On the other hand, the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 300mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 600mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
