The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro and the Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 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 Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro with a length of 160mm, is 67mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro also has a larger diameter of 93mm compared to the Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro's 79mm 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 ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro weighs 760g, 40% (510g) lighter than the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro's weight of 1270g.
Filter Threads
The Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro has a filter size of 77mm whereas the Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro has a 72mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 77mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro:
And these are the 72mm filters that we recommend for the Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro:
Lens Mounts
Both the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro and the Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro has the same Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Micro Four Thirds lenses are OM System OM-1 II, Panasonic G9 II and OM System OM-5.
Focal Range
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.
On the other hand, the Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro has a focal range of 40-150mm and 3.8X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 80-300mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.