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 Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro 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 Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro with a length of 66mm, is 161mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro also has a larger diameter of 93mm compared to the Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro's 55mm 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. Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro weighs 298g, 76% (972g) lighter than the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro's weight of 1270g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Telephoto Prime Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for size comparison purposes.
Super Telephoto Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro has a filter size of 77mm whereas the Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro has a 55mm 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 55mm filters that we recommend for the Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro:
Lens Mounts
Both the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro and the Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro 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-3 Astro, OM System OM-5 II and OM System OM-3.
Focal Range
Both lenses have the same focal range of
300mm but while Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro has the fastest aperture of
F4.0, the Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro's widest aperture value is
F6.3.
