The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Panasonic 50-200mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS and the Panasonic 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses. Panasonic 50-200mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS is the longer of the two lenses at 132mm. The Panasonic 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS with a length of 126mm, is 6mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Panasonic 50-200mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS also has a larger diameter of 76mm compared to the Panasonic 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS's 74mm diameter.
Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of Panasonic 50-200mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS and Panasonic 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
Comparison image of the Panasonic 50-200mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS and the Panasonic 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS Size and Weight The weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Panasonic 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS weighs 520g, 20% (135g) lighter than the Panasonic 50-200mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS's weight of 655g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Telephoto Zoom Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for size comparison purposes.
Telephoto Zoom Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both the Panasonic 50-200mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS and the Panasonic 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS 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-5, Panasonic GH6 and OM System OM-1.
Focal Range
Panasonic 50-200mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS has a focal range of 50-200mm and 4.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 100-400mm when used on a FourThirds format camera. Panasonic 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS has a focal range of 100-300mm and 3.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 200-600mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.