The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Panasonic 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS and the Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power 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 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS is the longer of the two lenses at 126mm. The Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS with a length of 100mm, is 26mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Panasonic 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS also has a larger diameter of 74mm compared to the Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS's 67mm diameter.
Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of Panasonic 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS and Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
Comparison image of the Panasonic 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS and the Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power 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 X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS weighs 357g, 31% (163g) lighter than the Panasonic 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS's weight of 520g.
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 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS and the Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power 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 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. Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS has a focal range of 35-100mm and 2.9X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 70-200mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.