The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II 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 Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II with a length of 100mm, is 127mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro also has a larger diameter of 93mm compared to the Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II's 70mm 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. Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II weighs 370g, which means it is 900g (70%) lighter than the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro which has a weight of 1270g.
Filter Threads
The Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II has a filter size of 52mm 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 52mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II:
And these are the 77mm filters that we recommend for the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro:
Lens Mounts
Both the Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II and the Olympus 300mm F4 IS 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-3 Astro, OM System OM-5 II and OM System OM-3.
Focal Range
Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II has a focal range of 45-200mm and
4.4X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
90-400mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
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.
