see also:

• a brief catalogue of Micro Four Thirds lenses
• 3-5x standard range zoom lenses for Micro Four Thirds
• 3x telephoto zoom lenses for Micro Four Thirds
• 8-10x super-zoom lenses for Micro Four Thirds

• announced July 2015, presumably available in 2016
• premium grade lens with optics to “Leica standards and specs”
• Power OIS, weathersealed
• see Panasonic Leica DG 100-400mm ASPH f/4-6.3 lens

• version II lens produced 2013
• close focus to 1.5m at 300mm and 0.9m at 150mm
• new external styling to suit E-M5
• ZERO coating
• MSC AF drive
• 18 elements in 13 groups with 1 super ED, 2 ED and 3 HR lenses
• 58mm filter
• 69mm x 116.5mm long
• 423g
• RRP 599 Euro
• see Olympus Australia
• ePhotozine review
  • sharpest at 75mm but unfortunately, 300mm resolution is very average
• StruckByLight's quick comparison with the Panasonic 100-300 f/4.0-5.6 OIS
  • “Panasonic 100-300mm f/4-5.6 was significantly sharper than the Olympus 75-300 f/4.8-6.7 II lens throughout the entire aperture range, and especially at 300mm”
  • “both lenses sharpest at f/8”
• DxOMark review
  • a little sharper and with less CA than version I
  • sharper than the Panasonic zoom but less aperture
• AdmiringLight review
  • “Very sharp from 75-220mm and decently sharp to 300mm”
  • “Autofocus accuracy can be hit or miss on longer range targets”
• Robin Wong's review

• Olympus has created a compact, hand holdable super telephoto zoom lens for the Micro Four Thirds system which is capable of up to 600mm supertelephoto field of view in 35mm terms without compromising significantly on sharpness.
• it is best used on a camera such as the Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera fitted with the HLD-6 grip for better ergonomics, and of course image stabiliser which reliably allows hand holdable shutter speeds down to 1/160th sec at the 300mm end.
• 150-600mm in 35mm terms
• 58mm non-rotating filter thread
• metal lens mount
• 7 rounded blades
• 18 elements arranged in 13 groups incl. 2x ED and 3 highly refractive elements
• rear focusing mechanism
• almost silent AF
• 430g
• $899

• ePhotozine review
  • “extremely light weight, internal focus, silent, reasonably fast AF in good light”
  • sharpest at f/5.6 at 75mm, f/5.6-f/8 at 150mm and f/8-f/11 at 300mm
  • moderate CA at edges is worst at 150mm which may need correcting
• Robin Wong's walk in a bird park using an E-M5 and this lens
• PhotographyBlog.com review
  • CA and vignetting very well controlled
  • “nice bokeh”

• version ii announced in Jan 2017 offers better weathersealing, and smoother aperture variance when zooming
• both lenses can support Dual Sync IS (version I needs firmware upgrade)
• 200-600mm in 35mm terms
• Mega OIS (2-3EV) image stabiliser
• fast near silent AF
• 67mm non-rotating filter thread
• 7 rounded blades
• metal mount
• closest focus 1.5m
• 520g
• $599
• it seems that best results are at the 100-220mm range with shots at longer focal length being much less sharp, although camera shake is likely a major factor at such high magnifications.
• the IS apparently only gives 1-2 stops advantage
• Photoblog.com review
  • CA and vignetting very well controlled
  • “nice bokeh”
  • “While this lens is obviously not in the same class as the primes and high-grade zooms that we have reviewed so far, it is actually pretty amazing for a superzoom.”
  • “The lens also earns our admiration for fast focusing on the equally new DMC-GH2, even at the 600mm equivalent end of the zoom range in low-light conditions”
  • not as sharp as the Olympus lens?
• Youtube: Terry Lane's review for use in birding
  • great value for money when used in average light, shot at f/7.1, ISO 1000 for birds on branches, etc
  • main issues are significant lateral CA and AF issues in low light