Lets see if I can answer this question. I also shoot a fair amount of nature
and wildlife stuff and the 300mm is essentially my entry level focal length.
I use both a 300mm and 400mm with extenders. The Zuikos are pretty light and
both can be used hand held, however I generally would not use them that way
(hand held) as I use a tripod probably 80 to 90 percent of the time. When you
are shooting in those magic hours just as the sun comes up or as it is going
down you will be shooting with the most interesting light and also when much of
the wildlife is doing interesting stuff . In other words that is when you
may have the best chance of getting your best pictures. You'll need a tripod.
If you get real crazy about this you will go out and get some third party big
glass, such as the ones I use which are Tamron SP lenses. The 300mm is f2.8
and 400mm is f4 as compared to the f4.5 and f6.3 for the Zuiko. The extra
speed means extra weight, which really means use a tripod. It also means
about 2
to 3 times the money you will pay for a Zuiko. I have both the 200s (f4 &
f5) and seldom use either, preferring the Tamron 180mm f2.5. If you are just
planning to expand your kit, I would suggest taking a look at the Tamron SP
60-300mm zoom. At somewhere around $150 for a good one your will spend about
the
same as you would for the Zuiko 200 and about half what you would pay for the
Zuiko 300 and gain a tremendous amount of versatility. If you must have the
Zuikos, contact me off list as I have both the 300mm and 400mm in surplus and
available. Bill Barber
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