This lens is unbelievably good. You can look at the reviews which will tell you it's good, but if you buy it you'll be blown away by the quality. Not is this lens sharp but the detail is amazing. You can literally count the feathers on a hummingbird! I've used Canon L lenses with various 1D cameras, but when I sent the first shots taken with this lens to friends they all commented on how fantastic the images were. I don't think Canon has a lens this good at anything approaching its price point. If you can afford it, and have a need for a lens with this reach, buy it. The other advantage is the stabilization. It usually takes me a little practice to get used to a lens and to learn how to minimize errors. There is always a learning period during which you make bonehead mistakes. This happened with this lens. The second time I took it out with my E-M1 I ended up taking some shots of a pygmy owl in its hole. After I finished shooting I realized I had taken the shots at 1/13th of a second. I was totally bummed since this lens is the equivalent of a 600mm. Shooting unsupported upwards I assumed there was no way there wouldn't be some serious shake. But when I looked at the images to my surprise they were sharp. At 1/13th of a second. Are you serious? Obviously a higher shutter would be preferred but it's a huge plus that you can shoot at these speeds and have the images be sharp. As a final observation, while I have the 1.4TC I've found the images are better if I skip the TC and just crop. With the TC the images are still good but some of the detail gets lost. YMMV.

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Sharp for value. Stops up to f/32 ! Easy to handle on mirrorless focus assisted bodies such as Fuji X-T1.

Would have preferred a shorter barrel for reasons of weight balance. But that is always with those long focals.

Recently bought one at eBay for less than 100 Euros. I use 300mm mainly for sunsets, people on the street, animals in the woods, always on tripod. I don't understand why photographers evaluate this lens in relation with add-ons such as extenders etc as they should know that any add-on always worsens the performance of any lens. Moreover, any manual vintage lens is a manual vintage lens, so there is no point in comparing it to auto focus, vibration reduction aka image stabilization, multiple coatings, aspherical designs, and other red/gold band goodies. Besides, this is a telelens, not a macro lens, and therefore should be evaluated as a telelens. My evaluation concerns only the lens and nothing else. For me this lens is what one would normally expect from Zuiko. I use only vintage lenses and this one is a beaut in that it delivers tack sharp images with minimal CA. Also at f/32, diffraction is hardly noticeable. On film it produces very good contrast and saturation. On digital it needs a bit more tweaking to obtain similar results. I don't use it for macro simply because it is not a macro lens. It is a telelens, perfect for daylight sceneries. For those who are into older glass for 300mm budget, I definitely recommend this one.

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I had a Meyer Gorlitz 300mm/5.5, which is a sewage pipe compared to this Zuiko, in terms of build, handling and performance.

relatively cheap tele with decent performance.

Pronounced lateral color when using extension tubes. OM SLR system is no longer developped. Switched to Contax/Zeiss.

Tele of good value to performance ratio. Built in hood is sufficient, and tripod collar is a plus, though problematic with wider quick release plates (Linhof), and a motor drive or winder on the camera, as turning the camera from landscape to portrait becomes tricky. Have used it with 65-113 mm extension tube to get 1:4 portraits of venomous snakes in the field. That works quite well, though there is pronounced lateral color in the corners. With OM 2x converter focussing becomes a problem as the microprism and the horizontal half moon becomes dark. You can use a fine matte screen instead, and they can be easily exchanged with all OM cameras.

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Zeiss Sonnar 180mm f/2.8, OM 65-200 Zoom.

Lightweight, easily hand-holdable Sharp and Contrasty even at f4.5

Slow aperture, Close focus at 12ft. 1.4X teleconverters hard to come by and insanely expensive.

This lens was designed in the early 1970s when the OM-System was introduced so the design is dated evidenced by the 12ft minimum focus distance and lack of internal focus. Lens does not rotate during focusing which is good for using polarizers. Almost half the weight of the current AF 300mm f4 from Canon and Nikon, though about 1/3 stop slower. Sharper than any of the XX-300mm zooms out there. A bargain when purchased used. Get the Multicoated version as it has much better contrast wide open. Some are labeled MC for multicoated and late models marked ZUIKO AUTO-T 300mm 1:4,5 are multicoated. Make sure you get the tripod mount. Very sharp lens for 300mm provided you use tripod or good handheld techniques. Excellent alternative to the more expensive Canon/Nikon AF 300mm f4 as long as you do not need close focus and auto-focus.

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XX-300mm zooms from Sigma & Tamron

Typical solid Olympus build quality, detachable tripod mount, built in lens hood.

A bit heavy!

I do not use this lens often, but every now and again an opportunity arises where nothing else in my lens arsenal will do. The Zuiko 300mm is big and heavy, but its dimensions instill confidence in the user. I use the lens mostly for landscape work, but have also found it great for portraiture (not head and shoulder shots though!).

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Various independent zooms.

Relatively compact, sharp and contrasty. Good color rendition. Works well with the 1.4X.

Not a real problem but it takes a few twists of the wrist to get it from far to close focus bec. it doesn't have internal focusing.

For the price a nice sharp telephoto for Olympus. Make sure to get it with the tripod mount.

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Tokina 300/5.6 and various third party zooms. The Zuiko is the best of the lot. I haven't tried any of the 300/2.8s

Distortion free
Use of teleconverters acceptable

None

Quality optic at moderate price

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Tamron 300mm 5.6