Im freaking out a bit because I have a trip to Yellowstone in three weeks and I still havent picked a telephoto for my S5II. I'm looking at the Lumix 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 and the Sigma 100-400mm DG DN.
The Lumix is way lighter for hiking but that Sigma reach is tempting for bears. My budget is strictly under 800 bucks so I'm looking at used copies. I keep hearing the Sigma autofocus is slower on L-mount which kinda scares me. Is the extra 100mm on the Sigma worth the extra weight and potentially worse AF or should I just stick with the native Lumix?
Honestly, I had such high hopes for the Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary but it was kinda disappointing in the field. I took it out for some birding and the autofocus just kept hunting when things got even slightly fast... not as good as expected at all. For a place like Yellowstone where you're gonna be hiking a ton, that extra weight feels like carrying a brick after two miles. I ended up swapping it for the Panasonic Lumix S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Macro OIS and while you lose a bit of reach, the experience is way better. Native lenses just play nicer with the S5II phase detect and its way easier to pack. Here are my two main tips for your trip:
- Go with the native Lumix lens. Unfortunately, third party AF on L-mount still feels a step behind for wildlife sometimes, and you dont want to miss a grizzly shot because the lens was hunting back and forth.
- If you really need that 400mm reach for small stuff, just use the APS-C crop mode on your S5II. You lose some megapixels but its way better than missing the focus entirely. The weight difference is a big deal too... my back was killing me with the Sigma. Just stick to the native glass and enjoy the hike without the extra bulk. It sucks to lose the reach but the native speed makes up for it.
