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Last Updated on 03/11/2026 by Chris Gampat

Depending on what circle of people I’m talking to, some people consider me more of a birding photographer than a street or portrait photographer. But if you’ve been reading this site for years, you’d know that most of my photographic work involves people. Admittedly, legal blindness makes bird photography tough at times. Even with two eye surgeries way past me, it can still be hard to see things in the world. Luckily, a lens like the Panasonic LUMIX 100-500mm f5-7.1 makes birding photography so insanely easy when coupled with the right cameras. How so? Well, if a blind man with kerataconus can do it, so can you!

Table of Contents

The Big Picture: LUMIX 100-500mm f5-7.1 Review Conclusions

I had to write the conclusion to this review last. The LUMIX 100-500mm f5-7.1 is a good lens — but so is everything else being made these days. But where it excels is with being lightweight, weather resistant, and great at autofocusing. What’s most important is that you actually want to bring it everywhere you hike with you. With that said, it’s not doing anything really unique or special. And for the moment, it’s probably the best option for birding that the L-mount alliance has.

Weather resistance
Good autofocus performance
Class standard image quality
Very lightweight, I’d want to bring this lens with me around for sure
The best option of rhe L-mount
It’s a bit pricier than I think it should be at a bit over $2,000. But blame Trump and his stupid tariffs for that.

The Phoblographer’s Editor’s Choice award

The Panasonic LUMIX 100-500mm f5-7.1 deserves the Editor’s Choice award for sure. So I’m giving it 5 out of 5 stars. Want one? Check out the buy now button below.

Buy Now: Usually around $2,000

Experience

The Panasonic LUMIX 100-500mm f5-7.1 that I reviewed was used on the Panasonic S1II E. I’m sending the lens back soon and that body is a long-term loaner. I also own the Leica SL2s and the Panasonic S1R II — and I tested the lens on both of those camera bodies.

100-500mm focal lengths (or around that) are often my favorite lenses for bird photography with high megapixel camera bodies. And if anything, I can always use a teleconverter with just a little bit of extra reach to get the photos I really want. The Panasonic LUMIX 100-500mm f5-7.1 isn’t an exception here. What’s unique to it is the weird zoom locker. And I really mean that when I say that it’s weird because it keeps it from going past 150mm. If anything, I would’ve made it lock at certain focal lengths and only those options. Otherwise, it’s weather resistant, lightweight, and even small. In fact, when attached to the S1II E, I was able to shove it into the Billingham 35 Rucksack bag and even put extra stuff in there. That’s insanely impressive to me because it meant that I could do a long commute with multiple transfers on public transit with ease.

A close-up of a black Lumix camera with a large zoom lens resting on a wooden surface.

A Lumix camera with a large telephoto lens and a pair of black binoculars on a wooden surface.

A camera with a large telephoto lens sits on a wooden desk in front of a window and books.

A Panasonic Lumix camera with a large telephoto lens rests on a wooden desk near some paper and small items.

A black DSLR camera with a zoom lens rests on a wooden surface, with a blurred background.

One would think that birding in NYC isn’t possible — but that’s not true at all. It’s considered to be one of the most important migration paths for many birds.

During my review process, I used the lens at Medieval Times for my Birth Month with my best friend and while birding. Typically, I found that the S1R II made the Panasonic LUMIX 100-500mm f5-7.1 lag a bit when autofocusing. With the Leica SL2s, it performed as expected and I’d even say it was pretty solid. But where it really shone is with the Panasonic S1II E — as far autofocus is concerned.

Even when scene detection for birds and animals wasn’t being used, the camera and lens were able to work together to track and focus on birds. For the record, I made photos with the AF-C mode and tracking, wide area, and 1-area AF settings. My keeper rate was high already when using the camera in the low-burst setting.

For the record, the S1R II was pushed to the limit with making photographs in very low light. But it was able to hold up. Additionally, I used both the exposure preview activated and deactivated. I mostly make photographs with this feature deactivated — and the Panasonic LUMIX 100-500mm f5-7.1 did an incredible job.

Just by paying attention, I didn’t think that I really even needed to use the pre-shot burst feature. Combine this with a pair of image stabilized Fujifilm binoculars that I’ve been using for years and I’m all set!

Image Quality

What makes the Panasonic LUMIX 100-500mm f5-7.1 really unique is the fact that it’s on the L-mount system. With L-mount, you can use so many different camera profiles to make images that feel truly special. This is more the case with Panasonic unless you’re using Leica looks. But Leica looks can only be applied in-camera with newer camera models. Otherwise, it can be done via the Leica Fotos app in post-production.

Still, generally speaking there’s nothing unique or special about the image quality here that makes it stand out over Canon and Tamron’s own options. That’s to say that I can’t look at the images and tell which one comes from which lens. In some ways, that’s a good thing to say that it’s on par with the rest of the industry. And if you want something unique from it, you’ll be relying on LUMIX’s really excellent cameras.

Otherwise, within the L-mount alliance, this is probably the best birding lens that you can get your hands on. It’s got good sharpness, nice bokeh, and when you combine it with the Real Time LUT feature, you’re going to get fantastic images.

The following images are unedited.

A knight on horseback holds a flag in a spotlight during a medieval performance in an arena.

Two knights in armor joust on horseback, with lances clashing, viewed through a safety net.

A knight in armor rides a horse draped in yellow and red stripes, holding a matching flag upright.

A small brown bird perches on a branch among leafless twigs and branches in early spring.

A small gray bird perched on tall, dry reeds in a dense marsh.

A gray squirrel sits on a tree branch, holding food in its paws against a blurred brown background.

A gray squirrel sits on a tree trunk, holding food in its paws, with a blurred brown background.

A gray squirrel sits on a tree trunk, holding food, with bare branches and a blurred background.

A swan stands on a dark rock by the water, with its head tucked back and brown reeds in the foreground.

Two pigeons stand on a stone sculpture, facing each other, with one appearing to coo or call out.

A lone bird stands on rocks in a brownish lake, with tall, dry reeds in the background.

A seagull glides in midair over a blurred, wintry landscape with wings outstretched.

A goose stands on icy ground with blurred waterfowl in the background on a cold, overcast day.

A lone bird sits on a smooth, icy surface with blurred vertical lines in the background.

The following images were edited using the Phoblographer’s presets in Capture One.

A hawk perched on a bare tree branch against a pale blue sky.

A flock of white birds flies over a frozen lake with tall brown reeds in the background.

A Canada goose stands on snow, preening its feathers; another goose is blurred in the background.

Four geese stand on a frozen lake, with one goose in the background and three in the foreground.

Green parrots and a large nest on utility poles with electrical wires against a white sky.

Three Canada geese flying low over a snowy or icy landscape, with one goose standing below.

Many black and brown waterbirds gather and wade in shallow water on a calm, cloudy day.

Three green parrots perch on a power pole with large twig nests and surrounding electrical wires.

A hawk with speckled plumage perches on a bare tree branch against a pale sky.

A flock of geese flying in front of bare trees on a cloudy day.

Two green birds sit near large nests built on a utility pole with electrical wires and a metal box.

A small bird perched on a large tree branch with bare, leafless branches against a pale sky.

Two green parrots perch on a nest and power lines attached to a utility pole against a white sky.

A squirrel sits on a bare tree branch, holding something in its mouth against a bright white sky.

Two Canada geese flying in the sky with wings spread wide, on a plain white background.

A Canada goose standing on a dirt path surrounded by dry grass and leaves.

A Canada goose standing on the ground with dry grass and leaves in the background.

Two knights on horseback face off with flags in an arena, watched by an audience in the background.

Two knights in armor jousting on horses in an arena, separated by a barrier, with spectators in the background.

A performer in medieval armor cracks a whip in an arena decorated with colorful shields and banners.

Two knights in armor joust on horseback in an indoor arena, with colorful shields and capes.

A knight and a woman in medieval costumes ride white horses, waving during a live jousting performance.

A knight in colorful armor rides a horse, holding a lance aloft in an indoor arena decorated with banners.

A knight in blue armor rides a white horse during an indoor medieval tournament event.

Man with curly hair and sunglasses adjusts jacket, camera around neck, standing in a parking lot.

A knight in green armor rides a horse while holding a matching flag during a medieval tournament.

A knight in red and yellow armor rides a horse draped in matching colors, holding a striped flag in an arena.

Knights in colorful armor ride horses in an arena, performing for an audience at a medieval-themed event.

A knight in blue armor rides a blue-caped horse inside an arena, with spectators in the background.

A man in medieval attire stands with a bird of prey perched on his shoulder, looking into the distance.

A small brown sparrow perched on a metal railing with green bushes in the background.

A small bird perched on a bare tree branch against a clear blue sky.

Fluffy white dog with a pink and black scarf looks out from a window behind black metal bars.

A small bird with gray feathers perches on thin, leafless branches against a blurred background.

A small brown bird perched on a branch among leafless twigs with a blurred background.

A small brown bird perched on a metal railing against a clear blue sky.

A black starling perches on bare branches with round seed pods against a clear blue sky.

A mourning dove perched on a tree branch with a clear blue sky and brick building in the background.

A brown mourning dove perched on a tree branch with a blurred brick wall in the background.

A seagull stands on top of a street light against a clear blue sky.

Three Canada geese stand on icy, partially thawed water, with reflections visible on the surface.

Six geese stand and rest on a frozen, partially melted icy surface with water reflections.

Two Canada geese resting on a paved surface, one sitting in the foreground and one standing behind.

Five Canada geese walk on a frozen, icy lake with a pale blue surface in winter.

A fluffy gray squirrel sits on a tree branch, with dry grass blurred in the background.

A blue jay perched on a branch among leafless tree limbs in a dense thicket.

A Canada goose walking on brown grass and leaves with a blurred background of trees and dirt.

Two Canada geese standing on a patch of grass with blurred trees and park background.

A duck flying toward the camera over a frozen lake, with tall dry grass and trees in the background.

Two pigeons standing on a stone sculpture, touching beaks as if sharing a moment of affection.

A gray squirrel sits on a tree branch with its tail curled up, surrounded by bare tree trunks.

A gray squirrel clings to the trunk of a tree, surrounded by bare branches against a pale sky.

A duck swims alone on a calm lake with reeds and bare trees in the background.

Two ducks dabbling with their tails up and heads underwater in a pond.

Should You Buy from Panasonic LUMIX?

We believe that everyone should be aware of the ethical decisions that they’re making when they spend money. So to do this, we research the companies that whose products we test and make folks aware of both possible concerns and reasons to feel great about giving a company your money.

Here’s what we’ve got for Panasonic:

Panasonic works to support women in STEM to address inequalities. We can’t find any more information on that, but it’s worth knowing.
Panasonic is very transparent about how they use cookies. And you can delete your information if you request so.
Panasonic has a 30 day refund policy. This goes beyond what many retailers may offer.
In the owners manuals, Panasonic states that attaching items that don’t comply with the L-mount alliance can void your warranty. You can search the S1R II manual to find this for an example. This means that if you’re using a 3rd party product that isn’t part of the L-mount, you could void your warranty.
Panasonic has various chemical disclosures. Nothing from the LUMIX camera brand has a disclosure.
LUMIX has been a supporter of Pride Month in various ways in the past, according to email correspondences the Phoblographer has with the brand. There’s even imagery implying that they’ve given away $15,000 to participants in their Pride Month function.

Declaration of Journalistic Intent

The Phoblographer is one of the last standing dedicated photography publications that speaks to both art and tech in our articles. We put declarations up front in our reviews to adhere to journalistic standards that several publications abide by. These help you understand a lot more about what we do:

At the time of publishing this review, Panasonic is not running direct-sold advertising with the Phoblographer. This doesn’t affect our reviews anyway and it never has in our 15 years of publishing our articles. This article is in no way sponsored.
Note that this isn’t necessarily our final review of the unit. It will be updated, and it’s more of an in-progress review than anything. In fact, almost all our reviews are like this.
None of the reviews on the Phoblographer are sponsored. That’s against FTC laws and we adhere to them just the same way that newspapers, magazines, and corporate publications do.
Panasonic loaned the unit and accessories to the Phoblographer for review. There was no money exchange between us or their 3rd party partners and the Phoblographer for this to happen. Manufacturers trust the Phoblographer’s reviews, as they are incredibly blunt.
Panasonic knows that it cannot influence the site’s reviews. If we don’t like something or if we have issues with it, we’ll let our readers know.
Panasonic paid for shipping of the lens to and back. This is a standard practice in the world of journalism.
The Phoblographer’s standards for reviewing products have become much stricter. After having the world’s largest database of real-world lens reviews, we choose not to review anything we don’t find innovative or unique, and in many cases, products that lack weather resistance. Unless something is very unique, we probably won’t touch it.
In recent years, brands have withheld NDA information from us or stopped working with us because they feel they cannot control our coverage. These days, many brands will not give products to the press unless they get favorable coverage. In other situations, we’ve stopped working with several brands for ethical issues. Either way, we report as honestly and rawly as humanity allows.
At the time of publishing, the Phoblographer is the only photography publication that is a member of Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative. We champion human-made art and are frank with our audience. We are also the only photography publication that labels when an image is edited or not.

More can be found on our Disclaimers page.

A black camera with a large 100-400mm zoom lens rests on a wooden surface.

LUMIX 100-500mm f5-7.1 Review: Perfect for Bird Photography

I had to write the conclusion to this review last. The LUMIX 100-500mm f5-7.1 is a good lens -- but so is everything else being made these days. But where it excels is with being lightweight, weather resistant, and great at autofocusing. What's most important is that you actually want to bring it everywhere you hike with you. With that said, it's not doing anything really unique or special. And for the moment, it's probably the best option for birding that the L-mount alliance has.