Long Pocketable Zoom

iPhone photography is great and it is clearly now my main camera. As the old saying goes - the best camera is the one you have with you. And it also makes very good photos. Purists will argue that a large aperture prime lens cannot be matched (and I agree) but a large aperture prime typically weighs 1 kilogram or more (and requires an equally heavy camera). So it is impossible to have a lens like that at hand all the time.

One thing the iPhone (and most smartphones in general) lack is a long telephoto. Yes they have an equivalent of 70mm or even 120mm but there are certain "telephoto moments" when there is no substitute for a really long lens.

I have been on a quest to find a lightest and most pocketable long lens setup for a long time. And we are talking about focal lengths of 400mm or more. Have tried different setups, such as the Ribcage - modified Sony DSC-RX0, but nothing has worked well so far. Playing with the DSC-RX0 I realized I really needed a viewfinder to properly operate a telephoto lens.

So the search continued and couple of weeks ago I came across the Tokina Reflex 300mm F6.3 tele prime. It is designed for the Micro 4/3 mount and weighs under 300g. and the 300mm for Micro 4/3 means the full-frame equivalent is 600mm. Really really long. Coupled with the Panasonic DMC-GM5 (the smallest Micro 4/3 camera with a viewfinder), the combo is just around 500g (that includes the Peak Design Capture plate).

So waiting for a rising full moon now.