OLYMPUS M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 Pro Lens, for Micro Four Thirds Cameras

Product Information

If you are shooting on a Panasonic body then perhaps you might prefer to go with the Panasonic lens to take advantage of Panasonic’s depth from defocus system and in the case of the mark ii lens their dual sync IS. The Panasonic lenses are both lighter than the Olympus. In terms of image quality sharpness is outstanding throughout the zoom range enabling you to shoot it wide open at f/2.8 without concern. It can do everything from wide-angle landscapes to portraits and it does it all well. Yes other lenses may be better at specific roles but none offer the versatility and fixed bright aperture of this lens. Off center performance is good enough that I’m not at all reluctant to put subjects well off center. Yes, this is the full frame I took. The OM System 12-40mm f2.8 Pro II doesn’t contain a whole lot of innovation over the previous lens. It has better optics, fast autofocus, and a whole lot of things the previous version had. But in the grand scheme of things, there’s not a lot that’s groundbreaking here. Comparatively speaking, it doesn’t shine as much compared to many of the other PRO-monikered lenses from OM System. Ergonomics

This lens delivers outstanding sharpness through much of the zoom range at maximum aperture and sports a robust, dust and splash proof build, all while remaining compact and lightweight. The excellent performance of this lens will certainly win it many fans, that's for sure.Impulses: "I'd be curious how well those hold up at 42-61MP" -- not great... which is often better than the very best MFT lenses have ever done. ;-)

MPB puts photo and video kit into more hands, more sustainably. Every month, visual storytellers sell more than 20,000 cameras and lenses to MPB. Choose used and get affordable access to kit that doesn’t cost the earth. Overall, combined with the OM1, it feels a bit like the Nikon z9 before firmware updates. That’s to say that it’s good; but not fantastic. It’s miles ahead of the Fujifilm X Pro 3 comparatively speaking. At the same time, the Sony a7r III — a far older camera — can outdo this lens with a third-party option on it.An interesting feature on this lens is the programmable L-Fn button near the lens mount along the upper left side. Presumably, standing for "Lens Function", the L-Fn button can be configured using compatible Olympus cameras to set various options -- and options not even related to the lens itself. You can program it to toggle adjustments such as white balance or RAW, but it can also be set as an AF-stop button. The placement is convenient as it's right near or under your thumb when using the proper camera holding technique to support the lens in your hand. (Note: Despite being part of the Micro Four Thirds system, the L-Fn button won't function with Panasonic cameras, although you can mount this lens to those cameras.) Chromatic Aberration: One of the better aspects of this lens. Even uncorrected the chromatic aberration is well under control, with 40mm f/2.8 being the worst case at just over one pixel's width, and almost every other focal length and aperture being significantly under that. In camera corrections don't take care of all the CA, but they reduce it enough so that you can probably ignore it. Advanced IP53 dustproof and splashproof performance, and freezeproof performance to 14°F Both lenses clear the IPX3 and higher splashproof tests, far exceeding the conventional IPX1 rating, as well as dustproof tests. Both feature IP53 dustproof and splashproof performance for peace of mind in even more punishing conditions. They can also function in low-temperature environments down to 14°F, and pairing these lenses with a dustproof, splashproof, and freezeproof camera body makes it possible to continue shooting in punishing environments such as rain, snow, and even dusty environments with peace of mind. Perhaps the closest alternative to the Olympus is Panasonic's 12-35mm ƒ/2.8 lens. With it you get a similar, albeit slightly shorter focal length range and a constant ƒ/2.8 aperture. It also features built-in optical image stabilization, which might be a moot point for Olympus users as most of the company's cameras feature sensor shift IS. It's also a very sharp lens at all focal lengths and does well at controlling CA, but it shows more distortion and more vignetting than the Olympus -- and it's more expensive.