Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40 mm F2.8 PRO Lens, Universal Zoom, Suitable for All MFT Cameras (Olympus OM-D & PEN Models, Panasonic G-Series), Black

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However having owned all 3 lenses and as an owner of the Panasonic GH5 and Olympus EM5 II I decided that the build quality of the Olympus 12-40mm edged out the Panasonic and so I kept it over its rivals. When I say edged out, it is night and day. The Panasonic’s feel like a consumer grade lens with very good optics. The Olympus 12-40mm feels like a professional grade lens in every way. Chromatic aberrations, typically seen as purple or green fringes along contrasty edges, areonly really noticeable by their almost complete absence from our test images. During my testing, dual sync IS between the GH5 and 12-35mm ii made no noticeable improvement in the image stabilisation and didn’t allow me to handhold shots for any longer than when using the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 on the GH5. On an EM1, both of these lenses balance and handle much better than on the EM5s, which feel comparatively slippery, unbalanced and not secure when holding one handed. Personally, I sold the 12-40/2.8 and kept the 12-35/2.8, because I enjoy the better balance and the reduced weight when traveling, and I've yet to regret it.

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.In this Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 review I will go through the pros and cons of this professional grade zoom lens after having used it for well over a year in my personal and professional work. The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges. Averaging them out gives the red weighted column. The Olympus M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 lens delivers outstanding sharpness through much of the zoom range at maximum aperture with a dust and splash proof design. As I explained in my full review of the Lumix 12-35mm, the optical stabilisation is very good, delivering sharp results down to an average of 1.3s at 12mm and 1/10s at 35mm. When updated with the newest firmware and paired with the GX8’s Dual I.S. system, you can achieve even better results – specifically, an average of 1s at 12mm and 1/3s at 35mm. DMC-GX8, 1 sec, f/ 3,2, ISO 200 – Lumix 12-35mm

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. The Lumix too has a ribbed manual focus and zoom ring but the latter is covered in rubber. Though it attracts more dust, I actually prefer rubber rings as they are more comfortable to use on cold days. It doesn’t have a clutch mechanism nor a function button but it does benefit from a Power O.I.S. (optical image stabilisation) switch, a feature I’ll discuss in more detail later on. The Power O.I.S. switch on the Lumix 12-35mm 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.It’s tiny but mighty. If you were ever a fan of the dwarves in Warhammer, Gimli in Lord of the Rings, or the astonishing efficiency of dishwater cleaning tablets, you’ll like this. Small can be awesome for sure. Autofocus The Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 was the first in Olympus’ Pro series of lenses designed for Micro 4/3 cameras. It is a weatherproof (dust, splash and freeze proof) fixed aperture zoom lens offering the 35mm equivalent field of view of a 24-80mm lens. It has a fixed aperture of f/2.8 throughout the zoom range with a filter thread of 62mm. 62mm filter thread 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. Story time! one of the CS-35 wraps saved my camera from potential water damage when I leaned against a wall with my sling bag behind me and the lid popped off my water bottle soaking everything, it was my fault for storing my water bottle inside my bag but even today I still do it for convenience (although I've switched to a Nalgene bottle which is less likely to have the same problem). The outer layer of the wrap is nylon which isn't truly waterproof but it was repellent/resistant enough that the water didn't penetrate/soak through to the inner layer/camera... while not perfect they don't add much bulk and are roughly the minimum level of protection I'm comfortable using to stop random crap floating around my bag from rubbing/scratching my gear (and in a pinch you can use the soft microfibre or whatever inner layer as a lens cloth).

In terms of design and build, there isn’t much that can be said against either lens. If I had to say which feels sturdier, I’d give the prize to the Olympus, but there is much to be said for the diminutive size and weight of the Lumix. The Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens attached to an Olympus OM-D E-M1, extended to 40mm Did you try using a tripod? That will make it much easier to judge focus, and to get your focus precise. You need to stop down as well because depth of field will be so narrow. Without a tripod autofocus is easier for close-up, but you still need to stop down for enough DOF. A macro focusing rail for a tripod is also a very useful thing, because it's often difficult to position a tripod exactly where you want it. Vignetting on the Olympus 12-40mm lens is very well controlled throughout the entire aperture range and at all focal lengths. There is some vignetting at apertures wider than ƒ/5.6, but light falloff never even reaches half a stop. In fact, most focal lengths show closer to a quarter of a stop of light falloff between ƒ/2.8 and ƒ/5.6 (12mm shows a little more between ƒ/2.8-ƒ/4).The Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens has optical stabilization so DUAL IS is an option when shooting with some Panasonic cameras. Also Panasonic's DFD autofocus only works with Panasonic lenses, so AF performance will be better when using Panasonic lenses on Panasonic cameras. 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. Weather resistance aside, this lens is fantastic when it comes to build quality. It’s lightweight and feels awesome in your hand. And I can’t really complain too much about that at all. It’s a lens that you’ll want to bring with you everywhere you go. Ease of Use