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

Product Information

Below you can see some 100% crops taken at the most important apertures and focal lengths. To see a full gallery of crops, you can visit our dedicated SmugMug gallery. Reference image The 12-60mm and 12-40mm are both professional standard zooms and their build quality reflects this. Similar to the other PRO lenses, the autofocus mechanism of both the 12-40mm and 12-100mm is fast and accurate in single and continuous autofocus, especially on the latest Micro Four Thirds cameras. It slows down a little in poor light or in situations with low contrast but this is only to be expected. The 12-100mm is the second lens to feature optical stabilisation and we can confirm that it works wonders when combined with the updated 5-axis stabilisation system of the E-M1 II. At 5 seconds, our hit rate was close to 100% while between 8-10 seconds, we could usually take an in-focus shot 50% of the time. E-M1 II, 5s, f/5.6, ISO 200 – 12-100mm Pro E-M1 II, 10s, f/11, ISO 64 – 12-100mm Pro

This model uses an optical design with 14 elements in nine groups (one EDA lens, two aspherical lenses, one DSA lens, two ED lenses, one HD lens, two HR lenses) with four aspherical lenses including a DSA lens effectively placed to achieve a compact, lightweight form and superior depictive performance expected of an M.Zuiko PRO lens. Effectively compensating for aberrations that occur when zooming, results in high resolution from the center to the edges of the frame across the entire zoom range, from wide-angle 24mm equivalent to mid-telephoto 80mm equivalent 1. This high-performance lens fully utilizes the high image quality performance of the camera body when using High Res Shot mode. A lens most photographers add to their kit at some point in their career is the standard zoom. Why? Because it is capable of covering a wide variety of daily shooting situations, from landscapes and portraits to events and family holidays. In fact, like it or not, you may even find that it will become the most-used lens in your arsenal! Focusing is internal, so the length of the lens does not change, but the zoom ring is mechanical and the lens does extend as we zoom in to 40mm. The action of this is quite firm and slightly notchy, not totally smooth. However, with a bit of use this is smoothing out. The zoom ring is marked with focal lengths of 12mm, 14mm, 18mm, 25mm, 35mm and 40mm. These settings are accurate. I really wish OM System made an f2 or f1.7 zoom lens instead. This has the depth of field of an f5.6 lens on full-frame cameras when being used wide-open. And it leaves a lot to be desired.The new Olympus 12-40mm ƒ/2.8 Zuiko PRO was introduced alongside the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and is part of the company's new "Zuiko PRO" line of professional-grade Micro Four Thirds lenses. The 12-40mm focal range translates to a 24-80mm field of view in 35mm terms, and with the constant ƒ/2.8 aperture, this new Olympus lens is a very versatile lens that should work great in low-light. It's also a rugged lens with splash-, dust- and freeze-proof construction, which makes it a great match with the equally-rugged E-M1. Tipping the scales at 382 grams and measuring 84mm in length and 70mm in diameter, the Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital 25mm f/1.8 is quite a substantial standard zoom lens, but given the constant f/2.8 maximum aperture, that's perhaps no surprise. When it's zoomed out to 40mm, it measures nearly 13cms in length. You can see two additional “real world” examples that demonstrate how close you can get below. G85, 1/100, f/4, ISO 200 – Pana-Leica at 60mm E-M1, 1/320, f/2.8, ISO 200 – Olympus at 26mm Lens construction is 14 elements in 9 groups, including 1 ED Aspheric, 2 Aspheric, 1 DSA (Dual Super Aspherical), 2 ED (Extra Low Dispersion), 1 HD and 2 HR (High Refractive Index). The diaphragm comprises 7 blades designed to give a rounded aperture, for improved bokeh. Use of the new ZERO coating helps to remove any possibility of flare. Apart from the zoom being slightly uneven in tension, the lens behaves faultlessly and is a good choice for a general-purpose optic. Handling is excellent and there is little need for MF as the AF system is excellent. However, should it be desired the MF clutch mechanism is straightforward and effective – a good design.

The ribbed zoom and fly-by-wire focus rings are smooth with just the right amount of torque, and the focal lengths are clearly and accurately marked. Closest focusing distance of 70 cm (at all focal distances), and macro capabilities with a maximum image magnification of 0.41x 2 PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. Below you can see an example taken at 12mm (look at the white building on the left). M.Zuiko 12-40mm at 12mm Pana-Leica 12-60mm at 12mmThe focusing ring offers an excellent grip and pulling the ring towards the camera body reveals the distance scale and enables manual focus. In MF mode the ring has hard stops at both ends of the scale, whereas in AF mode the MF ring continuously rotates. already own or plan on buying a second standard zoom such as the Lumix 35-100mm f/2.8 or M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/2.8

If you are trying to decide between this lens and the Panasonic 12-35mm (mark i or mark II) then it really comes down to a few factors as optically they are very similar. The Olympus is better at the wide end and offers a little more range at the long end. However the Panasonic is slightly sharper at 35m than the Olympus is at 40mm. The world’s most compact, lightweight model 1 delivers unrivaled portability, and an inner zoom system improves usability You can get really close with this lens. I think it's a very nice option to have and I can imagine that many photographers don't need an extra macro lens. This Olympus 12-40mm might very well be the only lens many people ever need. Especially when combined with the very efficient Olympus in body stabilization. It's a do it all kind of lens. And it does it well too. This is regardless of whether or not the scene detection is on. So with all this said, you’ll have to give the OM System 12-40mm f2.8 Pro II a bit of focusing assistance by choosing an area for it to focus on. This is in some ways an antiquated way of thinking for a lens like this. If it were a much longer focal length and photographing birds, it would be different. But there were surely times where the OM System 12-40mm f2.8 Pro II frustrated me over a period of a few months of testing.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. There is also an additional function button on the lens which you can program to activate a variety of features by simply customising it in camera.