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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This lens handles chromatic aberration very well and I see very little sign of fringing even when shooting high contrast scenes. It also handles flare well. 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.) If I take an image on a 150mm F4 lens on micro four thirds, and one at 300mm F8 on full frame for the same exposure time, then both sensors will be exposed to the same number of photons. It doesn't matter what ISO rating is recorded in the EXIF: if you view them the same size, they'll have the same depth-of-field, the same diffraction and very similar tonal quality and noise. In most almost way they'll look essentially the same.

Alongside the OM System OM-1 camera, OM Digital Solutions announced a pair of new lenses for its OM System, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4 PRO. When using both lenses, the kit covers a 35mm-equivalent focal length range of 24-300mm, which is versatile well-suited to many kinds of photographs. 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.Olympus uses their “splash proof" label for the 12-40mm, indicating resistance to dust, water, and cold. The lens is a bit heavier than the similar Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8, touching the scale 62 grams heavier at 382g (that’s 13.5 ounces in US-speak). Linear distortion: Without correction, the lens has a great deal of troublesome linear distortion. At 12mm, it measures over 8% barrel distortion and that doesn't get down to reasonable levels until somewhere about 22mm. By the time you get to the 40mm telephoto end of the lens, things have reversed into about 1% pin cushion distortion. Short answer: if straight lines are at all important to you, you'll absolutely want to correct the output of this lens at all focal lengths except maybe 25-30mm, and probably even there, too.

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.By the way, on the E-M1, the feel is much more comfortable, and even though the whole setup is heavier and larger, the better balance changes a lot. Kowa Prominar 8.5mm f2.8: I saw this lens at the Photography Show in Birmingham 5 years ago but never got the chance to test a full production sample. The 17mm equivalent field of view is interesting but now that the smaller Laowa 9mm is out, I see little reason to get this one, especially considering the high price. Bokeh: There's enough spherical aberration that out of focus highlights get the "corona" effect, where the edge of an even circle of light is a bit different in brightness than the centers. Moreover, it appears that the aperture blades in my sample have just a tiny bit of a joint point in them, as I can see that the circle has two distinct "points" on it as I stop down. Thus, the bokeh is nothing to get excited about. It's mostly well behaved, but it's not the dreamy, creamy type many crave. I did notice that the two zooms produced slightly different compositions when set to the same focal length, especially when focused close or zoomed out to the longer focal lengths. However, this is of little significance in the real world because a) you are unlikely to own both zooms and continually want to compare them, and b) photographers usually frame their images according to the elements they want to include in the frame. Sharpness

No M43 shooter is worried about that, we know the performance will be a bit nosier than the FF and the resolution will likely be a bit smaller, we're fine with that. But those are properties of the sensor, not the lens. You literally had to speed up the exposure settings of the sensor because the M43 equivalent is 2 stops faster than the FF lens it's emulating. That's comparing sensors, not lenses. 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.

The concerns of a M43 user about equivalence are mainly focal length so they know what FoV they're getting. Maybe a little DoF concern so they can get some subject separation. Both lenses are metal and weather-sealed. It is worth bearing in mind that the weather-sealing makes more sense when combined with a weather-proof body such as the Olympus OM-D E-M1 or Panasonic Lumix GH4. Olympus claims that the 12-40mm is dust, splash and freeze proof, while the Lumix is only dust and splash proof. In terms of features, the M.ZUIKO Digital 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens has quite a lot to offer. For starters, it has a so-called L-Fn button, which allows users to temporarily suspend continuous auto focus when something suddenly comes between the lens and your intended subject. This is mostly useful when shooting a movie clip with C-AF enabled, but the feature can also be used when photographing action. The Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens attached to an Olympus OM-D E-M1, extended to 40mm