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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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. Biggest problem here is that the coloris clipped badly. Dial it down in post. If you shot raw this might be recoverable. Hard to see what else is happening here because of the clipped color. Make no mistake, this is one of the best kit lenses you’ll ever get your hands on. But if you do, you’ll desperately want to supplement it with OM System’s beautiful Pro-level prime lenses. You’ll also want to get more zoom lenses at the longer end because they’re just that great. 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. 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.

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.

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. There's really not much to say about this zoomlens. It's a great performer at all apertures and at every focal length. If you pixel peep, you'll find that it's a tad softer in the corners when zoomed past 25mm, but that's about it. I can't imagine this to be a problem in real life. If it is a problem, just set the aperture to f/4 to get photos that are evenly sharp from corner to corner. CA and distortion are both very low and the bokeh is okay for this type of lens. Most of the time it's not creamy smooth, but it's not harsh either. Distortion is well corrected in camera, but without corrections applied, Imatest detected 5.51% barrel distortion at 12mm being replaced with only 0.965% pincushion distortion at 40mm. The level of distortion at 12mm will be quite noticeable in images with lines parallel to the edge of the frame, although the distortion pattern is uniform across the frame throughout the zoom range, which should make applying corrections in image editing software afterwards, relatively straightforward. And whether you want to go into it or not, linear sensor response means that, so long as you're above the noise floor, it doesn't matter what digital number your exposure is recorded at. The most important focal lengths are marked beside the zoom ring on both lenses and both come with a petal-shaped lens hood that is easy to attach and does a good job of shielding the lens from the sun. The only difference between the hoods is that the Olympus version has two release buttons on either side that you must squeeze to twist it off. The Power O.I.S. button on the Lumix 12-35mm

And finally we come to the Micro Four Thirds to Full Frame SENSOR comparison and the insistence that discussing equivalence means that the M43 shooter is trying to get the same ISO noise performance. The Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens attached to an Olympus OM-D E-M1, extended to 40mm The Olympus 12-40mm is sharp from 12mm all the way through to 40mm even wide open at f/2.8. At 12mm the corner performance is slightly softer than the centre but still way better than something like a Canon 17-40mm L. As mentioned the lens is bitingly sharp in the centre at f/2.8 and performance increases slightly when stopped down to f/4. 100% crop of above image No one is saying the exposure changes when you engage a crop mode. In fact that article and several of my comments spell out that the standard exposure model is designed to work across formats. 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.The lens has one L.Fn button located about where you would usually have your thumb if you’re holding your left hand under the lens. I outline the L.Fn functions in my 40-150mm review. Panasonic camera owners should be aware that the 12-40mm f/2.8 does not have image stabilization. This might be a deal breaker for some Panasonic camera users (Olympus uses sensor-based stabilization).

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. Meike 6.5mm f2 Fisheye: an interesting combination of fast aperture and very wide fisheye lens, but we haven’t tested it. There is also an 8mm f3.5 but it is designed for DSLRs, and is therefore larger. 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 I almost didn’t include this lens on the list, but that would have been a bit unfair given the unique characteristics this Nokton has to offer. Like the 10.5mm, the 0.95 aperture coupled with Voigtländer’s distinctive colour rendering and bokeh gives your images a different look. It is not as sharp, contrasty or precise as modern digital lenses, but this might be exactly what you are looking for.Conclusion E-M1, 1/640, f/8, ISO 200 – M.Zuiko 12-40mm at 40mm GX8, 1/1250, f/8, ISO 200 – Lumix 12-35mm at 30mm Another problem with clipped color. Again you might be able to recover this somewhat in post if you shot RAW, but hard to see what else is there because of the blown channel. Part of the problem here might have been the time of day. It looks like parts of the flower are overexposed while other parts are underexposed. Harsh shadows from Noon-ish sun? For this type of shot you either want an overcast day or you want to shoot when it is either evenly lit by sun or in full shadow (using a flash perhaps). Those looking for a professional specified standard lens for their Micro Four Thirds camera are now spoilt for choice with offerings from Panasonic, and this lens from Olympus.