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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Alongside the Oly 12-40mm I’m currently still carrying my Pany 25mm and a Panasonic Lumix G VARIO 45-150mm f/4. I haven't dared test it myself, but reports from braver photographers seem to indicate it's the real deal.

First impressions were incredibly positive - the lens has a reassuring weight to it, probably due to the fact that almost every surface you touch is proper metal, a beautifully machined black aluminium finish. The manual focus is a joy with the Olympus push-pull manual focus clutch mechanism and the build quality is fantastic.

The high overall vignetting levels seem to indicate to me that the image circle of this lens is barely covering the m4/3 frame. Part of this might be because, as a PRO lens, Olympus advertises the 12-40 as extensively environmentally sealed - it's meant to be shock, dust, splash, and freeze-proofed to the same level as the E-M1 body. But if you do, you’ll desperately want to supplement it with OM System’s beautiful Pro-level prime lenses. Pany 25mm now…) that I use for most things, and my Oly 12-50mm for when I need a wider angle, or when I want to make sure I’m protected against the British climate.

First it’s amazing that it comes together with the lens at all (we all know the boring Olympus ‘money-making-lens-hood-policy’ well) and second it’s locked by two buttons on the lens-front, so it’s nearly impossible to lose it by accident.We did see some diffraction softness come into play at the smaller apertures such as ƒ/16-ƒ/22, but overall it wasn't very severe. Nottinghamshire based creative, with a focus on branding, digital and print design alongside photography. may not be utilized, directly or indirectly, to inform, train, or improve any artificial intelligence program or system. Comparatively speaking, it doesn’t shine as much compared to many of the other PRO-monikered lenses from OM System.

The 12-40 weighs 382g, which is nothing by normal standards but makes it something of a brick for M4/3. The fact is this is a great landscape lens where DOF is important, it focuses as close as 150mm from the lens and is certainly good enough for a quick portrait against neutral backgrounds. The IP53-rating means its highly weathersealed so you can shoot without worry in the most adverse conditions. I have always sang the praises of Micro Four Thirds (M4/3 here on out) because it’s so lightweight, compact and versatile.

Manual focusing is also available on this lens, both as full manual focus as well as full-time manual focus override while AF is enabled. The 14-42mm lens produces sharp photos, however it's much worse at CA and vignetting compared to the new Olympus 12-40mm. Olympus uses their “splash proof" label for the 12-40mm, indicating resistance to dust, water, and cold.