Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12 mm F2.0 Lens, Fast Fixed Focal Length, Suitable for All MFT Cameras (Olympus OM-D & PEN Models, Panasonic G Series), Black

Product Information

The field-of-view is equivalent to 24mm in full format terms so it's a moderate ultra-wide angle lens. The max. aperture of f/2 is certainly fast with respect to light gathering but don't expect wonders in terms of depth-of-field - in the MFT scope you are are effectively "loosing" about two f-stops so it "behaves" like a "24mm f/4" here. This is still sufficient for quite shallow depth-of-field images if you move close enough though. The only time either lens struggled a little was in very dark places or in C-AF with fast moving subjects but this is also dependant on the AF speed and precision of the camera you’re using.

Used Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2 | MPB

Over the past two to three years, the Micro Four Thirds (M43) system has morphed from an uncertain new category into a serious alternative to consumer DSLRs. As this segment grows, manufactures, mainly Olympus and Panasonic, have started to provide users with more lens options, but more importantly, they are producing higher quality lenses. Because of the relatively small sensors size, M43 systems have to deal with a 2x crop factor. Because of this, Olympus and Panasonic have to produce very wide lenses to provide users with a field of view that is similar to what their used to using with SLRs (e.g. 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, etc.). In this review, we are going to compare two M43 wide angle primes, the Olympus 12mm f/2 and the Panasonic 14mm f/2.5. Specs

Although both the M.Zuiko 12mm and Leica 12mm are very enjoyable lenses to use, I would personally recommend the Olympus lens for a number of reasons. A few readers asked to see more photos and we here at The Phoblographer like to give our readers what they want. So, below are a few more comparison shots from the Olympus 12mm and the Panasonic 14mm. Enjoy! Panasonic GF-1 with Olympus 12mm. Shot at ISO 500, f/7.1, 1/800 sec. Panasonic GF-1 with Panasonic 14mm. Shot at ISO 500, f/7.1, 1/800 sec. Panasonic GF-1 with Olympus 12mm. Shot at ISO 500, f/7.1, 1/320 sec Panasonic GF-1 with Panasonic 14mm. Shot at ISO 500, f/7.1, 1/320 sec Panasonic GF-1 with Olympus 12mm. Shot at ISO 500, f/5, 1/1000 sec Panasonic GF-1 with Panasonic 14mm. Shot at ISO 500, f/5, 1/1000 sec Please Support The Phoblographer Image quality is good, flare resistance is very good for this focal length, distortion is low as is vignetting but I actually expected more from this lens. The standout is the clutch manual focus which despite being fly-by wire provides a great feel and the Olympus system is fantastic implementation of manual focus this type of lens. Due to where I live (Ireland) this enables me to capture a Milky Way shot without getting star trails. I believe if you are in the southern hemisphere you may need to use a shorter shutter speed so that your stars are sharp (remember the stars are moving; well the earth is as it rotates which means too long a shutter speed will cause motion blur in the sky).

Olympus 12mm f/2 ED M.Zuiko Digital Review

Disclaimer: Though I give tips in this article it is not an in depth tutorial on capturing the milky way and post processing. This article is my experience shooting Astrophotography with the Olympus OM-D system and the techniques I use to capture relatively clean Milky Way images with M43 sensor. Given that the lens is more expensive than some of the bodies it'll be put on, we expect it to perform well, right? ;~) In use, this lens proved itself highly resistant to flare and loss of contrast, yielding contrasty images, even in harsh contra-lighting situations. CA is slightly noticeable in this lens, in the corners; according to the test charts, it's more obvious when then lens is stopped down compared to wide open, but I think that's a symptom of corner shading slightly obscuring the color shift. If you take a look at the sample photos, you'll see slight magenta-green color shifts in areas of high contrast, but nothing to get overly worried about. If you are about to spend this kind of money, you want to make sure that the lens delivers proper optical performance and one thing is for sure: the 12mm is sharp. Right from 1.4 it delivers excellent results which means it becomes an interesting option for low light events, weddings and astro-photography. Distortion and chromatic aberration are a non-issue.

To me, this lens embodies what the Micro Four Thirds system is all about; high quality compact cameras and lenses. The perfect balance between size, weight and image quality. There are faster wide angle lenses, but these lenses are much bigger, heavier and often very expensive. It can't be compared to a big zoom like the 12-40mm which serves a different purpose.

Olympus 12mm f2 vs Micro Four Thirds Lens Comparison: Olympus 12mm f2 vs

A DSA (Dual Super Aspherical) lens element and ZERO (Zuiko Extra-low Reflection Optical) coating is applied to minimize aberrations and internal reflections as much as possible. This lens has little trouble with lateral chromatic aberration, and we did not encounter any disruptive color bokeh. Color boken, that is to say magenta edges at sharp contrast transitions in front of the focal point and green edges at contrast transitions behind the focal point, often appears with bright lenses(

Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm f/2 vs 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO – Apples vs Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm f/2 vs 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO – Apples vs

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. Standard zoom lenses, whether premium or kit, start from 12mm or 14mm. This gives you an equivalent angle of view of 24/28mm which gives you lots of flexibility if you’re interested in landscapes or architecture. Of course you don’t get the extreme view shorter focal lengths can deliver, but you have a longer reach when zooming in.

Our verdict...

While the Panasonic is compact and light, the Olympus 12mm f/2 is extremely well built and solid. It looks like is should be on the front of a Leica, not a M43 body. The lens is finished with a champagne colored metal and a blue ring adorns the top of the lens, similar to Canon’s red L ring. Nicely done Olympus. Olympus 12mm f/2. Shown with focus ring set to AF focus mode. While not offering as wide a field of view (28mm equivalent instead of 24mm), the Panasonic 14mm ƒ/2.5 is less than half the size, weight and price of the Olympus 12mm. However, its performance is almost equivalent - for sharpness, it's a hair softer in the corners wide open, but that's about it. However there is somewhat higher chromatic aberration and slightly more corner shading. Distortion appears the same. The only other difference is that the Olympus offers a slightly wider maximum aperture - ƒ/2, instead of ƒ/2.5.