Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2 Lens (Black)
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perfect wide angle!
The image quality is fantastic. Wide open there's some minor distortion and vignetting but both are well within tolerable norms. Stop down to F/2.8 and those problems go away - it's amazing. The lens is literally sharp wide open or stopped down. There's hardly any noticeable flare and distortion is well-controlled. The build quality is fantastic and the lens is lightweight compared to other fast super-wide angle lenses I have used.In my opinion, ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A beautifully small lens
I bought this mainly for the f2. I don't use wide often, and could probably be fine w/ the 9-18, but I wanted something I could use in ambient light if I was forced to. I must say, the box is underwhelming. Feels like you're getting any other lens. But once you take out the lens? It is quite a well machined piece of glass. Smooth. The focus rings have stopping points (still by wire I'm told, but no more free wheeling). It just feels like quality.... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Small but mighty
I bought this lens in honor of the 24mm Nikkor I once had. It was my go-to lens when I was a photojournalist and architectural photographer, back in the film days. Now I wanted to pair it with my OMDs, for a discrete look of the street photographer and the extra stop over the M.Zuiko 12-40. It's also a much lighter lens, but requires the ole lens juggle for longer focal lengths. Paired with the 17 f/1.8 M.Zuiko, it's a great combination for all k... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
very nice lens, but not brilliant
I use the Olympus EP2 as my take-along camera when I don't need the medium format digital, but I want the best lenses that can be obtained for this format. The 12mm f/2 is a wonderfully useful lens - wider than anything I have for medium format and fast. I have used it for several weeks now for landscapes and candid shots to good effect. The optics are good, but they lack the brilliance and razor sharpness of the 17mm Panasonic and I find the aut... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Not as great as I expected
I purchased this lens to be used on my Af100. I was tired of using adaptors with mixed results. This is a nice looking lens though when mounted on the AF100 it looks tiny and silly. If your EGO is easily affected by the size of your lens, don't get this! Auto focus works well with the Af100, especially when using the focus selection square on the Af100. Aperture switches smoothly and quickly via the iris wheel.The manual switch on the lens, which... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
The best micro four-third lens so far
I am sure many micro 4/3rd users have been waiting for a lens like this. I am one of them. Now we have this high quality lens that few lens in other systems can match. Ever since I received this lens, it has been glued to my E-P3 almost all the time. The image quality is excellent, if not legendary. You can hardly ask for more in the center of the frame. The edge may be a little soft according to some reviews, but you have to be very picky about ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Sharp, clean, but beware for video
I mainly use this product for my DJI Osmo Pro. The angle is wide enough where you can be at an arm's length away to take a picture of you and it will capture your face and shoulders and it being a 24mm equivalent makes it perfect for landscapes. As far as image quality goes, this does hold well. I've used it in forests and noticed little to no chromatic aberration. Vignetting is well-controlled at f/2. Some sharpness does soften but only if you'r... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great Lens
I've found I can safely use this lens on virtually any aperture. Perhaps it's the slightest bit soft around the edges wide open, but still perfectly usable, especially for wide angle portraits. When stopped down it is simply outstanding across the entire frame. The bokeh at f/2 is about as smooth as I can hope for from a m4/3's wide angle, and the build quality is simply outstanding. The manual focus clutch/ring was a brilliant idea; much appreci... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Que placer
Tarde bastante para decidir comprar este lente.Estoy acostumbrado al 28mm en full format y no estaba seguro como me iba a sentir con esta distancia focal. Tengo EM1 que de a poco a ido reemplazando a mi Canon 5D MKII, su tamao y peso es perfecto y la calidad de imagen muy buena. En la era analogica siempr use Olympus y sigo conservando la OM4T, sus opticas siempre fueron execelentes. Y este objetivo sigue esa tendencia. La construccion es realmen... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
One of a kind for m4/3
I mainly use this indoors, but pull it out for landscapes and street shots that require a wide FOV. I use an Olympus body and shoot JPEG and RAW (with ACR), and in either format the lens renders very pleasing images with accurate color. Optically, it's a gem. One must really try the snap back MF for themselves - it's a brilliant addition. When shooting with a shallow DOF it's a real pleasure to be able to fine focus. With other native m4/3 that f... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good to very good
I had already bought other Olympus lenses, like the 45mm, the 60mm macro, etc... This was the second time I had bought this Oly 12mm in 8 months, and I felt it better to return them both times. I had thought that the first time, I had simply gotten a bad sample, but this second one 8 months later was the same. It is a good to very good lens, depending on aperture and subject distance. I felt, however, that at this price, performance should be bet... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Nice but...
As everyone else has said, this is a fantastic lens. However, I have a really hard time with a lens in this price range with no black option, no hood, and no lens bag. I know those are minor issues, but issues worth mentioning since they do add another $50 or so to an already pricey lens. The Leica M43 lenses both come with bags and hoods. Personally, I hate having to use generic hoods. I would greatly prefer a hood designed expressly for the len... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Disappointing
Got this lens in black around 8 months ago, and unfortunately I already own a Panasonic 7-14mm zoom which is wider and much sharper.Thought the Olympus would give me the pocketable carry around lens, which it is. I shoot mostly in manual focus mode as I prefer picking my own, and like Panasonic's quick touch zoom closeup focus assist where you turn the focus band and it comes on instantly; the Olympus makes you pull back on the focus ring, an unn... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
My favorite lens!
I use this lens mostly to photograph the interior of houses, but also use it for landscape work. Having a wide/fast lens indoors makes all the difference, especially if you don't have or can't use a tripod. The metal body looks and feels strong. It has a heavy feel, but is actually very light. It is obviously a well constructed lens. The snap focus feature works well, and is a lot of fun to use. When I use the snap focus it almost feels like I'm ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent Quality Prime Lens at a fair price
This lens is extremely sharp and fast. I have not had it for long, but the build feels very solid. I often use the Canon 24mm TS II & 17-40mm on a 5D Mark III, and the results are very comparable with this lens on an OMD EM1. Switching this lens to manual focus mode is especially nice, because you shift the focus barrel down revealing focus distances which work well with the depth of field scale on the top of the barrel. When you switch it to man... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Fastest lens I've ever owned
I love my Olympus 17mm pancake lens. The weight plus length and quality of the output I get made it hard to walk away from. As a primarily street shooter, carrying a camera that cloaks itself well in public is important to me. I was worried about how this lens would look. I'm happy to say the size isn't overwhelming for street photography. As for performance, I was blown away how quickly the lens auto focused. Again, another important trait in a ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A truly excellent lens
This is a real gem of a lens. At first, don't let the small compact size fool you. It is reasonable sharp wide open. It can easily change to manual focus by simply pulling the collar on the lens barrel forward, and then has markings for feet/meters. Even though Olympus has a couple of other lesnes like this one, I wish they carried an entire line of good, fast primes. Although I use other lenses on my Micro 4/3 camera including 35 year old manual... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great match for Panasonic Lumix GH2!
Initial reluctance to buy this relatively expensive and small, wide angle lens for my Panasonic Lumix GH2. RE: Olympus compatibility (auto focus) with Panasonic body? Also, concern for image stability (no lens IS) when shooting video. Also, concern for lens flare, as consequence of no included hood. Conclusions: 1. Expensive, but worth the cost. 2. More than adequate stability when filming video, or stills. 3. Manageable lens flare in challenging... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
The best Micro 4/3 lens so far
The 12mm f/2 is a high quality optic in construction as well as in output. Images are very sharp throughout the frame even wide open and the high micro-contrast gives them a rather realistic look. Despite being made of robust metal the lens is surprisingly small and light. The distance scale and actual DOF scale are engraved into the barrel and make zone focusing as easy as it gets. The operation of the focusing ring is fast and intuitive. AF is ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Wow!
I use this for basic wide angle shots - it's the m4/3 version of my EOS Zeiss 21 prime. No it's not as good as that lens due the basic sensor constraints, etc. but within context of my to m4/3 cams, it's astoundingly good. Super lightweight, very good build, good looking and focusing whether manual or AF is excellent. I love primes and this just blows the doors off the Panasonic 14 2.8, which I found to be overrated (the size was the only good th... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Ultimate Wide
I know it's expensive but, buy it. Try to find a deal, sell one of your kids or donate a kidney, get it. I have been using the 17mm 1.8 as my primary for the last two years. That is one nice lens and I have no complaints about it but, I found myself wanting more of the scene as opposed to less. That is to say that I wanted wider, not longer. If you like to get close and get it all, without resorting to a Fisheye, this is it. Sharp, fast, built like a brick sh..., you get the idea. I'm passionate about my lenses, good or bad, this is a real keeper. Good luck.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
MFT 24mm equivalent?
My intent was to complete a set of 3 primes in MFT. The Lumix/Leica 45, the Lumix/Leica 25 and a 12mm. I love the Lumix/Leica lenses. They are sharp, crisp, with rich colors, and contrasty. I use them on my Olympus EP3. The 12mm Zuiko threads on poorly, it lacks a hood, it is expensive by comparison, it is not nearly as sharp. For a relatively expensive prime lens, it is disappointing and certainly will not fill out my set of lenses. It makes me wish that Lumix/Leica made a 12 or 14 mm MFT lens which I would purchase in a minute at that price point instead.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Absolutely Awesome Prime
I wanted a high quality interchangeable lens outfit to carry with me instead of lugging around my L lenses and heavy (and very expensive) camera bodies. I was longing for my old high quality rangefinder again. This lens on my E-P3 is absolutely perfect. I have used the lens primarily for street and nature photography, as well as a few portraits. It is sharp from edge to edge. I also purchased the lens hood. The only problem I have found is that I don't want to remove this lens from the body! I added the VF-3 Finder and am loving this combo.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Delivers excellently - always
I have now shot a couple of hundred photos with the 12mm on my Panasonic G3. The Olympus lens works very well, including the manual focusing new feature. Focusing is extremely fast, in good lighting conditions you do not notice any delay. The sharpness is amazing for a wide angle, centre and corners. Colors are beautifully rendered - very close to my benchmark Zeiss 50mm. The lens is both compact and light. There is nothing negative to say about this lens! Some would mention price, but considering the quality this is a cheap lens!
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
