Cropping doesn't change the lens physics but it stops you taking the same photo. To take a comparable photo you'll need to zoom out (and open up the aperture if you want it to look like the original)" Weather resistance aside, this lens is fantastic when it comes to build quality. It’s lightweight and feels awesome in your hand. And I can’t really complain too much about that at all. It’s a lens that you’ll want to bring with you everywhere you go. Ease of Use 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 First, stabilization. If you’re shooting on a Panasonic body, the Panasonic lens probably gets the nod simply because it has OIS and the Olympus does not. Excuse my not quoting your shots. I find the problem with (my) macro is that I'm often not sure what I want the picture to be. Therefore I get the dof wrong or the composition is confused.

The lens also shows some vignetting when wide open at f/2.8. This is easily corrected in post. I guess Olympus tried to keep this constant f/2.8 zoom as small as possible and that means the image circle only just covers the micro 4/3 sensor. 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. Once you've decided what the shot is, then you'll be able to see how to place the focus, and possibly how to position the shot so the bit you want sharp is all in the same plane. 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 lens that many working photographers consider an essential part of their kit, regardless of the system they use, is the 24-70mm constant aperture zoom (full frame equivalent). It is an especially useful range for events such as weddings or conferences where you are dealing with moving subjects, tight spaces and varied compositions, from wide-angle shots of the location to close-ups of attendees and specific details. Though these zooms don’t deliver the same sharpness or brightness as high-quality prime lenses, they are useful for fast-paced events where changing lenses isn’t practical.The front element does not extend nor does it rotate during focusing (and zooming), making accessories such as circular polarizers easy to use with this lens. You can get really close with this lens. I think it's a very nice option to have and I can imagine that many photographers don't need an extra macro lens. This Olympus 12-40mm might very well be the only lens many people ever need. Especially when combined with the very efficient Olympus in body stabilization. It's a do it all kind of lens. And it does it well too. Second, price. If you’re shooting on an Olympus body, the Olympus lens at MSRP is a bit less expensive, so becomes sort of a no-brainer.

Overall, the new Olympus 12-40mm ƒ/2.8 Zuiko PRO is a very sharp lens, even wide open and throughout the entire zoom range. There's also very little corner softness at ƒ/2.8 at each focal length we tested. We saw just a bit more corner softness at 40mm at ƒ/2.8, but it was extremely minor. The Olympus 12-40mm ƒ/2.8 Zuiko PRO represents a new category for Micro Four Thirds lenses, and as such, there arenot many direct competitors that can be seen as alternatives. Nevertheless, there are options out there. Tipping the scales at 382 grams and measuring 84mm in length and 70mm in diameter, the Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital 25mm f/1.8 is quite a substantial standard zoom lens, but given the constant f/2.8 maximum aperture, that's perhaps no surprise. When it's zoomed out to 40mm, it measures nearly 13cms in length. I always support the camera by the lens whenever that is possible. For some smaller primes or pancake zooms, that is not, so the support comes from the right hand holding the camera. I've used the 12-40 on the PEN-F quite a few times and never had an issue with the combo. If you find that the weight of it just does not do well with you, an after market grip for those occasions would probably work out well. Neither Oly lens fulfills a critical need for me, but they would make taking photos more convenient in some situations.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. 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. I really wish OM System made an f2 or f1.7 zoom lens instead. This has the depth of field of an f5.6 lens on full-frame cameras when being used wide-open. And it leaves a lot to be desired.