N°1008985 · Family detail
OlympusCinema·MICRO 4/3 mount
Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-40mm F/2.8
Specifications01
MountMICRO 4/3
Focal length12-40mm
Max aperturef/2.8
TypeCinema · Zoom
Weight382 g
Filter size62 mm
Physical length84 mm
Min focus distance0.2 m
Aperture blades7
Optical elements14
Groups9
Lens hoodYes
Additional Info02
Category["Micro-Four-Thirds"]
Keywords["Micro-Four-Thirds","Olympus","Standard","Zoom"]
Review AuthorKlaus
Review Rating7.5
Equiv Aperturef/5.6 (full format equivalent, in terms of depth-of-field)
Other FeaturesAF-Lock button, manual focus clutch mechanism
Review VerdictUpon first contact you will immediately fall in love with the Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-40mm f/2.8 as the mechanical implementation is exemplary and meets the expectations of a pro lens. Features like the manual focus clutch mechanism or the L-FN button will make photographers likewise movie enthusiasts happy and both will appreciate the fast and silent operation of the autofocus. The optical quality of this standard zoom is impressive, with an extremely sharp centre zone whereas the border and corner resolution is very good. This perception is once more leveraged by the low amount of lateral CAs. Furthermore the distortion level is fine from a user perspective, but technically it relies on a drastic amount of auto-correction by the system or a RAW-converter - especially at 12mm wide-open. The quality of the bokeh is not overly impressive but still acceptable for a zoom lens. Nevertheless, the vignetting results are pretty disappointing and a visible annoyance at 12mm and only slightly better beyond this focal length. Although Olympus first pro zoom may not be perfect there's much to like about this beautiful lens and while the pricing is a little too steep in our opinion it’s still in line with its direct competitor from Panasonic.
Review Criteria{"Build Quality":9,"Optical Quality":7.5,"Price / Performance":6}
Review Published2014-01-06T22:12:00+00:00
Equiv Focal Length24-80 mm (full format equivalent)
Optical Construction14 Elements in 9 Groups (Aspherical ED lens, 2 Aspherical lenses, DSA lens, 2 ED lenses, HD lens, 2 HR lense)
Field Notes02
Micro Four Thirds zoom lens with a 12–40mm focal range and constant f/2.8 maximum aperture, intended for general-purpose use including low-light and video (by spec).
AI-assisted summary — verify against linked sourcesSources03
opticallimits.comVisit ↗
Other Mounts03
No alternate mounts are indexed for this family yet.