OLYMPUS 12MM F/2 Micro 4/3 Lens IN STOCK

July 20, 2011 News, Olympus 15

Just saw that this lens is in stock as of today at B&H Photo!  The 12mm f/2 Zuiko lens seems like the ideal lens for your PEN series camera coming in at $799. When mounted it will be the equivalent of a 24mm. With its fast f/2 aperture, it should be a GREAT lens. I have not yet had a chance to review it but do have one on the way with an E-P3 (soon). I did get a chance to mess with an E-P3 and my 1st opinion is that it may be a downgrade in some areas to the E-P2.

Sure there is the new 3″ OLED LCD which is AMAZING, but the image quality seemed to be not as good as what I would get from an E-P2. The build also seemed a bit more plasticky and the camera felt more like an E-PL2 than the E-P2.

I was also not happy to find out they used the same sensor from the E-P2. Camera operation seemed much quicker and they added a built in pop up flash but still, I would not be in a huge hurry to update my E-P2 to an E-P3…at least until I get to use it more and dig into its options. Hopefully I will have a review up soon of this camera but as of now, it seems the Fuji X100 is THE camera to have if you want old school charm, great quality, and a large APS-C sensor 🙂

But the 12mm f/2 lens seems like a pretty sweet piece of glass, one I would own if I was still invested in the PEN system. In stock now at B&H Photo!

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15 Comments

  1. Could anyone give a comparrison to the Fuji x100 now its firmware has been updated please?
    Thanks.

  2. I bought it, thanks again Steve. It’s great, a little CA but nothing that Lightroom can’t handle. The zone focusing option is great fun…and AF on these cameras is unbelievably great. Makes my 5d Mk2 look pathetic.

  4. ps. Oly need to start offering their 43 cameras with a Body only option, now.

    Requiring that a lens be purchased with each body – a Kit offered only – is very shortsighted on their part.

  5. Beautiful FL & nice aperture.

    Looks like an excellent offering from Oly.

    Zuiko has historically meant quality, performing glass.

    The 43 sensor & gear hasn’t been all that interesting, for the most part – but with more well thought out Prime lens offerings like this, maybe that will change.

    Anything to challenge the Canon/ Nikon stranglehold on the digital gear market, is a good thing.

  6. I was on the verge of giving up on µ4/3 until the 12mm f/2 lens came along.
    Finally a quality wide with a calibrated focus scale.

    Now I have more confidence that a pro level body will appear in the future – probably first from panasonic who are also rumored to be working on a global shutter µ4/3 sensor.
    I look forward to a RF style body with built in EVF and no shutter noise 🙂

    In the meantime I will use the 12mm on my E-P1 along with the Leica Dlux-4’s 24mm OVF.

  8. Hmmm, Steve, …other early scuttlebutt I’ve heard about this model seems contrary to your initial assessment. I’ll be eager to read some of your real world testing.

    Other reports I’ve seen, claim the EP3 features super fast focusing (faster than some SLRs), vastly improved low light capabilities, as well as; an improved sensor, all new sensor or same old sensor, but with much better software driving it. One report claimed the focus is so fast, the tester just pushed the shutter release all the way, not ever stopping halfway for focus to be set.

    I’m kinda hoping your tests end up confirming some of the above, cause it’d be a great upgrade from my E-PL1, which I like very much, except for the godawful slow focus.

    Sure, it’d be great to have an M9, but many of us just are able to buy into a min $10k setup. …and for us, a nicely priced and nicely performing m4/3 is a fantastic option. I’ve already amped up my photography, just by moving from high-end point & shoots (Canon G series) to the PEN. Perhaps I could amp it up another notch using a new EP3 body behind that sweet Panny 20mm 1.7 pancake.

    Just my 2cents

  9. Nice assessment, Steve. Too bad that EP-3 seems a bit half-baked. One of these days, Olympus on Panny need to come out with a “pro-grade” body for their system for those interested in more serious camera purchasing. I know I may get into hot water, but I wouldn’t consider a plasticky EP-3…however, a well built EP-Deluxe, with a better than 2 year old sensor, better low light, equivalent AF, and cleaner menu design…with these new lenses, may sway more than a few people into the fray (honestly, probably not me, due to me committing to the M system)

    Best,
    Ashwin

  10. Finally a wide and reasonably fast prime lens from Olympus. It would have been much more exciting at say f1.2 but f2 is probably acceptable.

    The only downside is that with a focal length of 12mm there´s everything in focus. Subject isolation with a wide lens on MFT? Not possible.

    • Subject isolation isn’t generally the point of wide lenses, fast for wide is for use in low light but in a perfect world it’d be stuck on f8 or so, f1.2 would see the lens huge, wildly expensive and still no subject isolation. Stick a 24mm f1.2 on a FF and depending on how close you focus, you’re still not getting much subject isolation.

  11. Thanks for the info, Steve. I know that you’ve been on an X100 high for a while, but I’m wondering why no mention of the latest NEX firmware with focus peaking? Suddenly, fast shooting with rangefinder lenses on NEX is a breeze.

    • I have tested the NEX “peaking” recently and wasnt very impressed. Its probably ok for slower lenses but focusing a 50/1.4 or similar lens still is a gamble. I peaked, then zoomed in and almost everytime had to fine tune focus. Still not in a league with a real rangefinder (or ground glass for that matter).

      • You just need more practice, and you need to adjust the sharpness and contrast settings to be optimal for you. You have to pay attention to how the red (or whichever color you choose) wells up in the subject. After a couple of weeks of lots of practice, it is becoming second nature to me. Like with a rangefinder, practice makes perfect.

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