The Olympus 12-100mm F4 PRO zoom (24-200mm equivalent focal length) has been a well-used and well-loved lens for me this past year. I see that it has even relegated my Panasonic 14-140, a favorite from the prior year, to my lens drawer. Though the 14-140 is a “sharp enough” lens, the 12-100 is “more than sharp enough” and importantly has a few additional features, albeit at a significantly higher (2x) price point. The build quality of the M.Zuiko is certainly impressive. The tightly assembled, weather-sealed body is mostly made of metal. While the lens extends quite a bit when zooming toward the tele end of the range, there is no wobbling of the inner lens tube. The zoom- and focus-control rings operate smoothly. Some interested readers expressed their concern about the size and weight. Yes, it is certainly not the smallest zoom lens in the Olympus line-up but, honestly, it can't be and it shouldn't be. First of all - bigger is usually better in lens land and this lens is supposed to deliver a superior performance over the usual 14-150mm gang. Plus it has a constant aperture of f/4 throughout the range (vs f/3.5-5.6) and that limits the amount of downsizing compared to its more compact cousins.

Niche question: Oly 14-150 II vs Oly 12-100 | Mu-43 Niche question: Oly 14-150 II vs Oly 12-100 | Mu-43

At the 100mm end, the angle of view is 12°, i.e. the same as that of a 200mm lens in a 35mm system. I've got all the Oly primes from 17mm to 75mm, so optical image quality isn't paramount. If time/weather permit me to stop for the perfect shot, I've got the kit – what I want is a weatherproof zoom that enables me to go from shooting my other half sat next to me in the car to getting a snap of that cool building I can see out of the window. Hence, across the board sharpness is great, but not paramount. This capability has served me well for flower and food photography. I have owned the Olympus 60mm macro lens since its introduction, but now hardly need it for flowers and food. @ 70mm @ 100mm @ 34mm @ 100mm @ 100mm Though there are times I’d prefer the option for a shallower depth of field for people photography, I nevertheless enjoy the no-brainer ease of just shooting wide open at F4. For me that is usually candid family photography. @ 57mm @ 100mm (All images at ISO 200-800 except this one at 3200)The resolution of the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12–100 mm f/4 IS PRO was additionally tested on RAW files generated by the Olympus E-M5 Mark II camera and below we present the results in the frame centre and on the edge. They confirm precisely the results we got by analyzing RAWs from the E-PL1. For a Micro Four Thirds lens, the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-100mm F4 is rather large, with dimensions of 77x116mm and a weight of 560 grams. We are talking here, though, about a lens that, converted to 35-mm equivalent, includes all the fields of view from 24mm through 200mm. At one end, it is a reasonable wide-angle, and at the other end, a hefty telephoto. In between, we find other popular focal lengths like 28, 35, 50, 85, 100, 135, 150 and 180 mm. This is a whole pile of lenses in one. The 12-100mm can also serve as a semi-macro lens. For many photographers, the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-100mm F4 is pretty much all they need. If you look at it that way, the weight and dimensions are a considerable savings, and it is quite a feat by Olympus that they have gotten so much into such a compact lens. BUILD AND auto focus

Olympus 12-100mm f/4 PRO vs. 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO – The complete Olympus 12-100mm f/4 PRO vs. 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO – The complete

I like that the rings (focus and zoom) are metal, not rubber. They do not show wear, which I think will be helpful when (or if) I sell the lens. Metal focus and zoom rings. Wydawc There is only a minimum of light fall-off in the corners at f/4, which you will probably not even notice in your real-world photos, and distortion is commendably kept well under control too. So, as an outdoor do-everything-under-every-condition lens, I'm inclined to think that the extra 50mm(/100mm) reach and reduced size/weight with the 14-150 will be far more useful than the additional sharpness and aperture of the 12-100. I guess I need convincing that the Sync-IS on the E-M5ii is made of awesome and that the extra length and weight really aren't an issue!

Main specifications

At the end of this chapter traditionally we present crops taken from photos of our resolution testing scene; these are JPEG files straight from the camera which were saved along with RAW files we described above.

Olympus 12-100 f/4 PRO vs Panasonic-Leica 12-60 f/2.8-4 Olympus 12-100 f/4 PRO vs Panasonic-Leica 12-60 f/2.8-4

The lens has a very versatile focal range. At the 12mm end, the diagonal angle of view is 84°, i.e. the same as that of a 24mm lens in a 35mm system.Tipping the scales at 561 grams and measuring 116.5mm in length and 77.5mm in diameter, the Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital ED 12-100mm f/4.0 IS Pro is a substantial zoom lens, but given the constant f/4 maximum aperture, that's perhaps no surprise. When it's zoomed out to 100mm, it measures nearly 16cms in length. In my opinion the best thing about this lens is its flexibility. This is not just because of the wide range of focal lengths, but for the fact that you can fill the frame at essentially all focal lengths (not at 12mm, but at 14-100mm) with a flower that measures 3” across. (The full frame gear mentioned in the previous paragraph will not match this.) Basically I'm looking for a weatherproof, one-lens-fits-all solution to pair with my E-M5ii for travelling. Something like Route 66 is actually a good forinstance; I want a weatherproof outdoor lens that I can glue on the body for the whole trip, so it can be used in any weather circumstance, providing maximum flexibility so I can be driving along the freeway, spot something cool, and just jump out and snap it. In jpeg, with all lens corrections active, we see about the same image, but the performance is more even. It actually matters very little in jpeg for the sharpness which aperture you choose. At f/4, the lens is a bit better at 12mm than it is at 100mm, but the difference is quite small.