The Kodak Pixpro 12-45 F3.5-6.3 is a low cost (around $100.00) walk-around lens that starts at a relatively wide 12mm. The size of the lens is much like other Micro 4/3 lenses with a similar zoom range. There is a PDF on the Kodak Pixpro website that has detailed information about size and construction. A link to the PDF is on this page:
Kodak Digital Cameras | S-1 Compact System
This is not a power zoom lens, and it does not have image stabilization. The lens is fully compatible with my Panasonic GM5 camera. Focusing, aperture control, EXIF, and distortion correction info all move between the lens and the camera as they should. In A mode, the aperture will stay at ƒ4 up to 15mm, at ƒ5.6 up to 29mm.
I don't normally use manual focus, but the focusing ring seems to work OK. I do use the zoom ring, and it is balky sometimes, especially when making small adjustments in the middle of the range. For the price, I can put up with it.
Image quality is not as good as my Panasonic 12-32 lens. The 12-32 is a bit sharper. On the other hand, I don't notice any vignetting, and I don't see any serious distortion. The highlights seem a bit brighter and the contrast seems a bit stronger than I like, but these things are fixable in Lightroom. I’ve owned this lens for less than a week, which is not long enough for me to get a clear understanding of what kind of images it produces. So far, I am satisfied.
Working on RAW files in Lightroom 6 I see that distortion correction is applied automatically when the focal length is 17mm or less. After 19mm, Lightroom says no correction is applied. I got curious and looked at the RAW files with exiftool. I found the fields for lens correction information are present in all RAW files, but there are zeros or ones in the fields on the higher focal length files, letting Lightroom know that nothing needs to be done. This is a little thing, but it tells me somebody put some thought into the lens firmware, which is reassuring.
There is an image showcase page for the lens here:
Showcase - Kodak 12-45/F3.5-6.3 AF PIXPRO SZ
I bought this lens as an experiment. I wanted a zoom range longer than 12-40mm, I didn't want to give up the ability to put my GM5 in a jacket pocket, and I didn't want to turn the GM5 into an around the neck camera like my Canon G1X. The Kodak 12-45 satisfies all of my physical requirements, but just barely. As time passes, it will be interesting to see how much I use this lens in place of the much smaller 12-32. If I use it a lot, maybe someday I will replace it with the slightly bigger and heavier Panasonic 12-60 ƒ3.5-5.6.
All in all, I’m glad I bought this lens. The quoted price was $90.00, the total cost was around $103.00, including California state tax and shipping. Kodak Pixpro is located in Southern California, which is where my lens shipped from.
To buy this in the US, call the customer support phone number on the website. If you make the call, be patient and expect to take some time completing the transaction. It seems that selling a lens without a camera is an unusual event there. If they ask, tell them you want “the small lens,” not the big 42.5-150.
Kodak Digital Devices | Support and Service
Kodak Digital Cameras | S-1 Compact System
This is not a power zoom lens, and it does not have image stabilization. The lens is fully compatible with my Panasonic GM5 camera. Focusing, aperture control, EXIF, and distortion correction info all move between the lens and the camera as they should. In A mode, the aperture will stay at ƒ4 up to 15mm, at ƒ5.6 up to 29mm.
I don't normally use manual focus, but the focusing ring seems to work OK. I do use the zoom ring, and it is balky sometimes, especially when making small adjustments in the middle of the range. For the price, I can put up with it.
Image quality is not as good as my Panasonic 12-32 lens. The 12-32 is a bit sharper. On the other hand, I don't notice any vignetting, and I don't see any serious distortion. The highlights seem a bit brighter and the contrast seems a bit stronger than I like, but these things are fixable in Lightroom. I’ve owned this lens for less than a week, which is not long enough for me to get a clear understanding of what kind of images it produces. So far, I am satisfied.
Working on RAW files in Lightroom 6 I see that distortion correction is applied automatically when the focal length is 17mm or less. After 19mm, Lightroom says no correction is applied. I got curious and looked at the RAW files with exiftool. I found the fields for lens correction information are present in all RAW files, but there are zeros or ones in the fields on the higher focal length files, letting Lightroom know that nothing needs to be done. This is a little thing, but it tells me somebody put some thought into the lens firmware, which is reassuring.
There is an image showcase page for the lens here:
Showcase - Kodak 12-45/F3.5-6.3 AF PIXPRO SZ
I bought this lens as an experiment. I wanted a zoom range longer than 12-40mm, I didn't want to give up the ability to put my GM5 in a jacket pocket, and I didn't want to turn the GM5 into an around the neck camera like my Canon G1X. The Kodak 12-45 satisfies all of my physical requirements, but just barely. As time passes, it will be interesting to see how much I use this lens in place of the much smaller 12-32. If I use it a lot, maybe someday I will replace it with the slightly bigger and heavier Panasonic 12-60 ƒ3.5-5.6.
All in all, I’m glad I bought this lens. The quoted price was $90.00, the total cost was around $103.00, including California state tax and shipping. Kodak Pixpro is located in Southern California, which is where my lens shipped from.
To buy this in the US, call the customer support phone number on the website. If you make the call, be patient and expect to take some time completing the transaction. It seems that selling a lens without a camera is an unusual event there. If they ask, tell them you want “the small lens,” not the big 42.5-150.
Kodak Digital Devices | Support and Service
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