Olympus 12-40 f2.8 Pro vs Panasonic 12-35 f2.8

[Tim Murphy]

Dear Board,

I would like to get a quality zoom that provides a 24mm equivalent field of view for use on an OM-D-EM11 or EPL-9. I am coming from DSLR's so the weight to me is not a serious consideration.

I'm a used buyer and the Olympus lens seems to be far more commonly available. I asked myself if that might be because the Pany performs better?

It will be used primarily for scenic shots and landscape pictures. I'm mostly a bird and wildlife telephoto kind of guy and while I have no problem spending money for the right lens, I don't need to spend over $ 500.00 or $ 600.00 in my mind.

I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts regarding my potential choices, as well as any alternatives that cover the 24mm FOV? I know there are several lesser grade lenses available that fit that requirement. Should I also be considering something with both a wider and and shorter focal length. like 7-14mm? The maximum aperture of f2.8 is not essential. Are there any other lenses worth considering?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA ☺

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

If landscape is your aim, I think you'd enjoy the 7-14mm. There's also the 12 f2 if you just want 24mm, but it isn't cheap! Another option is the 12-45 f4, which would be in your price range brand new, as it is selling for $549 right now. They all have their benefits--the 12-40/45 would be good multipurpose lenses, which can really play up their value.

 

[John King]

@Tim Murphy Tim, pickup the Olympus 12-50 macro. Useful range, good macro, better than some reviewers think! The Imaging Resource review is well balanced, and accords with my own experience.

https://www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/olympus/12-50mm-f3.5-6.3-ez-m.zuiko-digital-ed/review/

IMO the 12-35 is just too short at the long end.
So is the 12-40 ...

I preferred my FTs 14-54 MkII.

Ideally, the Olympus 12-100. It almost never comes off my E-M1 MkII. My E-M1 MkI is my ILC ... .

 

[Avondale87]

I've the 12-50mm & 12-40mm and both are very nice, but I'm now using 12-40mm full time on one body.
It's nicer all round than the 12-50mm.
But different price.

Can't comment on the Panasonic, but would miss that extra reach the 40 gives.
The 50 is more again but I can cope with that.

 

[Drdul]

I sold my Pany 12-35 to get an Oly 12-40 (and now I’m using an Oly 12-45). All used on Olympus bodies.

The 12-35 and 12-40 are both good lenses. The 12-40 is better at the wide (12 mm) end, and better in the corners, but the difference is small. The 12-40 is larger and heavier, but within a couple of days of getting the lens I didn’t mind the extra weight. Plus I really like the manual focus clutch.

 

[John King]

@Drdul @Tim Murphy I agree, Richard. The 12-45 is a better pick in most ways than either the 12-40 or the 12-35.

 

[Hypilein]

I'll just throw in that the PL8-18 is a good alternative if the wide angle is more important and you don't think you'll need the extra range on the tele end.

I think generally the 12-40 is a tiny bit better and the 12-35 is a tiny bit smaller (and also has Dual IS support which is mostly important for video on Panasonic bodies). The difference on both features is negligible.