List Price: $899.99
Sale Price: $799.00
Today's Bonus: 11% Off
Please be aware the lens does not come with the hood. That must be purchased separately. The picture, on this page, is a bit misleading.
We'll start of with the greatness of this lens. This lens is the best constructed m4/3 yet. It is optically amazing and fast. The autofocus is ultra silent and quick (I only have Pani bodies). The feel of this lens is magnificent. When you pull back the ring to manual focus, it has hard stops and the focus speed is variable depending on how fast you turn the ring. While not up to the quality of Leica (what is?), this lens is a true gem. There are currently only 2 m43 lenses that go this wide (7-14 and 9-18) and they are bigger, heavier, and 2 stops slower. I am not sure why the m43 bunch is caught up on the 28mm length but this lens is a welcome step in the right direction.
So if this lens is so nice, then what is the dilemma? The answer to that would be the Panasonic 14mm f/2.5. The 14mm is not in the same league as the 12mm for build quality. However, it is much smaller and cheaper. (Not that the 12mm f/2 is that big in fact it is tiny for what it is, the 14mm f/2.5 is just tiny.) If you don't need the extra Field of View (FOV) of the 12mm then the 14mm is a very good alternative. I just got back from shooting at two automotive museums and the 14mm performed admirably. It was rare I needed a wider FOV. However, for tight location shooting this thing is an absolute gem and now offers a m43 shooter a real professional alternative to a Nikon or Canon equivalent. Now it would be possible to tote the D7000 w/ 70-200mm f/2.8 and a G3 w 12mm f/2. Much lighter than another Nikon DX body with 14-24 f/2.8 or FX body with 24mm f/1.4.
Overall, if you don't know why you would need this lens over the Pani 14mm f/2.5, then you don't. However, if you need the 9 deg extra FOV or you merely want to use a world class lens then you will be very happy with 12mm f/2. Bravo Olympus. Now please make a 35-100mm f/2 for m43.
Pros:
Great 24mm equivalent focal length
By far the best build quality of any m43 lens yet
Optically outstanding
Fast silent autofocus
Best handling of any m43 lens yet
Beautiful to look at and hold
Cons
Quite a bit pricer than the Pani 14mm f/2.5 (It is actually reasonably priced if you compare it to Voigtlander, Zeiss, or even Nikon and it will get cheaper)
Bigger than Pani 14mm f/2.5 (Takes a Panasonic G3 out of the compact camera size into Mega Zoom camera size range)
There are no real cons of this lens as it is outstanding. However, for most people the Pani 14mm will be the smarter purchase (14mm + 20mm still cheaper than 12mm)
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