25Apr Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 vs Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 Full test
Before I left for NAB at the beginning of the month I posted this quick flicker test between the Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 and the Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 lenses. Above is the rest of the tests I ran between the two lenses before I left town. This includes flicker tests that cover more f-stops on each lens as requested by a number of you.
For me it ends up boiling down to 3 major factors. The Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 has hard end stops and far less flicker, the Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 has very impressive image stabilization. If you need hard end stops and to be able to zoom without flicker the Olympus wins, if you want really impressive Image Stabilization the Panasonic wins. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with either one of these lenses, but it is nice to think about what features are more important to you before you make the purchase.
I left build quality out of the lineup because although the Olympus feels like a much nicer lens build wise, the Panasonic is supposed to have high end weather sealing hidden inside. Plus I’m not going to pour water on a lens i’m borrowing from a friend to find out if it is infact weather sealed.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:02 pm
Did you do these flicker tests while recording? I notice the flicker while in standby on the GM1. While recording nothing on both lenses.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:03 pm
These were done while recording. Flicker is directly from the video recorded in the GH3.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:19 pm
Just saw your vid yup, definitely flicker. Think this could be solved with firmware? Also another + for the Panasonic is the weather seal. I’ve put these through hell in freezing snow and pouring rain, never a problem. Lens body however is easy to scratch and ding if not too careful. BTW nice to see you in CO last Fri!
April 25th, 2014 at 10:45 pm
I was running the latest firmware in that test, but suppose it’s possible that it could be addressed with an update. Had to know without knowing more about the way the internals are controlled.
You caught me on my last leg of travel, I was in fort collins earlier that week working after NAB, then in the Denver tech center until monday. Always cool to meet you guys in person. Next time you spot me, we’ll have to grab a beer. I’m pretty easy to find with the yellow shirt.
December 30th, 2014 at 10:10 pm
[…] of glass it requires to make an f0.95 lens, the Voigtlander 17.5mm is ruffly the size of the Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 zoom and slightly heavier. It also extends about a quarter of an inch in and out as you adjust the […]
January 9th, 2015 at 9:21 am
[…] Digging through my collection of M43 lenses, the biggest filter size I have is a 62mm on the Olympus 12-40mm f2.8. Every other lens in the collection is 58mm or […]
February 23rd, 2015 at 4:30 pm
[…] a little more reach and when i’m pulling focus I really enjoy the hard stops I get on my Olympus 12-40mm f2.8. While the Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8 has IS, the fly by wire system makes it a bit trick to pull […]