I need to apologize to Andrew from SLRMagic for not being able to submit this review in time. Although I got the lens in late December, I couldn't test it until late January when I actually got all my visa issues resolved and could finally go to St. Petersburg for the final shoot. My impressions of the lens are purely subjective as I'm more a filmmaker than a professional DP. But I hope my observations will seem relevant to anyone working in the same genre (documentary).

So when I opened up the box the lens looked small and toyish, and it did resemble some of the surveillance glass which exemplified my initial fears. However from the very first moment I was charmed with the combination of wide angle field of view and quite shallow DOF. None of my lenses was giving me both.

Next thing I discovered is that the focus ring is stiff. Especially at the end of the circle. I can't say it was a big obstacle but I didn't expect it. The very location of the aperture ring (front side) and focus ring was a bit unusual as well. It took some practice. I also quickly found out that it's almost impossible to use this lens with my follow focus system because the focus ring is too close to the camera's body (I'm sure I'm not the first one to pay attention to this). Nevertheless because you typically are not supposed to play with focus a lot at 12mm I didn't find that very frustrating.

The lens itself didn't seem to me very sharp up until f2.5. It kind of devalues a bit the whole idea of having a fast wide angle lens, but 2.5 is still rather fast, plus after f4 the lens produces really crisp images (in my opinion). I won't speculate about the barrel distortion as I may need some math to support my assumptions and I'm really bad at math.

I ordered a variable ND filter for SLR Magic and because its front side is wider I guess it was a 58mm attachment which resulted in some visible (albeit nice) vignetting.

Now let me tell you why I love this lens and why I'm using it more than any other in my possession.

— I often have to shoot handheld in extreme conditions with no rig or other support. GH2 is an amazing camera for such purposes as it has a form factor of a small amateurish camera and you can go to subways, shopping malls, railway stations — unnoticed, with no special permissions. Before SLRMagic I was mostly using my 20mm Pancake. But although I love it too, it is very vulnerable to sudden motion and shakiness. While this 12mm is really perfect because its wide angle serves as an essential stabilization tool — even with no tripod it is giving me a decently stable picture. For example I had to shoot that way in the well-guarded residence of the Russian oligarchs (pretending I'm only taking stills for myself while I was doing video of course) and after applying some AE stabilization in post my shots look as if I was there on a tripod. — I like the form factor of this lens. With the little handle screwed to the bottom and my LCDVF attached the GH2 turns into a well balanced replica of the old 16mm cameras from the 60s. — I can't explain it but I also like the representation of colors it is providing. In the poorly lit settings of St Petersburg I was getting a very truthful color range, which resulted in almost zero color correction in post. — I also need to admit that I fell in love with the circular form of the aperture diaphragm. It produces a unique and cinematic bokeh.

I won't hesitate to recommend this lens to a filmmaker. It is fantastic for run and gun, for setting up a scene with a static wide shot, for shooting in relatively dark environments.

those of you who are patient enough can see how this lens contributed to my new documentary "Don't Cry For Your Hair" Shots made by SLR Magic 12mm are at the very end