@Tron Thanks!
@CFreak It's lightning quick, essentially instantaneous. Here is 40mm F2.8 in AF-C mode at 8 fps.
@Tron How is it's speed in autofocus mode? I remember some early test videos showing the Pana 12-35 was really fast to autofocus on the GH3. Is that also the case with the Oly 12-40 (on the GH4)?
I just tested this on the GH4 with peaking enabled and it is definitely parfocal in manual focus mode with no annoying jitters during zoom forward or back. For just a few millimeters in between 30-40mm it softens ever so slightly, but it's really unnoticeable unless you're pixel peeping frame by frame. I'm kind of thrilled, it should work awesome for whip or creeping zooms - no need to rent a cinema lens to get the same effect (unless you need a longer reach).
This lens delivers outstanding sharpness through much of the zoom range at maximum aperture and sports a robust, dust and splash proof build, all while remaining compact and lightweight. The excellent performance of this lens will certainly win it many fans, that's for sure.
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/olympus-m-zuiko-ed-12-40mm-f-2-8-pro-lens-review-24513
+1 what @den59 asked.
Anybody knows what is the manual focus throw in degrees (roughly)? If it is more than 100, would be nice.
Does it have same problems as Pana 12-35/2.8 which flickers when you zoom in/out (problem coming from electronic aperture control as far as i understand)?
The optical quality of this standard zoom is impressive, with an extremely sharp centre zone whereas the border and corner resolution is very good. This perception is once more leveraged by the low amount of lateral CAs. Furthermore the distortion level is fine from a user perspective, but technically it relies on a drastic amount of auto-correction by the system or a RAW-converter - especially at 12mm wide-open.
Test at FN (mostly DXOMark repetition)
http://www.optyczne.pl/313.1-Test_obiektywu-Olympus_M.Zuiko_Digital_12-40_mm_f_2.8_ED_PRO_Wstęp.html
Thanks !
For those that wonder about it's usefulness on a GH2 for video, I've tried it, and with lens gears on it for zooming, it actually works pretty well once you get used to its querks.
Since it is not a fully manual zoom, you will feel a sort of electronic servo happening whilst zooming with a follow focus, and sometimes the zoom in and out will not be as smooth as a fully manual zoom. The autofocus works good most of the time, sometimes it will hunt for focus in low light conditions especially when zoomed in, and fail. Another thing to note is when in AF and zooming in, it will loose focus when you get to 40mm, and find it again right afterwards. This is a bummer if you are tracking someone or something, so try to avoid that approach. Zooming out it stays in focus.
I've since sold the lens, and half regretting it! I might get it again in the future...
Here's a photo of it with my GH2 setup.
@paulhouston though it doesn't really answer your question...
The 12-40 (and 12, and 17 lenses) has a neat trick: if you put the ring in the MF position, set your distance, then push it back to AF and focus, it remembers the MF position. This means you can pull focus instantly between any two distances simply by pulling the ring backwards! Better still, the distance is held regardless of the zoom setting. Neat, and very useful in practice.
From Ming Thein review
The Olympus 12-40 mm f/2.8 is such a good lens that shows that you can make professional-quality pictures with the micro-43 system. Our testing shows that this robust, dust- and splash-proof micro-43 zoom lens can be a high-quality alternative for a much larger and more expensive 24-70 mm f/2.8 zoom lens. The sharpness starting at f/2.8 is already very high from center to the extreme corners.
http://www.camerastuffreview.com/olympus-lens-review/olympus-12-40mm28-review
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