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Help me decide. Replacing my Panasonic 14-45 zoom with Panasonic 12-35?

Started Mar 21, 2016 | Questions thread
Steve_
Steve_ Senior Member • Posts: 2,876
Re: Replacing my Panasonic 14-45 zoom with Panasonic 12-35?
3

The 12-35 f2.8 zoom is on sale.

Is the 12-35 IQ much better than the 14-45 IQ?

I find it to be.

Pros/cons?

Pros? It's amongst the best 'normal' zooms in captivity and tiny for what it provides. Build quality is top-notch. Contrast and color rendition are outstanding, better than even the 12-40 Olympus. The built-in stabilization is very, very much better than the 14-45's.

Cons? It's pricey compared to a 14-45, but you aren't even comparing apples here. 12mm on the wide end is so much more useful it's hard for me to see even the 4/3 14-35/2.0 as a functional replacement for a 12-35.

The only other con is that it is, like most Panasonic lenses, fairly flare prone. These flares can render purple on Oly bodies, but the issue is not terribly pronounced on the 12-35. I've only seen problems in indoor venues with harsh and spotty artificial lighting, and I've seen problems with even certain Olympus lenses in these conditions, although to a lesser degree.

Also, if in the future I purchase an Olympus OMD -/EM10iI/ EM5II / Pen F cameras, is either lens usable with the Oly IBIS?

Both have switches, so compatibility is assured.

I should add that I bought my 12-35 at the original 1099USD price, and found it satisfying at even that level. I believe gray-market ones are 639 shipped these days, and at that price people who even ask about image quality ought to have one.

 Steve_'s gear list:Steve_'s gear list
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus E-M1 Panasonic Lumix G Vario 7-14mm F4 ASPH Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm 1:2.8-3.5 SWD Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH +13 more
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