Panasonic 12-60mm 3.5-5.6 a good choice for Olympus body ?

Dogedo · Aug 27, 2020

I have an OM-D-EM 10 Mk2 with a 14-42mm; the focal length being too short and not liking to change lenses when I'm traveling, I want a more versatile lens; with Olympus there are 12-100mm and 12-200mm but they are expensive and out of my budget ; I am looking to the Panasonic 12-60mm 3.5 - 5.6 ; how does it work with an Olympus body ? Are there chromatic aberrations problems ? Do any of you have experience with this combo (olympus body + 12-60 panasonic)
Thank you in advance for your advice

Felice62 · Aug 27, 2020

It boils down to your own copy but, generally speaking, the Lumix 12-60 is rather a good zoom that works seamlessly with Olympus bodies as well.

The focal length range is perfect for city walks and traveling. Lightweight enough to balance well with small bodies like the M10 series, for instance...

alphaZ · Aug 27, 2020

Dogedo said:
I have an OM-D-EM 10 Mk2 with a 14-42mm; the focal length being too short and not liking to change lenses when I'm traveling, I want a more versatile lens; with Olympus there are 12-100mm and 12-200mm but they are expensive and out of my budget ; I am looking to the Panasonic 12-60mm 3.5 - 5.6 ; how does it work with an Olympus body ? Are there chromatic aberrations problems ? Do any of you have experience with this combo (olympus body + 12-60 panasonic)
Thank you in advance for your advice

I have this lens, I am very (very) happy

I also have the olympus 12-45 f4 and imo the 12-60 is a much better lens! iq is probably similar although the 12-60 is possibly a bit sharper but I haven't tested it for certain I just like the lens so much more.

The focal range, 24-120 is really useful, great close focus too, at 60mm the lens can get really close and overall the clarity just seems very good throughout the range. I have the em5iii and in all honesty it really is a phenomenal combination. Not sure what to do about the 12-45, I got it as a kit and will try and sell it I think. I wanted the 12-100 but not the size and then thought about the 12-60 2.8-4 but decided to try the cheaper version first and I am absolutely glad I did, for outdoor and landscape it doesn't need to be so fast, so maybe the 12-60 2.8-4 is better still but doubt I will swap this lens for one!

VinceC · Aug 27, 2020

Dissatisfied with Fuji, last autumn I bought an Oly OM10.2 and Panasonic 12-60. I was so impressed with the combination that I Progressively sold all my Fuji kit and moved over to Oly bodies And (predominantly) Pana lenses.

To me the Oly M10 and Pana (not PL) 12-60 is an absolute sweet spot, a wonderful combination of size, weight, balance and flexibility. The Pana 12-60 has the added advantage of weather resistance, which Oly M10s don’t, and mine now lives on my Oly 5.2.

Devvy · Aug 27, 2020

I own exactly this combination, and it works perfectly.

Also used it with the G80/85, and while you get dual IS I still think the IBIS of the e-m10 Mk2 is better.

The hidden secret of this lens imho is the close focusing. Very useful. In general a versatile and capable lens.

Mindcraft · Aug 27, 2020

If 42mm feels too short, get the 14-150 II and you’re set.

Devvy · Aug 27, 2020

Since I own m4/3 bits and sometimes am tempted to switch to fuji, can you elaborate more on why you were unhappy with fuji?

Felice62 · Aug 28, 2020

Devvy said:
Since I own m4/3 bits and sometimes am tempted to switch to fuji, can you elaborate more on why you were unhappy with fuji?

I also shoot Fuji APS-C. Frankly there is a lot to love with fuji.

I have the X-T3 them the 18-55 and the 50/2 prime. Contemplating the purchase of the 23/2.

My overall shooting experience with fuji is great. the camera ergonomics are just so intuitive...

My primary system is MFT as I have found my sweet spot with it and am not contemplating leaving the system. However, Fuji APS-C has a lot to offer:

The best jpeg quality of any system I used so far;

a dedicated line of APS-C designed lenses which deliver;

great performance of the recent generation of cameras, which rival in all aspects the best in class for video and AF speed and accuracy.

ALso, FUji has the sexiest camera bodies (along with Olympus' PEN-F).

WHat else do you ask of a system?

uniball · Aug 28, 2020

My experience with the P12-60 suggests you should buy from a vendor with easy return privileges and lens check your copy upon receipt. I use Panasonic bodies. Bought the P12-60. It was one of the softest lenses I have ever owned. That’s compared to at least a half dozen Nikon and Fuji zooms as well as my P12-32 and P14-140. Read reviews as well. Many point out softness, I believe at the long end. Mine was totally unacceptable to me and got sold after I used it on a trip.

The lens certainly has its pluses. Build quality and mechanical function are good. An easy all day carry due to it being light and reasonably compact. But I suspect there’s a lot of copy variation here. I'm new to m43, having recently assembled my kit. What’s I’ve noted with other Panasonic lenses I've purchased is some are phenomenal bargains, far better than tests suggest. Others I sold off rather quickly. I bought 8 P lenses. I own 5 P lenses.

I’m not saying don’t buy. I saying test and return if necessary.

uniball · Aug 28, 2020

Devvy said:
Since I own m4/3 bits and sometimes am tempted to switch to fuji, can you elaborate more on why you were unhappy with fuji?

Your response wasn’t directed at me but I’ll provide my rationale.

I was extremely happy with Fuji. I liked the X-Pro and X-E bodies. Their lenses are fabulous, though a touch pricy at list price. Raw was excellent though not as simple as Bayer. JPEG's were superb.

But, I travel 4 to 6 months each year. No IBIS in compact bodies and limited range zooms meant I had to lug more zooms and faster (larger, heavier) primes during travel. I took the trade-off in IQ for ease of living with the system during travel. I’m pleased with my choice. When, if, I need more IQ, I’ll likely invest in a FF body with a limited number of primes.

VinceC · Aug 28, 2020

I wanted IBIS, so I bought an H1. Large and heavy, but just about OK. I had problems with erratic focusing, particularly on landscapes. Two trips to Fuji, a new motherboard and no change.

I wanted a good zoom with 24mm - 120mm field of view in FF terms. Along came the new 16-80mm f4. Perfect! Until I tried it (two copies). Sharp centre, unsharp and (in some cases) smeared extremeties. Eviewers found the same. So I moved to the 15-55mm f2.8. Lovely lens, but sooo heavy, especially on the H1.

That's the point I tried the Oly M10.2 and Pana 12-60. I jumped ship.

alphaZ · Aug 28, 2020

uniball said:
Devvy said:

Since I own m4/3 bits and sometimes am tempted to switch to fuji, can you elaborate more on why you were unhappy with fuji?

Click to expand...

Your response wasn’t directed at me but I’ll provide my rationale.

I was extremely happy with Fuji. I liked the X-Pro and X-E bodies. Their lenses are fabulous, though a touch pricy at list price. Raw was excellent though not as simple as Bayer. JPEG's were superb.

But, I travel 4 to 6 months each year. No IBIS in compact bodies and limited range zooms meant I had to lug more zooms and faster (larger, heavier) primes during travel. I took the trade-off in IQ for ease of living with the system during travel. I’m pleased with my choice. When, if, I need more IQ, I’ll likely invest in a FF body with a limited number of primes.

Unless you shoot professionally for magazines and the like I think ff is unlikely to yield much if anything over a crop sensor, I think you will only see ever more bulk and that includes the raw files too. Manufacturers want us to adopt ff so they can charge us more and more. I recently has a good try with eos r and it had numerous issues, evf in particular was a major issue and the color balance was very "yellow", but the bulk was something I wanted to ignore too but in the end I decided no, I want small and compact, I'm glad I did.

I am finding the dr of the r and the em5iii very very similar and I probably prefer the em5iii being honest, it seems to be more reliable, ie wysiswyg is very reliable and the evf does not have the weird reflection thing going on.

alphaZ · Aug 28, 2020

VinceC said:
I wanted IBIS, so I bought an H1. Large and heavy, but just about OK. I had problems with erratic focusing, particularly on landscapes. Two trips to Fuji, a new motherboard and no change.

I have numerous friends who had same problem, especially x-trans, I have been told and warned numerous times, do not use x-trans, so I don't!

VinceC said:
I wanted a good zoom with 24mm - 120mm field of view in FF terms. Along came the new 16-80mm f4. Perfect! Until I tried it (two copies). Sharp centre, unsharp and (in some cases) smeared extremeties. Eviewers found the same. So I moved to the 15-55mm f2.8. Lovely lens, but sooo heavy, especially on the H1.

That's the point I tried the Oly M10.2 and Pana 12-60. I jumped ship.

I feel very similar to you, 12-60 is very cool lens, I bought the 12-45/em5 iii kit, but found it a tad short so thought I'd try the 12-60, was looking at 2.8-4 version and the 12-100, the 12-100 was just too big, so 12-60 it was, I don't need super fast for most things so 3.5-5.6 is just fine.

A couple of shots.

12-60,

uniball · Aug 28, 2020

And-roid said:
uniball said:

Devvy said:

Since I own m4/3 bits and sometimes am tempted to switch to fuji, can you elaborate more on why you were unhappy with fuji?

Click to expand...

Your response wasn’t directed at me but I’ll provide my rationale.

I was extremely happy with Fuji. I liked the X-Pro and X-E bodies. Their lenses are fabulous, though a touch pricy at list price. Raw was excellent though not as simple as Bayer. JPEG's were superb.

But, I travel 4 to 6 months each year. No IBIS in compact bodies and limited range zooms meant I had to lug more zooms and faster (larger, heavier) primes during travel. I took the trade-off in IQ for ease of living with the system during travel. I’m pleased with my choice. When, if, I need more IQ, I’ll likely invest in a FF body with a limited number of primes.

Click to expand...

Unless you shoot professionally for magazines and the like I think ff is unlikely to yield much if anything over a crop sensor, I think you will only see ever more bulk and that includes the raw files too. Manufacturers want us to adopt ff so they can charge us more and more. I recently has a good try with eos r and it had numerous issues, evf in particular was a major issue and the color balance was very "yellow", but the bulk was something I wanted to ignore too but in the end I decided no, I want small and compact, I'm glad I did.

I am finding the dr of the r and the em5iii very very similar and I probably prefer the em5iii being honest, it seems to be more reliable, ie wysiswyg is very reliable and the evf does not have the weird reflection thing going on.

As I said, “I’m pleased with my choice. When, if, I need more IQ, I’ll likely invest in a FF body with a limited number of primes.”

Felice62 · Aug 28, 2020

And-roid said:
uniball said:

Devvy said:

Since I own m4/3 bits and sometimes am tempted to switch to fuji, can you elaborate more on why you were unhappy with fuji?

Click to expand...

Your response wasn’t directed at me but I’ll provide my rationale.

I was extremely happy with Fuji. I liked the X-Pro and X-E bodies. Their lenses are fabulous, though a touch pricy at list price. Raw was excellent though not as simple as Bayer. JPEG's were superb.

But, I travel 4 to 6 months each year. No IBIS in compact bodies and limited range zooms meant I had to lug more zooms and faster (larger, heavier) primes during travel. I took the trade-off in IQ for ease of living with the system during travel. I’m pleased with my choice. When, if, I need more IQ, I’ll likely invest in a FF body with a limited number of primes.

Click to expand...

Unless you shoot professionally for magazines and the like I think ff is unlikely to yield much if anything over a crop sensor, I think you will only see ever more bulk and that includes the raw files too. Manufacturers want us to adopt ff so they can charge us more and more. I recently has a good try with eos r and it had numerous issues, evf in particular was a major issue and the color balance was very "yellow", but the bulk was something I wanted to ignore too but in the end I decided no, I want small and compact, I'm glad I did.

I am finding the dr of the r and the em5iii very very similar and I probably prefer the em5iii being honest, it seems to be more reliable, ie wysiswyg is very reliable and the evf does not have the weird reflection thing going on.

Well smaller vs larger sensor is a long debate..

For that sake 1" sensor isn't that far behind the mft so one could argue why going mft with added bulky accessories..

Truth is that the gain using larger sensor is not marginal in real life and for some applications the difference is measurable.

I believe some buy into full frame without a 'need' other than the one to please their own GAS, and that's fine.

I have been there and appreciated the difference between the a7r2 and the m1.2 yet I got rid of the former as I could not justify it for my non professional photography.

In addition to that I never really liked the ergonomics of that camera.

Ok the contrary I love the Fuji x-t3. Its ergonomics are far from Panasonic G9, which remains the best camera I held in my hands, but (and I value this a lot) it is amongst the funniest cameras to shoot with.

And it takes great pictures too

Devvy · Aug 28, 2020

I am really amazed by your story (I don't mean I think you talk nonsense!)

The Fuji H1 is a lot more expensive, in a completely different class than the E-M10 II; and the same applies to the lenses. I seriously would have expected that the Fuji would perform better. The fact that you decided to use the E-M10 II instead proves a point of which I was already unconciously aware: there are things that are not visible on the spec sheets but actually determine how usable a camera is in daily life.

And the E-M10 II is definitely a very usable camera.

Donald B · Aug 28, 2020

uniball said:
And-roid said:

uniball said:

Devvy said:

Since I own m4/3 bits and sometimes am tempted to switch to fuji, can you elaborate more on why you were unhappy with fuji?

Click to expand...

Your response wasn’t directed at me but I’ll provide my rationale.

I was extremely happy with Fuji. I liked the X-Pro and X-E bodies. Their lenses are fabulous, though a touch pricy at list price. Raw was excellent though not as simple as Bayer. JPEG's were superb.

But, I travel 4 to 6 months each year. No IBIS in compact bodies and limited range zooms meant I had to lug more zooms and faster (larger, heavier) primes during travel. I took the trade-off in IQ for ease of living with the system during travel. I’m pleased with my choice. When, if, I need more IQ, I’ll likely invest in a FF body with a limited number of primes.

Click to expand...

Unless you shoot professionally for magazines and the like I think ff is unlikely to yield much if anything over a crop sensor, I think you will only see ever more bulk and that includes the raw files too. Manufacturers want us to adopt ff so they can charge us more and more. I recently has a good try with eos r and it had numerous issues, evf in particular was a major issue and the color balance was very "yellow", but the bulk was something I wanted to ignore too but in the end I decided no, I want small and compact, I'm glad I did.

I am finding the dr of the r and the em5iii very very similar and I probably prefer the em5iii being honest, it seems to be more reliable, ie wysiswyg is very reliable and the evf does not have the weird reflection thing going on.

Click to expand...

As I said, “I’m pleased with my choice. When, if, I need more IQ, I’ll likely invest in a FF body with a limited number of primes.”

I love my em12 and my 12 60 pana . but my a7r2 and my 2 primes (45 1.8 85 1.8) are in another league.

Don

--
Olympus EM1mk2, Sony A7r2
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/9412035244
past toys. k100d, k10d,k7,fz5,fz150,500uz,canon G9, Olympus xz1 em5mk1 em5mk2

ElHombre · Aug 28, 2020

I have the 12-60 and use it on my Oly bodies. No problems whatsoever. Everything works as it should. It's also my go to carry around lens. The reviews I've read rate it a very good lens, and on par with the 2.8-4 version. Get that version if need the speed. IMO, it way outperforms 14-42 pancake. Though, with it I can pretty much fit my pen-f in my pocket. But I didn't like range on either end....

Any lens like this is a compromise. I prefer having the 12 over a 14 and 60mm is long enough for me. Which is why I got it over a 14-140 etc. . It's also smaller than those. I admit the 12-100/4 pro is tempting. However, in reality I bought mft for the size, this lens over doubles the size. But it might be nice to have for different purpose

When I'm on vacation and don't want to carry my bag I'll use a pen-f with the 12-60 and carry around a 20/1.7 pancake, a super lens at a great price, for when I need speed. Sometimes I'll just go "old school" and just use the 20/1.7. Kind of like a 50mm from days past...

alphaZ · Aug 28, 2020

Donald B said:
uniball said:

And-roid said:

uniball said:

Devvy said:

Since I own m4/3 bits and sometimes am tempted to switch to fuji, can you elaborate more on why you were unhappy with fuji?

Click to expand...

Your response wasn’t directed at me but I’ll provide my rationale.

I was extremely happy with Fuji. I liked the X-Pro and X-E bodies. Their lenses are fabulous, though a touch pricy at list price. Raw was excellent though not as simple as Bayer. JPEG's were superb.

But, I travel 4 to 6 months each year. No IBIS in compact bodies and limited range zooms meant I had to lug more zooms and faster (larger, heavier) primes during travel. I took the trade-off in IQ for ease of living with the system during travel. I’m pleased with my choice. When, if, I need more IQ, I’ll likely invest in a FF body with a limited number of primes.

Click to expand...

Unless you shoot professionally for magazines and the like I think ff is unlikely to yield much if anything over a crop sensor, I think you will only see ever more bulk and that includes the raw files too. Manufacturers want us to adopt ff so they can charge us more and more. I recently has a good try with eos r and it had numerous issues, evf in particular was a major issue and the color balance was very "yellow", but the bulk was something I wanted to ignore too but in the end I decided no, I want small and compact, I'm glad I did.

I am finding the dr of the r and the em5iii very very similar and I probably prefer the em5iii being honest, it seems to be more reliable, ie wysiswyg is very reliable and the evf does not have the weird reflection thing going on.

Click to expand...

As I said, “I’m pleased with my choice. When, if, I need more IQ, I’ll likely invest in a FF body with a limited number of primes.”

Click to expand...

I love my em12 and my 12 60 pana . but my a7r2 and my 2 primes (45 1.8 85 1.8) are in another league.

What do you take with these 2 primes? Do you have any comparable primes? Obviously the 1.2's are pricey but I bet they are equally impressive!

Member said:
Don

--
Olympus EM1mk2, Sony A7r2
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/9412035244
past toys. k100d, k10d,k7,fz5,fz150,500uz,canon G9, Olympus xz1 em5mk1 em5mk2

Donald B · Aug 28, 2020

And-roid said:
Donald B said:

uniball said:

And-roid said:

uniball said:

Devvy said:

Since I own m4/3 bits and sometimes am tempted to switch to fuji, can you elaborate more on why you were unhappy with fuji?

Click to expand...

Your response wasn’t directed at me but I’ll provide my rationale.

I was extremely happy with Fuji. I liked the X-Pro and X-E bodies. Their lenses are fabulous, though a touch pricy at list price. Raw was excellent though not as simple as Bayer. JPEG's were superb.

But, I travel 4 to 6 months each year. No IBIS in compact bodies and limited range zooms meant I had to lug more zooms and faster (larger, heavier) primes during travel. I took the trade-off in IQ for ease of living with the system during travel. I’m pleased with my choice. When, if, I need more IQ, I’ll likely invest in a FF body with a limited number of primes.

Click to expand...

Unless you shoot professionally for magazines and the like I think ff is unlikely to yield much if anything over a crop sensor, I think you will only see ever more bulk and that includes the raw files too. Manufacturers want us to adopt ff so they can charge us more and more. I recently has a good try with eos r and it had numerous issues, evf in particular was a major issue and the color balance was very "yellow", but the bulk was something I wanted to ignore too but in the end I decided no, I want small and compact, I'm glad I did.

I am finding the dr of the r and the em5iii very very similar and I probably prefer the em5iii being honest, it seems to be more reliable, ie wysiswyg is very reliable and the evf does not have the weird reflection thing going on.

Click to expand...

As I said, “I’m pleased with my choice. When, if, I need more IQ, I’ll likely invest in a FF body with a limited number of primes.”

Click to expand...

I love my em12 and my 12 60 pana . but my a7r2 and my 2 primes (45 1.8 85 1.8) are in another league.

Click to expand...

What do you take with these 2 primes? Do you have any comparable primes? Obviously the 1.2's are pricey but I bet they are equally impressive!

alphaZ said:

Don

Click to expand...

yes i have primes for the em12. 25 1.8 and the 45 1.8 and sold the 25mm 0.95 But its not just the lens that makes an image. the 25 1.2 was soft even in the centre compared to my 25 1.8 . If your going to shoot portraits and want the best quality, 42meg 85 1.8 lens is a must have combo and the 45 1.8 for a light enviro portrait combo.

Don

--
Olympus EM1mk2, Sony A7r2
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/9412035244
past toys. k100d, k10d,k7,fz5,fz150,500uz,canon G9, Olympus xz1 em5mk1 em5mk2

Panasonic 12-60mm 3.5-5.6 a good choice for Olympus body ?

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