Oly 12-45/4 compared to OM 12-40/2.8 Pro II

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offtraildog Regular Member • Posts: 423
Oly 12-45/4 compared to OM 12-40/2.8 Pro II
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I have the OM-1 and my EDC lens is the OM 12-40/2.8 Pro II. I use it for 85% of all my images and 10% are taken between 2.8 and 4.0. Of the images taken @2.8, some could of been 4.0 since the scene was not dark nor was I interested in bokah.

Mostly travel and landscape. No animals, sports, video, portraits, etc.
This is a hobby and images are viewed on a 5K 27" monitor or 65" 4k HDR OLED.

I am contemplating how to reduce the size of my kit (travel & hiking) while maintaining IQ, etc. My EDC will be a zoom ... bought and sold 38 Sony e-mount lens figuring out my desired behaviour so I have been looking at other potential zooms lens.

The 12-45/4 my primary consideration since it is 6.5 oz lighter and smaller. The focal length starts @12 which is a requirement and the overall focal length is almost the same.

This is how I currently see it compared to the OM 12-40/2.8 Pro II.

Pros
*Size - shorter, narrower
*Weight - 6.5oz less
*Handling - Expecting similar tough n'feel as 12-40 II
*Constant f4 - vs variable 4.0 to X
*ZERO coating

Cons
*Slower - as expected but the same aperture range I shoot 90% of the time
*No Flourine front element coating - my 12-40 II gets wet. I could use a clear filter but not ideal. https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2017/06/the-comprehensive-ranking-of-the-major-uv-filters-on-the-market/
*No MF Clutch - I do use this since it is so easy.
*No LN button - seldom used

SO .. overall it is still a consideration since the biggest drawback is no MF clutch, followed by no Flourine coating which are addressable

MTF Charts

I discovered that ePhotozine https://www.ephotozine.com tested both of these lens with seemingly comparable MTF charts .. The 12-45 w/ the GX9 and the 12-40 II with the OM-1

TLDR - The focal lengths are somewhat similar between the two lens and 12-40 II is sharper and with better corner sharpness at wider angles.

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/olympus-m-zuiko-digital-ed-12-45mm-f-4-0-pro-review-34599

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/om-system-m-zuiko-12-40mm-f-2-8-pro-ii-lens-review-36458

I respect Roger Ciala's testing philosopy and understand the issues of using a single lens test as the definitive conclusion so I am curious if anybody has both of these lens and can share their thoughts

thx

 offtraildog's gear list:offtraildog's gear list
OM-1 Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 15mm F1.7 ASPH OM System 12-40mm F2.8 Pro II OM System 40-150mm F4.0 PRO Panasonic 9mm F1.7
Olympus 12-45mm F4 Pro OM System 12-40mm F2.8 Pro II
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