Is Olympus 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 any good?

It is available locally for $250, supposedly unused.  I like the 12mm wide end but not f6.3 at 50mm and the large size of lens, specially when mounted on my E-PM2. I have Oly 14-42, Sigma 19mm, Sigma 30mm and Konica 50mm 1.8

Got the 12-50 lens on the Olympus EM-5 last year and it is an excellent lens with a broad range of 24 - 100mm in 35mm terms. It also has a close focussing ability albeit not a true macro capability. Alas it is significantly longer than a 14-42 or 14-45 kit lens and does make the camera totally unpocketable. If you are buying the lens as part of the camera package it is probably worth it but I would prefer a good quality 14-42 power zoom lens for portability.

Compared to the Fuji 18-55 kit lens it probably has a similar bulk but the Fuji wins on F2.8 at the wide end.

MikeInRomsey wrote:

Got the 12-50 lens on the Olympus EM-5 last year and it is an excellent lens with a broad range of 24 - 100mm in 35mm terms. It also has a close focussing ability albeit not a true macro capability. Alas it is significantly longer than a 14-42 or 14-45 kit lens and does make the camera totally unpocketable. If you are buying the lens as part of the camera package it is probably worth it but I would prefer a good quality 14-42 power zoom lens for portability.

Compared to the Fuji 18-55 kit lens it probably has a similar bulk but the Fuji wins on F2.8 at the wide end.

Alas it is significantly longer than a 14-42 or 14-45 kit

No its not 

Its a really useful lens, image quality is better than a lot of people seem to think, its more down to the person behind the lens than the lens its self.

sanath444 wrote:

It is available locally for $250, supposedly unused. I like the 12mm wide end but not f6.3 at 50mm and the large size of lens, specially when mounted on my E-PM2. I have Oly 14-42, Sigma 19mm, Sigma 30mm and Konica 50mm 1.8

pros

very useful focal length range

usable macro mode

very good build quality and is weather proofed

cons

it's not fast

it's not sharp (at least my copy)

distortion @ 12mm

prone to flare/weak against bright light

Worth $250 imo, especially if you are not a pixel peeper.



sanath444 wrote:

It is available locally for $250, supposedly unused. I like the 12mm wide end but not f6.3 at 50mm and the large size of lens, specially when mounted on my E-PM2. I have Oly 14-42, Sigma 19mm, Sigma 30mm and Konica 50mm 1.8

If your already using the Olympus 14-42 I would not bother with the 12-50mm, sure its a nice lens and I have no complaints, how about spending that money on either the Pany 14mm or Olympus 45mm.

I think the 12-50 is a very underrated lens. I loved using it, the macro mode was pretty cool too.  I'd buy one again in a heartbeat.

If you want a weatherproof zoom with a good wide end, and weather-sealing, and you don't want the extra expense and/or bulk of the 12-35, than the 12-50 is your lens.

If you ask me, it's a no-brainer if you are getting it with the kit.  I take mine hiking a lot in snow and rain, and there is no replacement for it in that use.  Obviously, if you can afford a few primes and can change lenses all the time, that will give you better IQ and brighter apertures.  But they will have to pry my 12-50 from my cold dead hands!

It's plenty sharp at 12mm, and very usable at other focal lengths, though it does get a little soft at 50mm.  I'd still rather have 50mm than a kit lens with less range.  The macro mode and excellent video abilities are just gravy for me as well!

Wally

Yes it is, I have seen very good pictures in image quality. It is not small, but it has a macro feature that is very good.

Landscapephoto99 wrote:

One of the most versatile and best IQ of a kit lens I have used. It is also weatherproof which is nice for hiking in dusty / moist places.

I really appreciate the 35mm equiv. 24-100mm range, spot on for my usage.  While it can't compete with my Pan 20mm for sharpness, it gives great results provided one doesn't pixel peak it to death.

It came with my E-M5 in December, so nothing but winter photos for now, but I've been pleasantly surprised with it given some negative reviews.  Can't wait for spring!

Some samples (open originals for a much better sense of sharpness):

Its my most used lens on my OMD, and its small and discrete enough to take almost anywhere.



Aleo Veuliah wrote:

Yes it is, I have seen very good pictures in image quality. It is not small, but it has a macro feature that is very good.

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The lens is probably about a cm longer than my Panasonic 14-42, but its not as fat and it does not extend when zoomed, it also takes a tiny lens hood, this too keeps the size down.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3392249?post=50959694&image=0