Oly 12-40 f2.8 Pro + 1.4TC - any good?

I am torn between getting an Olympus 12-40 F2.8 or a Panasonic 12-35 f2.8 to go on my Panasonic GX7 (which does have in-body stabilisation). But have a few questions that I hope some of you may be able to help me with:

1) Does the Oly 1.4TC (from the 40-150 F2.8 Pro) fit the Oly 12-40 as well?

2) Does the Oly 12-40 F2.8 focus quickly, on the GX7 (or any other Panasonic camera) ?

3) Which is generally sharpest across the frame at F2.8 at all zoom settings?

PS. I do need the F2.8 to shoot indoor fast sport, so stopping down is not a preferable option ... even though I realise that with a 1.4TC I will loose a full stop of light.

If anyone can help me with any of these queries I would much appreciate it.

Thanks.

Adrian Harris wrote:

1) Does the Oly 1.4TC (from the 40-150 F2.8 Pro) fit the Oly 12-40 as well?

Only fits the 40-150 f2.8 right now.  Should fit the 300 f4 once that is released.

coldfire22x wrote:

Adrian Harris wrote:

1) Does the Oly 1.4TC (from the 40-150 F2.8 Pro) fit the Oly 12-40 as well?

Only fits the 40-150 f2.8 right now. Should fit the 300 f4 once that is released.

Oh that is a shame, as I already have the 40-150 + the 1.4TC the extra versatility would have swung the decision.

Adrian Harris wrote:

I am torn between getting an Olympus 12-40 F2.8 or a Panasonic 12-35 f2.8 to go on my Panasonic GX7 (which does have in-body stabilisation). But have a few questions that I hope some of you may be able to help me with:

2) Does the Oly 12-40 F2.8 focus quickly, on the GX7 (or any other Panasonic camera) ?

YES! On the GX1, GX7 and GX8.

The 12-40mm is a good match with the GX7.

I chose the 12-40mm over the 12-35mm for a few reasons. The extra reach, tests I've seen seem to indicate it's a bit sharper, the focus clutch is a nice feature, especially when coupled with it's close focus ability for near-macro shooting.

Skeeterbytes wrote:

I almost hate doing this but will toss out the potential for pairing the 12-40 with the 75/1.8. Makes a great two-lens kit that excels in low-light.

Teleconverters seem to not be an easy thing in m4/3. The original 4/3 system has two great ones that can pair with many lenses.

Cheers,

Rick

it's a great combo that I use when traveling

Adrian Harris wrote:

coldfire22x wrote:

Adrian Harris wrote:

1) Does the Oly 1.4TC (from the 40-150 F2.8 Pro) fit the Oly 12-40 as well?

Only fits the 40-150 f2.8 right now. Should fit the 300 f4 once that is released.

Oh that is a shame, as I already have the 40-150 + the 1.4TC the extra versatility would have swung the decision.

The 12-40 has a little more reach and a closer minimum focusing distance but is bigger and heavier than the 12-35.

In the end, you can't really go wrong with either though.

Thank you for all your advice, much appreciated. 
Update: I got to road-test a GX8 today (with the 12-35)  and am keen to 'upgrade', But I really would prefer the Oly 12-40 (and that little bit of extra reach will be extremely useful for Roller Derby), but my agonising choice now is that The GX8 is currently being offered at a great price as a package with the Panny 12-35 f2.8 pro, so the Oly would end up costing me about £300 more if I bought the Gx8 separately
.....sadly I am not well off

If only one was rich (money-wise).

Adrian Harris wrote:

Thank you for all your advice, much appreciated.
Update: I got to road-test a GX8 today (with the 12-35) and am keen to 'upgrade', But I really would prefer the Oly 12-40 (and that little bit of extra reach will be extremely useful for Roller Derby), but my agonising choice now is that The GX8 is currently being offered at a great price as a package with the Panny 12-35 f2.8 pro, so the Oly would end up costing me about £300 more if I bought the Gx8 separately
.....sadly I am not well off

If only one was rich (money-wise).

Get the GX8 kit with the 14-140mm II.

Or just get the GX8 + 12-35mm kit and sell the 12-32mm.

Zenodroid wrote:

The discussion on the 1.4 tc on 12-40mm f2.8 pro, died fast. Since we are in 2020 now, does it work together now? Will it give any benefit over the 12-100mm?

No.

See you in 2025.

Zenodroid wrote:

The discussion on the 1.4 tc on 12-40mm f2.8 pro, died fast. Since we are in 2020 now, does it work together now? Will it give any benefit over the 12-100mm?

No, and it never will. The TC needs to extend into the back of the lens. There's no space on the 12-40.

"I am torn between getting an Olympus 12-40 F2.8 or a Panasonic 12-35 f2.8 togo on my Panasonic GX7 (which does have in-body stabilisation).""

My view is that you would be better off getting a used Zuiko 12-60 f2.8-4 and m4/3 adapter.  I've been struggling with replacing this lens with a more modern m.zuiko lens but I have not been able to find a suitable replacement lens.  (so I'm keeping the 12-60 Zuiko for now).  My body is an OM-D M1 mkiii.

What can really replace the Zuiko 12-60?

The m.zuiko 12-40 f2.8 is a contender but it has less range and is arguably not any sharper than the 12-60.

The m.zuiko 12-45 f4 is also a contender but like the 12-40 has less range and is a full stop slower than the 12-60 on the wide end.

The m.zuiko 12-100 f4 is the closest to a replacement for a 4/3 to m4/3 lens.  It has better range, not sure about sharpness, and again is a full stop slower at the wide end.  It's not a small lens so the motivation of getting a m4/3 lens to replace the 12-60 with a more compact m4/3 lens goes away.  The 12-100 is just as big as the 12-60 with m4/3 adapter attached.

The only real advantage I can see with replacing the 12-60 with one of the above would be for shooting video.  The 12-60 does not support continuous auto-focus and I expect all of the above lenses would.

Adrian Harris wrote:

I am torn between getting an Olympus 12-40 F2.8 or a Panasonic 12-35 f2.8 to go on my Panasonic GX7 (which does have in-body stabilisation). But have a few questions that I hope some of you may be able to help me with:

1) Does the Oly 1.4TC (from the 40-150 F2.8 Pro) fit the Oly 12-40 as well?

2) Does the Oly 12-40 F2.8 focus quickly, on the GX7 (or any other Panasonic camera) ?

3) Which is generally sharpest across the frame at F2.8 at all zoom settings?

PS. I do need the F2.8 to shoot indoor fast sport, so stopping down is not a preferable option ... even though I realise that with a 1.4TC I will loose a full stop of light.

If anyone can help me with any of these queries I would much appreciate it.

Thanks.

Why not thinking about the PL12-60?

Is the F/4 a showstopper ?

Jeff Wahaus wrote:

"I am torn between getting an Olympus 12-40 F2.8 or a Panasonic 12-35 f2.8 togo on my Panasonic GX7 (which does have in-body stabilisation)."

I bought a 12-40mm f2.8 for my GX7 and had no issues. The GX7's IBIS was certainly adequate for that lens' range. If it were okay, I'd probably opt for the PL 12-60mm f2.8-4. Still, the constant aperture is more appealing than losing 2 stops at full zoom.

My view is that you would be better off getting a used Zuiko 12-60 f2.8-4 and m4/3 adapter. I've been struggling with replacing this lens with a more modern m.zuiko lens but I have not been able to find a suitable replacement lens. (so I'm keeping the 12-60 Zuiko for now). My body is an OM-D M1 mkiii.

What can really replace the Zuiko 12-60?

The adaptor adds cost and weight. That lens' AF would be sub-par compared to any of the modern, designed for M4/3 zooms mentioned above.

The m.zuiko 12-40 f2.8 is a contender but it has less range and is arguably not any sharper than the 12-60.

The 12-40mm's close focusing ability (plus the extra range) was one of the main reasons I bought it instead of the 12-35mm f2.8. The snap-back manual focus ring is a nice addition, too.

The m.zuiko 12-100 f4 is the closest to a replacement for a 4/3 to m4/3 lens. It has better range, not sure about sharpness, and again is a full stop slower at the wide end. It's not a small lens so the motivation of getting a m4/3 lens to replace the 12-60 with a more compact m4/3 lens goes away. The 12-100 is just as big as the 12-60 with m4/3 adapter attached.

Both are rather unwieldy for a GX7, being essentially all-day lenses, although I happily used a 100-300mm with my GX7, but that was used more for targeted, short term shooting, not all day.

Jeff Wahaus wrote:

"I am torn between getting an Olympus 12-40 F2.8 or a Panasonic 12-35 f2.8 togo on my Panasonic GX7 (which does have in-body stabilisation).""

My view is that you would be better off getting a used Zuiko 12-60 f2.8-4 and m4/3 adapter. I've been struggling with replacing this lens with a more modern m.zuiko lens but I have not been able to find a suitable replacement lens. (so I'm keeping the 12-60 Zuiko for now). My body is an OM-D M1 mkiii.

What can really replace the Zuiko 12-60?

The m.zuiko 12-40 f2.8 is a contender but it has less range and is arguably not any sharper than the 12-60.

The m.zuiko 12-45 f4 is also a contender but like the 12-40 has less range and is a full stop slower than the 12-60 on the wide end.

The m.zuiko 12-100 f4 is the closest to a replacement for a 4/3 to m4/3 lens. It has better range, not sure about sharpness, and again is a full stop slower at the wide end. It's not a small lens so the motivation of getting a m4/3 lens to replace the 12-60 with a more compact m4/3 lens goes away. The 12-100 is just as big as the 12-60 with m4/3 adapter attached.

The only real advantage I can see with replacing the 12-60 with one of the above would be for shooting video. The 12-60 does not support continuous auto-focus and I expect all of the above lenses would.

The FTs 12-60 SWD is a very good lens.  I used it as my wide/normal zoom until an Olympus trade in ($200 for any lens) plus $100 off sale price.  I really haven't used the 12-60 since I got the 12-100.  It is on my E-M1.1 in case there is a situation where I want the 12mm f2.8.  However, unless something is moving, the extra dual stabilization of the 12-100 more than compensates for the one stop aperture loss at 12mm.

The 12-100 is easily as sharp as the 12-60 and it focuses far more quickly and accurately, especially on anything moving.  The extra 40mm focal length makes it the ideal general purpose lens.  It is mounted on my E-M1.2 and only removed if I need the 50-200mm SWD for a telephoto zoom.  The 300mm f4 stays on the E-M1.3.