Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm F4.0 Pro Review: Size Hardly Matters
Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-45mm F4.0 Pro Test: Small but robust
"The Olympus 12-45 mm 1: 4 is the smallest in its class and a breeze."
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Built to last
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Very compact
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Macro focus
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Sharp
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Affordable
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F / 4 is limited to Micro Four Thirds
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No manual focus switch or focus scale
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Some barrel distortion
When you take the mirror out of the camera, a smaller housing is created. With lenses, however, nothing needs to be removed to achieve a smaller look. While some brands have been able to save a few ounces, lenses still lag far behind in portability. However, the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45 mm F4.0 Pro is the most compact and lightest of all lenses in this class.
Part of that is thanks to the smaller Micro Four Thirds format, but this new 12-45mm is still impressively small. According to Olympus, there are almost 190 precision-made parts in the 2.76-inch long housing of the lens. Despite the size, Olympus managed to achieve the highest level of macroeconomic ability, excellent sharpness and weather protection.
The question is whether the smaller size and lower price can offset a narrower aperture compared to Olympus' existing f / 2.8 option. We combined the lens with the new Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III to find out.
Design features
Weighing just under 9 ounces, the Olympus 12-45mm 1: 4 Pro is a lens that feels well balanced on the front of a mirrorless body. Olympus says it's the most compact and lightest in its class, but the Four Thirds sensor with its 2-fold crop factor already gives it an advantage as the lens is compared to 24-90mm full frame lenses.
While the lens is light, Olympus hasn't left out the weather seal. My test device survived accidental dousing by an ocean wave and was no worse for wear.
The Olympus 12-45 mm 1: 4 consists of 12 elements in nine groups, including the optical Zuiko extra-low reflection coating to combat flares and ghosting.
The lens is made of metal and lies well in the hand. However, the smaller size leaves less space for controls, just the zoom and focus ring. Both are smooth and easy to adjust.
In contrast to many other Olympus lenses, the focus ring is not retracted to switch to manual focus. There is also no place for a focus scale.
The Olympus 12-45 mm 1: 4 Pro not only covers a decent zoom range, but also offers almost macro levels with a 0.5x playback ratio (35 mm equivalent) over the entire zoom range. This creates a high degree of versatility with such a small lens, so you can switch from wide-angle to medium-telephoto to macro without having to change the lenses.
The autofocus was able to keep up with the subjects quickly and accurately. It didn't seem to struggle or hunt back and forth even with limited lighting, a good sign of a relatively slow lens.
Image quality & examples
This pro in the name is small, but it brings the 12-45 mm in the high-end lens family from Olympus – and it shows. Overall, the lens takes some sharp, colorful pictures, while most distortion remains low.
The sharpness is excellent in the entire zoom range, even when the shots are wide open. There is a subtle difference between 1: 4 and 1: 5, but with such a small amount, this is probably not important for real recordings.
The lens has a slight vignette on the corners at 12 mm and 45 mm. Both are small enough to undo post-processing.
At 12 mm there is a noticeable barrel distortion, which decreases as you enlarge it. With a wide-angle zoom, the distortion is not out of the norm and can be corrected with a few changes afterwards. As soon as machining programs support the lens, a quick profile correction should be an even faster solution.
Overall, Flare is well controlled. At the wrong angle, the light creates a small green torch. Smaller light sources also tend to starburst.
Chromatic aberration was also difficult to find. I spotted some light purple and blue edges along high contrast objects on the edge of the frame, but I really had to look for them.
While the image quality is solid, the 1: 4 aperture is not very bright for a pro lens. In combination with the Micro Four Thirds format, it is therefore more difficult to obtain smooth, creamy backgrounds. It is also a bad combination for shooting in low light. Given the lens' focus on portability, these are compromises that customers are likely to accept.
Our opinion
The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm F4.0 Pro, available for around $ 650 from April 7, is a solid little lens that lets you take great pictures. The robust construction and small size mix with the almost macro-capable functions and the long range to create a lens that is likely to spend a lot of time on the camera.
However, the smaller size eliminates some common design elements, such as simply switching from automatic to manual focus and a focus scale. The narrower aperture of 1: 4 is also not ideal in every scenario.
How long it will take?
The metal construction and weatherproofing should help this lens be used for several years and is unlikely to be replaced for many years.
Is there a better option?
Yes – if you have a larger budget and a little more space in your camera bag. The M.Zuiko ED 12-40 mm 1: 2.8 Pro has the same robust construction and is also designed for high-end image quality. However, it's 4.5 ounces heavier and about $ 350 more.
Should you buy it
Yes. Buy the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm F4.0 Pro if you need a compact wide-angle zoom that delivers excellent image quality but doesn't require a large aperture.
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