I can recommend the LEICA 12-60mm / F2.8-4.0 ASPH, it doesn't say Panasonic on it, says LEICA DG VARIO-ELMARIT on the barrel and around the front element, and doesn't feel like other Panasonic zooms. It's tightly engineered, all metal construction, even the zoom/focus rings are finely machined metal (not rubber grips). It's a really good lens. And there are some nice innovations in it, that make gear heads like me go nuts. Dual element focus (two groups each with linear motors). There seem to be some improvements in autofocus speed but primary a really, really close focus distance. This is great!

The focusing was swift and quiet, the optical stabilisation achieved up to six stops in my tests, and like all of Panasonic and Leica’s collaborations, the build quality is excellent with smooth mechanics and a weather-sealed body; and once again, that relatively compact barrel means it’ll squeeze into bags or pouches that other telephotos may struggle with. The best choice, if affordable and size is not a problem, is to buy the Oly 12-40 and the Oly 40-150. This gives you superb IQ and F2.8 from 12-150.

So I would say if you want a good closeup lens, the 40-150 Pro and a TC option is great, for sharpness differences at or around 200mm, any differences are minimal, aside for a slightly faster shutter speed. To summarize, I find that the MC-20 at the probably >225mm lengths is going to be better than cropping the bare lens, provided that there is enough light. The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro telezoom has a very decent close-focus point of 0.7m, but this was achieved in a way that causes noticeable focus breathing at the 150mm end of the zoom range. It is a widely known fact that the angle of view of a lens depends not only on the focal length but also on the focus distance set, and this effect is particularly pronounced on this lens. While at infinity, the diagonal angle of view is essentially the same as with any other 300mm equivalent optic, there is a marked difference at shorter focus distances. The following shots were taken at a distance of a bit over 1.5m, or 5 feet. The first photo was taken with the new M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro lens at 150mm: Distortion is well corrected in camera, but without corrections applied, Imatest still only detected 0.342% pincushion distortion at 40mm being replaced with only 0.327% pincushion distortion at 150mm. This extremely mild amount of distortion should pose few issues for day-to-day shooting. Neither Oly lens fulfills a critical need for me, but they would make taking photos more convenient in some situations.

Whether this is a sensible trade-off depends on your photography. If you shoot moving subjects in poor light, the twice-as-bright F2.8 will give you more light at faster shutter speeds, ideal for avoiding motion blur and noisy high ISOs. And because it passes more light, autofocus tends to work better. While it’s small and comparatively light the M.Zuiko 40-150mm f2.8 Pro nonetheless feels like a solid piece of optical engineering. The zoom and focus rings have a textured finish that provides a secure comfortable grip and the motion of the zoom ring is super-smooth with enough resistance to maintain the set focal length without creeping if the lens is pointed up or down. A collapsible circular hood is supplied with this lens, which does an excellent job of shading the lens from extraneous light that may cause issues with loss of contrast or flare. Even without the hood in place, this lens is very resistant to flare and contrast levels are retained well when shooting into the light.

Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro M.Zuiko Digital ED User Reviews

Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more. The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm can be bought on its own, or in a kit with the MC-14, a 1.4x teleconversion lens that goes between the lens and the camera body, as shown in the picture below. Storm clouds and drizzle early in the day looked like the perfect conditions for putting the lens’s weather sealing to the test, but the sun broke through in true British fashion so we’ll just have to wait until our final review sample arrives (hopefully in the next few weeks) before we can subject it to a soaking and see how it performs in this respect. While not technically a macro lens, the Olympus 40-150mm ƒ/2.8 is rather unique for its close-focusing ability. From the end of the front of the lens, photographers can focus down as close as 20 inches (though considering the length of the lens, the true minimum focus distance to the focal plane is 27.6 inches, or 0.7 meters). This provides a magnification ratio of 0.21x (1:4.8) or 0.42x (1:2.4) in 35mm eq. for some great near-macro shooting capabilities.

When you zoom, you should note that the Olympus 40-150 F4 Pro will expand to roughly the same length as the F2.8 Pro. Nonetheless, the Olympus 40-150mm F4 remains a more convenient traveling partner. For the price difference between the two lenses, we would absolutely recommend the MC-20 –not only does it deliver super telephoto range for sports and wildlife shooting, it also doubles the magnification for super telephoto macro shooting. If you shoot a lot of fast action in varying amounts of light, the twice-as-bright 40-150mm F2.8 Pro is more likely to get the shot while keeping those image-degrading ISO’s low.

Hi Richard. The “volume of light” argument has been thoroughly discredited! There is no magic going on whereby having a larger lit area provide “better” pixels — which is a measure of pixel size, not sensor size. Similar to vignetting, geometric distortion is practically nonexistent on this lens. At all focal lengths, the level of barrel distortion sits just a hair above the zero mark. If you're looking for a distortion-free zoom lens for portraiture, for example, or don't want to stretch or crop your images with distortion correction post-processing, the 40-150mm ƒ/2.8 is a clear winner. Of course, the µ4/3rds image will be 1/4 the area, and if you blow it up to have the same print size as the full-frame image, it will have less DoF. But what you’ve done in that case is you’ve enlarged the pixels — depth-of-field is dependent on reproduction ratio! Which is where the “Fool Frame Fanatics” come up with their DoF goofiness. The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro telezoom ships with a detachable tripod collar. When attached, it allows camera rotation, eliminating the need to tilt the tripod head for switching from landscape to portrait orientation or vice versa. There are markings on the lens barrel to show 90° rotation points. The size of the foot is well matched to the weight and bulk of the lens. Although not the first M.ZUIKO Pro series lens to feature a dust, splash and freezeproof construction (this goes to the M.ZUIKO Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8), it’s the first telephoto lens in the range that’s been made to withstand the severity of professional use.