Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2 Lens for Micro Four Thirds, Black, Bundle with 46mm Filter Kit and Lens Wrap

2025-05-26T20:21:38

This lens is small but packs a heavy punch. I've pushed it to its limits, taking photographs at night, and it does not disappoint. I've lowered my ISO to 200!, wide open, and get amazing shots. It is super light; you will barely feel it's there. I love how it has performed every time I've taken it out so far. I cannot recommend it enough, and its great value

Jorge B.

2023-12-21T12:09:44

An outstanding wide-angle lens. I just received this lens and have shot with it all day. I can't stop, the results are so great. I have shot indoors and outside with my OM-D EM-1 Mark III, and look forward to Astro-photography.

James B.

2021-06-20T20:00:00

This is the only prime lens I own for my E-M5. It works amazingly in many situations. I've shot landscapes, home interiors and the night sky. I'm always happy with the results.

Robert

Originally posted at

2018-11-08T19:00:00

I used bought this for landscape shots in Alaska and it did not disappoint. Small and compact this was one my go too lenses the entire trip. Easy focus, great color and sharp pictures...could not ask for more. I am by far not a professional photographer but with I found with just a little bit of practice prior to my trip the ease of using this particular lens. I would recommend this for your camera. I have a trip to Hawaii next year and I cannot wait to use it there as well.

robert

Originally posted at

2018-11-05T19:00:00

Pros: 1. perfect for landscape photography, absolutely amazing. No complain at all in this regard. 2. Manual focus allows you to take close up photos. This function isn't its marketed purpose but works somehow. 3.Addition to (2), equipped with MCON-P02, this lens's macro/close-up capability increases due to the decrease close distance. With manual focus, you can get some pretty decent macro as well. 4. Tiny + lightweight +beautiful exterior design. Cons: 1. The sharpness is tricky down to f2.8 or f2.0. Sometimes the edges can get too soft. This factor can sometimes kill the lens's major purpose, high aperture.

Max

Originally posted at

2017-05-01T12:30:18

Very versatile M43 lens. Great for video work because of that pesky olympus crop. Lens is sharp at all apertures but leaves a lot to be desired in the out of focus areas. Even for portraiture lens renders well but not the best. Dead silent auto-focusing and blazing fast to boot. Focus ring is solid and handy with range marks. Colors are the most vibrant for my Oly using this lens. I would rate it as number one vs; 20mm pany, 25mm oly, 45mm oly, 30mm pany, 14-150mm oly (all my M43 lenses) Extremely small and perfect for travel! 12mm that is about the same overall size as the oly 25mm and smaller with the hood make it perfect for street and travel. At f/2 it's great for night shots and astro-photography. Highly recommended for M43 shooters best lens behind the oly 45mm for me. I just wish it was weathersealed.

ERIC S.

2017-04-12T20:00:00

Excellent sharpness. Beautiful rendition of color even in low light. You can even shoot environmental portraits with it. It's stayed on my camera body for over a month now. Will be investing soon in another prime lens primarily just to have the option to shoot photos from closer up with a flatter profile than is possible with a wide angle lens. The build quality of this lens is nothing short of incredible.If you shoot landscapes or architecture save up for this lens or find it refurbished like I did. It's a dream to work with.

Adriana

Originally posted at

2017-03-26T20:00:00

This lens possesses some superb glass, and I typically use it in Manual Focus mode. I have seldom seem such sharp images, even when enlarged to 60 inches (1.5m) wide. However, the lens seems fragile; I have had pieces just fall off of it in the field, and had to return it twice for maintenance in the first 6 months. It has been fine for over a year now.

Craig

Originally posted at

2016-11-17T19:00:00

One of my favorite M43 lenses ever...BUT.... I bought this lens shortly after it came out, and immediately fell in love with how it renders images. I had it for three years, and then sold it when I changed systems. Two years later, I decided to get back into M43 and ordered another one. It was defective; soft throughout, and its output looked terrible. I exchanged it, and the second one had the old magic back....until I realized the entire left side was soft, even stopped down to f8. With great sadness I returned that one too. I still want to get a copy of this lens, but I really just want one that is as good as my original was, with even sharpness on both sides of the image, and that magical rendering that my first one had. However, after two tries and two defectives this time around, I'm not going to buy one again unless I can find a store that will let me compare them first in person.

Janet

Originally posted at

2016-05-18T20:00:00

99% of my street photography work is from this lens. Just love this little super sharp gem! Hardly remember when it missed autofocus. won awards and done multiple projects using this lens . Simply love it. Yes mind confessing that this lens helped earn my bread and butter. Love from India.

Neenad

Originally posted at

2016-01-18T19:00:00

This lenses is perfect for landscape photography. I love the manual focus switching feature. It's a must have for landscape. f2.0 is awesome for low light. I am stunned by how fast this lenses when I took shot inside the woods. The contrast is very rich. Build quality is good. It's small but it generates great photo with excellent sharpness. I don't have to carry a big camera and just focus the energy to take the best shot. Highly recommended!

Simon

Originally posted at

2016-01-09T09:58:50

Small, well-built and sharp, with a bright f2 maximum aperture. Autofocus is fast, and the manual focus is smooth and easy. It's pretty sharp even wide open, and gets sharper as you stop down. Would rate it 5 stars if it were a little cheaper, but if you want a good compact wide angle for m43, this is the one.

ALASDAIR M.

2015-11-19T19:00:00

I bought this lens for use underwater as it fits in the same dome port as my Panasonic 8mm Fisheye. It works great for shots where a fisheye distortion is distracting. However this lens is so much fun though it's now become my favourite lens for everyday shots. Pair it with an OMD E-M5, set auto iso up to 6400 and get amazing low light performance. Shots at f2 are super sharp, and get some nice bokeh too. Build quality is great and I love the snap-ring to switch between manual and autofocus.

tsg

Originally posted at

2015-05-24T20:00:00

I have used the 9-18 UWA for several years and loved especially the 9mm wide end for landscape and cities. The 12mm f2.0 was on my list for some time and a few months ago I decided it was time to get it. I just returned from a trip to St. Augustine FL, Savannah GA and Charleston SC and finally the great Smoky Mountain National Park. This lens performed much better than expected. The 12mm WA is ideal as a walk around lens in cities and perfect for landscape. I am very pleased with the high resolution and contrast. My landscape pictures are incredibly detailed and sharp in the corners at f4, my standard f-stop. The f2 works well for available light like inside buildings. I am glad That I finally own this excellent lens. I only wish Olympus would include the special lens shade, it should be a requirement for any WA lens.

John

Originally posted at

2015-04-06T20:00:00

I've owned this lens for about 2 months now, and have thoroughly enjoyed it so far. Great for landscapes, street shots, and architecture. Pictures are extremely sharp, and the fast aperture is great for low light (indoor photography or dusk/dawn shots can be hand held with longer shutter speeds if needed). I rated the lens 4 stars, because I think it's slightly overpriced for what it is, and also because its advertised as a "portrait and landscape lens", but I think the distortion is a little extreme for it to be useful in most portrait shots.

Brendan

Originally posted at

2015-04-03T20:00:00

No, this isn't the cheapest wide lens out there. But it's sharp as a tack, optically fast, and gives you the added benefit of a manual focus ring with distance scale. For me, this is the ideal lens for museums -- many have low lighting, won't allow flash or monopods, and so can be a photographic challenge. With the manual focus ring, it's also fantastic for nighttime street shooting (particularly once you get used to zone focusing). Oh, and did I mention it's tiny? You can easily slip this little gem in the pocket of even a very light jacket and hardly notice it's there.

Eric

Originally posted at

2015-04-01T20:00:00

This is an excellent lens. The image quality is excellent in general but as you would expect it is best stopped down slightly. The wide aperture is wonderful and the lens still maintains good sharpness wide open. The build quality is excellent. It would be desirable for this lens to be weather sealed.

rk

Originally posted at

2014-10-23T20:00:00

Metal construction, fast maximum aperture, snap ring for manual focus, great focus feel, zone focusing, and my favourite focal length. Not surprisingly I use this lens a lot. Optically it is not quite the star that the 45 is, with some vignetting, and a trace of soft corners wide open, quite high levels of distortion, and only very good, as opposed to stellar, resolution. However, all these need to be taken in context: it is still very good indeed. Only the very, very fussy will ever find it less than perfect. I'm very much enjoying it - a pleasure to use, and good results.

acampm

Originally posted at

2014-10-23T20:00:00

I bought this lens in October 2011 and have been using it for five months. I use it for landscape, street, and low-light photography. It is generally a good lens in terms of colour rendition and lack of distortion. However, it is not as sharp as I expected it to be. In fact, I have been disappointed in this regard. The build quality is very good - metal all round, with some play in the focus ring. The focus ring allows for zone focusing. However, its usefulness is hampered by the fact that the only markings are for f2, f5.6 and f11. Of these, only the middle one is useful (diffraction has set in by f11). To conclude, the lens is generally good but does not achieve the levels of excellence that would be expected for a US $800+ lens. I think $500 would be more realistic.

newzild

Originally posted at

2014-10-23T20:00:00

I bought the M. Zuiko 12mm 2.0 primarily as a landscape lens, but also as a low-light option in social situations. It does those jobs quite well, but not as well as it should for the price. Build quality: Is good. The lens has a metal barrel and the glass has clearly been coated. However, there is a little bit of "play" in the focus ring, and the lens is not water or dust sealed. Image quality: Is good. The lens produces minimal distortion (after in-camera software corrections), minimal chromatic aberration and is quite resistant to flare. However, it is not as sharp as it should be. I have been disappointed with the amount of sharpness that I have been achieving across the frame. Value: Is rather poor. A prime lens in this price bracket should be tack-sharp across the frame and preferably be weather sealed. Zone focusing: The lens has a distance scale on the focus ring. I have found this useful for zone focusing while shooting landscapes. However, the ring is marked only for f2, f5.6 and f11, and of these only the middle one is useful (diffraction has set in by f11).

NZ S.

Originally posted at

2014-10-23T20:00:00

Finally a high quality 24mm equivalent. This lens compliments the new 16MP sensor brilliantly. Ignore those who only read lens reports and deem the performance of this lens to be anything less than outstanding. The sharpness across the field is excellent and contrast superb. It's not inexpensive but then quality design and construction comes at a price. My only complaint involves the lens hood.. it should be included. All in all this is one lens I never want to leave at home.

f311

Originally posted at

2014-10-23T20:00:00

This lens is one of the sharpest lenses I have ever used. I took it on a trip to Indonesia and the images from this lens came out the sharpest out of the 8 cameras and 10 lenses that I took. I use it on my E-PL3 and it is the perfect combo. At first I was a little hesitate on the price but there are many things in photography that you get what you pay for. If you want sharp glass, fast aperture, and beautiful design then I did not mind forking over the money for this lens once I took it out on the field and shot. Olympus - please make more lenses like this one. More primes!

Anonymous

Originally posted at

2014-10-23T20:00:00

the M.Zuiko comes as a shockingly sharp lens. It is quick, silent, and the resolution is dead. I like the lens in low light street and for documentaries. his lens captures what you dream after you've shot.

Blindmanshooting

Originally posted at

2014-10-23T20:00:00

This lens far surpasses my expectations. I was somewhat disappointed with the kit zoom. When I mounted this lens on my Pen E-PL3, it became a new camera. Yes, this lens is that good. The push-pull manual focus ring is brilliant. The f/2 aperture is highly useful, and crisp even wide open; it is why I bought the lens. Optimum sharpness seems to come around f/3.5 or f/4, but I have no hesitation to set the lens at f/2 and just shoot. And yes, I consider the value excellent despite the price. I want top performance and nothing in µ4/3 competes with this lens. It is a near-perfect prime.

Hiker J.

Originally posted at

2013-04-05T21:00:00

This is not exactly the cheapest lens in the M4/3 lineup, but any M4/3 user looking to go wider than 28mm (35mm equivalent) should definitely consider this lens. The pictures produced by this lens are equally contrasty and punchy compared to those produced by my top-of-the-line fast wide-angle zoom lens for my APS-C system, while giving better corner-to-corner sharpness wide open. I have not used other M4/3 wide and ultrawide zooms before, but I believe that it would be difficult for a zoom lens to achieve a similar level of image quality.

KHAN L.

2011-07-30T21:00:00

Got the Olympus 12mm f/2 lens for M4/3 mount about a week ago and have had a chance to play with it a bit. Many people like me use the micro four-thirds cameras with old 35mm manual-focus film lenses adapted to them, which, based on the field of view you get, effectively multiplies the focal length of the lens by two (a 50mm lens gives a field of view like a 100mm in 35mm equivalent). This can work very well, but the limitation to that kind of setup is in getting a fast ultra-wide angle that's of any real quality, particularly wide open. This Olympus lens is the answer and fills the void. It's pricey, but it's all the wide I need at a 24mm equivalent field of view. At f/2, it's fast enough to shoot in very low light hand-held. I shot with it at f/2 to see how it does, and this lens is a VERY good performer wide open. I'll post a few examples wide open from a quick walkaround. Auto focus is nearly silent, fast, and accurate. In very low light, you may be better focusing manually (if you know what you're doing) because it can be made to hunt. Manual focus mode, which you get by pulling a ring back on the lens (I also switch my camera to MF because I don't want the viewfinder image magnified), feels good -- almost but not quite like using an old manual lens. But it is very close. There is a very slight amount of play before the manual focus catches, and I contacted Olympus to make sure that's normal. They were very helpful and told me their brand-new copy of the lens had that same approximately 1/16" of play mine does when turning the manual focus ring in different directions. As I say, though, focusing manually has very solid feel and is effective to use. There's not much wrong with this lens, and I'll tell you it's something of a marvel. There are a few gripes I'll give you; shooting with the lens in bright sun, flare is very well controlled but you can encounter situations where a lens hood would improve image quality and keep glare off the lens. The shade Olympus has for this lens, LH-48, is tough to come by/unavailable and should have just been included at this price point. The right aftermarket alternative is probably a better bet -- but be very careful what you use, because the wrong hood will definitely cause vignetting. Get a step-up ring from 46mm to a larger filter size because just about any 46mm-filter-thread hood you screw on is going to cause some vignetting and won't be wide enough for this puppy. A lens pouch would have been nice to include, too, but it isn't. In terms of overall build quality, the lens doesn't feel quite as substantial or solid as high-quality old 35mm manual focus lenses do...it's a bit lighter and feels more "hollow." But it's pretty close and does feel great, as I say, particularly compared to most plasticy lenses these days. This one's pro quality, but don't romp on it. There are alternatives, but this lens has the light-gathering speed available-light photographers need and seems to be a very solid performer (very sharp and contrasty from wide open; out-of-focus area rendering superb; excellent control of lateral color fringing; focuses close enough for good versatility) that make it pretty much *THE* lens to have if looking for this focal length for the pro or serious enthusiast using M4/3.

AARON M.