Hello. You are absolutely right about this photo lens, 12-32mm. It's impressive. Small, invisible, and with exceptional performance. And at this size, it also has image stabilization. I received it together with the Lumix GX9 camera and I really liked it. Now I ordered one with a metal mount from MPB. I keep it in a package with a Leica Lumix 25mm F/1.4 (first version). Together they are my travel kit. Honestly, I really don't feel the need for anything else. And as a parenthesis, there are some people who claim that it would not be ok for the landscape. Nothing more wrong. It's great for the landscape :)
Got this lens with My GX 80 and find myself using it a lot. The focal lengths I tend to use most are 28, 35 and 50mm (M43 equivalents) and this covers them all nicely. I do have the prime 14mm and 25mm but this seems to get more use for convenience and just using the primes in lower light.
Great review. I’ll add a couple of things for perspective. In my career as a photography trainer and pro shooter I’ve comprehensively tested many many lenses. This one probably surprised me the most. Here is a summary, the negatives first. Sure, no manual focus on Olympus and it’s messy on Panasonic cameras. Slow like most kit lenses. Now the good stuff, this lens really performs. I ran a back to back against the Lumix 20mm f1.7, surprise… at f5 it beat the 20mm, right out into the corners. Conclusion, unless you need the faster apertures it’s a better general choice. The real surprise was when I pitted it against the Oly 12-45. F2.8, at 25mm f5.1 it was sharper right across the frame than the Oly at the same aperture! At 12mm there was very little between the expensive Pro Oly and the diminutive Panasonic, just a little better corner resolution but stopped down to f5 they were line ball. Compared to the 14-42mm kit lenses ( I have two models) the tiny 12-32 takes the medal at most focal lengths. Just a couple of things of note regarding my testing. To get a true handle on a lenses potential I turn off all lens corrections, test only in Raw and carefully tune CA in the file processing stage. If you shoot JPEGs your results may vary depending on the camera and settings applied in camera. The one thing I’d change is to use an adapter ring and fit a collapsible rubber lens hood, the lens is a little flare prone. It will also produce some very minor blue fringing on specular highlights, these can be sorted in post and at normal viewing say 50% are invisible. Sharpness at all focal lengths reduces at any aperture smaller than f6.3, by f11 diffraction is playing havoc with fine details, pretty much like all M4/3 lenses. If you want to shoot at the provided focal lengths and don’t need wide apertures this lens will deliver far beyond its price point.
@@ultimateiphonedng8756 me to i have pro lens but this lens suprise me with olympus om5. The autofocus and sharpnis is bettet than pro version olynpus.i was chok with the result
I bought two cameras that came with 12-32 and 12-60 kit lens on each. Both of them got good reputations of being “one of, if not THE best kit lens”. I shot with both of them for sometime and decided to sell the 12-60. The smaller 12-32 is slightly sharper but it is so tiny that you won’t believe how small the form factor is until you see it. In general, great little gem from Panasonic.
When I bought my GX9 I opted to buy the 12-35 f2.8 version separately, which I love I kept the 14-42 which came originally with my GX7. I'm like a Magpie - I kept that also 😂 I've the 17mm prime and the 45-150mm and the Samyang 7.5 mm Fisheye, so I think I've enough 😱 I might go out and take some photos at some stage? 😂
I'm looking for a very compact, versatile lens to fit to a GX9 and use as a 'pocket camera'. This looks ideal. Thanks for the review. Nice collection of images at the end.
Many thanks for your recommendation Brian - nice set of images BTW. Just purchased a used one in excellent condition for just over 100 quid, and using it on a GX8 with some great results!
Got this as a kit lens with my GX80, my first 'proper' digital camera. I mostly wanted to shoot wildlife reference photos so I got a 45-200mm lens soon after, and the 12-32 got relegated to backup, for the infrequent moments when I saw a nice landscape opportunity. Also, yes, I picked up the general consensus that kit lenses are mediocre, and with not much frame* of reference I started to look down on it for that. But I've started to get a bit of interest in landscape and street photography recently, swotting up on FF 35 and 50mm lenses and realising the 12-32 covered both of those focal lengths in MFT. I think I might still like to get something like a 20mm 1.7 to play with, and for that extra light (and like you say, cheap as chips!) but I've also watched some videos like this, about the 12-32, and I'm starting to feel guilty about neglecting it for so long... * MFT or otherwise. 😉
Thanks! This the kind of info that I need. I am just an amateur, not a real amateur. The difference is that I love experimenting with my Olympus OMD and taking pictures. Real amateurs spend their time talking about equipment and walking around with a lens at least 1 foot long. I noticed that I see many of them here in photogenic Switserland on sunny days, but none on overcast days with a chance of rain. Strange, because their equipment is of course PRO and weather sealed.
I do not consider myself at all a professional except on the technical side as I am a physicist. Yes I have huge lenses for wildlife and astrophotography but my favourite 'carry' lenses are the little ones, the pancakes, the remarkably small PZ45-175, etc. It is a pity that Panasonic and Olympus have chosen to differentiate their lens systems because when I started with MFT you could swap makes and have the same capabilities with the lens. If you use both Olympus and Panasonic backs as I do, then Panasonic still offer the best lens system, up to the point where Olympus Body-IS cannot handle the longest lenses, but they do allow us to switch over to Lens-IS, whereas Panasonic give us no choice in the matter. Long lenses, over about 100mm depending on weight, seem to prefer Lens-IS, rule of thumb. Most people use their phone to take photos, so anyone who uses a proper camera must be an enthusiast ;) Whilst we do not get the torrential alpine storms in England, we are justly famous for our rain to the extent that english people can predict when it is going to rain or not. No camera system, weather sealed or not, appreciates being drenched. Few people like getting rained upon and can miss out on some good 'moody' photos in the rain. Back when we only had film, it wasn't very fast, and you could only take photos if the sun was out, or use the flash.
The 12-32mm is a great and tiny lens, sharp and fast focussing, such a useful focal range as a 'walkabout' lens. I got one with a GX80 I once owned, and sold when I bought a GX9. But I had to buy the lens again! I also paid only £99, but a point to look out for is that many copies of the lens have a plastic lens mount, seemingly fewer have a metal lens mount, which I specifically checked for. But this 12-32mm and the little 42.5mm f1.7 (Lumix or Zuiko) make a great combo', easily pocket sized.
I'm looking to get this lens with a gx80 too but the lack of manual focus ring is putting me off a little, what do you think? Is it a noticeable drawback?
I had this lens as a (brilliant) kit lens with my Pan GX7, bought in an amazing deal (also had Pan 20mm f1.7, extra battery, camera case, and £100 cashback!!!) just before they discontinued that camera. I already had the Oly 12-40mm f2.8 Pro which came as a kit lens (!) with my Oly EM5MII, so it's criminally underused. It's probably the most redundant lens I've got, but I can't see me ever selling it just cause for what it is it's great. I just saw the lens as an extra bonus when I got the deal, but it far exceeded expectations regardless of how much I've used it. In many ways those two lenses are completely different, other than a very similar focal range. The Oly is huge, heavy, obvious, and bright. The Pan is tiny, light, discreet, and very mediocre when it comes to light gathering. Because I have a few primes I mainly use the Oly for holidays, where I use it mainly in bright sun, so there's no reason why I couldn't take the less bright more discreet Pan instead and look less like a tourist, as the image quality isn't obviously as good as the Pro lens, but it's fine for holiday snaps. The only reason I don't is I quite often find the 40mm restrictive as it is, so I'd struggle even more with the 32mm of the Pan... (I intend to eventually get the 12-200 or maybe even 12-100 as a dedicated holiday and all purpose lens later on, and keep the 12-40 for museum/indoors/night time holiday shots). Saying that, the only time I remember taking the 12-32 with me on a day trip was to Birmingham, and I got a couple of lovely pictutes of the Bullring despite being at night. If Olympus are still making tiny Pen cameras in a couple of years, or even a Pen F Mark II, I'm going to get one specifically to carry around in my pocket with either this lens or one of the pancake primes attached. At the moment though I primarily want to replace my aging EM5MII and GX7 with the EM5MIII (or IV or even V by the time I get it!) with the 12-200 (or 12-100) as a "kit lens"...
Greetings from Germany, Brian. Thanks for the vid, very interesting. If you want to hear my 5 Cent I must say, that I have big hands. As an Olympus guy in most cases I 'm using only native Oly lenses or some vintage lenses from film days. So compact these tiny lenses are, so difficult and uncomfortable it is for me to work with big hands. I have the Oly 25 mm 1.8 and the 17mm 1.8, but I'm feeling me better with bigger diameters like pro lenses from today or older film lenses. I'm the biggest fan of the 12-40mm 2.8 on the E-M1.2 or even the E.M5.2. And yes, I have also the giant (in MFT terms) 12-100mm f4. With the last one I was with this single lens on many trips like Madeira mountains and it delivers spectacular results with only one zoom. It's perfect in my hand. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but mine. Have a nice day, my friend.
Any thoughts on how this might work with an Olympus? Original om5 or elp8? Good vid. Oh just got to the part where you're talking about having used a Lumix on you Mk5. Some good , some not so. Lovely pics though! Just lovely.
Hi Brian, I use this lens on my GX80 along with a couple primes and I'm always impressed. It's incredibly small, has that very useful 24mm equivalent, it's sharp and with very little flare and chromatic aberrations. Moreover 37mm filters are VERY cheap compared to bigger ones.
I'm looking to get this lens with a gx80 too but the lack of manual focus ring is putting me off a little, what do you think? Is it a noticeable drawback?
Hi Brian, thank you for another useful review about this handy little wide zoom with OÍS. Your informative, friendly and honest style is wonderful and your photos back up your narrative with real talent. It would be awesome if you could you post us a little “part 2” on this 12-32 in which you shoot us some sample video footage of you walking around with it on your awesome GX8 Vlogging style etc. I love my GX8 ,which I bought second hand, and would be interested to see how good the combined stabilisation of the lens and body looked when working together. It would also be useful to see how good the auto focus worked in tracking your face and in a few slow landscape pans etc. I’m sure that would earn you a few coffees at least☕️☕️ and maybe a slice or too of 🍰 .
I'm looking to get this lens with a gx80 too but the lack of manual focus ring is putting me off a little, what do you think? Is it a noticeable drawback?
I used this lens on my GX7 so you know how long I've had it. Impressive for its size and weight but now I lug around the Pany GX 12-35mm f/2.8 on my GX8 as I think it has the edge with a manual focus ring and dual IS. Heavier, yes, but worth the weight
I have it, came as kit with GX9 in 2019. I don't like that there is no manual focus option and it feels "flimsy" but it is small on the other hand. So I have a love-hate relation to it. I have the Lumix 12-60 f3.5-5.6 and while bigger the focal range is much more useful for me and I find the image quality to be better. While the weather-sealed 12-60 is usually on my G80, it sometimes is on my GX9. Otherwise the GX9 has interchangeably the Panasonic 42.5, 25 or Panny Leica 15 (all f1.7) on it when I am out with it, covers the 12-32 range and a bit more, lower f-stop etc. There is the 12-35 f2.8 zoom...I wish Panasonic made something midway in price between the two 12-35 lenses and weather sealed!
Hi Brian, thanks for sharing your experience with us : wise advices as always. It's pleasant to hear a photographer speaking of real world needs instead of advertisings for the last new extra-hyper-mega lens which produces pictures more neat than a microscope... I own this tiny zoom, sell with my GM5, alongside with the 20:1.7 pancake which seems quite bulky in comparison: it looks like a point n'shoot camera but gives so superior results... Really wonderful! With the great advantage of the discretion because you don't seem to be a real photographer and so u're free to take pictures of everything without troubles. It's just perfect for me, as when I used my old Minox 35 GT instead of my Canon eos 600 in the late 80's... Results are more than good for my needs and the ois perfectly compensate the lack of ibis in the GM5 : well done! That's this kind of products which conferred m4/3 its real interest for a majority of users: very good performances in a small form factor and in a budget! What else? I use f/1.7-1.8 primes most of the time and next 9-18, 12-32 or 14-150 zooms. I own some pro f/2.8 zooms but find them too bulky and so rarely use them. Some gems like the 12-100 or the recent 8-25:4 present superior image quality and a much more interesting focal range but it's not the same philosophy
I understand about the lightweight 1.8s vs the pro/2.8 and 1.2s...I bought into M43 mainly for the lack of weight. However, I have to admit the 12-40/2.8 is freakin fantastic. Would like to try out the 12-100 sometime, and the 40-150pro...
This lens is on my GX80 currently. It is rather good but lacks a manual focus ring of course. I prefer it to the less reliable and lower optical quality Olympus EZ electronic zoom pancake. The genuine Olympus automatic lens cap works perfectly on it, contrary to some reports that claim that it causes shading on the corners of the pictures. No issues with the E-M10 Mk2, because I also use the lens on one of these bodies.
Hi Brian, you've talked me in to it hahaha MPB is collecting my gear today & then dropping off a OM-D 1 ii & to cover the range the lenses 14-42, 40-150 & 75-300 then i will decide what focal lengths i like before primes :) cheers marra
I've got the 40-150. I think it's very under rated and probably my favourite lens. It's so small and light. 300mm wise I went with the Panasonic for dual is. But if the 75-300 is anything like the 40-150 you'll be ok.
Hi Brian, this overview of the 12-32 zoom was very interesting to me. I have a Canon 5D Mk if with the 24-70, 70-200 F4’s, 85 1.8 and 40 2.8. I’m exploring a move to m43. After a lot of research on an inexpensive way to test things out I picked up a very dated GF1 with 20 mm f1.7. This lens would be a perfect addition to the kit. I did a lot of viewing of pictures posted online from this 12 megapixel camera and I was very impressed with the image quality despite its vintage. I love the size of the system. Next up I expect to purchase a G9 or E-M Mk ii with a pro lens TBD. The G9 seems to offer a lot of great features for its age, so I’m weighted in that direction. Which camera would you choose? Cheers!
I have a G9 and do love it but if I’m pushed to choose then my go to camera for stills are my Olympus E-M1 cameras, my videos though are almost always done on the G9 (except the ones in my car which are on the iPad). For travel it’s now the GX8. If I had to choose only one camera to keep though it would be my E-M1 mk2
It's a nice lens, not the fastest but on the gX80 it makes a great combo to stash in your pocket and not be overbearing to others when used. Switch the camera to silent and no one can hear you as this is so quiet a lens.. I got mine in a beginers bundle with my GX80 along with the 35-100mm
I'm looking to get this lens with a gx80 too but the lack of manual focus ring is putting me off a little, what do you think? Is it a noticeable drawback?
@@inbloom2300 I don't really notice the lack of manual focus ring as when I use this I tend to have it on auto focus with the back focus button. You can use the on screen manual focus if you want. I guess it depends on how you want to use the setup and I like having a small unobtrusive pocket-able camera setup at times instead of the GH5 and whatever lens I have on that.
Have you tried the pancake Lumix GX PZ 14-42 f/3.5-5.6 Power OIS? This is an older lens than the 12-32 which I believe was made for the GM1. I had the GM1, I believe the PZ14-42 to be the better lens of the two. Whilst it does not offer Dual like its sibling the GX PZ45-175 it does run to 5-Axis Hybrid in Movie mode (when E.Stabilization (video) is turned on * ). One advantage is there is an after market automatic lens cap for it. Whilst it has no rings, it does have zoom and focus slide-buttons. The PZ lenses are intended as movie lenses, the zoom speed is deliberately quite slow, smooth and quiet. Another possible advantage is there is, unusually for Panasonic, a Lumix lens-front x2 teleconverter for the PZ14-42 The glass is on par with the 14-42 kit lens, which is pretty good. Neither are up to the big world-class GX 12-35 f/2.8 (of which two versions H-HS12035, H-HSA12035, Dual and Dual2). It is getting tricky to figure out just what stabilisation a given lens is going to use nor do the cameras tell us whether they are using Body or Lens IS; the screen symbols do not differentiate. The physically shorter, lighter lenses are well handled by the Body-IS but we cannot chose whether to use Body-IS or Lens-IS. This link does not explain what happens with the older non-Dual lenses, there is some variation whether Mega, Power or No-OIS or Olympus - av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/support/global/cs/dsc/connect/dual_is.html * confusingly this is in the Camera Menu under 'Stabilizer' not the Movie Menu, default is ON.
I have. I owned one for a while. Optically I found it ok but I really didn’t like the operation of the lens. It just didn’t suit me I’m afraid. Great video lens but I wasn’t doing videos at the time
The easiest way I’ve found to MF with this lens on a g9 is by using the touch screen focusing on the back the same way I do with other lenses. Just touching the point of focus
had this lens on olly m10mk2 wich i connected to olympus software for firmware update. this picked up the lens as well and indicated there was an update for it so clicked update. it started then ERROR showed on screen so stopped it thinking i had bricked the camera but it turned out camera ok but lens kaput completely. did some searching and found there are more panasonic lenses that will do this so beware of this situation and check compatibility before allowing update.
I bought this lens this year as a kit lens with a GX85 for 399€. Yes, the image quality is very good. I was really surprised. Yes, it has a plastic mount and no lens hood.
Hi Brian, thanks for this video. I have the Lumix 12-32 kit zoom alongside the M.Zuiko 14-42 EZ. I love the small and light kit zooms in the MFT system. And I find that the image quality is excellent, perhaps not quite as good as the fast PRO lenses. But when I look at the images of these kit zooms next to the PRO zooms, it is already very difficult to notice any differences and the big and heavy PRO zooms are needed when you need the speed. Otherwise there are the prime lenses, if you need more quality or blurry background. The Lumix 12-32 doesn't have a manual focus ring and has to be turned out to be ready to shoot (the M.Zuiko 14-42 EZ has a focus ring and extends automatically when the camera is turned on), but sometimes the 2mm at the bottom is still crucial for me. There is an automatic lens cap for the 14-42 EZ that screws into the 37mm front thread and exposes the front lens when extended. This also fits perfectly on the Lumix 12-32. There is also an automatic lens cap from JJC, which also has as extra an integrated lens hood. I use the Lumix 12-32 on an Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II and a Pen E-PL7 and haven't any problems with chromatic aberrations or lens flares.
I would be interested to know if your copy of this lens has a metal mount. Mine, which came as a kit with the GX9, has a plastic mount but the ephotozine review pictures one with a metal mount.
Bought mine used from MPB. When researching it, it was said that kit versions have a plastic mount but if you bought it separately, it came with a metal mount. Not a 100% sure but this seemed to be the general consensus.
I have the metal mount. It came as a kit with my GM5. I haven’t used the lens much. I have the 14mm 2.5 on my camera now. It is my edc. Can’t beat the size and images are great. I am shooting APSC now but the GM5 is such a small option that I will never sell it. If Panasonic had made a GM6 I would never have gone APSC.
Might be bad luck but I'm not blown away with mine and I'm not fussy. It's ok but not much more than that. My olympus 40-150 is much sharper and that's not considered as good. I'm thinking of selling it and buying a better 12mm lens and the Panasonic nifty fifty. It's good for the money but I just feel mine isn't so great.
I have this lens shooting on 3 different Lumix bodies. However, the touch auto focus does not work with this lens, (other lenses work fine with same setup) Any one know of this issue or possible fix ??
When I bought my GX9 I opted to buy the 12-35 f2.8 version separately, which I love I kept the 14-42 which came originally with my GX7. I'm like a Magpie - I kept that also 😂 I've the 17mm prime and the 45-150mm and the Samyang 7.5 mm Fisheye, so I think I've enough 😱 I might go out and take some photos at some stage? 😂
Perhaps the best kit lens ever made. So sharp for it's size and faster than you expect. I have several.
I've come back to Micro 4/3 and I couldn't be happier to be back. I've got the GX9 with the 12-32. It's such a great little kit.
Hello. You are absolutely right about this photo lens, 12-32mm. It's impressive. Small, invisible, and with exceptional performance. And at this size, it also has image stabilization. I received it together with the Lumix GX9 camera and I really liked it. Now I ordered one with a metal mount from MPB. I keep it in a package with a Leica Lumix 25mm F/1.4 (first version). Together they are my travel kit. Honestly, I really don't feel the need for anything else. And as a parenthesis, there are some people who claim that it would not be ok for the landscape. Nothing more wrong. It's great for the landscape :)
I have a 40"x30" print of the Jungfrau in Switzerland on my living room wall. It was taken with a Lumix 12-32, and looks fabulous!
Mine lives on my GM-1. Great combination.
Got this lens with My GX 80 and find myself using it a lot. The focal lengths I tend to use most are 28, 35 and 50mm (M43 equivalents) and this covers them all nicely. I do have the prime 14mm and 25mm but this seems to get more use for convenience and just using the primes in lower light.
A little gem at a bargain price. I use mine on my EM5 all the time.
Great review. I’ll add a couple of things for perspective.
In my career as a photography trainer and pro shooter I’ve comprehensively tested many many lenses. This one probably surprised me the most.
Here is a summary, the negatives first. Sure, no manual focus on Olympus and it’s messy on Panasonic cameras. Slow like most kit lenses.
Now the good stuff, this lens really performs.
I ran a back to back against the Lumix 20mm f1.7, surprise… at f5 it beat the 20mm, right out into the corners. Conclusion, unless you need the faster apertures it’s a better general choice.
The real surprise was when I pitted it against the Oly 12-45. F2.8, at 25mm f5.1 it was sharper right across the frame than the Oly at the same aperture!
At 12mm there was very little between the expensive Pro Oly and the diminutive Panasonic, just a little better corner resolution but stopped down to f5 they were line ball.
Compared to the 14-42mm kit lenses ( I have two models) the tiny 12-32 takes the medal at most focal lengths.
Just a couple of things of note regarding my testing. To get a true handle on a lenses potential I turn off all lens corrections, test only in Raw and carefully tune CA in the file processing stage. If you shoot JPEGs your results may vary depending on the camera and settings applied in camera.
The one thing I’d change is to use an adapter ring and fit a collapsible rubber lens hood, the lens is a little flare prone. It will also produce some very minor blue fringing on specular highlights, these can be sorted in post and at normal viewing say 50% are invisible.
Sharpness at all focal lengths reduces at any aperture smaller than f6.3, by f11 diffraction is playing havoc with fine details, pretty much like all M4/3 lenses.
If you want to shoot at the provided focal lengths and don’t need wide apertures this lens will deliver far beyond its price point.
Superb answer thank you. Really interesting results.
@@ultimateiphonedng8756 me to i have pro lens but this lens suprise me with olympus om5. The autofocus and sharpnis is bettet than pro version olynpus.i was chok with the result
This is a fun lens. I use it with the PEN E-PL6 and with the GX-85. Compact. Great for snapshot photography walkabouts.
I’m using it more and more as it easily allows cameras to fit into my pocket and the image quality is excellent
Ive shot with it the last couple days again. Came as a kit lens with my camera. Its actially quite nice.
I bought two cameras that came with 12-32 and 12-60 kit lens on each. Both of them got good reputations of being “one of, if not THE best kit lens”. I shot with both of them for sometime and decided to sell the 12-60. The smaller 12-32 is slightly sharper but it is so tiny that you won’t believe how small the form factor is until you see it. In general, great little gem from Panasonic.
When I bought my GX9 I opted to buy the 12-35 f2.8 version separately, which I love
I kept the 14-42 which came originally with my GX7. I'm like a Magpie - I kept that also 😂
I've the 17mm prime and the 45-150mm and the Samyang 7.5 mm Fisheye, so I think I've enough 😱
I might go out and take some photos at some stage? 😂
Hi Brian. I have just purchased a Lumix 12-32 f3.5-5.6 and it should arrive tomorrow, it will be paired with my G9.
I'm looking for a very compact, versatile lens to fit to a GX9 and use as a 'pocket camera'. This looks ideal. Thanks for the review. Nice collection of images at the end.
Many thanks for your recommendation Brian - nice set of images BTW. Just purchased a used one in excellent condition for just over 100 quid, and using it on a GX8 with some great results!
Fantastic! I hope you enjoy it. I’ve just bought a second one in silver for my GX8
Got this as a kit lens with my GX80, my first 'proper' digital camera. I mostly wanted to shoot wildlife reference photos so I got a 45-200mm lens soon after, and the 12-32 got relegated to backup, for the infrequent moments when I saw a nice landscape opportunity. Also, yes, I picked up the general consensus that kit lenses are mediocre, and with not much frame* of reference I started to look down on it for that.
But I've started to get a bit of interest in landscape and street photography recently, swotting up on FF 35 and 50mm lenses and realising the 12-32 covered both of those focal lengths in MFT. I think I might still like to get something like a 20mm 1.7 to play with, and for that extra light (and like you say, cheap as chips!) but I've also watched some videos like this, about the 12-32, and I'm starting to feel guilty about neglecting it for so long...
* MFT or otherwise. 😉
Thanks! This the kind of info that I need. I am just an amateur, not a real amateur. The difference is that I love experimenting with my Olympus OMD and taking pictures. Real amateurs spend their time talking about equipment and walking around with a lens at least 1 foot long. I noticed that I see many of them here in photogenic Switserland on sunny days, but none on overcast days with a chance of rain. Strange, because their equipment is of course PRO and weather sealed.
I do not consider myself at all a professional except on the technical side as I am a physicist. Yes I have huge lenses for wildlife and astrophotography but my favourite 'carry' lenses are the little ones, the pancakes, the remarkably small PZ45-175, etc.
It is a pity that Panasonic and Olympus have chosen to differentiate their lens systems because when I started with MFT you could swap makes and have the same capabilities with the lens. If you use both Olympus and Panasonic backs as I do, then Panasonic still offer the best lens system, up to the point where Olympus Body-IS cannot handle the longest lenses, but they do allow us to switch over to Lens-IS, whereas Panasonic give us no choice in the matter. Long lenses, over about 100mm depending on weight, seem to prefer Lens-IS, rule of thumb.
Most people use their phone to take photos, so anyone who uses a proper camera must be an enthusiast ;)
Whilst we do not get the torrential alpine storms in England, we are justly famous for our rain to the extent that english people can predict when it is going to rain or not. No camera system, weather sealed or not, appreciates being drenched. Few people like getting rained upon and can miss out on some good 'moody' photos in the rain. Back when we only had film, it wasn't very fast, and you could only take photos if the sun was out, or use the flash.
Totally agree. I've got 2 of them. Came with my GM1 and GM5.
I have this lens ,it's a fantastic little thing and under rated ,thanks for the video
The 12-32mm is a great and tiny lens, sharp and fast focussing, such a useful focal range as a 'walkabout' lens. I got one with a GX80 I once owned, and sold when I bought a GX9. But I had to buy the lens again! I also paid only £99, but a point to look out for is that many copies of the lens have a plastic lens mount, seemingly fewer have a metal lens mount, which I specifically checked for. But this 12-32mm and the little 42.5mm f1.7 (Lumix or Zuiko) make a great combo', easily pocket sized.
I'm looking to get this lens with a gx80 too but the lack of manual focus ring is putting me off a little, what do you think? Is it a noticeable drawback?
@@inbloom2300 well I've never missed it...
I had this lens as a (brilliant) kit lens with my Pan GX7, bought in an amazing deal (also had Pan 20mm f1.7, extra battery, camera case, and £100 cashback!!!) just before they discontinued that camera. I already had the Oly 12-40mm f2.8 Pro which came as a kit lens (!) with my Oly EM5MII, so it's criminally underused. It's probably the most redundant lens I've got, but I can't see me ever selling it just cause for what it is it's great. I just saw the lens as an extra bonus when I got the deal, but it far exceeded expectations regardless of how much I've used it.
In many ways those two lenses are completely different, other than a very similar focal range. The Oly is huge, heavy, obvious, and bright. The Pan is tiny, light, discreet, and very mediocre when it comes to light gathering. Because I have a few primes I mainly use the Oly for holidays, where I use it mainly in bright sun, so there's no reason why I couldn't take the less bright more discreet Pan instead and look less like a tourist, as the image quality isn't obviously as good as the Pro lens, but it's fine for holiday snaps. The only reason I don't is I quite often find the 40mm restrictive as it is, so I'd struggle even more with the 32mm of the Pan... (I intend to eventually get the 12-200 or maybe even 12-100 as a dedicated holiday and all purpose lens later on, and keep the 12-40 for museum/indoors/night time holiday shots).
Saying that, the only time I remember taking the 12-32 with me on a day trip was to Birmingham, and I got a couple of lovely pictutes of the Bullring despite being at night. If Olympus are still making tiny Pen cameras in a couple of years, or even a Pen F Mark II, I'm going to get one specifically to carry around in my pocket with either this lens or one of the pancake primes attached. At the moment though I primarily want to replace my aging EM5MII and GX7 with the EM5MIII (or IV or even V by the time I get it!) with the 12-200 (or 12-100) as a "kit lens"...
Greetings from Germany, Brian. Thanks for the vid, very interesting. If you want to hear my 5 Cent I must say, that I have big hands. As an Olympus guy in most cases I 'm using only native Oly lenses or some vintage lenses from film days. So compact these tiny lenses are, so difficult and uncomfortable it is for me to work with big hands. I have the Oly 25 mm 1.8 and the 17mm 1.8, but I'm feeling me better with bigger diameters like pro lenses from today or older film lenses. I'm the biggest fan of the 12-40mm 2.8 on the E-M1.2 or even the E.M5.2. And yes, I have also the giant (in MFT terms) 12-100mm f4. With the last one I was with this single lens on many trips like Madeira mountains and it delivers spectacular results with only one zoom. It's perfect in my hand. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but mine. Have a nice day, my friend.
Any thoughts on how this might work with an Olympus? Original om5 or elp8? Good vid. Oh just got to the part where you're talking about having used a Lumix on you Mk5. Some good , some not so. Lovely pics though! Just lovely.
Hi Brian, I use this lens on my GX80 along with a couple primes and I'm always impressed. It's incredibly small, has that very useful 24mm equivalent, it's sharp and with very little flare and chromatic aberrations. Moreover 37mm filters are VERY cheap compared to bigger ones.
I'm looking to get this lens with a gx80 too but the lack of manual focus ring is putting me off a little, what do you think? Is it a noticeable drawback?
Excellent review!….
concise and clear....thank you very much!
You're welcome!
Hi Brian, thank you for another useful review about this handy little wide zoom with OÍS. Your informative, friendly and honest style is wonderful and your photos back up your narrative with real talent.
It would be awesome if you could you post us a little “part 2” on this 12-32 in which you shoot us some sample video footage of you walking around with it on your awesome GX8 Vlogging style etc.
I love my GX8 ,which I bought second hand, and would be interested to see how good the combined stabilisation of the lens and body looked when working together. It would also be useful to see how good the auto focus worked in tracking your face and in a few slow landscape pans etc.
I’m sure that would earn you a few coffees at least☕️☕️ and maybe a slice or too of 🍰 .
I'm looking to get this lens with a gx80 too but the lack of manual focus ring is putting me off a little, what do you think? Is it a noticeable drawback?
I used this lens on my GX7 so you know how long I've had it. Impressive for its size and weight but now I lug around the Pany GX 12-35mm f/2.8 on my GX8 as I think it has the edge with a manual focus ring and dual IS. Heavier, yes, but worth the weight
I have the 12-60 which is a great lens but huge compared to this but obviously covers this focal range. I'm tempted to get it for its size.
Love how you got the fly on the camera!
It took hours of specialist training
@@ThatMicro43Guy Don't go spoiling it by telling me it wasn't a micro four-thirds flybot!
I have it, came as kit with GX9 in 2019. I don't like that there is no manual focus option and it feels "flimsy" but it is small on the other hand. So I have a love-hate relation to it.
I have the Lumix 12-60 f3.5-5.6 and while bigger the focal range is much more useful for me and I find the image quality to be better. While the weather-sealed 12-60 is usually on my G80, it sometimes is on my GX9. Otherwise the GX9 has interchangeably the Panasonic 42.5, 25 or Panny Leica 15 (all f1.7) on it when I am out with it, covers the 12-32 range and a bit more, lower f-stop etc. There is the 12-35 f2.8 zoom...I wish Panasonic made something midway in price between the two 12-35 lenses and weather sealed!
The lumix 12-60 can be had for about the same price. f stops are the same, (3.5-5.6). It is larger, but not heavy.
Hi Brian, thanks for sharing your experience with us : wise advices as always. It's pleasant to hear a photographer speaking of real world needs instead of advertisings for the last new extra-hyper-mega lens which produces pictures more neat than a microscope...
I own this tiny zoom, sell with my GM5, alongside with the 20:1.7 pancake which seems quite bulky in comparison: it looks like a point n'shoot camera but gives so superior results... Really wonderful! With the great advantage of the discretion because you don't seem to be a real photographer and so u're free to take pictures of everything without troubles. It's just perfect for me, as when I used my old Minox 35 GT instead of my Canon eos 600 in the late 80's...
Results are more than good for my needs and the ois perfectly compensate the lack of ibis in the GM5 : well done!
That's this kind of products which conferred m4/3 its real interest for a majority of users: very good performances in a small form factor and in a budget! What else?
I use f/1.7-1.8 primes most of the time and next 9-18, 12-32 or 14-150 zooms. I own some pro f/2.8 zooms but find them too bulky and so rarely use them.
Some gems like the 12-100 or the recent 8-25:4 present superior image quality and a much more interesting focal range but it's not the same philosophy
I understand about the lightweight 1.8s vs the pro/2.8 and 1.2s...I bought into M43 mainly for the lack of weight. However, I have to admit the 12-40/2.8 is freakin fantastic. Would like to try out the 12-100 sometime, and the 40-150pro...
i love this lens
This lens is on my GX80 currently. It is rather good but lacks a manual focus ring of course. I prefer it to the less reliable and lower optical quality Olympus EZ electronic zoom pancake. The genuine Olympus automatic lens cap works perfectly on it, contrary to some reports that claim that it causes shading on the corners of the pictures.
No issues with the E-M10 Mk2, because I also use the lens on one of these bodies.
J
My Lumix 12-32 fell apart after years of use on a GM1
Hi Brian, you've talked me in to it hahaha MPB is collecting my gear today & then dropping off a OM-D 1 ii & to cover the range the lenses 14-42, 40-150 & 75-300 then i will decide what focal lengths i like before primes :) cheers marra
I've got the 40-150.
I think it's very under rated and probably my favourite lens. It's so small and light.
300mm wise I went with the Panasonic for dual is.
But if the 75-300 is anything like the 40-150 you'll be ok.
I'm all about going small weight and size now so this lens has really piqued my interest.
Hi Brian, this overview of the 12-32 zoom was very interesting to me. I have a Canon 5D Mk if with the 24-70, 70-200 F4’s, 85 1.8 and 40 2.8. I’m exploring a move to m43. After a lot of research on an inexpensive way to test things out I picked up a very dated GF1 with 20 mm f1.7. This lens would be a perfect addition to the kit. I did a lot of viewing of pictures posted online from this 12 megapixel camera and I was very impressed with the image quality despite its vintage. I love the size of the system. Next up I expect to purchase a G9 or E-M Mk ii with a pro lens TBD. The G9 seems to offer a lot of great features for its age, so I’m weighted in that direction. Which camera would you choose? Cheers!
I have a G9 and do love it but if I’m pushed to choose then my go to camera for stills are my Olympus E-M1 cameras, my videos though are almost always done on the G9 (except the ones in my car which are on the iPad). For travel it’s now the GX8. If I had to choose only one camera to keep though it would be my E-M1 mk2
Thanks
Many thanks for the channel support Patrick. Best wishes
It's a nice lens, not the fastest but on the gX80 it makes a great combo to stash in your pocket and not be overbearing to others when used. Switch the camera to silent and no one can hear you as this is so quiet a lens.. I got mine in a beginers bundle with my GX80 along with the 35-100mm
I'm looking to get this lens with a gx80 too but the lack of manual focus ring is putting me off a little, what do you think? Is it a noticeable drawback?
@@inbloom2300 I don't really notice the lack of manual focus ring as when I use this I tend to have it on auto focus with the back focus button. You can use the on screen manual focus if you want. I guess it depends on how you want to use the setup and I like having a small unobtrusive pocket-able camera setup at times instead of the GH5 and whatever lens I have on that.
Have you tried the pancake Lumix GX PZ 14-42 f/3.5-5.6 Power OIS? This is an older lens than the 12-32 which I believe was made for the GM1. I had the GM1, I believe the PZ14-42 to be the better lens of the two. Whilst it does not offer Dual like its sibling the GX PZ45-175 it does run to 5-Axis Hybrid in Movie mode (when E.Stabilization (video) is turned on * ). One advantage is there is an after market automatic lens cap for it. Whilst it has no rings, it does have zoom and focus slide-buttons. The PZ lenses are intended as movie lenses, the zoom speed is deliberately quite slow, smooth and quiet. Another possible advantage is there is, unusually for Panasonic, a Lumix lens-front x2 teleconverter for the PZ14-42
The glass is on par with the 14-42 kit lens, which is pretty good. Neither are up to the big world-class GX 12-35 f/2.8 (of which two versions H-HS12035, H-HSA12035, Dual and Dual2).
It is getting tricky to figure out just what stabilisation a given lens is going to use nor do the cameras tell us whether they are using Body or Lens IS; the screen symbols do not differentiate. The physically shorter, lighter lenses are well handled by the Body-IS but we cannot chose whether to use Body-IS or Lens-IS. This link does not explain what happens with the older non-Dual lenses, there is some variation whether Mega, Power or No-OIS or Olympus - av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/support/global/cs/dsc/connect/dual_is.html
* confusingly this is in the Camera Menu under 'Stabilizer' not the Movie Menu, default is ON.
I have. I owned one for a while. Optically I found it ok but I really didn’t like the operation of the lens. It just didn’t suit me I’m afraid. Great video lens but I wasn’t doing videos at the time
I'm doing my best to find out if manual focusing with this lens is possible on G9 and cannot find anything :(
The easiest way I’ve found to MF with this lens on a g9 is by using the touch screen focusing on the back the same way I do with other lenses. Just touching the point of focus
Nice, complete review, however I think this lens is not as good as 14-42.
had this lens on olly m10mk2 wich i connected to olympus software for firmware update. this picked up the lens as well and indicated there was an update for it so clicked update. it started then ERROR showed on screen so stopped it thinking i had bricked the camera but it turned out camera ok but lens kaput completely. did some searching and found there are more panasonic lenses that will do this so beware of this situation and check compatibility before allowing update.
I bought this lens this year as a kit lens with a GX85 for 399€. Yes, the image quality is very good. I was really surprised. Yes, it has a plastic mount and no lens hood.
The kits lens has a plastic mount. If you purchase the 12-32 on its own, it comes with a metal mount.
@@borderlands6606 Interesting information about the strategy of Panasonic, that makes it clear why the kits are relatively cheap.
❤wonderful review
Thank you 🤗
Hi Brian, thanks for this video. I have the Lumix 12-32 kit zoom alongside the M.Zuiko 14-42 EZ. I love the small and light kit zooms in the MFT system. And I find that the image quality is excellent, perhaps not quite as good as the fast PRO lenses. But when I look at the images of these kit zooms next to the PRO zooms, it is already very difficult to notice any differences and the big and heavy PRO zooms are needed when you need the speed. Otherwise there are the prime lenses, if you need more quality or blurry background.
The Lumix 12-32 doesn't have a manual focus ring and has to be turned out to be ready to shoot (the M.Zuiko 14-42 EZ has a focus ring and extends automatically when the camera is turned on), but sometimes the 2mm at the bottom is still crucial for me.
There is an automatic lens cap for the 14-42 EZ that screws into the 37mm front thread and exposes the front lens when extended. This also fits perfectly on the Lumix 12-32. There is also an automatic lens cap from JJC, which also has as extra an integrated lens hood.
I use the Lumix 12-32 on an Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II and a Pen E-PL7 and haven't any problems with chromatic aberrations or lens flares.
Funny, i ordered mine from MPB the day before this video
When you unlock the lens with that tiny spin, does it also start the camera in on position ?
No, it’s just a physical unlock. However, if the camera is on and the lens is locked it displays a message to remind you to unlock the lens
Just ordered a £99 lens from MPB, to go with second-hand gx80 for just £197 with 53 shutter activations.
So it’s effectively new
🤣🤣
Is there a reason to not use this lens on a Pen F? Thanks
Not that I can think of, it should work a treat unless you regularly use manual focus as that has to be done in camera. Otherwise fine
I would be interested to know if your copy of this lens has a metal mount. Mine, which came as a kit with the GX9, has a plastic mount but the ephotozine review pictures one with a metal mount.
Bought mine used from MPB. When researching it, it was said that kit versions have a plastic mount but if you bought it separately, it came with a metal mount. Not a 100% sure but this seemed to be the general consensus.
@@deanrobertnoble138 Thanks, this lens pretty much lives on my GX9 but if it weren't for the plastic mount I would use it more often on my G9
I have the metal mount. It came as a kit with my GM5. I haven’t used the lens much. I have the 14mm 2.5 on my camera now. It is my edc. Can’t beat the size and images are great. I am shooting APSC now but the GM5 is such a small option that I will never sell it. If Panasonic had made a GM6 I would never have gone APSC.
Might be bad luck but I'm not blown away with mine and I'm not fussy.
It's ok but not much more than that.
My olympus 40-150 is much sharper and that's not considered as good.
I'm thinking of selling it and buying a better 12mm lens and the Panasonic nifty fifty.
It's good for the money but I just feel mine isn't so great.
i'm the 6161 subscriber, yeah
I have this lens shooting on 3 different Lumix bodies. However, the touch auto focus does not work with this lens, (other lenses work fine with same setup) Any one know of this issue or possible fix ??
I don’t use the touch af so I’ve never noticed it. Can’t see why it shouldn’t as it’s mainly done in the camera. I’ll have to give it a try
@@ThatMicro43Guy Thanks, could be my error or something simple. So, I just keep trying.
When I bought my GX9 I opted to buy the 12-35 f2.8 version separately, which I love
I kept the 14-42 which came originally with my GX7. I'm like a Magpie - I kept that also 😂
I've the 17mm prime and the 45-150mm and the Samyang 7.5 mm Fisheye, so I think I've enough 😱
I might go out and take some photos at some stage? 😂