Panasonic H-FS12060E Lumix G Vario 12-60 mm F3.5-5.6 Aspheric Lens (5x Zoom, Power O.I.S., Image Stabiliser, Dust/Splash Protection) Black

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sees excellent central sharpness from open aperture to f/8, very good at f/11 and f/16 and dropping to fair at f/22. The edges are very good at f/4 through to f/11, but only fair at f/16 and f/22. We have 11 elements in 9 groups, including three aspherical and one ED (extra low dispersion) elements. The diaphragm has 7 blades. A compact and light lens, weighing only 210g, the Lumix has internal focusing so only the zoom action changes the length of the lens. The front element does not rotate, so use of polarising and graduated filters is more convenient. There is a bayonet lens hood provided, not overly large but still effective. The lens has a 58mm filter thread.

There are few controls on the lens, just the usual rings for zooming and manual focus. The latter seems rather redundant as the AF system is so crisp in its operation. I own both and the PL is a wonderful lens and noticeably better in most regards compared to the Panny version. Sharpness and micro-contrast are better, and build quality is far better. If you will use it for a good portion of your photography, I would say the price difference is worth it. If it's more of a once in a while or travel lens, then it gets a little more difficult of a decision. The PL is also bigger and heavier. I use the Panny version on my GM5 due to the light weight and smaller overall size. But I do a lot of printing on all kind material and in common editing I do lots of pixel peeping and the mind has required to be rewired years ago that what you see in 15x magnification ratios doesn't matter when all is good enough.

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Sharpness is helped by even higher contrast than most other Panasonic kit lenses. Actual resolution is reliably high in the centre at all settings, but, when shooting at or near infinity, it falls away in the corners, and is also increasingly lost at the sides of the image from around 40mm. Design-wise, the barrel is very simple. The broad zoom ring rotates 90° from wide-angle to telephoto, and is smooth enough to provide precise framing. In front of it the narrow manual-focus ring provides control by wire, with no change in feel as it passes the focus group’s end stops. However, I suspect few users will disengage autofocus anyway, as there’s very little incentive to do so. Indeed, there are no physical switches on the lens barrel, with both AF and OIS are controlled solely through the camera’s menus. Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Asph Power OIS: Autofocus Both of these optics are exceptionally sharp so the quality of your images will certainly not be any reason to decide to choose one over the other. Size & Weight

I'm not sure of Lenstip's accuracy, but the review didn't look bad, considering they haven't tested any MFT non-premium (i.e. not fast, heavy, or expensive) kit zoom that has performed better. This is the best performing one they've tested, but they haven't tested many. I had done a research on the 3 lenses I have interest, the PL 12-60, the P 12-60 and the OMDS 12-100. As per OpticalLimits, they are compared as below: The bokeh of the lens is perhaps slightly fussy, but it is not surprising with just 7 diaphragm blades. It is certainly not unpleasant and the slightly softer telephoto images will lens themselves well to giving pleasing out of focus areas. This could be where the portrait photographers will find some highly effective effects. As for the corners, the results at 12mm are once again very close, even when the two lenses are set to their respective fastest apertures. From 25mm the Pana-Leica becomes a little sharper than the Lumix and this trend continues up to 40mm and 60mm. My experience is that, when viewed on a full HD screen, across their common range, there is little visible difference in percieved sharpness.

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Asph Power OIS: Autofocus

I myself experienced a lot of sample variation with the 45-150 (2 lemons!) and the PL 12-60 (1lemon). The other question Daniel is, considering the set of zoom lenses shared between the cameras, DC-GX9, OM-D E-M1X, OM-D E-M1 Mark III. Which zooms, among those mentioned in our conversations, do you suggest that I take on the trip … ?? This collection of lenses is currently what I use. I’m a huge fan of all three, Leica 8-18, Leica 12-60 and Olympus 40-150mm. All of them super sharp. The 40-150mm has the ability to be used with the Olympus 1.4X teleconverter and this combination is exceptional.

Minimum focusing distance is a usefully close 0.2m (0.66 feet) at the widest angle and 0.25m (0.82 feet) at the longest. The magnifications are 0.27x and 0.54x respectively. The Pana-Leica remains a little taller than its sibling no matter if the zoom is retracted or extended. The Pana-Leica is also the heavier of the two by just over 100g, which can make a difference after a long day of shooting. The lens is very compact and balances well on the Lumix GX8. It is substantially manufactured in high-quality plastics, which also assists in keeping the weight down. This is definitely a lens that is a pleasure to use. At 71mm long, 66mm in diameter and weighing just 210g, Panasonic’s 12-60mm lens is very similar in size to the basic 18-55mm kit zooms commonly supplied with DSLRs. Its light weight reflects the predominantly plastic exterior, although the lens mount is metal. A rubber seal surrounds it, to help keep dust and water out of the camera.At 40mm and 60mm, the Pana-Leica seems to have a very slight advantage, especially at f/5.6, but it is barely noticeable. The best results are observed at the shortest focal length where the lens presents a truly brilliant level. With the increase of the focal length the performance decreases. That effect is not only connected to optical properties but it is also a consequence of a decreasing fastness of the tested instrument and its limitations due to diffraction. ... Shooting assist functions including Luminance Spot Meter, Zebra Pattern can be used during RAW output.