OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II is a Fixed aperture Auto Focus (AF)
Standard Zoom lens with FourThirds max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with
MFT cameras.
OM replaced the older Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO with this model. Follow the link to read our detailed comparison of these models:
Compare OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II vs Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO
What type of photography is the OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II lens good for?
The type of photography that you are planning to use the OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated its suitability to various photography scenarios:
Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount with Same Focal and Aperture Range
Reasons to Buy OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II Lens
Here we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II lens in a list form to help you determine whether it offers the features you need.
| Weather-sealed |
| Autofocus |
| Distance Scale |
| Hood supplied |
| Full-time Manual Focusing |
| Fast Aperture at Wide end |
| Fast Aperture at Tele end |
| Constant f2.8 aperture throughout the range |
| Minimum focus distance of 0.2m / 7.9 inch |
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| Lens Extents while zooming |
Lens Mount
OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II is compatible with cameras that have a Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Micro Four Thirds lenses are Panasonic G9 II, OM System OM-5 and Panasonic GH6.
Size, Weight and Filter Thread
Size and weight is a very important decision factor when searching for your next lens. OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II has a maximum diameter of 70mm and total length of 84mm when not extended. It weighs 382g / 13.5 oz.
Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II and Olympus ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO (Micro Four Thirds mount) to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life. Check the detailed comparison of these two lenses here.
Comparison image of the OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II and the Olympus ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO Size and Weight
OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II has a filter thread of 62mm. Below are links to the filters that we recommend you to consider for your OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II:
Focal Range
OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II has a focal range of 12-40mm and 3.3X zoom ratio which has a 35mm equivalent focal range of 24-80mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
Weather Sealings
![https://cameradecision.com/lenses/img/other/OM-System-12-40mm-F2.8-PRO-II-sealing.jpg]()
Weather Sealings of the OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II
The OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II is a weather-sealed lens, which provides extra protection to prevent water and dust get inside the lens and camera body under light rain, snow and wind. In order to have effective protection, you have to pair the OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II with a weather-sealed camera body such as the Panasonic G9 II, OM System OM-5 and Panasonic GH6.
Optical Image Stabilization
OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II doesn't have an optical image stabilization system so the only option to stabilize the image taken with this lens is to mount on a camera body with IBIS (sensor based In-body image stabilization).
Alternatively, you can check the Panasonic Leica 12-35mm F2.8 in Micro Four Thirds mount that have similar focal range but features Optical Image Stabilization.
Lenses Similar to OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II With Optical Image Stabilization
Zoom Method
OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II features Rotary (extending) zoom method where the length of the lens changes as you zoom in or out. This makes it possible to design the lens with a smaller minimum length ( generally when it is zoomed out) compared to internal zoom lenses. The disadvantages of this design are being harder to seal against dust and moisture, weight balance shifting while zooming and zoom creep in certain lenses.
Maximum Magnification Ratio
OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.3x and has a minimum focusing distance of 0.2m. For a non-macro lens, the 0.3x is considered a high magnification and will come handy for close-up shots.
Below are the 3 Standard Zoom type MFT mount lens alternatives with highest max magnification ratios:
Aperture
OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II is a fixed aperture lens with a constant max aperture of f2.8 from 12mm all the way to the 40mm .
| Focal Length |
Max Aperture |
Min Aperture |
|
12mm
|
F2.8 |
F22 |
|
40mm
|
F2.8 |
F22 |
Optical Formula
OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II's optical formula consists of 14 elements in 9 groups . Following special elements are used in this design:
- 1 aspherical element
- 1 dual-sided aspherical element
- 2 ED glass elements
- 2 HR glass elements
- 1 EDA glass element
- 1 HD glass element
![https://cameradecision.com/lenses/img/other/OM-System-12-40mm-F2.8-PRO-II-optical-structure.jpg]()
Optical Construction of the OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II
Lens Hood
OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II comes with a removable lens hood which is handy to reduce lens flare and glare in your photos.
Body Colour
OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II is available in Black color.
Popular Comparisons of OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II
Here are the eight most popular comparisons of the OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II amongst Camera Decision readers.
Top Alternatives of OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II Lens
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