3. The 12-35mm focal length range in an ILS body is the equivalent of a 16-45mm f/3.5 in an APS-C body and 24-70mm f/5.6 in a full-frame camera. This has a limiting effect on depth of field and bokeh, or background blur, but even the more-serious photographers, who are the target for this lens, are likely to consider this a good tradeoff, considering the compact size of the LUMIX 12-35mm f/2.8.
4. Of course, ILS cameras look and work best with a similarly scaled lens; and this LUMIX lens is conspicuous by its small footprint. With dimensions of 2.9” (74mm) in length and 2.4” (62mm) in diameter and a weight of 10.8 oz. (305g), the 12-35mm f/2.8 feels balanced and performs well on either DSLR-type bodies, Panasonic DMC-G3 and DMC-GH2 or the Olympus OM-D E-M5, or bodies with a rangefinder design, Panasonic DMC-GX1 and the Olympus PEN-EP3.
5. Yes, with Panasonic’s all-electronic Micro Four Thirds mount, it is compatible with the company’s LUMIX G cameras and Olympus PEN and OM-D models.
6. The high quality of the LUMIX 12-35mm’s construction is evident in its metal barrel and manual focus ring and a rubber seal to protect the insides from dust or moisture.
7. Particularly impressive is how similar the Panasonic lens’ zoom ring performance is to more expensive Canon and Nikon lenses. With 80-degrees of rotation from the wide to telephoto focal lengths (and a quite smooth rotation at that), you’ll be able to focus manually more precisely.
8. Panasonic has given this lens an OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) switch on the lens, which is typically a menu setting in many of the company’s other ILS lenses. Olympus camera owners will be very happy about this switch, since they will be able to move from optical to in-body image stabilization rather quickly and easily without digging into the menu.
9. Combine the almost-noiseless auto-focus system and the OIS on the LUMIX 12-35mm f/2.8 and it’s also a worthy optical performer for moviemaking.
10. Panasonic engineers have also paid attention to the quality of the lens’ 14 elements in 9 groups, with 4 aspherical elements and one each of Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion (UED) and Ultra-High Refractive (UHR) glass. Then, their surfaces have been treated with Panasonic’s Nano Surface Coating to reduce reflections and flaring considerably.
11. The image quality of the LUMIX 12-35mm f/2.8 zoom lens is yet to be fully investigated and tested, since it has only been available for preview; but it is difficult to imagine that all the thinking and innovation that Panasonic has put into this lens won’t translate into quite excellent images.
12. Projected to be available during August 2012, the LUMIX G X-Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 Zoom Lens can be pre-ordered from B&H Photo Video for $1,299.00.
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