I'm glad to see these reviews on the M4/3 system popping up.  I recently switched from Canon full frame to Olympus M 4/3, and I couldn't be happier!  I've shot both formats side by side on shoots, and I get many more keepers from my Olympus cameras......probably because of the incredible image stabilization built into the camera, but the image quality is still amazing.  

I have the 12-40 F2.8, and I love it,  but the 12-100 F4 is ALWAYS with me and it's the lens I use the most. 🙂 I got caught in a torrential downpour photographing for about an hour with the 12-100 on my EM1 and they never missed a beat!  The same thing happened to my Canon 5D Mark III once.  It stopped working after a few minutes, and didn't work again until the next day when it dried out. 😞 I now have the E M1X and the E M1 Mark III, and I NEVER worry about rain, dust, sand, lava, or whatever else may spew onto my gear.

I'm hoping more people discover the amazing M 4/3 system, so thanks for your review!

Subscribed and thumbs up!

Great set up. You didn’t mention the 40-150 pro 2.8 it’s fire.

Finally got my OM1 Mk2 which also came with this lens. I have mainly used the 100-400 F5-6.3 on it so far but the "kit" lens will be next 😃 BTW You are now two up as your videos have not onlyinspired me to swap from Canon to the OM1 Mk2, but inspired a friend who is new to photography to get one 👏

I love the 12-40 2.8, it was the very first m4/3rds lens I bought when I bought my first OMD E-M1 so many years ago.  It has been dropped into creeks, hit by fake blood/body fluids by Gwar, rained on, snowed on and dropped unto pavement....... and is about to go to Canada with me to shoot a couple of shows.

I bought my 12-40 pro with my first M43 camera...the EPM1. It was ridiculously unbalanced but I didn't have any problems. This year, I recently bought the last Olympus camera...the OM-1.

The EPM1 had a terrible sensor, and we needed this big apertures but the latest cameras like the OM-1 and beyond have good enough low-light sensors that I'm not sure we even need 2.8 anymore. Like...maybe a low-light concert? But I'm mostly doing tourism travel in Europe and family snapshots.

I have the OM5 and with it came the 12-45 pro which I love.  I also have the OM1ii which has won the 12-45 from the OM5. I  also have the 40-150 f2.8 which I also love especially the 2.8 aperture which is telling me it’s time to upgrade to the 12-40 as I do a lot of low light photography so your video was very relevant to me.

An excellent choice as part of their OM-1 mkII bundle... delighted to have an excellent lens to start.

Great review of this lens - thank you

Great review and well explained. I've just purchased this lens along with the OM-5. I know it's not the ideal lens for the OM-5 but I didn't want to have to upgrade again when I get round to purchasing the OM-1 mkii.

Correct, it's not a kit lens just because it's often bundled with a body.

Do you still trust the weather sealing, or did you have the lens serviced and the seals and gaskets replaced?

Outstanding video from both the content of the review and your tour of the Quinnipiac River State Park - both were combined beautifully. I have been using the OM 1 Mark II that the 12-40mm lens for the past six weeks and I love them.  They are coming with me (from Florida) to Nova Scotia in the fall and to New Zealand in March.

I have driven past Quinnipiac park a couple hundred times between Boston and NYC, only stopping for fuel. I love my 12-40 but it is in quarantine for a bit while I go primal.

Nice fall in love kind of smile you have on your thumbnail

Ive dropped and broken 2, 12-40
Still my favourite lens

Another enjoyable video and I'll add my agreement on two points, as well.  "See" your local compositions and settings.  I've been guilty of this before and even though I live in northwest North Dakota near the border with Montana, I don't "see" the region as well as I did when I first moved here in 2014.  We all do it, taking such scenes for granted or simply not noticing.  Even when I am in nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the Little Missouri National Grasslands, Makoshika State Park (Glendive, MT) or any number of superb locations within my region, I often have to take a deep breath, relax and "see" again.  (I DO miss tree-tunnels but all ten of our trees here in ND are in a north-south line in the middle of the state so we can't see all the way to Minnesota...  {sigh}  :)))  )  

The second point is, of course, this particular lens.  Shortly after I bought my E-M1X, I think I bought my Oly 7-14mm f2.8 first (excellent lens but also the reason I invested in Nisi's filters/holders for images aside from those shot with Live ND since one can't use the standard threaded filters), then the 12-40mm f2.8 (Olympus, Mark I).  Out of all my Olympus/OM glass, the 12-40mm stays on the body more than all the others.  It is simply a solid performer and I don't have to worry about it in the weather extremes I have in my region, from Arctic cold in the middle of winter to a variety of conditions at other times of the year, including days when one can be in both mud and dust within the space of a few hours.  Oh, I do occasionally bump the manual focus clutch but, if that's reeeally an issue, turn it off within the body (problem solved).  Its weight reminds me of my old Olympus 11-22mm that I used to use on my old E-510, so I don't find it objectionable.  Both the Mark I and the Mark II versions can be found for reasonable prices used in excellent or very good condition.  I've shot a lot of handheld high-res/tripod high-res, focus-stacked and Live ND images with it and wouldn't hesitate to add my highest recommendations for this lens.

I like the "kit vs. bundled" bit...  lol  I'd choose "bundled", as well, though even the Oly/OM kit lenses are quite nice.  It all depends on one's priorities, eh?  

As for forgetting bug spray, don't feel bad.  I moved to North Dakota in 2014 after living in Tennessee (a "corrupted" native-Texan pffft  lol) but did not discover that I had NOT escaped chigger-territory until July of this year, while sitting in numerous patches of grass shooting macros...  The jet-powered mosquitoes and biting flies here usually remind me to wear repellent but they weren't trying to carry me off on this particular day.  I was more mindful of not sitting on a prickly pear cactus or prairie rattler than chiggers until the itching began a few hours later.  Not a single tick to be found but those tiny little red chiggers had certainly dined on more than a few skin cells...  lol  :)

Been eyeing the Om1-2 for a while now . I am also thinking of the 12-40 f2.8. Hello from CT!

That's some healthy looking poison ivy there!

Hi great video.Any chance you could include setting e.g., focal length and shutter with each image. Thanks

im really considering these cams but man you take such a hit with dof especially with the zoom , what is it f5.6? ik its 2.8 light but still

I just added 40-150mm f2.8 to the 12-40mm f2.8.