Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2 - ‎EW-M1220

Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0 Lens review and comparison of OM System EW-M1220 MFT compact lens compatible with Micro Four Thirds cameras. The Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2 ED Digital Lens model number for this MFT lens is EW-M1220. This is a small and light wide angle lens that with a moderately good image quality in comparison to other similar lenses at its price point.

Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0 ED Digital Lens
Model: EW-M1220
Announced: 2011-06-30
Weight: 130g
Length:4.3cm (protruding part when connected to a camera)
Filter thread: 46mm
No lens hood thread
Lens Hood model: Olympus LH-48
Lens Hood Length: 3cm
Lens Hood Weight: 25g
Focus ring: Yes
Manual focus clutch: Yes
Closest Focus distance: 20cm
Diagonal angle of view: 84° degrees

Disadvantages
Slow to focus compared to pro lenses
Metal mount fit is not as good as pro lenses (sometimes electronic contacts don’t lineup and camera doesn’t recognize the lens)
The metal mount is not as smooth (difficult to attach)
Does not have a lens hood thread
Metal hood is difficult to attach as requires tightening a side screw which requires three hands to hold the camera, hold the lens hood and tightening the screw
The metal lens hood LH-48 does not lock into place so attaching the metal lens hood requires precision and attention to the angle at which it is attached
Metal hood is heavy making the lens and camera front heavy (particularly on lighter cameras such as the OM-5)
Image quality is not as good as M.Zuiko Pro series of lenses (more chromatic aberration, backlit artifacts and more distortion)

Advantages
Light 130g
Small 4.3cm
Bright aperture F2
Focus clutch
Metal build and lack of lens hood thread makes it ideal for attaching a matte box

Other M4/3 lenses to consider:

Panasonic Lumix 12mm F1.4
Weight: 335g
Length: 7cm
Aperture: F1.4
No focus clutch
Continuous manual aperture ring

Olympus M.Zuiko Pro 12-45mm F4
Weight: 254g
Length: 7cm
Aperture: F4
No focus clutch
   • Olympus M.Zuiko Pro 12-45mm F4  

OM System M.Zuiko Pro 12-40mm F2.8 Mark II
Weight: 382g
Length: 8.4cm
Aperture: F2.8
Has focus clutch
   • OM System M.Zuiko Pro 12-40mm F2.8 Mark II  

Panasonic Lumix 14mm F2.5 Mark II pancake lens
Weight: 55g
Length: 2.05cm
Aperture: F2.5
No focus clutch
No lens hood thread
   • Panasonic Lumix 14mm F2.5 II Micro Four Th...  

PerGear 12mm F2 Mark II
Weight: 230g
Length: 6.3cm
Aperture: F2
Focus clutch: No

🎥 Video Timestamps / Chapters 🎬
00:00 Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2 specs
00:40 Olympus LH-48 Lens Hood
02:06 Focus clutch on OM System M.Zuiko 12mm F2
03:38 Disadvantages of M.Zuiko 12mm F2
05:53 Advantages of Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2
06:02 vs. Olympus M.Zuiko Pro 12-45mm F4
07:25 vs. Olympus M.Zuiko Pro 12-40mm F2.8
08:15 vs. Panasonic Lumix 14mm F2.5 II ASPH
09:27 vs. Panasonic Lumix 12mm F1.4
10:08 vs. PerGear 12mm F2 II
10:47 Repairing the Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2

👉 See more Micro For Thirds Lens reviews on:
   • Micro Four Thirds Lenses - M4/3