Boasting a 5x zoom range and an f/2.8 maximum aperture the 12-60mm zoom looks impressive with its extra-low dispersion (ED) glass and responsive, fast-focusing Sonic-Wave Drive...

Lovely feel; useful 5x zoom range; great image quality

Low CA does not always mean high resolution

Handling and features Gary Wolstenholme takes a close look at this standard zoom for Four thirds SLRs from Olympus. This 12-60mm lens offers a field of view equivalent to a 24-120mm lens on a 35mm camera, with a relatively bright maximum aperture of f/2.8-4.

Excellent build quality; Good optical performance; Fast focusing; Useful minimum focus distance

Barrel distortion at 12mm

We have chosen to use the Panasonic L10 as our standard test body for Four Thirds lenses purely because it gives the highest numbers in our resolution tests (which we believe is most likely due to it having a relatively weak anti-aliasing filter); this is intended simply to provide the fairest...

Very useful wideangle to telephoto range; Superb optics; Excellent build quality; dust and splash-proof; Impressive resistance to flare; Decent macro performance

Pronounced and complex distortion at wideangle; Slightly sub-par lens hood; Shadowing of built-in flash at wideangle on smaller bodies; Expensive

The Olympus Zuiko Digital 12-60mm 1:2.8-4 SWD was announced in October 2007, alongside the flagship E-3 DSLR. It's a standard Four Thirds lens which means it will work on any Four Thirds body, including those from Olympus, Panasonic and Leica, although it's physically best-matched to the larger...

Flexible 5x general purpose range, Quick and quiet SWD focusing, Excellent build quality; Dust and splash-proof, Very sharp results across frame and focal range

Shadow from popup flash on smaller bodies; Feels front-heavy on E-4xx series; No anti-shake on non-stabilised bodies; Imager AF not supported in Live View

Introduced with the Olympus E-3, this 24-120mm equivalent is the first Zuiko lens available in the U.S. that incorporates the company's Supersonic Wave Drive (SWD) autofocus motor. Similar in concept to the USM and SWM motors from Canon and Nikon respectively, this system has not one but two motors,...

A standard zoom lens for Four Thirds format SLRs with a silent focusing motor covering a range equivalent to 24-120mm on a 35mm camera.

Excellent build quality; Good optical performance; Fast focusing; Useful minimum focus distance

Barrel distortion at 12mm

Great lens. If you need one all-rounder, this is it! 12@24 mm is great for wide end and 60@120 gives you a bit more edge compared to other basic-zooms. If you are running on tight budget, you should consider 14-54 f2.8-3.5 if the extra millimeters aren't your thing.

Great focal length IQ and contrast/color handling is well balanced with the focal length, but compared to 50-200, it feels a bit lame; Amazing all-rounder Weather sealing Well balanced with E-3 and E-5 Works almost as a macro lens, focuses almost to the front lens in 60mm Fast focusing Haven't...

A bit dark in the tele end A bit expensive Would need a bit more contrast/color capabilities compared to 50-200

Designed for general photography, the new Olympus Zuiko Digital 12-60mm Pro lens is a high-performance standard wide zoom lens that is optimised for use with the E-3 DSLR camera.

It is a remarkably versital lens with impressive specifications. It performs beyond my expectations. I especially like wide-angle capability. Quality is great and price was very reasonable on e-Bay.

I started with the OM 2 film camera and have never looked back. Coupled with the E5 and and the 2.8 50-200 SD ED lens, this lens helps to cover a broad range. Olympus has consistently produced good glass and this lens is no exception. Even the 2 kit lens that came with my E 520 produce good results.