As you might expect, the Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 8-18mm f/2.8-4 ASPH is a very decent performer in its category. The image center is very sharp and the borders and corners are pretty good as well - technically at least.

The Panasonic Lumix G Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mmm F2.8-4.0 ASPH. Power O.I.S. ($999.99) is a compact zoom lens with a decently long range of coverage and an even longer name. Optics live up to the Leica name, and build quality is excellent—the lens is housed in a metal barrel and is protected from dust and moisture. It's an excellent performer, but not quite an Editors' Choice. We give preference to the larger Olympus 12-100mm for its longer zoom range, and the Olympus 12-40mm for photogrpahers who want a straight f/2.8 zoom. But if your needs are more in the middle, the 12-60mm might just be the perfect compromise, especially if you like to pack light. Design The 12-60mm covers a 5x range—24-120mm in full-frame terms. Despite the range, and the wide aperture design, it measures just 3.4 by 2.7 inches (HD), weighs 11.3 ounces, and supports 62mm front filters. There's some extension when zooming; the height just about doubles at the 60mm position. The outer barrel is metal and...

Panasonic's top-end 12-60mm zoom lens delivers image quality that lives up to its Leica branding.

Crisp images; Optically stabilized; Compact; Wide aperture; Dust and splash resistant; 1:3 magnification

Some distortion and dimmed corners at 12mm

Covering the same angles of view as a 16-36mm lens on a 35mm camera, the DG 8-18mm f/2.8-4 is the fourth ultra-wide zoom lens to be released for the M4/3 mount by Panasonic and Olympus.

Bought this lens to get a slightly wider view than my 12-60mm lens. Very pleased as it can be used as a slightly wide normal lens, making it very versatile. May have some slight edge softness, but nothing major. Highly recommended.

Very sharp Good contrast and colors Excellent build Can accept screw on filters

Expensive

The Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 8-18mm f/2.8-4.0 ASPH ultra-wide-angle zoom offers a classic focal range of 16-36mm in a small and lightweight package, backed-up by outstanding image quality throughout the focal range and impressively fast and silent autofocusing.

As you would expect this is a top notch lens from the Leica stable. Superb build quality and optics for not a lot of money compared with the competitors. Highly recommended!

Awesome real estate photography lens. There has been no color correction made to this video. It's pretty much as raw as you can get, minus the compression of course and the text. I am filming on a GH5 with a Rode Videomic. Hope this helps!

The Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 8–18 mm f/2.8–4 ASPH. is one of the most interesting ultra wide-angle lenses available on the market. It is a solid device, with good aperture fastness, physically small and handy, allowing you to use filters with a normal diameter.

Solid, metal casing,, Excellent image quality in the frame centre at all focal lengths,, Imperceptible longitudinal chromatic aberration,, Slight lateral chromatic aberration,, Lack of problems with spherical aberration,, Properly corrected coma,, Lower vignetting than in the case of the majority of...

Very high distortion level for RAW files,, Image on the edge of the frame at longer focal lengths could have been better.

This new ultra wide to wide standard 8-18mm lens has a useful “35mm equivalent” of 16-36mm. Designed for Micro Four Thirds (MFT) format cameras, it is reviewed here using the 20mp Panasonic Lumix GX8 camera body.