The OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO lens is a versatile all-around lens. With a maximum aperture of f/4, it’s relatively fast but obviously a bit slower than similar f/2.8 lenses. It’s also ruggedized (the “PRO” part), so it takes light rain or spray in stride.
It’s designed to go on Olympus / OM System Micro Four Thirds bodies (while it still carries the Olympus branding, it’s fully compatible with the camera bodies that carry the newer OM System brand name). On those, the effective focal length is doubled. So, with its zoom range, it has an equivalent view of a 24-90mm lens on a full-frame body.
This is the kit lens included with the OM System OM-5, and this is the version I’ve been using. It previously carried the Olympus branding and was a kit lens for some previous Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras such as the OM-D E-M1 Mark III and OM-D E-M5 Mark III.
OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO example photos
These were shot in RAW and lightly processed in Lightroom, but I haven’t applied any optical corrections to these (eg. chromatic aberration, distortion, vignetting, etc).
I’ve tried to include a variety of general travel-type scenes and a range of apertures (although there’s probably not as much variety in the apertures here as I’d like–many ended up being wide open at f/4). You can click on each image for a full-resolution version.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/6.3 and a zoom setting of 20mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 45mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 19mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/8 and a zoom setting of 24mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/18 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 45mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 21mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 20mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 27mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 29mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 45mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/11 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/5.6 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 45mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 45mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 37mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 45mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/8 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 45mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 45mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 45mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
I took this photo with an OM System OM-5 and an OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens at an aperture of f/4 and a zoom setting of 12mm.
Optical correction tools
I deliberately haven’t applied extensive corrections to these images. And the general rule of thumb in photography is that it’s better to get the shot right at the time of capture rather than trying to fix it after. That’s a great aspiration, but it’s not always possible to do if you’re bumping up against limitations or flaws in gear, conditions, or technique.
But it’s worth mentioning that there are some excellent tools available to help address common issues with lenses, such as distortion, chromatic aberration, and lens vignetting when editing the images. All-round image processing apps like Lightroom Classic and Capture One have solid tools built in already that often cater to specific lens profiles (or you can make your own).
Some more specialized tools can take it even further. DxO, in particular, sets the gold standard.Their software is built on the foundation of their incredibly deep archive of data from their extensive lab testing of the optical performance of lenses and cameras. But there are some other excellent specialized tools available. These are well worth a look (and have free trials):
DxO Pure RAW (for a suite of automatic RAW file corrections enhancement)
DxO ViewPoint (correcting for distortion and geometry)
Topaz Labs Sharpen AI (in addition to standard unsharp tools, includes focus correction and shake reduction)
On1 NoNoise (includes Tack Sharp AI, which applies sharpening)
Price & availability of the OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO zoom lens
This is the kit lens included with the OM System OM-5, and this is the version I’ve been using. It previously carried the Olympus branding and was a kit lens for some previous Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras such as the OM-D E-M1 Mark III and OM-D E-M5 Mark III.
You can also buy it as a standalone lens (with Olympus branding) with an MSRP of $699.
I take photos for a living. Now based in Washington, D.C., I have spent the last 30+ years shooting across seven continents — from underwater environments to mountain peaks. My images and time-lapses have appeared in major newspapers, magazines, museums, professional sports stadiums, and even on massive architectural scrims covering world-famous buildings.
I started this site in 2009 to field-test gear, share problem-solving solutions, and share what I've learned in shooting around the world. I only review gear and services I have personally used. No armchair opinions — just real-world experience. Because, for me, the fun is in the making of the photo.
