Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 Pro Sample Images – Real-World Examples

A selection of photos I’ve taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro wide-angle zoom lens.

Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 Pro Sample Images - Real-World Examples
Text & Photos By David Coleman
Last Revised & Updated:

I MAY get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Have Camera Will Travel // Newsletter

Practical field notes, hands-on gear tests.

Photos taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro on the OM-D E-M1X — the Micro Four Thirds standard-zoom staple in real use.

Related: what makes a prime lens · what “fast” means in a lens · finding a lens’s filter size.

Here are some photos I’ve taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens. All of these were taken on the Olympus OM-D E-M1X body.

While I would have preferred a more varied selection of subjects, I’ve tried to include shots taken at various apertures and angles, as well as include images that might show up issues such as chromatic aberration (purple fringing), barrel distortion, sharpness issues, vignetting, or flaring. I’ll post a more detailed review separately; these sample images are designed to go alongside that review.

All of these images have only had the lightest of processing in Lightroom, and I have not applied any corrections for optical flaws such as distortion, chromatic aberration, or extra sharpening.

Photos taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro zoom lens

You can click on each image for a full-size version for a closer look.

Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/3.2 at 12mm (24mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 12mm (24mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 17mm (34mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/8 at 12mm (24mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/6.3 at 12mm (24mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 15mm (30mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/11 at 14mm (28mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 32mm (64mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 40mm (80mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 20mm (40mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 40mm (80mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/3.2 at 17mm (34mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 12mm (24mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 20mm (40mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 17mm (34mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 38mm (76mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/3.2 at 27mm (54mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 38mm (76mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 24mm (48mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 12mm (24mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/8 at 40mm (80mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 40mm (80mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/8 at 17mm (34mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 26mm (52mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/6.3 at 13mm (26mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 12mm (24mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 34mm (68mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 22mm (44mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/8 at 16mm (32mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/3.2 at 12mm (24mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 19mm (38mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 34mm (68mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/2.8 at 40mm (80mm @ 35mm equivalent)
Photo taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens
f/8 at 24mm (48mm @ 35mm equivalent)

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 Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro zoom lens

Check the current price and availability at:

Accessories for this lens

The Olympus M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens takes 62mm filters.

The dedicated lens hood is model number LH-66.

Found this helpful? Personalize your search results.
Add as Preferred Source
Profile photo of David Coleman | Have Camera Will Travel | Washington DC-based Professional Photographer

David Coleman

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.

You can see my travel photography here, license my images or buy prints here, or sign up for my Substack.