Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100 f4 IS Pro Lens

 

My travel camera of choice has always been my Panasonic Lumix G9, a Micro Four-Thirds mirrorless model that's consistently shown itself to be reliable and given me great photos.  Of course, since the pandemic hit and shut down almost all the locations I enjoy visiting I haven't had much chance to use the camera for any form of travel photography whatsoever.  Fortunately, the crisis now seems to be largely past and I've celebrated by booking a trip to Japan in the autumn.

Once I'd finalized my travel plans I began reviewing my gear.  The lens I had always used when traveling with the G9, following the one-camera-one-lens mantra, was the Panasonic 14-140 kit lens that had come packaged with my GH-2 more than twelve years ago.  With the zoom focal range it gave me I didn't really need more than that one lens.  The only drawback was the lens's image quality.  To be fair, for a kit lens the 14-140 delivered much better quality than one would have expected of it.  In other words, the images, if not stunning, were always thoroughly acceptable.  When planning my latest trip, however, I decided it was time for an upgrade.  There's so much uncertainty in the world right now that one has to make the most of one's travel opportunities even if only because one can never be certain when and if one will next have a chance to revisit a given location.

The lens I chose as a replacement for the Panasonic was the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100 f4 IS Pro, an optic that's gotten solid reviews wherever I've looked.  Some of those, such as that published in DPreview, specifically touted the lens's advantages for travel.  PCmag rated it at 4.0, designated it an Editor's Choice, and for the Bottom Line stated that the lens "delivers top-notch optical performance at all but its widest angle, making it one of the best long zoom lenses we've tested."  That was good enough for me.  After all, there aren't very many pro MFT lenses with that focal range available in the first place.

I actually went into the B&H store on 34th Street the week before last to get a first-hand look when the lens was still selling at its full price of $1,399.99, and I made up my mind then to come back later this summer to purchase it.  Then on Friday I happened to glance at B&H's website and saw the lens was currently on sale for $1,199.99, a savings of $200.  I had no intention of missing out on such a good deal and as soon as the store reopened on Sunday I ordered the lens by phone and then rode the subway down after lunch and picked it up.

I've only just begun shooting with the lens, but my initial impression is very positive.  As soon as I have sufficient photos to show, I'll post them here.