Amateur Photographer – 20 July 2019

49

LENS TEST Testbench

Resolution

Even a quick glance at our Image Engineering MTF

tests reveals that this isn’t the sharpest optic

you’ll find. At wideangle it records very respectable

central sharpness, but the corners lag behind.

In the middle of the range it’s not so sharp in the

centre, and the corners are even softer. At full

telephoto it’s simply not very sharp at all. For

best results, select apertures around f/5.6-f/8.

12mm centre

50mm centre

200mm centre

12mm corner

50mm corner

200mm corner

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital

ED 12-200mm F3.5-6.3

Curvilinear distortion

The Micro Four Thirds system uses integrated

software compensation to deal with distortion.

As a result, you simply don’t see the massive

distortion that you’d expect with such a long

zoom range – it’s processed away automatically

to give near-perfect straight lines.

Shading

On the whole, vignetting doesn’t present much

of a problem. There’s no appreciable shading at

wideangle or in the mid-range, but some does

become visible at telephoto. Even then, you’ll

probably only discern it with evenly toned subjects,

where it’s not especially objectionable anyway.

It also decreases quickly on stopping down.

12mm f/3.5 200mm f/6.3

12mm 200mm

SMIA TV = -0.9% SMIA TV = 0.1%

How you take to this lens will depend on

what you value most in your photography. If

you demand critical pixel-level sharpness, or

shallow depth of fi eld, then look elsewhere.

But if you value the creative potential of

having a huge range of focal lengths in a

single lens, it’s a really interesting option.

Optically it may not be perfect, but it’s much

better than it has any right to be.

Indeed with its massive zoom range,

impressive close focus and weather-resistant

construction, this really is a lens that can

tackle almost every kind of subject. But it’s

not well suited for low-light shooting, so I’d

pair it with one or two of Olympus’s small

f/1.8 primes for a lightweight travel kit.

Overall, if you like the idea of a compact

all-in-one lens, the

Olympus 12-200mm

is certainly worth a

look, and a clear step up

from the fi rm’s cheaper

14-150mm. It’s far from

the sharpest lens I’ve

ever used, but I’ve really

enjoyed shooting with it.

Verdict

Not all images need to be super-sharp anyway Olympus OM-D E-M5 II, 200mm, 1/500sec at f/8, ISO 200

Price £799.99

Filter diameter 72mm

Lens elements 16

Groups 11

Diaphragm blades 7

Aperture f/3.5-6.3

Minimum focus 0.22m

Length 99.7mm

Diameter 7 7. 5 m m

Weight 455g

Lens mount Micro

Four Thirds

Data file

Performance
The moment you start looking closely at
images recorded using the 12-200mm, it
becomes clear that this really isn’t a lens for
pixel-peepers. Like most superzooms, it’s
pretty good at its wider settings, but gets less
sharp as you zoom in, and is just plain soft at
telephoto. So if you’re looking for crisp
corner-to-corner detail when viewing your
images up-close onscreen, or want to make
super-sharp A3 prints, you’ll need to save up
more money for the 12-100mm F4 IS Pro.
If, however, you aren’t so demanding on fi ne
detail, then the 12-200mm actually does a
pretty decent job. Like all Micro Four Thirds
lenses it has the benefi t of integrated software
distortion correction, which means you don’t
get the unpleasant bending of straight lines
along the edges of the frame that’s typical of
SLR equivalents. On older Olympus bodies
you’ll see colour fringing towards the corners
due to lateral chromatic aberration, especially
at full telephoto, but this is successfully
suppressed on more recent models, including
those from Panasonic.
The lack of optical stabilisation is much less
of a problem than I initially feared. It’s clear
that 200mm is reaching the limits of what both
Olympus’s and Panasonic’s in-body stabilisation
systems can sensibly work with, meaning you’ll
probably only get a couple of stops of shake
reduction at the telephoto end. But that’s a lot
better than nothing, and you’ll get considerably
greater stabilisation at wideangle. But I don’t
recommend using this lens on Panasonic
bodies that lack in-body stabilisation.
With its long focal length, the 12-200mm
can deliver some nicely blurred backgrounds,
especially when shooting close-ups. In fact I
was pleasantly surprised by the attractiveness
of the bokeh, which is usually a weakness of
superzoom lenses. Flare resistance is
pretty impressive, as well.

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