Panasonic LUMIX G Vario 12 60mm F3 5 5 6 ASPH POWER OIS Review | 54 Data compared

The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Power O.I.S. is a highly versatile standard kit zoom lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras. Weighing just 210g and measuring 71mm in length, its light and compact design stays faithful to the system's portable ethos while offering weather sealing with dust and splash resistance. Mechanically, the lens features dual rings for fly-by-wire manual focusing and zooming, lacks an AF/MF physical switch, and is fully compatible with Panasonic's Dual I.S. system to allow sharp handheld shooting at slow shutter speeds. Optically, it performs admirably for an everyday travel zoom, achieving peak sharpness at f/5.6 on the wide end (12mm) and f/8 on the telephoto end (60mm). The lens excels in several performance metrics but carries a few drawbacks. On the positive side, it boasts excellent flare resistance even in direct sunlight, remarkably low distortion, minimal vignetting, and well-controlled chromatic aberration, alongside a fast, silent, and accurate autofocus system for both stills and video. However, users will notice that image sharpness drops off in the corners at wide angles, and diffraction becomes highly...

The Panasonic Lumix G 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Power OIS is a versatile, mid-range standard zoom lens designed as an affordable "in-betweener" for Micro Four Thirds users. Optically, the lens delivers excellent centre sharpness at its widest 12mm setting, though performance softens slightly as it reaches the 60mm telephoto end. A significant technical drawback is its heavy reliance on digital auto-correction; without it, the lens exhibits an "excessive" 6.5% barrel distortion at 12mm and peak vignetting of 2.4 EV. While the lens is slow in terms of aperture, its 5x zoom range (24-120mm equivalent) makes it a practical, lightweight choice for travel photography. The lens features a high-quality build using a metal and plastic combination that includes splash and dust-proof sealing, a rare benefit at its roughly $450 price point. Its autofocus system is praised for being fast, silent, and accurate, and the Power OIS provides approximately three stops of stabilization. However, a notable design flaw is the lack of a physical OIS switch, forcing users to navigate camera menus to toggle the feature. Ultimately, the reviewer concludes that while the...

The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Asph Power OIS is a lightweight and versatile standard zoom lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras, offering a highly useful 24-120mm equivalent focal range. This attractively priced mid-range optic features a weather-sealed construction with a metal mount and rubber ring to repel dust and water. Mechanically, it operates quickly and silently, featuring a stepless 7-blade aperture mechanism optimized for video recording and a generous minimum focusing distance of 25cm that allows for close-up shots with a 0.54x equivalent magnification. Optically, the lens utilizes a complex formula that includes three aspherical elements and one extra-low dispersion (ED) glass element to actively combat optical aberrations. The lens boasts several notable strengths, including very high sharpness at the center of the frame across all focal lengths, exceptionally well-integrated software corrections that seamlessly eliminate curvilinear distortion and chromatic aberration, and practically non-existent vignetting. The built-in Power OIS also provides competent image stabilization, delivering about three stops of stability during handheld shooting. However, the review highlights distinct drawbacks, such as a drop-off in corner sharpness, which is...

The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH is reviewed as an exceptionally versatile, budget-friendly "do-it-all" kit lens well-suited for travel and casual photography. Tested alongside a Panasonic GX8 body during a rainy weekend in Hobart, Tasmania, its standout feature is a highly malleable 24–120mm full-frame equivalent focal range. The reviewer praises the wide 12mm focal length for effectively capturing indoor architecture, as well as the generous 60mm telephoto reach for framing distant outdoor landscapes without needing a lens swap. Additionally, its lightweight build, robust weather-sealing, integrated optical image stabilisation (IS), and remarkably low price when bundled as a kit make it an absolute bargain for Micro Four Thirds users. However, the lens has several technical downsides, most notably a relatively slow aperture range that severely limits subject isolation and shallow depth of field creativity. This slow speed forces compromises regarding slower shutter speeds or higher ISO levels in low-light environments. Optically, the lens is prone to significant flaring when shooting directly into the sun due to a lack of top-notch lens coatings. Corner and frame-edge sharpness are also lacking...

The Panasonic Lumix G 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Power OIS is a versatile 5x "in-betweener" zoom lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras, offering a useful full-frame equivalent focal range of 24-120mm. Priced at around $450/€450, it targets travel photographers looking for an affordable, lightweight (210g) option that balances price and performance over bulkier "super-zoom" lenses. The lens construction consists of 11 elements in 9 groups, featuring three aspherical elements and one ED element, alongside a 7-blade circular aperture and a close minimum focusing distance of 0.20m. The review highlights several prominent pros, including a high build quality that blends metal and plastic parts, a metal mount, and a splash- and dust-proof sealed design. Additionally, its autofocus system operates both rapidly and completely silently. The Power OIS image stabilizer provides roughly 3 f-stops of stabilization and supports dual IS on compatible Panasonic bodies. On the downside, the cons include a slow variable aperture range (f/3.5-5.6) that restricts low-light speed, a plastic inner lens tube, and a manual focus "by wire" mechanism. Furthermore, the lens lacks a physical OIS switch, forcing users...

The ePHOTOzine review of the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. lens highlights its 5x zoom versatility, lightweight 210g body, and effective weather-sealing. Key pros include outstanding central sharpness, low distortion, effective O.I.S., and a close 0.2m minimum focus distance. Conversely, the review notes reduced sharpness at the edges when fully zoomed, a slow maximum aperture, and a reliance on electronic control-by-wire focusing. The lack of physical switches for AF and O.I.S. is also listed as a limitation.

The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Power OIS lens is a versatile, weather-sealed, and compact 5x zoom for Micro Four Thirds, offering high-quality construction and impressive optical performance. Lab tests indicate high center and edge resolution, minimal,, and strong close-up capability, making it a robust, high-value alternative to standard kit lenses. Key pros include the versatile focal range, excellent sharpness, effective image stabilization, and quiet autofocus. The main cons are the variable maximum aperture which limits low-light performance at the long end, and minor vignetting at extreme focal lengths.