Any love for the Panasonic 12-35 f2.8?

Just wondering if any of you guys have had any experience with this lens or any interest in it? It is quite expensive, which I see a downside for many folks, but it uses the same port as my 7-14 and is appealing to me for land use, so I started wondering about it.

I am not quite sure whether it really offers much, since it isn't as wide as as the 7-14 or 9-18 and isn't suitable for use with a wet lens like the 14-45 or 14-42, but there are several of you guys who know so much more and have so much more access to lenses and ports, that I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts...

I am not very interested in the 12-50 due to the power zoom and very expensive port and ring.

For the price of the 12-35 you can afford the 12-50 port and gear, and have what is the most versatile lens ever for UW Photography.

The 12-35 is a top performer on land, but limited use UW, with no macro function, need a bulky dome port, and the 2.8 speed is really not an advantage where most photos are using flash. Not saying results wouild not be good, but it is just not optimal.

I would definitely recommend the 7-14 in that dome for wide work, and the 12-50 as a generalist lens. The power zoom is no issue at all. Look at my most recent post in the om-d thread (today) to see what this lens offers.

I have used the Panasonic 12-35 both above and below water in the Nauticam six inch 7-14 port. It is an outstanding lens if you are shooting models in a pool and want limited DOF. On the reef I think the 7-14 is a much better choice. It is no replacement for a lens like the Olympus 12-50 underwater but above water the Panasonic 12-35 and 35-100 would be my first choice for those who can afford them. Regarding the 14-45 & 14-42 the 12-50 is way better even with the power zoom.

Phil Rudin

Thanks for the input. It was pretty much what I expected to hear. I have the 7-14 and 8mm FE and enjoy both. I find the 7-14 a bit more flexible naturally, but the 8mm is really fun. I will give the 12-50 more consideration and might go for it before my next trip to Cozumel in June. It seems like it could be a nice lens to have there, where I often don't know what reef I'll be going to before I get on the boat and there is little ability to change lenses and ports on the small boats I use there.