I found this video on Vimeo with this lens and the 65mbps 3GOP settings. The point is the lens though, settings aside... so take a look at this footage.

Yes, that's my video.

@No_SuRReNDeR I don't own the Panasonic 14mm F2.5 so I cannot offer a comparison. I've only had the Olympus lens for a couple of days, but I am impressed with it. The image is very crisp even at F2 (the above video is all F2). Build quality is all-metal, yet very lightweight and small. There seems to be some vignetting at F2 (which I like) and disappears at F2.8. Bokeh is also very pleasant at F2.

I tend to use manual focus almost exclusively. The focus ring is buttery smooth with nice resistance and engages the Focus Assist when the lens is in automatic focus mode/focus by wire mode (ring pushed forward) and the GH2 is set to manual focus. Focus Assist remains on when you pull the ring back to engage manual focus on the lens and to reveal the distance scale. However, Focus Assist will not engage when the lens is in the manual focus position to start with.

Also, I have tried to rack focus using the distance scale in the manual mode on the lens. In this mode, focus changes are stepped, i.e., not continuous, making it useless for rack focusing while shooting video, which is a shame. Again, when the lens is pushed forward, you can focus by wire with nice continuous focus movement.

Overall, my initial impressions are positive. I have been looking for a decent wide angle for my GH2 especially for video production. The 24mm wide angle equivalent is about as wide as I wish to go for 16:9 format video.

@EOSHD Ya, it is a very cheap handheld rig called "My Hands":) I am curious to see how well the 65 Mbps settings held up without a lot of stabilization. I'll be posting some tripod shots later.

@No_SuRReNDeR I have the 20mm as well. The focus by wire ring feels a bit more fluid and smooth on the Olympus than on the Panasonic 20mm. Also, the all-metal finish feels more solid, as one might expect. Still, it doesn't feel as solid and weighty as the Nokton, which is in a class all its own!

@stonebat The image appears rectilinear with no perceptible barrel distortion I can detect, at least from my initial testing.

Txs for the review

>I have tried to rack focus using the distance scale in the manual mode on the lens. In this mode, focus changes are stepped, i.e., not continuous, making it useless for rack focusing while shooting video, which is a shame

I'm sorry to hear that, I was considering this lens hoping that this "hybrid" focus mode will feel more like old manual lenses... Does the focus-by-wire mode is better than the panasonic lens one ? Does it take forever to go from min distance to infinity ?

@lenuisible Focus-by-wire is speed sensitive, but with a quick motion the lens focuses from minimum to infinity in about a quarter-turn. Slower motion draws it out to a half-turn or more.

@Shield
>Plain and simple, it's not a lot of lens for the money. You can get a 14 2.5 and a 20 1.7 BOTH for this price.

Yes, that's what I decided to do. A local camera shop has the Oly 12mm and it was very nice looking, but I opted for the 14mm and 20mm lenses. I also sprung for Trudeau Twist Jar Opener to help with manual focus. It works great and at $6, a real bargain! :-)

Here's a youtube video showing the Trudeau in action:

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12mm f/2.0 Lens Limited Edition (Black)

Personally I like the look of the black better, but for $300 more they need to include more than just a lens hood and filter. Like maybe a camera =)

I came across the image on one of the two largest camera shops site here in Japan. It's available for pre-order on B&H, but there is no image.

http://blog.mingthein.com/2012/12/27/olympus-12-2/

The first thing that's immediately noticeable about the sharpness of this lens is the high, very even sharpness. Actually, the sharpness in the center is equal to the sharpness in the corners. And that's starting at full aperture.

http://www.camerastuffreview.com/olympus-lens-review/test-olympus-12mm-f-2-0-special-edition

http://camera.itmedia.co.jp/dc/articles/1410/10/news098.html