If you had a thousand dollars or thereabouts to spend, would you get this lens or the 12mm 2.0 and the 45mm 1.8 for the same amount of money?

It's not a simple choice. I sold my 12 f2 lens to get the 12-40mm. It all depends of what you are trying to accomplish. The 12-40mm is a very versatile lens which is sharper at 12mm than the 12mm at f2.8. The trade off would be losing a bit of speed from the 12mm for the sake of the convenience of not having to switch lenses as often. I kept the 45mm f.18 because it is superior than the 12-40mm in terms of resolution and depth of field which will get you much better results for portraits. Having said that, if my budget would be $1000, I would get the 12-40mm. You will be delighted with this lens. It's just awesome!I hope this helps.

Does the 12-40mm lens hold focus through-out the zoom range?

To make sure I don't give the wrong answer, I mounted the 12-40mm lens onto my Lumix GX7and set to manual focus with focus-peaking turned on. After focusing on a subject and zooming back and forth I can confirm that the lens stayed in focus throughout the range.

Got this for my Panny GX7 and no auto focus only manual focus (no green squares), is this normal? Also came without any box or warranty.

It will auto-focus on both an Olympus and Panasonic mFT body if the focus ring is pushed out. It will not auto-focus on either if the focus ring is pulled toward you. (If you can see the distance scale engraved near the end of the lens barrel, it is in manual focus mode.) All mFT lenses must be and are designed to the mFT standard. If any mFT lens with auto-focus is supported on any mFT camera, auto-focus is supported on all mFT cameras.All of us with this lens have accidentally left the focus ring pulled toward us and wondered why the pictures were soft. Eventually you learn. Then you learn to use the focus adjust ring to tune focus when needed, using the focus peaking or magnify or both automatically while we adjust. I have come to really like the feature, fast, easy, "intuitive" now. Pro lenses from Olympus and the 17mm f 1.8 all share this feature.

Would it be redundant to have this lens and also the 45mm f/1.8 lens (even if 45mm can be bought for $100 off, new)?

No it would not be redundant. the 12-40mm lens is a great all around lens for everyday use that gives you a nice optic range. It is also takes great pictures with the possibility of keeping a low f stop (2.8 regardless of whether you are at 12mm or 40mm). I also own the 45mm prime lens and while I love it for the pictures it takes, it is just not as versatile as the 12-40mm for all use. However, as some others have noted in their responses, the 45mm is a good portrait lens that is a little better in low light. it is also smaller. The bottom line for me: If I could only buy one lens, I would buy the 12-40mm for its versatility and ability to do both landscapes and portraits, and it is good in low light at f2.8

ASIN	B00EY3YGBS
Batteries	2 Lithium Ion batteries required.
Best Sellers Rank	#302 in SLR Camera Lenses
Customer Reviews	4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars (404)
Date First Available	September 9, 2013
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer	No
Item Weight	13.5 ounces
Item model number	V314060BU000
Manufacturer	Olympus
Product Dimensions	3.31 x 2.76 x 2.76 inches

OlympusM.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 Pro Lens, for Micro Four Thirds Cameras

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