Make sure this fitsby entering your model number. 20mm focal length, equivalent to 40mm on a 35mm film camera F1.7 brightness for beautiful, soft focus Comprised of seven lenses in five groups, closest Focusing Distance:0.2m / 0.66 feet Used with Lumix G Micro System Cameras, allows for use of the advanced contrast Auto Focus (AF) system Lens not Zoomable
I am an amateur photographer (thats putting it lightly). I decided to buy this and an Olympus Pen Lite E-PL5 camera instead of paying someone to take our wedding photos. We just had a friend point and shoot on auto mode and the pics came out better than I could have imagined. Buttery depth of field and great performance in low light. You have to try really hard to take a bad photo with this lens.
Jeremy
4
When I read that Panasonic was working on a successor to its Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens (which Ive owned almost since its release), I was excited. After all, the original was exceptional; how do you improve on such a solid product? Initial reviews implied that, well, they *didnt* improve on it. This refresh was cosmetic, and the lens was identical optically. I decided to take a pass. That was, of course, until my E-PM1 (with the original lens attached) went for an unexpected journey on the roof of my car. Suffice it to say it ended well for neither camera nor lens, and when I went to replace the 20mm I discovered that the new version was cheaper than the old. An easy enough decision! What follows is by and large my original review. Really, the only things that have changed are appearance and the weight, and those only in vanishingly small ways. The lenses are otherwise, as near as I can tell, functionally identical. Ive tested this lens on a GF3 and on the E-M5. **** First off, this lens really is wonderfully compact - its physically a perfect match for small bodies. There are smaller pancake lenses of similar focal lengths (the Panasonic Lumix 14mm f/2.5 and the Olympus 17mm f/2.8 ), but neither are as bright; I think the 20mm hits the sweet spot. The lens has a massive manual focus ring (which is a control for the M43 "focus by wire" electronic focusing system) which is easy enough to use once you get the hang of it. The updated version now ships with smaller lens caps. Its otherwise basically the same size as the original. As for the results... well, you can read the charts, but suffice it to say that this is a very good performer. Its sharp wide open, with some very slight softness towards the corners which can be improved by stopping down. The lens does rely on software correction to deal with some fairly strong light falloff towards the corners at wide apertures. If you dont want to use software correction, note that the vignetting can be resolved by stopping down to around f/4. Autofocus is as accurate as any other lens Ive tried, and low light AF hit ratio is good (thanks, no doubt, to the large aperture). AF speed is adequate but not exceptional, and its a bit louder than would be ideal for video if you intend to use the internal mic. Oh, and dont be scared off by the "odd" 40mm equivalent focal length. If youre used to 50mm as "normal" from the film era, I think youll find 20mm quite pleasant. The little extra width can be nice to have at times. No discussion of this lens would be complete without mentioning its larger, brighter cousin, the Panasonic Micro 4/3 25mm f/1.4 . I own both lenses, and the 25mm f/1.4 is arguably better in several respects; in addition to its faster aperture, the 25mm boasts improved autofocus performance, which is somewhat quieter and faster than the 20mm (primarily when "hunting," which is when the 20mm slows down). The minor aperture advantage of the 25mm is on its own not very significant, but the combination with a longer focal length does provide it with a noticeably narrower perceived depth of field. So why, then, would I go back and buy the "worse" 20mm all over again? It comes down to size. While the 25mm f/1.4 is great, its also twice as big, which is why I consider the 20mm f/1.7 a must have for use on smaller bodies (which might be placed in a jacket pocket or purse). It strikes the perfect balance between brightness and size when paired with a "rangefinder" style body (e.g. the Panasonic GM1, Olympus E-PM2, etc). Its a great all around performer and the cost, although high, is not totally unreasonable for something of this quality. **** Bottom line: this is a must own for anybody with a small M43 body. And if you find yourself torn between the "new" and "old" versions, or contemplating an upgrade? Theres really basically no difference of note. Stick with whats cheaper (or what you already have!)
Erik Harris
5
I miss being able to zoom in and out when using this lens, but the f/1.7 apertures indoor/low light performance makes it totally worth it. This has become my go-to lens, and I use it more than any of my other (three) micro-4/3 lenses. Im not a phenomenal photographer, but this helps make my photos look really great!
Rodri
5
As sharp as they say. My favorite lens. If your thinking of getting 14mm 2.5 or 17mm 2.8 I have both and never had to use anymore. 20mm/40mm on MFT has been a perfect fit for the quality, and 1.7 apature.
Matt D.
5
Like others have said, terrific lens, very well made and sharp. Compared to my 9-18 Olympus I wont say its much sharper, but it is faster when you need that. Very compact and almost a pancake lens but large enough to make us of the manual focus ring. I am using it on my OMD E10 and 100% satisfied.
Raymond R. Jackson
5
This lens is a really nice walking around type of lens with a 40 mm equivalent focal length on a Micro 4/3 camera. I use it with my Panasonic Lumix G6 and have taken some nice photos with it. It will work for video as well to take shots with a reasonably shallow depth of field. The big thing here is that this lens is quite small and weighs practically nothing. When I have it on my camera it feels very light and is easy to tote around with camera strap around my neck or just using the grip and hand holding it. The Micro 4/3 system is already a nice size for portability with small lens sizes. I have now acquired 3 micro 4/3 lenses all that would fit in a small pack with the camera. This is the big benefit of this format that I like over my Rebel T3i and its lens combinations.
Isaac
4
As I was traveling, I noticed that throwing a camera in a bag wasnt really possible with my GH5 because the lenses were either heavy or just stuck out too much to take quick casual photos. I decided to get the 20mm low cost pancake lens because I already had a manual 25mm lens and I felt that the Panasonic brand would have a little better auto focus. It turns out that this lens is very sharp, fast, and has great bokeh capabilities for it super lightweight and small package. The only cons are typical for a low cost Panasonic lens, the focus lens is sticky and crunchy sounding over time, the autofocus for photos is slow and noisy, and you CANNOT use AFC for some reason. However, when using autofocus in video, the motor noise in the lens is reduced significantly probably because it does more smoother slower focus.
Osiris A. Rosa
5
I got this lens to keep my travel camera as least thief attracting as possible. The lens is a bit slow to focus if you are taking action shots, however the bokeh and picture quality are top notch. The build is very sturdy and compact which makes it easy to take with you and keep on the camera at all times. The fast aperture and standard focal lens make it great for general purpose travel pictures. A must of any MFT owner.
TW
3
Its not disclosed in the description but this lens does NOT support AFC (continuous focus)! So if you want this as a fast lens to shoot moving subjects in dim light, this will not work well for you. I bought it as a "street" lens and for low light group portraits at family events so probably not a problem for me, but if I had realized the lack of AFC I would have probably sprung for something better. The price is hard to beat though. Lens seems decently sharp, havent really used it for much yet. It really is compact, it sticks out about as much as the G9 grip.
Jeff
5
Of course you cant get thin depth of field at this aperture and sensor size, but the background is nicely blurred when taking relatively close portraits inside. I took a lovely (and I dont usually use that word) picture of my daughter doing an art project one evening at the kitchen table. It focusses way faster and much more accurately confidently than my Pentax K50 with 35mm 2.4. so its great for around the house, tightly cropped group photos, walk around crowded city street shots. I used it on my gx9.
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