3.5.2014

In this review I show the good and not so good aspects about this lens and by the time you have read this review you will most likely know if this lens is for you. The camera used for this review is the Panasonic GF6.First a word of caution, be aware of grey imports of this lens: I first ordered this lens via a seller which was `Fulfilled by Amazon' (i.e. Not Amazon's own stock); when it arrived I found that the lens came in a plain white box, with no documentation, or warranty card and without the lens storage bag that is stated in the product description. It was obviously a grey import and I felt I had no option but return it for a full refund. I then ordered the item form Amazon's own stock,this time it came in the proper Panasonic box with all the documentation. Recommendation: only order directly from Amazon's own stock, if you order from another seller I would advise that you contact them first to make sure that it is genuine UK stock and not a grey import.O.k. lets take a look at what's good about this lens:-The overall build quality is good and it looks good on the camera body.The lens has a large f/1.7 aperture; it lets in loads of light in so that one can take pictures in low light whiteout having to resort to using the camera's flash, or having to bump up the ISO which introduces noise and degrades the image and in this respect it's miles better than the standard 14-42mm kit lens.The lens has a metal mount, instead of plastic of the kit lens, so it should last for years of regular use, with greater reliability.The lens is compact and doesn't stick out too much on the camera's body, which is more convenient and less obtrusive and one doesn't need a large camera bag.Optically, the lens is very good and sharp, even at the f/1.7 maximum aperture setting. The 20mm focal length of this lens makes it ideal for general purpose use such as: street photography, group shots, landscape scenes and so on. it's not a zoom lens so your feet will have to do the job instead. Recommendation: The front lens element is very close to the top of the lens so to protect it from the elements and ones fingers, get a 46mm UV protective filter and make sure that it is the multicoated type (the multicoating helps prevent unwanted reflections and ghosting appearing in your images).Let's mow examine what is not so good about this lens:-Auto-focus performance is on slow side and the auto-focus motor inside the lens emits more audible noise during operation than compared to the standard 14-42mm kit lens. What this means is that trying to photograph ones children running around in your living room, the auto-focus is not fast enough to keep up and so one will end up with mostly out-of-focus shots. If one is shooting video in continuous auto-focus mode, the auto-focus again isn't fast enough to keep up and one also hears the noise of the auto-focus motor operation in the audio of your video. It should be noted that for most types of photography and subjects the speed of the auto-focus isn't critical and using this lens shouldn't be a problem and one can also use single-focus mode when shooting video; in the end it depends on what one will use this lens for and this is something one will need to consider before making a decision whether to buy, or not.Although continuous auto-focus is available in video mode it is not available in photo mode; the software version of the lens does not permit this operation on my GF6. The focusing speed of this lens makes it unsuitable for continuous auto-focus; however, for most types of photography this will not be an issue as single auto-focus, or manual focus modes would be used. If continuous auto-focus is essential for your photographic needs, then this lens will not be suitable.Although the front element does not rotate during auto-focus (and that's a good point), it does move in and out slightly during the auto-focus operation. This is not a problem, but care should be taken not to bump the front of the lens during use, as doing so could potentially cause damage to the lens.There is no optical image stabilization built into this lens, however, the large f/1.7 aperture more that compensates for the lack of VR, with one exception that is for hand-held video, where VR has a real positive benefit. Some four-thirds camera's models have VR built into the camera body and if this is you then this will not be an issue.The lens does not have Nano coating so it is prone to flare under certain conditions and there is no lens hood attachment to help minimize flare. Personally, I think Panasonic ought to have included Nano coating, especially when you consider the high price that they sell it for; in my view, this lens is overpriced by as much as £100.Other considerations:-This 20mm lens is not a zoom lens and your feet will have to the the zooming by moving closer, or further away from your subject.The bokeh (the out of focus areas of the image) produced by this lens is limited: This is not a fault with the lens, it's simply the law of physics; with the focal length of the lens being 20mm and the size of the four-thirds sensor being much smaller than the full-frame 35mm format, it results in something like a two stop disadvantage in bokeh performance over the 35mm format. Because of this, the lens isn't really suitable for tight head `n' shoulder portraits, the 20mm focal length falls between a wide angle and a standard lens and cannot therefore give the flattering perspective needed for portraiture; for this one needs a longer focal length lens in the region of 45mm.Final Word:-Despite the limitations and shortcomings of this lens, I like it a lot; It's nice and sharp, even wide open and works a treat in low light. The ability to use this lens in low light without ramping up the ISO, or having to use the camera's flash is really great and is an absolute must for any budding photographer. I taken off a star because of the slow and noisy auto-focus performance, but make no mistake, this is still a great lens and it has become my main lens for my GF6.

20.12.2013

I bought this lens some time ago from an Amazon seller for use on Olympus bodies. Reviews on various technical review sites read at the time rated this a far better performer than any of Olympus' own offerings and the price at which it was then offered was very favourable. I had tested a sample in-store against the 17 and 14mm pancakes and later also bought the widest lens and was very satisfied by the test shots obtained from both.When I started to use it, I realised just how good this lens really is and it is probably Panasonic's best short of the far more expensive Leica designs they also offer. Its performance is truly outstanding; it is very sharp indeed when stopped down a couple of stops and very usable wide open.

24.10.2018

I bought the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 II lens to use as a standard prime on my Lumix GX9.With the M4/3 2x crop the 40mm equivalent falls neatly between the standard prime lengths of 35mm and 50mm and provides close to the field of view of the human eye.Build quality is good and the manual focus ring turns easily to provide smooth focus. It comes with a neat pinch lens cap and small protective bag, but no lens hood.The lens itself while described as a 'pancake' is not that small but does complement the Lumix GX range in terms of a balanced look.There has been a lot of debate about the speed of autofocus on this lens. In real world terms, while the autofocus is slower that in some newer Panasonic lens,

6.1.2016

I got the lens for my video business and for travelling as according to other reviews produced a lovely shallow depth of field for both photography and videography.I found that it works so well in a wide range of lighting conditions and in particular it has produced some stunning images of food. The images that I was able to capture of food have the look of something that was created and tweaked afterwards in post-production such is the quality of the lens. One of the things that I love about it, is how compact it is, I thought that when I saw it that the lens would not be that great due to its design, this is not the case.Just to mention about the supplier, I have found them to be excellent and would highly recommend them.

30.11.2013

Although the Lumix G series allows me to pack 35mm equivilent 14-400mm lenses, a camera body, filters, spare batteries etc. in a tiny camera bag that looks as though it is a normal tourist bag not a pro-style hefty camera case there are times when you just want to take one camera and one lens.My G3 may be a couple of years old but it is tiny, I am looking at the GX7 but don't see the need to upgrade right now. So stick the 20mm f1.7 lens on it and I can put the G3 in my pocket. The lens is tiny, really sharp and has a lovely bokeh (out of focus parts) plus a generous maximum aperture.The 35mm equiv. of 40mm focal length is just about perfect. The Micro 4/3 has a different, more square,

20.9.2016

I have owned this lens on three different occasions and it's never disappointed. It fits beautifully on my Olympus EM5 and really finishes off that black retro camera look.It's a pancake lens, so it's really compact but it doesn't compromise on quality in any way.Pros: Great image quality - it's pretty decent wide open but stop down to F4 (or lower) and it's brilliant across the frame.Depth of field - You can definitely get this but remember that it's reasonably wide in terms of a standard lens and you won't be getting the same "drop" as a longer range lensDiscreet Profile - It really is that small.Cons: - The focus speed is not great.

9.10.2017

**Not a professional photographer alert**Fantastic little lens. Compared to the 14-42mm stock on my GX1 this is a world apart. As small as you can get, very bright, and decent auto focus. So far I've not noticed the loss of image stabilisation in my other lenses. I use this for family shots with small (and fast) kids, often in low light domestic situations so it's tough on any lens to cope with everything. This works as a great all-rounder. Home shots, days out, landscapes, portraits. All come out clear and fine. I generally shoot with the GX1 in auto mode and aside from a few shots with the aperture a little too wide, or depth of field too tight, this has worked very well. Auto focus is fast and good,

6.9.2017

I've owned both this and the original version of the lens. Image quality is top drawer with no significant flaws. It's tiny and has no need for a hood in my varied experience. It hunts a little in low light and AF is on the slow side as well as noisy, but it nails focus nevertheless. I've never seen any reviews regarding the bulbous glass on the lens, but I notice you get off centre sunbursts from bright light sources when they're in the corners of the frame. It's a little odd. Tack sharp at f/1.7 across the frame with some vignetting (correctable with software).No difference in AF speed/noise compared to original version, but this one has a nicer look and finish,

10.10.2014

I am surprised there are so few reviews on this lens, which is generally thought by professional reviewers to be near Leica quality eg from Photozone: " The center image quality is nothing short of phenomenal. The borders are slightly worse but still very good level and that's straight from f/1.7" The build quality is excellent and so is the colour rendering. It is not that cheap but compared with Leica or Zeiss it is a steal. The Focal length of full frame equivalent 40mm is a bit strange being just slightly wide angle. Sometimes lenses are way above expectation and this is one of them, because for a modest outlay you can have IQ of an exceptionally high standard.

11.4.2014

Having tried both Panasonic 20mm and also the Olympus 17, I found Panny20 is better - sharper and with lively colours. focussing can be slower but in practice this is no big deal as manual focussing is much easier than the Oly17, where you have to pull a ring back and focus. On Panny this is just a one step smooth process. makes Olympus OMD10 compact and pocketable. I think it is perfect match for Olympus OMD10. Just makes the camera so portable and easy to carry and handle!!

29.6.2016

I was a little skeptical of its capabilities when I bought it. I was wrong. It is a lovely lens - beautifully sharp. Its diameter is a little large for a Panasonic GM1 - the bottom of the lens is lower than the bottom of the body. Even so, it is a small lens in absolute terms. So small that I lost mine. In the following months I missed it greatly. I had to get another one. Now that has arrived, I realised what I had been missing. It is just so much fun to use.

16.9.2017

Excellent prime lens, with an unbeatable value for money for M43. I use it exclusively for photos, not for video, and it's an exciting lens. Versatile, small, excellent for manual focus, fast AF in normal situations on my GX80, even in low light conditions when there are no moving subjects. Very sharp, great image quality across the aperture range, and no CA or vignetting signals.In a word: recommendable!

17.1.2017

A beautifully made lens with a large aperture that gives lovely shallow depth of field and superb low-light capabilities. It's small, solid and fairly heavy, but feels lovely in use. In low light, and particularly with close-ups the autofocus takes a little longer to lock-on - just a minor point that's outweighed by everything else.

15.1.2018

It’s a great lens at the right price - sharp and makes my Olympus Pen F pocketable in a jacket pocket. Some reviews refer to it being slow to focus but I’m not really noticing any difference between it and my 17mm prime. Very sharp and a bargain at this price. It pretty much lives on my Pen F now.

12.2.2017

I wish I had bought this lens sooner, it is wide and fast and not too expensive. Fabulous for my needs, which is photographing my children in a variety of environments, quite often indoors. Autofocus isn't the fastest you'll find on an M43 lens, but it's fast enough.

Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 II Pancake - Reviews

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