Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 41
 Great for narrow depth-of-field effect in a compact set October 17, 2009
Esaito
43 out of 45 found this review helpful
I originally bought the Panasonic Lumix GF1 with the 14-45mm kit lens, and then bought this 20mm pancake.
The pancake turns the GF1 into a really compact set, that I enjoy taking together anywhere. I keep the 20mm lens in the camera most of the times, and only when I know I'll need some telephoto I replace it by the 14-45mm lens.
I owned previously only point-and-shoot and superzooms, so I wanted to try some DSLR, but I was afraid I wouldn't take together because of the bulk. With the GF1 + this pancake lens I have a small camera that I don't mind carrying and that takes DSLR-quality photos.
It lacks OIS, but I don't really feel the need as this is a very fast lens. With the f/1.7 aperture, you can also create nice narrow depth-of-field effects, which are impossible on point-and-shoot cameras.
I just wanted it be a bit wider... notice that this pancake is actually a 40mm in a 35-mm equivalent focal length. Probably in the future Panasonic will release a wide pancake. They currently sell a wide zoom Panasonic 7-14mm f/4.0 Micro Four Thirds Lens for Panasonic Digital SLR Cameras, but that's too expensive.
Panasonic has other few lenses, but I believe this pancake 20mm is what makes more sense to use with the GF1 to have a real compact set.
I found this camera bag Lowepro Apex 60 AW (Black) is the smallest to fit only the GF1 + the 20mm pancake lens, if you're trying to have a real portable set like me, and I also recommend to protect your lens with a filter like this HOYA 46mm UV Filter for Camera Use.
Pros:
- fast f/1.7 lens, great for narrow depth-of-field pictures and low light shots
- fast autofocus
- very compact lens. It makes a lot of sense with the GF1 - as a compact set you'll carry with you all the time, as it fits your coat pocket.
- compact set = less obtrusive camera = more natural, candid photos
Cons:
- well, it's not as flexible as a zoom lens. It's fixed 20mm (40mm equivalent). But the pros outweigh the cons, so you'll end up using it more than the larger zoom lens.
E-P1 owners, your dream lens has arrived - UPDATED October 19, 2009
Bay Wiz (SF, CA)
43 out of 45 found this review helpful
If you own an E-P1, you absolutely owe it to yourself to get this lens right now. I used to own the 17mm and loved its size, but found the image quality lacking. There are plenty of detailed reviews of this 20mm lens out there so I'll spare the tech details.
I've had this for a little over a week and the performance is just amazing. Auto focus speed is very good, not super speedy, but definitely not slow. Images look sharp even wide open with lovely bokeh. It's not quite as nice as the Panasonic/Leica 25mm 1.4 for 4/3, but it is half the price and 1/4 of the size.
I have some good glass like the Olympus 50mm f2 and Olympus 14-52 mark II 2.8-3.5 via the adapter, but those will probably stay on my E-620 since this Panasonic 20mm fits the E-P1 like a glove.
It's amazing how this lens makes the E-P1 come alive like no other lens I've used on it before.
UPDATE 7/12/2010
It's getting close to one year of full use and this lens is still unmatched for native micro four thirds. I now use it on an E-PL1 and it's still working it's magic. With the latest Olympus firmware update for the E-PL1 (available for E-P1 and EP2 as well) the autofocus speed of the 20mm is even faster! As my photographic skill have increased over the month, I've been able to get even better results.
Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 Lens Review November 18, 2009
Gary Wilson (Portland, OR)
21 out of 22 found this review helpful
I bought this to supplement the 14-45 Lens which also does very well on my "Lumix G" system cameras. I've been using the 20 for a month with great satisfaction. I work commercially with Canon L glass, but, many times out of intrigue, shoot off hours with a number of other systems and therefore have a pretty good idea of their respective strengths and what constitutes good value in the balance of image quality and portability. This lens is a high performer and nicely fulfills its design intentions within the micro 4/3 category.
20mm F/1.7 mounted on Oly E-P1 November 16, 2009
Debra C. Moore (Columbia, SC USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I just received this lens and am still in the testing phase, but so far everything looks good. I took several sharp photos in low light at apertures ranging from 1.7 to 2.0, shutter speeds of 1/30 to 1/80 (handheld) and ISOs from 400 - 1000. The photos are sharp with no evident distortion or CA and have lovely bokeh. I look forward to spending more time with this camera and lens duo - the pair travels with me in my purse daily.
Amazon delivered this lens to me sooner than expected and I will definitely buy from them again.
Great Lens December 12, 2009
RS (Northwest, USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
The 20mm pancake lens is great for use on the GF1. It makes the camera into a near perfect street shooter, and it's also good for parties or social gatherings where your inconspicuous gear profile will allow you to snap a lot of candid shots. The f/1.7 allows for shooting in low light and produces some beautifully shallow depth of field. Images are are extremely sharp, and I've had no problems with flare after several weeks of usage. I'm perfectly happy with it as my only prime.
There are some minor things any prospective user should be aware of, but I don't feel any of this detracts from the essential quality of the lens. From what I've read, in its unmediated state the lens produces some barrel distortion, which Panasonic corrects in camera via software. You should also be aware that the lens is noisier than the kit zoom and takes slightly more time to acquire focus. From what I've read, this is due to the need to move around more glass while focusing. The implications of these last two minor downsides are 1.) that the use of continuous focus when shooting video will result in some annoying noise, and 2.) it's slightly less good for action shots and quick shooting scenarios, which is what may keep it from being a perfect street shooter. The former can be addressed by simply not using continuous focus when shooting video, and the latter can be addressed by using manual focus and hyperfocal zoning to shoot on the fly. True also, the lens has no image stabilization, but photographers have been capturing great shots for many, many years without image stabilization.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 41
|
