Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 II ASPH. Lens (Black)
UPC's:
Compact with high quality
The more I shoot with the 20 f/1.7, the more I like the slightly wider normal field of view. Incredibly compact, it has replaced my Leica 25 f/1.4 and now lives on one of my 2 GX7s, with the Lumix 42.5 f/1.7 on the other. I find the image quality to be excellent and f/1.7 is fast enough for me. My only quibble is with the auto focus speed which is a bit ponderous. While it doesn't matter that much for my work, if auto focus speed is important to you, try it out before you commit.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Stellar Image Quality, a great focal length for walk around!
I've used the first version for years... just bought this new one only because it's all black and looks nicer on my black E-M5. I've never had banding issues, and the focusing issues have never been a problem for me. I love this lens and this focal length. I've tried the Oly 17/1.8 and the 25/1.8, but I ended up selling them because I like this lens better. Four stars only due to the sub-par focusing, compared to newer lenses. Image-wise, Five Stars all the way!
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great Film Making Lens (Or Low Light)
This lens is beautiful. The depth of field is super nice, and even though it lacks stabilization, the G85's built in stabilization makes up for it. I bought this lens instead of getting the 25mm because with a MFT sensor, the 20mm ends up being like a 40mm. I know the benefits to a 50mm, but a lot of directors prefer 40mm (full frame). Here's a great article about it. http://noamkroll.com/28mm-lenses-the-secret-ingredient-for-achieving-a-film-look/
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Didn't Work For Me!
I ordered this to use with my new GH3. I have always used zoom lenses in the past, but decided to give this prime a shot. It definitely worked well in low light, but the autofocus is unusable. Also the lack of stabilization was a big negative for me. Wanted to like it, but just couldn't the way I use a camera. If this was used with a tripod and manual focus it would be acceptable. I returned it and bought a much more expensive zoom which works great.
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Sharp Versatile lens for landscape photos
This is my first prime lens in my lens catalog. The lens is fast, sharp and has a nice damping motion on the focus ring. I bought the silver version for my Lumix GX-85 and love the slight retro look reminiscent of classic rangefinder bodies in the past. It is very compact and light so it makes for a great travel lens. The 1.7 max aperture is also great for shallow depth of field and allows you to keep your ISO down for less noise.
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Excellent results
I bought this lens for my Olympus OM-D EM-10 specifically because I wanted a lens fast enough for astrophotography. I was very impressed with the results. This photo is a jpeg straight out of the camera. Focusing was slow sometimes, but worked well at night. Used the lens reset feature to set the lens to infinity. The lens does not slide on as easily. Probably due to the metal mount. Plastic mount lenses are easier to take on and off.
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Outstanding Performance and Value
This lens works great with my Olympus Micro 4/3 cameras. Autofocus is not as lightening fast as my Olympus lenses but it is not at all bad. This lens is very sharp. Wide open, it has great bokeh. Color rendition is a little cooler and less punchy than my Olympus lenses. Contrast is also lower. I highly recommend this lens for Olympus, Panasonic, and other Micro 4/3 cameras. It is also an outstanding value.
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Incredible Lens
Bought this in conjunction with the Lumix GX7 camera body and am thrilled with it. In addition to being a great lens, I enjoyed how the format changed the way I photographed in general. You have to get up much closer to your subject, and actually interact with it. It's par for the course given the lens type, but I particularly enjoyed it and I think that it made me a better photographer because ofit.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A Fantastic Pancake For Your Pani.
The little lens is just awesome. Small but certainly not a toy. I can produce great results all while keeping your camera nice and compact. The Lumix G 20mm f1.7 II ASPH is one of the little gems of the Panasonic line-up. If you are on this system, and are considering this lens, just pull the trigger. It's small price and size are added bonuses, as this lens punches way above it's weight-class.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Small fast lens
For low light (under forest canopy and evenings) this lens is great. As others have observed, the auto focus is slow. I would say phlegmatic, but it ends up spot on. I really like this all metal lens for indoor use because we are in an era of real time composition the later cropping. This is the lense for you if you have the pixels to work with. I shoot at higher resolution as a result. YMMV.
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fantastic lens, good value.
I bought this lens to use on my omd em-5, specifically for travelling/tourism, replacing my 12-50mm kit lens. This lens is sharp and compresses well. I used mostly primes back with my D-SLRs and am happy to be back at it with this lens/body combo. not 5 stars due to it's slightly slow auto-focus. I found a few situations where it hunted a bit and is not too quick in it's search.
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Slow AF.... I mean really slow
Image quality is great. Autofocus performance is horribly slow. Makes the kit 12-32mm lens seem like its rocket powered. My 35-100 is also faster to focus... at least 3x faster. Given its price it should be faster and with no OIS and autofocus that gets slower with lower light, it is only a daytime lens for me. I like its image quality, I will use it, I am not impressed with it.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good product, good services
I'm new to photography and I have chosen this lenses after googling some reviews on the internet. The fact that is small, sharp and has good low light performance (1.7 aperture) determined me to buy it. I think this is what a street photographer needs in his pocket. Maybe I'll come back later with some photos. Thanks B&H for promptitude.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good but a tiny bit soft in the corners
This lens is light and quite bright. However, it is a tiny bit soft in the corners for my taste. Compared with Four-Third lenses 14-54 and 50mm fixed, this lens is somewhat less sharp in the corners. It is quite sharp in the center, even full open. So it is a great lens for portraiture, but not quite for low-light landscape photography.
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Must have for m43
I am new to the m43 world. I have shot canon for years from film to digital with my main camera and lens combo a 5d3 and 35L. Got a g7 for a smaller family camera and for the video capabilities. This is a perfect camera. Super sharp. Quick. Good color. Oh and super small. If you have a m43 camera, this is a must own lens.
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Beware: banding!
This would be such a great lens if there was not a banding problem at high ISO! Some kind of electrical interference. It is a well documented and discussed problem. Also, it focuses at a leisurely pace, which means you will miss shots of animals and children. The focus is also noisy and produces a loud buzz in video.
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Great size, but noisy and very slow AF
I thought the second version of this lens had been improved, I use it with Olympus bodies and find the AF very noisy and slow, maybe it works better on a Panasonic body? I haven't used it enough to comment on the images themselves, but I love it's compact size and 1.7 wide aperture as it works very well in low light.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Compact, light, fast, sharp prime
I use this lens as my default, throw in the bag when space is of the utter importance. For impromptu indoor pics, this is the way to go. The 1.7 aperture focuses in super low light. Bokeh is nice, and images are sharp. 20mm on micro 4/3 is a very useful length. Not too wide, but not too cropped either.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good as the older 20mm + made of metal.
I have had 2 of the order 20mm in the past and they were great. After getting the new GX7 I realized I missed the 20mm so sold the kit lens ( very good lens ) in favor of the smaller silver 20mm. It matches the camera it makes the camera smaller and It will fit the leather case thats on my wish list.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Fantastic Small Fast Lens
This little baby is fast, super small & very lightweight. I rented this lens prior to purchasing & it never disappointed. Colors are sharp, little to no lens flare & focus is spot on. The absolute BEST feature is its small size. It could be carried in your pocket, if need be. I highly recommend!
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great lens for the money
Great lens for my filmmaking needs. It's compact and at 1.7, it's fast enough for light challenged locations. It is important that any perspective buyer understands that the auto focus is slow. Very very slow. It's great if you lock your camera down on sticks, but run and gun is a challenge.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Very good for the price.
Incredible image quality, very crisp, and very compact. I put this on my Lumix g7, and I love it. The ONLY downside (which it could be a big one for filmmakers) is the noise from the focus motor. I don't use autofocus when I am working on video projects, but if you are, it may be a problem.
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The lens I use the most after the 7-14
When I travel with my MFT set this lens is always with me. I't my normal lens close enough to a 35mm angle, good price, very sharp and focuses in the almost dark on my GX8. The sensor VR of the GX8 let me use this lens with very long exposures in dark churches etc. Fantastic purchasing
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Hunts a lot and is very noisy...
If you are looking for a great all-around lens, you might want to look somewhere else as this lens is very slow compared to the Pana 25mm 1.7. I also found it to be less sharp than the 25mm as well. I had such high hopes for the lens, but alas... In the end, I will be returning mine.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
