Panasonic LUMIX G II Lens, 20MM, F1.7 ASPH, MIRRORLESS Micro Four Thirds, H-H020AS (USA Silver)

Product Information

The lens is devoid of any switches or control surfaces other than the manual focus ring; there isn't much room for anything and in the micro-four thirds cameras it can attach to, lens functions are controlled at the camera level.

Some people feel that due to the different sizes of rubber seal gaskets between Olympus and Panasonic that it might be problematical to expect a Panny lens to be sealed on an Olympus body. The Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f1.7 II lens on the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III. Photo credit: Joshua Waller The Leica DG Summilux 12mm f/1.4 ASPH lens is a premium lens with the Leica branding, and the wide-angle lens gives a 24mm equivalent. You’ll find an aperture ring on the lens, and can also control the aperture with the camera. There’s also a solid build quality, thanks to a metal construction, and you’ll benefit from weather-sealing. Perhaps more importantly, the lens also delivers excellent image quality, with plenty of fine detail, even when shooting wide-open. As I shot the lens more and more I was very surprised at how capable of a lens it really is. But let’s not get too crazy. One thing I did notice next to my Leica M9 setup is the lens does not give me that Leica quality I love so much. Of course I do not and would never expect it to either. I do see some guys online trying to claim the m4/3 cameras are equal to the M9. That is BS hogwash right there. I am now a big fan and love the M4/3 cameras, plus I have been shooting the hell out of the E-P2 and 20 1.7 and yes, it’s insanely fun. But my M9 gives me those files that make my jaw drop sometimes, and it should for the insane amounts of money I have spent on it! This lens arrived at our review desk at a similar time to the 21mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC CS, and we were sceptical as to whether it could deliver the same kind of ultra-impressive image quality. We needn’t have feared – the Samyang 50mm f/1.2 UMC CS is absolutely sublime, producing stunning results at its shallowest depth of field with that f/1.2 aperture. For MFT portrait shooters, it’s an ideal choice, as long as you don’t mind putting in the work of manually focusing. ProsThe improved build quality should make the lens last longer, although unfortunately there has not been an improvement in focus speeds with both the old and new lens giving the same focus speeds in our testing. With the same excellent image quality, reasonable value for money, and compact size, this new model should be just as popu

Let me be 100% honest here. I have been shooting the Nikon D300s and Canon 7D DSLR’s along with this E-P2/20 1.7 combo (and the D3s) and during this time the most fun I have had taking pictures was with the E-P2 and 20 1.7. The D3s, forget it! It’s for sports/action/wildlife guys and pros. While it is the best there is for that type of shooting, it snot the best solution for an everyday camera.

Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 II Asph: Verdict

Macro performance is nothing to write home about here: just 0.13x magnification, with a minimum close-focusing distance of 20cm (about 8 inches). The OM-System M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm f/1.4 PRO heralds a new chapter in the Olympus imaging story. Photo credit: Andy Westlake

Because these lenses are so light, you’ll be able to handhold them at slower shutter speeds. Give it a shot! While the gasket size may be an issue, I generally just don't trust Panasonic's splash resistance claims.I'm a bit harsher on the 25mm than most on this forum seem to be. Although I sold my 20mm for the 25mm, in my experience the 20mm on the OM-D is most definitely sharper than the 25mm if you're pixel peeping, is a more practical indoors focal length(can be used for across the table shots), is less prone to flare wide open, has significantly less longitudinal CA even at the same aperture, and even produces substantially better bokeh.

For the professional sports or wildlife photographer, this lens offers a 300-800mm equivalent range, which can be extended to 375-1000mm (at f/5.6) using the built-in 1.25x teleconverter! When used with the Olympus OM-D E-M1X it’s also said to be able to give up to 8 stops of image stabilisation! It’s also considerably lighter than full-frame equivalents. For even more reach, it’s compatible with the Olympus MC-14 (1.4x) and MC-20 (2.0x) teleconverters. For the small pancake that it is, this lens is an excellent performer. Apart from the somewhat slow autofocus and the loose, moving front element, there's nothing I don't like about this lens. Images are sharp and crispy and they have good contrast. The autofocus is slowish but accurate. As we noted in our review, it’s also not as sharp as other lenses, particularly at the telephoto end of the lens. This is often the case with super zoom lenses. We found it highly enjoyable to use, even if it did struggle noticeably in low light. Pros Panasonic GX7– The GX7 is a camera that may go best with the lens due to its smaller size–which works best with the lens’s small size.The 'cats-eye' bokeh is mostly gone by F4. However, bokeh discs becomes less rounded. Specifically, the polygonal shape of the lens's 7-blade aperture becomes more pronounced in the out-of-focus highlights, when you stop down past F2.8, and this can have a slightly negative impact on bokeh in general. I’m all set up with my Olympus E-PL1 now. Using my old Nikkor primes on it. Works like a treat. I’m using it now more than my pro Nikon cameras as it’s just so damn good. It’s also a brilliant filmmakers camera. I’ve just completed some testing with it for a documentary film I’m making. Rather than use the SEMA-1 mic system, which is excellent by the way, I’d rather use the electronic viewfinder and so I’ve decided to gather audio separately and sync together in post. The VF-2 is such a gem to use for filming. Such a shame Olympus couldn’t blend the two devices together, the mic and the viewfinder. Perhaps that’ll come soon.