The Panasonic 20mm f/1.7, would I buy this again?

[@Kenaroni]

Thank you for your review of this lens. Those of us who were shooting film in the 1970s and 80s are happy to have any kind of auto focus today because it didn’t exist back then. I won’t be complaining if it is slow or not😊

[@ulfjonsson2122]

Nice video! I bought my 20/1,7 in 2009. Still use it & still love it!

Have this lens since the release. I had been using for several years and then it landed on my shelf after purchasing 12-40mm PRO from olympus. I started using zooms - every photo was technically perfec, but it was no fun. :) Lately I'd bought this insanely underappreciated camera - E-P7 and everything has changed. I started using my primes again! Joy of the process returned! And I realized that from the selection of my primes (and I have quite a few - 12mm f2, 20mm f1.7, 25mm f1.4, 15mm f1.7, 45mm f2.8 macro, 42,5mm f1.7, 56mm f1.4, 75mm f1.8) and the one I use the most is actually 20mm f1.7. The field of view of this lens is so perfect for my needs that no other lens can compete. Image quality and quality of rendering is wonderful. Actually i can not describe it with my words. The lens is very small and light, no - can not cont. focusing, it is unusable with AF when filming, but for photography it has a soul and character. There is something special in the images taken with it. However I'd not buy it again because I'd never sell it in the first place ;)

[@TienTran-bi1jv]

How would you compare the 42.5 1.7 vs sigma 56mm f1.4? Which one is better? 😊

[@1957PLATO]

This was my first m4/3 lens. Bought it used with a used EM5ii. Great combo for street photography. It’s a little slow but quick enough for most occasions. Took it on a citytrip to Santander last year with my Lumix gx9 and it was basically all I neede.

[@Narsuitus]

I have never been a fan of lenses with normal focal lengths. However, the image quality of these three normal lenses have really impressed me: 20mm f/1.7 Panasonic for micro 4/3 cameras 55mm f/3.5 Nikkor macro for Nikon F mount SLR cameras 50mm f/1.4 eight-element Takumar for Pentax Spotmatic M42 screw-mount SLR cameras

[@ulfjonsson2122]

I always use S-Af and shutter preference, never have had any problems with focus speed!

[@zenonbillings9008]

I can appreciate your love of this 20mm lens, yes its really sharp and yes auto focus is slow. in some cases it just doesn't want to lock on when there isn't enough contrast at longer distances. but I quickly switch to manual focus and this works extremely well and is not a bother. I use it on my panasonic GX9. this combo is very stealthy when I need to be. zen billings in canada

[@davebellamy4867]

Nowadays as of 2022 the price of the Olympus 17mm f/1.8 has come down quite a lot at some outlets to around what the secondhand price used to be. I just looked up the 20mm f/1.7 and the price is about the same as my latest dealer charges for the 17mm f/1.8.

[@stevenr1354]

Thanks for that review. And beautiful photos! It's a great travel lens too. I'm using with a Lumix G100. Total weight camera and lens is under 16 oz/450 grams.

[@palmerino1965]

Quando usavo la pellicola 35mm nei miei reportage professionali, usavo il sistema Olympus Om ed avevo sia lo Zuiko Om 35mm f:2 che lo Zuiko 55mm f:1,2... oltre al grandangolo e tele. Con il migliorare della qualità della pellicola ed anche per essere più leggero, acquistai il piccolo Zuiko Om 40mm f:2 perché avevo compreso che ha le qualità del classico 35mm e 50mm, senza averne i difetti. Le due ottiche le ho poi vendute. Con il digitale, sono felice che esista lo Zuiko 20mm f:1,4, una vera ottica professionale, comunque anch'io ho acquistato il piccolo, versatile Lumix 20mm e ne sono felice. Lamento l'autofocus lento e persino sonoro, ovvero sembra quasi che voglia dire la sua. 😊 Ma alla fine, si può anche mettere a fuoco manualmente, magari impostare un diaframma f:5,6 per avere uno spazio nitido più che abbondante anche con soggetti molto veloci e pimpanti come i bambini. Del resto fotografavo i matrimoni con un sistema manuale per anni... Nel 2004 sono passato al sistema 4/3 Olympus con la E-1 ed ho apprezzato le migliorie del formato più quadrato (perfetto per la stampa 30x40 cm), i colori, nitidezza e la qualità degli zoom che finalmente potevo usare anche ad f:2,8 come apertura di lavoro o poco più chiuso. 🤔 Nel reportage occorre descrivere anche l'ambiente... altrimenti gli sposi rimangono delusi. Tanto che mai ho trovato sensato, passare ai sensori più ampi. Credo che la seconda versione del piccolo 20mm Lumix sia più veloce e silenzioso, durante il funzionamento. Se potessi provarlo, verifico le migliorie per un eventuale upgrade.

[@NeroMC]

Nice video...im a lumix shoter and i have and love this lens

[@thegreatvanziniphotos5976]

Just woke up & heading out back with coffee. Grabbed my ep3 on the way out as I haven't played with it for a while. Turn on my cellphone & here's your vid in my notifications. Good vid! Ahh! Episode 3 not EP 3 oly. Still good. I'm new to m4/3rds. I noticed one of my lumix lenses focuses just a tad bit slower on my Oly cams then my gx7. The 12-32.

[@bartjanverhoef]

Yeah sorry for the confusion. I editted the episode nr out of the title now for clarity. How’s that EP3 compared to its predecessors? From what I’ve read, the panny 20mm is slow on any body (as far as panny bodies, I only ever had the GF-1 for a little while but don’t recall trying this combination).

[@thegreatvanziniphotos5976]

@@bartjanverhoef it's great, even though 12 mp's,,, I think. My go to's though are my ep5, Pen F & even the little epl8. Love em. No need to change. It was a quick learning curve. The slowness was barely noticeable.

[@bartjanverhoef]

@@thegreatvanziniphotos5976 That E-P5 is still high on my wishlist too, very pretty camera and quite a step up from previous e-p5’s from what I read.

[@QuaqQuao]

Thanks for reminding me of this lens. I used it for a street project many years ago for which it was perfect(as long as you don't need autofocus) . Guess I need a new project.

[@bartjanverhoef]

You’re welcome! And indeed, that autofocus is not one of its strong points. But a great street photography lens otherwise!

[@snugsonblitz]

Some stunning pics. Makes me want to get this lens asap.

[@cameronkrause4712]

yes, I liked the landscape shots that he showed.

[@rjohnbernales]

Ok, I’m looking for a good pancake for my em5. This could be one of them. Thanks for the review 🙏

[@jf9979]

One of my fave lenses. A bit slow and the bokeh is a little busy but it's very sharp and tiny. And in my opinion the perfect focal length for general photograhy. I will never sell it.

[@Sofus.Solivagante]

This one is my favorite lens of all time. Slow but otherwise perfect.

[@martindemanable]

Great shots, and love your vibrant color editing. Can you do an tutorial?

[@bartjanverhoef]

Thanks Martin! I’ve been asked before and am planning to do a lightroom tutorial soon.

[@davebellamy4867]

20mm is an interesting focal length. Olympus made a 40mm pancake lens for the OM3 and OM4 in the 1980s and it is rare and incredibly expensive secondhand. I used to find the old film 50mm lenses a bit narrow and often used a 35mm instead. So with MFT, it's between the 25mm and the 17mm and actually I'd like a 20mm f/1.7 for its wide aperture and compactness on the smaller Olympus bodies - but can't justify buying another lens that's covered with the 12-40mm f/2.8 zoom, though I just got a 25mm f/1.8!

[@WhoIsSerafin]

I had this lens and it just didn’t have that something I can’t describe that made the photos pop for me like my 17mm 1.2 does.

[@bartjanverhoef]

I can very well imagine this lens not comparing to your 17mm f/1.2. Totally different league!😊. But even quality aside, some lenses have ‘it’ for us, while others don’t. So personal. I’ve had it with the 12-40mm f/2.8 pro;l, had it for a few years but it just didn’t do anything for me🤷

[@WhoIsSerafin]

@@bartjanverhoef I have the 12-40 and just keep it for certain jobs where I can’t just use my beloved primes😂

[@dr.alihanoosh5763]

Is the auto focus loud? I bought one second hand and immediately noticed how slow the auto focus is, but it was also noticeably loud?!! Is there something wrong with my copy? Thanks

[@hakanbengtsson2115]

Nice video! I got the lumix 20mm for my EP7 but could not justify it since I own OM20mm. So returned. I enjoyed the slow noisy af, size and image quality. For 90€ I’ll buy it again.

[@bartjanverhoef]

Thanks! I just took a look on ebay and most prices are quite a bit higher than what I found it for (on local 2nd hand website here in the Netherlands)! Ouch. So how are you liking the OM 20mm?

[@hakanbengtsson2115]

@@bartjanverhoef I paid about 170€ for the Lumix... Well, the OM20 is great for what it is, nice bokeh and image quality. The build quality is great and the lens fits my E-M1ii as good as the E-P7. Weather sealing and AF are the reasons I keep it instead of the Lumix. The f1.2:s are probably better in many ways but too big for me. I might get a M5III just to have a small weather sealed kit

[@eelco6587]

Vorig jaar heb ik de Olympus 20mm f1.4 toegevoegd bij een scherp aanbod vanuit Olympus ging er 170 euro vanaf. De Panasonic 20mm had ik al. Op één of andere manier kon ik er nooit echt van genieten. Het voelt toch wel als een beginnerslens. Hoewel de 20mm f1.7 scherper is. Is de Olympus beter als het gaat om bokeh en vereist minder software correcties. Bij directe vergelijking zie je het verschil in scherpte. Maar in praktijk is het gewoon nog steeds een scherpe lens. Helaas zijn de meeste MFT primes niet weather sealed. Dat was voor mij ook een reden voor de Olympus 20mm te gaan. Ik gebruik de 20mm graag voor straatfotografie. Dan weet ik zeker dat ik de lens in praktisch alle weersomstandigheden kan gebruiken. Dan heb je nog de autofocus. Die is gewoon super.

[@chrisbrown6432]

Beautiful photographs. I have just started following you.

[@bartjanverhoef]

Thanks Chris!

[@imagenatura]

I also bought this lens twice. Video AF is the ONLY downside for me... it really is abysmal. You must use manual focus, but it takes forever or you use old school S-AF and just let the subject go in and out of focus a little. IMO, the Olympus 17mm f/1.8 is better in most ways for everything video.

[@teddyroosevelt8870]

Use it as kind of a lens cap that you can shoot pictures with! In case of "emergency" I can just pull my camera out of my bag and can shoot, a bit like a cowboy pulling his colt and shoot from the hip, BANGBANG! Nice review!

[@jordandunlop5629]

Love this lens but there are other major issues like cross brand incompatiblity; visable banding in low light and high iso

[@glennsak]

Keep the Panny 20. Much sharper and compact (and cheaper) than the Oly 20!

[@bartjanverhoef]

Do you own both lenses? Did you find the Panny 20mm actually sharper than the new Oly 20mm?

[@glennsak]

@@bartjanverhoef I have owned both. And the Panny was sharper. I returned the OM 20.

[@cameronkrause4712]

I don't find the sample that I have of the 20mm to be all that slow. It is not superfast but I highly doubt that I would ever miss a shot because it is not focusing fast enough. I am so used to shooting without autofocus. Most cameras that I have owned did not have autofocus. The first camera that I had with autofocus was slower, than my g9 is with this lens, and that was still faster than I could manually focus. People are really spoiled these days. They are spoiled into thinking that it is the job of their cameras to make them better photographers. Most still photographers could really benefit from turning the autofocus off and leaving it off for 8 months to a year, so that they could really get in touch with the process again.

[@GrahamAtDesk]

I totally agree, the idea that the 20mm is too slow for general purpose photography seems bizarre if you think it about it for even a moment. It's not suitable for tracking fast moving things like family members or footballers, by neither is MFT in general. So it's a moot point, even for that kind of use case. I used to take my time focusing my manual SLR, and I never thought to myself "this is why I'm not taking better pictures!" And this lens is a cracker. I got mine with my GF-1, and I've been a big fan of the system ever since. I wouldn't have stuck around if I'd had the kit zoom instead.

[@DutchinBrazil]

Ik ga deze lens ook halen voor mij GX1! Fan voor de content! Je hebt een nieuwe abonnee erbij:)

[@CamMead]

Nice one, photos look really good!

[@Sebror]

Nice video with nice pictures!

[@joeprete7424]

Between Olympus & Panasonic/Leica, there’s at least a 9mm, 12mm, 15mm, 17mm, 20mm & 25mm All compact lenses!

[@davebellamy4867]

The difference between 1.4 and 1.7 is not huge. It's only half a stop.

[@lichtloper]

My 20/1.7 had a 'whining' sound while focusing and thus I sold it

[@juanluis1969]

Where are you buying second hand? 80 euros for this lens? I've paid 160 for a second hand one.