I am very tempted to give this lens a 4-star review, because, compared to comparable "normal" lenses from companies like Canon (which I haven't used much) and Nikon (which I've used extensively) this item (and it's recent replacement, the "II" model) seems a bit pricey. But the lens performs so well, and is such a great match for a µ43 camera, that I just have to go ahead and give it 5.
I opted for the older model because it gets more love from reviewers out there than the newer "II" replacement. I compared it to the only lens I have that operates in the same focal length, my Olympus 14-42 II kit lens, and I tested on my Olympus OM-D EM-5 in relatively close focusing. That's not where the lens is probably at its best, but is, in my situation, the best way to test. Because of that combination by the way, I don't have automatic correction of Chromatic aberration (purple fringing), but I will start by saying that in normal use, I found it to be a non-issue. I can see it in over-exposures for sure, but it's really not visible in final use for me, so I don't even have to correct it.
The minuses...
*It's bigger than I suspect it needs to be. I think the newer version of thislens (not as well-regarded, but probably excellent) is a bit smaller around.
*It's focus makes more noise than any of the other µ43 lenses I've used or handled. Maybe that's only my sample. I would NOT use this for video. Since I don't plan to, it's not an issue. But if you do video, and don't have an external microphone, you might need to skip this lens. But then, when I DO shoot video, the totally silent kit lens works great, and you can bump up the ISO on modern bodies to shoot video, so again, it's not really an issue.
*It hunts for focus a bit, actually. But when I use the touch screen on the Oly to select focus it's very fast. I wouldn't use this, or most µ43 cameras and lenses, for sports or action anyway.
*It is called a "pancake" but is not small enough to make either of my µ43 bodies "pocketable. ALMOST, but not quite.
But it's still 5 stars... because.
*Even though I think it could be smaller, it's still tiny enough to stick in your pocket to have "just in case". This lens plus one of my camera bodies is so compact and carryable it feels like cheating.
*Wide open it's totally usable, very good in the center, and still pretty good at the edges. It's the most usable wide open lens I think I've ever tested.
*by f2.8 it's almost as sharp as it's gonna get, all over the frame. There is no photo that you can take with a µ43 camera that won't print at its best between about f2.8 and f5.6 or f8.
*At f4 and f5.6, compared with the kit lens, this lens totally DEMOLISHES the kit lens. It is at it's best, and the kit lens is at it's wider settings.
*at f5.6 and f8 it seems to be as sharp as any lens I've ever used on a small format (35mm and below) camera. Even thought the kit lens is very well behaved at f8 and f11, this lens is still clearly sharper.
*If you use a panasonic camera that doesn't have on-board in-body IS, know that this lens doesn't have it. My Olympus has built-in IS, so I'm good to go.
*The bokeh is really wonderful from wide open to f2.8 or so.
Know that:
*f8 the tiniest bit of diffraction sets in because of the format (NOT because of the lens), at f11 it's an issue if you're going to print above 8 x 10 I think, and at f16 it will clearly be an issue in most photos. This lens does NOT go beyond f16. Good thing. f22 on µ43 is not pretty at all. My kit lens goes to f22. It's really useless there, too.
*This is important for many photographers. If you do not really print but only view on-screen and on the internet, the ONLY reason you buy this lens is because you need low light performance. Even the cheapest lenses are good enough for on-screen viewing.
*I would estimate that if you shoot either this or a kit lens between wide open and f8, all 4x6 and 5x7 photos will look exactly the same.
I'm delighted with this lens and will probably leave it on my camera most of the time.
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This Item  Panasonic Lumix G H-H020 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical Pancake Lens for Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Digital SLR Cameras |  |  | |  |  | |
| Price | $225.00 | -10% $447.99 Typical: $497.99 | $64.00 | $64.00 | -41% $147.99 List: $249.99 | -10% $267.99 List: $297.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it May 17 - 21 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Auto focus | ||||||
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| Sold By | RageCams | Amazon.com | VITOPAL | VITOPAL | Amazon.com | Unique Photo, Inc. |
| lens type | Fisheye | Wide Angle | Wide Angle | Wide Angle | Standard | Fisheye |
| compatible mountings | Micro Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds | M43 | Fujifilm X | Micro Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds |
| lens design | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Zoom | Prime |
| focus type | Micromotor | Auto Focus | Manual Focus | Manual Focus | Auto Focus | Micromotor |
| minimum focal length | — | 9 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 25 millimeters | 20 millimeters |
| max focal length | — | 9 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 25 millimeters | 20 millimeters |
| fixed focal length | 20 millimeters | 9 millimeters | 25 millimeters | 25 millimeters | 25 millimeters | 20 millimeters |
| real angle of view | 57 degrees | — | — | — | 47 degrees | 57 degrees |
Reviews with images
The lens I use the most
I use this lens on an Olympus Pen-F. It's the lens that I probably use the most. The size is great, making the camera pretty inconspicuous. And the 1.7 aperture is great for low light. I particularly like it for family shots; it's good for group shots as well as for portraits. A year or so after I got this lens I bought an Olympus 25mm 1.8. In retrospect that didn't make much sense. The Lumix 20mm is smaller, a tad faster, is just as good image-wise and provides its own sweet spot between a 35mm equivalent of a 35mm and 50mm lens.The picture I took of Biden taking a selfie during a campaign stop for the NH primary was taken at 1/80 second with a 2.0 f stop.
