Product Description

The Panasonic Lumix G 20mm F1.7 ASPH was announced earlier this month as the natural companion to the compact Lumix DMC-GF1 Micro Four Thirds camera, alongside a Leica-branded 45mm F2.8 Macro (the camera is also available with a 14-45mm kit zoom). The H-H020, as Panasonic curiously likes to call it, is alarge maximum aperture 'normal' prime in a very compact 'pancake'-type body. It gathers a stop and a half more light than Olympus's M. Zuiko Digital 17mm F2.8 pancake (which is only marginally smaller), and is therefore sure to be of interest to E-P1 owners who want to shoot in low light using a lens well-matched to that camera's size.

Product Details

• Brand: Panasonic
• Model: H-H020PP
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds

Features

• 20mm focal length; equivalent to 40mm on a 35mm film camera
• Compact and lightweight "pancake" lens
• F1.7 brightness for beautiful, soft focus
• Comprised of seven lenses arranged in five groups; uses two aspherical lenses to effectively minimize distortion
• Used with Lumix G Micro System Cameras, allows for use of the advanced contrast Auto Focus (AF) system

From the Manufacturer
The Lumix G 20mm/F1.7 ASPH, a compact and lightweight "pancake" lens, is dramatically compact and lightweight, featuring an outstanding F1.7 brightness which allows consumers to create stunning photos with beautiful, soft focus. Comprised of seven lenses arranged in five groups, the Lumix G 20mm lens actually uses two aspherical lenses to effectively minimize distortion and achieve super high resolution. The versatile 20mm focal length (equivalent to 40mm on a 35mm film camera) is suitable for all applications--from scenery shots to dimly-lit indoor environments.

When mounted on Lumix G Micro System Cameras, the Lumix G 20mm/F1.7 ASPH lens allows for use of the advanced contrast Auto Focus (AF) system, which includes Panasonic’s Face Recognition functions. It's comprised of seven blades, which produce an attractive and smooth background blur effect when shooting at larger aperture settings. The lens also features a highly-reliable metal mount, and use multi-coated lens elements to minimize glare and further enhance optical performance.

Customer Reviews

E-P1 owners, your dream lens has arrived
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.

Great for narrow depth-of-field effect in a compact
I bought the Lumix GF1 with the 14-45mm kit lens, and now this 20mm pancake.
The pancake turns the GF1 into a really compact set, that I enjoy taking together
anywhere.

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.

Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 Lens Review
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.