Panasonic Lumix G H-H020 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical Pancake Lens for Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Digital SLR Cameras

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.

It's very simple, if you have a micro Four Thirds camera, you want this lens. Doesn't matter if you have a Panasonic or Olympus camera, this is the best MFT lens you can buy, and easily the best deal. You can spend more, but you won't get better performance. Hopefully that will change, BTW. Or at least, the ease of making that pronouncement will change.I have an Olympus E-PL1 with this lens, and unlike some of the older reviews, especially with E-P1 and E-P2, the autofocus is quite good with the latest firmware for the lens and camera. Since the PEN cameras have in-body image stabilization, like god intended, you get some seriously great, crisp shots with this lens.The minimum focus distance on this lens is tiny, the image quality is fantastic, and, well, there's the speed. Its 1.7 f-stop is the fastest thing in the MFT world, by quite a ways. The next closest is the similar, but shorter focal length, Olympus 17mm f2.8. That's a LOT slower than 1.7, as everyone is well aware, I'm sure. The Panasonic/Leica 45mm is also f2.8.The speed therefore makes this lens much more versatile and useful than any other MFT lens on the market. With the aperture open, you get a very nice, soft bokeh that is gorgeous. The color repro with this lens is awesome, and I especially love that because I love to take pictures of flowers. The crisp, clear, faithfully reproduced colors of the flower subjects far surpasses the kit lens.The lens is quite compact, but not as much as the Olympus 17mm, but that's OK because it's packing a larger set of glass, isn't it?The focus performance must be mentioned. On the *highly* auto-focus challenged Olympus E-PL1 camera, this lens is a huge breath of fresh air, because it focuses faster and more precisely than the kit lens, which is downright awful, really. Because this lens is so fast, it's able to focus in lower light situations that the kit 14-42mm lens can only dream about, and that's a real life saver, believe me. Or perhaps I should say "shot saver", because I lost an extremely important, impossible to replace shot because the kit lens refused to focus and didn't warn me sufficiently. Actually it doesn't warn you at all, sigh.People keep saying buy it if you can afford it. Am I missing something? It's cheaper than many of the other MFT lenses that I don't even have to try out to know can't match this one. The Panasonic 14-140 costs double this lens, and the 45mm Panasonic/Leica lens is a bunch more than double, and I don't even want it. f2.8 is just a wannabe compared to this lens. Enough said.I recently went to the Concorso Italiano in Monterey, California, a car show dedicated to Italian marques like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa, etc. I started with the kit lens thinking I would need the zoom capability. It quickly came off and I didn't think about it again all day. The beauty of this lens and it's focal length is that I could shoot the cars standing very close to them. All the pro n00bs with their giant lenses had to stand way back, and as soon as you do that, crowds of people stream in front of your shot. With this lens, I was standing close enough to the cars that most people wouldn't walk in front of me. I was able to get in, get the shots I wanted, and get out of each shooting situation, all while the vest-wearing silly people with their huge lenses and official credentials just had to wait and wait. And the pictures came out a new kind of perfection.Now that I'm covered myself in slobber, I'll end this review by saying I'm obviously very happy!