May
6
Panasonic Lumix G 20mm F1.7 ASPH
This article is part of the small but growing Index of Pancake Lenses!
| Specifications for the Panasonic Lumix G 20mm F1.7 ASPH "Honorary Pancake" |
|
|---|---|
| Years Produced |
2009 - Still in production • Curiously, this lens is also branded as 'H-H020' by Panasonic. |
| Street Price | US - $399.99 (In 2009) |
| Lens Type | Macro |
| Available Mounts |
• Micro Four Thirds |
| Optical Construction |
7 elements in 5 groups, with 2 aspherical elements
• This lens translates into a 40mm prime due to the MicroFourThirds crop factor of 2:1 • Gaussian type lens |
| Weather Sealing | No |
| Aperture Blades | 7 - Circular blade pattern |
| Focus Type | Automatic Focus with DC motor |
| Image Stabilization |
No • Some Micro Four Thirds camera bodies do have in-body image stabilization |
| Min. Focus Distance |
• 0.21m • (8.27 inches) • Maximum magnification ratio 0.13x |
| Dimensions |
• 65.0 x 26.0mm • (2.56 x 1.02 inches) |
| Weight |
• 100g • (3.53 ounces) |
| Filter Size |
46mm
• Step-up filters can be problematic on this lens as it retracts fully on power down |
| Hood | There is no dedicated hood mount on the lens, but concievably anything fitting to a 46mm filter should work |
This is a welcome new addition to the pancake lens crowd. Very well received by the public, it is perhaps everything that the Olympus 17mm f/2.8 could have been.
Panasonic’s first Micro Four Thirds pancake prime lens is a stellar performer with center to edge sharpness, and one of the fastest lenses available in the double gauss design format.
Construction & Ergonomics
Built like a tank, the Panasonic features a full metal mount, and is substantially heavier than it looks. Perhaps the only fault against it would be the manual focus ring which does not have a fixed start or stop end to end. However this is really not an issue with the design of the lens itself- Micro Four Thirds lenses typically have as a design feature their drive motors decoupled from the actual focus ring.