A discussion or a comparison against varifocal lenses as the Lumix kit lens 14-42mm is idle and at a fixed focal length and complete nonsense. So here's a review, the advantages and disadvantages (e) describe and to bring a little more insight into the benefits.
First, the reason for buying:
As owner of a "relatively" large G2 I was looking for a flat lens, which manages with little light and a very good image quality has. Large lenses I already with the 14 - also to use 300 and an adapter of MFT on M42 to my old glass on manual lenses - 45 and 100. However, since the manual lenses can use any autofocus and the MFT varifocal lenses are not strong light and small enough because I needed a good prime lens with autofocus.
Processing:
This processing Panasonic is used well, the bayonet is made of metal and the pancake has a filter thread of 46mm. The carrying bag is rather small, from the same material as the bag kit lens G2 and is home to the Pancake unfortunately without much room to leave for a lens hood from the usual aftermarket.
Practice operating advantages and disadvantages:
Here there is much to write - because here the advantages and disadvantages become noticeable. Two drawbacks I noticed it.
- 1 disadvantage -
Autofocus, because it only works the Single AF (AFS) is what not adjusted continuously, so the focus using the Pancake by half pressing the shutter button "fixed" and you can at different objects that move, Do not follow up without attending losing sharpness. When screwing the lens on the display the message "Switching to AFS" manual focus is also possible and the Touch AF works in the G2 also appear.
- Disadvantage 2 -
A further disadvantage is the "flash problem". This means the fact that the flash setting is measured by the camera, so when the G series (G2, GH2, GF) through the lens (Through The Lens = TTL), something strongly overexposed for the Pancake indoors. Here creates reducing the flash on the menu of the camera remedy, alternatively you could use a plug-in diffuser for the flash.
+ - Neutral -
The Pancake has no lens hood included, but there is on the free aftermarket rubber lens hood, which can be attached to the filter thread of 46mm the lens. However, it is important to pay attention here to the movement of the filter thread, because by the autofocus (AFS) produces the lens so a move to the filter thread and a lens hood could strike so when focusing at the lens housing. In my case I was able to remedy the situation through the use of a filter lens with out genome Menem glass as a spacer. These glassless filter lens with a 46mm external thread and a 46mm internal thread thus serves as an extension of the filter thread.
The lens hood of rubber there is also here at Amazon, for example, the supplier Enjoyyourcamera. The three-stage rubber lens hood with extension of the filter thread (glassless lens) of Enjoyyourcamera may incidentally be inverted and thus fits into the carrying bag.
- Benefits -
The lens has a large course with F1.7 brightness and even allows high shutter speeds in low-light, a further advantage is the size so that a mutated G2 to a smaller and handy camera in your pocket. The focal length of 20 mm is roughly congruent with the most frequently used focal length from me to the classic cameras, because 20 mm at Pancake are converted 40 mm equivalent for small format. An optimal focal length for a very wide range. Who is interested in the IR photography with IR filter lenses realize the advantage of the light intensity also here. I use both my IR filter as well as any other filter lenses from the kit lens on a 46 x 52 mm StepUp adapter which fits into the filter thread of the Pancake (of course with the glassless spacer ring described above) and the 52 mm filter makes available. Also a very good feature is the continuous shooting mode, which can be very fast due to the AFS in conjunction with JPEG - That, however, the function of RAW + JPEG Change only JPEG.
The image quality is really very good, here I've found really much optical power over all f-stops, only at open aperture and "less" light show on the screen minimally visible vignetting. Other optical effects there are, as far as I can tell, not in this fixed focal length.
Conclusion:
In sum, the objective is fun, it is handy, fast and strong and light with lens hood as an accessory also great outdoors in backlight / scattered light. The processing is used well. Only the fact that flash mode appears partially exposed and the missing,-tracking autofocus (AFC) leave half a star deduction. Why just the 20mm pancake and the only AFS 14 mm Pancake AFC and AFS I can not understand. The price of a bright fixed focal length of course is not just low, but I have so far not regretted.