What's better, 20mm f/1.7 or a bunch of old used lenses?

A

Arch Stanton

Member
What do you think is better, purchasing the 20mm f/1.7 or spending the same $400 on a bunch of old used lenses with a mount adapter?
 
Yes, I have the kit lens. But, I might sell it.

What made you chose the used lenses over the 20mm? I'm assuming you consider it the more versatile option.
 
Even if i had the kit lens. I would still get the 20mm lens. For low light.
What would be the reason you'd want to sell the kit lens.
 
I think the kit lens is a pretty solid performer with a nice zoom range. It's slow, but if you have enough light it can deliver some nice images.

For the price of the 20mm you could probably get a Nikon adapter and at least two manual primes, depending on where you are and what's available.
 
I would get the 20mm - in fact, I already did and it just arrived this morning. It's really a fantastic lens in an unbelievably small form factor. It's extremely sharp (even wide open), contrasty, and the bokeh is silky smooth. Having the auto focus is a real benefit. While using 3rd party lenses on the GH1 is a fantastic feature (I have a bunch of FD's I use all the time) you really can't use the camera to it's full potential without lenses designed for m4/3. There's no way you would regret purchasing this lens.
 
The issue is that even with old lenses you're going to pay a bundle for a fast wide angle and with the GH1's crop factor this is a great lens to have...I am thinking of getting one but am saving money right now.
 
I just received the 20 f1.7 and used it last night for low light action. It appears to be quite sharp, and easily handled the light levels that were (in the past) too low for the stock f4.0 zoom lens. The one issue I had was the AF kept shifting from in to out of focus as the subjects moved. The zoom AF has not been a problem in these conditions in the past.

I have a full range of Leica M lenses I could use instead, but I know trying to keep a moving subject in focus with them would be difficult. Also,
this article indicates trying manual focus with other lenses may not be worth the effort,

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/m-43.shtml

My 20mm f1.7 did not come with a lens hood.

I would love to have a stabilized fast zoom live the 24mm to 60mm (equivalent) Leica f2.0 lens on my Panasonic LX3.
 
billh said:
Also,
this article indicates trying manual focus with other lenses may not be worth the effort,

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/m-43.shtml
Click to expand...

I'm just not sure about this, while the m4/3 lenses are indeed fine optically, and there probably aren't huge advantages using higher-end glass in terms of pure image quality, aside from the 20mm f1.7 there simply are not any other fast m4/3 lenses available. So if you need something faster than f4, what else can you do? The 20mm f1.7, while excellent, can't do everything.

The 20mm f1.7 is an incredible value, definitely a lens to have if you've got a GH1. However, for $400 of Canon FD glass on eBay you could pick up a 24/28mm f2.8, 35mm f2, a 50mm f1.4, and probably an 85mm f1.8. Those would cover a lot of bases.

It really depends on what kinds of projects the OP is interested in working on. For narrative work (where you have time to set up shots) I'd go with the FD solution...but the FD solution wouldn't be ideal for all projects, so it really does depend on what the OP wants to do with the GH1.
 
At the house, there is a Canon f/1.8 FD lens that I can use and I did though about getting an adapter instead of spending $400 on the Panasonic knowing that I have loads of college loans to pay off but the small size and the auto focusing during video have made me finally decide to purchase the lens off Amazon several minutes ago. It should get to me by Wednesday. I figured if I waited a bit longer I might have either changed my mind or it will have been sold out.

I’ll be pissed if I end up getting that lens much longer than Wednesday. People are still having trouble getting it and I hope it really is in stock at Amazon.
 
The 20/1.7 does not have OIS. While IS is not necessary for such a fast lens when shooting still, do you find it difficult to shoot video with it hand-held?
 
D90GH1_eric said:
The 20/1.7 does not have OIS. While IS is not necessary for such a fast lens when shooting still, do you find it difficult to shoot video with it hand-held?
Click to expand...

For a static subject, the answer is yes. It is no different than using a Canon, Nikon or Leica lens without an adapter. You need a tripod or some sort of stabilizer. With moving subjects, I was able to get decent footage hand holding it.
 
thisisapocalypse said:
I'm just not sure about this, while the m4/3 lenses are indeed fine optically, and there probably aren't huge advantages using higher-end glass in terms of pure image quality......
Click to expand...

This is the conclusion of the article (agrees with your statement), and he has posted examples with kit and Leica M lenses.
 
I would lean towards buying the adapter and used lenses, they are a lot cheaper and you can use them on your next camera and the next and... I can't imagine you will have a long life on a m4/3rds lens
 
billh said:
This is the conclusion of the article (agrees with your statement), and he has posted examples with kit and Leica M lenses.
Click to expand...

Agreed, I just felt like the article was a tad bit dismissive of the need for faster glass, especially when we're not talking "an extra stop" but more like, 2-3 stops faster than the kit lens depending on the glass you're using, and there are plenty of times you need that speed just to get a good usable image. I'm finding that the GH1 really does like fast glass.

I'll be posting some tests soon with a 24mm f1.4, 55mm f1.2, and 85mm f1.4.
 
It wasn’t easy spending $400 for that lens but I just felt much better when I checked my email and saw that the lens have just been given to FedEx.

If it was the 10x lens not having a stabilizer, that would be a very big issue especially when you zoom all the way to 140mm but for this lens, I don’t see it as being that much as an issue although it would have been nice.
 
How does the 20/1.7 do with flare compared to your MF lenses?

How does the 20/1.7 do with flare compared to your MF lenses?

This is a general question to everyone who uses FD or Zuiko (or what ever) lenses. According to dpreview, the 20/1.7 handles flare very well. I use Nikon AFD 24/2.8 and 50/1.8 and found that both flare easily, and the 24/2.8 has quite a bit distortion. Thus at least in Nikon camp, I am not sure if there is any fast wide lens that can really compete with the 20/1.7.
 
D90GH1_eric said:
This is a general question to everyone who uses FD or Zuiko (or what ever) lenses. According to dpreview, the 20/1.7 handles flare very well. I use Nikon AFD 24/2.8 and 50/1.8 and found that both flare easily, and the 24/2.8 has quite a bit distortion. Thus at least in Nikon camp, I am not sure if there is any fast wide lens that can really compete with the 20/1.7.
Click to expand...

I have the Canon FD 24mm F1.4 L lens, and under the right circumstances, it can definitely flare up. However, with a hood or proper blocking, you can definitely reduce the flare.

Something to keep in mind however, is that it's easier for Panasonic to make this 20mm f1.7 lens than it would be for Canon/Nikon. The Panny only has to cover the m4/3 sensor, which is much smaller than a 35mm negative, so it's much easier to create a good 20mm lens that only has to be good within this much smaller image circle. As far as I know, this may be the fastest 20mm slr lens that exists...Sigma has a 20mm f1.8, but it's apparently nowhere near as sharp as the Panasonic...however, I believe the Sigma also covers the full 35mm frame (unless I'm wrong about this).

Do you have any filters on your Nikons? That could cause flare.
 
I've had the 20mm f/1.7 for two weeks now, and although I am happy with the low light and shallow depth of field, I find manual focusing close to impossible when shooting a live subject. The fly-by-wire focus ring does not serve me well.
 
DanDOF said:
I've had the 20mm f/1.7 for two weeks now, and although I am happy with the low light and shallow depth of field, I find manual focusing close to impossible when shooting a live subject. The fly-by-wire focus ring does not serve me well.
Click to expand...


I feel the same way. It's a real shame considering the quality of this lens. I hope they can do a firmware. Not to slow/speed up the focuse. But stop that hunting.
I've been using the focus lock button.
Anybody with better ideas?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top