Panasonic 20mm 1.7 ii on epl-5

After a bit of online research I ended up recently purchasing the new Panasonic 20mm 1.7 ii lens for my epl-5.

Like a lot of others on these forums I was tossing up between the Olympus 17mm, Panasonic 20mm, 25mm and 14mm lenses. I ended up going for the 20mm due to the constant postings of how the 20mm "has stayed on my camera since I got it...". I also thought the focal length of the 20mm, which is close to a Sony 35mm 1.8 I used to have on my Sony a57 that I always liked but also felt like having another few mm width would be nice.

When doing my web research I read a couple of good reviews (SteveHuff particularly) that covered all the image quality, slow focusing etc but not so much on what the lens looks and feels like on a silver epl-5 so I've taken a few pics to help others going down the same track as I did. As well as pics of the camera and lens I've also added one of a filthy mirror that also shows what the camera looks like when the 20mm is mounted to the epl-5 while in my front shorts pocket as an example of size.

One thing I noticed compared to a 20mm 1.7 ii I tried out in a shop (it was part of a GX7 kit) was that the lens cap is thinner on the one I purchased. My lens cap is unleashed from the 20mm by two tabs on its side whereas the 20mm off the GX7 had a lens cap that had a central pinch mechanism. I'd say my version is half the width when on the camera (keep in mind its been roughly two weeks between lens caps so I may be slightly off).

Epl-5 with 20mm 1.7 ii Silver front view.

Epl-5 with 20mm 1.7 ii side view.

Epl-5 with 20mm 1.7 top view.

Epl-5 20mm 1.7 ii in hand.

Epl5 with 20mm 1.7 in front shorts pocket.

All pictures taken with a Canon S110 (a great truly pocketable camera).

I see that you hurt your knee carrying the camera in your pocket.

Great photos. Thanks for posting.

I didn't know anything about this? Is this just with this camera or other cameras as well. I was thinking of getting one of these for my GX7. I shoot a lot of higher ISO pics. How weird. Is this a well documented issue?

Verbatimium wrote:

Just watch out at higher ISOs...

I had the 20mm (older version) on my PL5 and I had the notorious horrible banding issue with it at higher ISOs of 1000+. Ruined too many pictures for me so I got rid of it for the Oly 17mm and never looked back. The problem was never fixed with the newer version of the lens.

If you use this combo in decent light environments and do not shoot above 1000 ISO, it is a great set. If you like low light photography, then forget it.

I have the first version of the lens, where users first noticed banding on the EM5. It must be highly variable between samples, as it's never been a problem for me on EM5 or EPL5.

If I take the EPL5/20mm to the back of my basement, where the exposure at ISO6400/F1.7 is 1/30 second. I get this awful picture, but I don't notice banding.

Here's a better room (wish it were my house) at ISO 3200 with natural room light with the EM5. If I play a bit with Lightroom and I can see some banding to the left of the chair.

Too good of a lens to tarnish with the banding label. Banding exists. It may not be bad on a given sample.

Last picture and there's plenty of banding in the black areas. Can be seen if I lighten them. Why would I do that. It was dark.

No text.

Yes, the banding with this lens on the OM-D, E-PL5 and E-PM2 is well-documented, although some users seem to find little problem with it. From reading everything I can about it recently, I think there are clearly all sorts of variables at play...quite apart from the photo composition, the temperature seems to be a factor and there may well be differences between different examples of lens and camera. Some users report differences according to camera firmware version. Lots of people don't shoot much in low light and may have low expectations when they do.

For me, I find that obvious and intrusive banding is an ever-present danger when shooting outside at night as low as ISO 1250, but it isn't always present and varies from shot to shot. In dull daylight or indoor lighting, I find that band-free ISO 2500 seems almost a given, even if, for now, I still have a tiny bit of doubt about the outcome when I go above ISO 1000. When I've shot this lens at very high ISO, the banding becomes even more obtrusively obvious...I no longer do this, which is a great shame.

I have an E-PM2 and find this a definite limitation, since I enjoy shooting outdoors in low light. Updating the camera firmware didn't affect the issue at all, although some users have suggested that they now consider it "cured" after previous problems.

Feel free to report how yours is in this regard.

And banding only shows above ISO 3200 when you open the shadows a lot. In practical terms it is not an issue. It is just an issue when you are trying to fix a picture that should be already in the garbage.

Verbatimium wrote:

Mais78 wrote:

And banding only shows above ISO 3200 when you open the shadows a lot. In practical terms it is not an issue. It is just an issue when you are trying to fix a picture that should be already in the garbage.

Not in my experience with the lens. Showed up strongly for me in ISO 1000 shots of properly exposed images. However it was only seen in the shadows.

that's a pity, maybe the E-M5 handles the banding better, absolutely no issue at ISO 1000

Mais78 wrote:

And banding only shows above ISO 3200 when you open the shadows a lot. In practical terms it is not an issue. It is just an issue when you are trying to fix a picture that should be already in the garbage.

This is absolutely not my experience at all, but it depends what and how one is shooting.

For me it is a surprisingly large issue and actually worse than I expected, but everyone should make their own tests on their own equipment, with their own shooting style etc.

47872Mike wrote:

Mais78 wrote:

And banding only shows above ISO 3200 when you open the shadows a lot. In practical terms it is not an issue. It is just an issue when you are trying to fix a picture that should be already in the garbage.

This is absolutely not my experience at all, but it depends what and how one is shooting.

For me it is a surprisingly large issue and actually worse than I expected, but everyone should make their own tests on their own equipment, with their own shooting style etc.

with the EM-5? Maybe it is camera dependent

It seems that the banding issue is tied to specific camera bodies, not necessarily the lens.  I use two 20 1.7 lenses on a GF1, GX1, GH2, GX7, EM5 and EPL5 and have had no problems at all.  Could it have something to do with the issue date of the bodies, or the lenses?