Pana 20mm vs. Pana/Leica 30mm

Which will perform better -  When it comes to AF and IQ…???  The Pana 20mm or Pana/Leica 30mm ??

watchfull wrote:

Which will perform better - When it comes to AF and IQ…??? The Pana 20mm or Pana/Leica 30mm ??

The Panasonic/Leica lens is 25mm (f/1.4). Panasonic also make a 30mm f/2.8 Macro lens. So it depends on which lens you're talking about.

The 20mm has the slowest AF of the three, but it's just fine for most situations. It's a little 'buzzy' in use. The IQ is very good, and reasonably even across the frame.

The 25mm has superb center sharpness, with greater fall-off toward the corners when used wide open. Stopped down to f/2.8 or f/4, the 25 has greater resolving power than the 20mm across the frame, but the 20 is already excellent. AF is better on the 25, compared to the 20. Overall, I like the PL 25mm better, but it's bigger, heavier and costlier. And, if I'm only packing ONE prime, I find the 20mm field of view is a bit more versatile.

The 30mm Macro (as with many macro lenses) has excellent sharpness across the frame. For a macro lens, the AF is quite good.

Thank you.

My main objectives are Size and fast AF  (for street…)…??

watchfull wrote:

Thank you.

My main objectives are Size and fast AF (for street…)…??

There are many opinions about street photography and the best equipment.

Regarding focus, some prefer to 'zone' focus manually, using a smaller aperture (such as f/5.6 or f/8). The depth of field at these apertures is usually sufficient to cover small differences in focus. Some prefer to rely on fast auto-focus, particularly in lower light when a faster aperture (and shallower depth of field) is often used. If you're going to rely on fast AF, particularly in low light, then there are better options than the 20mm.

The second 'opinion' that people have about street photography is what focal length is best. This comes down to a personal choice. Some love 25mm (a 50mm equivalent) while others prefer 17mm (35mm equiv.) or even 14mm (28mm equiv.). The wider angle lenses do allow for more "context" in a street shot, and when one moves in closer to the subject, there may be a greater feeling of "intimacy".  Which brings us to the Olympus 17mm f/1.8.

The Oly 17 is quite small and light (closer to the 20 than the 25 for size and weight). It auto-focuses very fast. It also has a pull-back focusing ring which gives one instant access to manual focus. "Test" results typically put this lens behind the 20mm for sharpness. Wide open it does have more fall-off at the corners/edges than the 20mm; sharpness across the frame evens out as you stop down. My experience with this lens is that it can deliver excellent results, and I wouldn't hesitate in the least to use it for street photography -- a photographic genre in which content is WAY more important than tiny IQ differences.