Olympus E-P2 v Panasonic GF1

#1 Gunpowder Tea

Can the olympus 17mm pancake lens be used on the GF1 ? it is closer to a 35mm lens which i like for street photography. BUT in your opinion which is the better lens from the point of sharpness , speed , contrast ? also does the mounting of the olympus lens on the GF1 body present any limitations or disadvantages ? thank you

9:03 am - Saturday, November 14, 2009

#2 Gaurav S

Yes, the Oly 17mm can be mounted on the GF-1 without any limitations or disadvantages save for the fact that when you mount it on the Olympus, you get the benefit of the in-body stabilization (which the Panny lacks).

For my money, the reviews & examples I have seen easily render the Panny 20 f/1.7 as the victor between the two. It renders beautifully, and has a stop & a half's advantage over the f/2.8 of the Oly. It is unfortunately also worth almost twice what the Oly sells for so you'll have to work out the price-performance ratio for your own usage & budget.

10:26 pm - Saturday, November 14, 2009

#3 Fashion Photographer Jerry Avenaim

Keep in mind while the Lumix uses beautiful glass, it was originally designed for film use. The Olympus glass was designed from the gound up to be digital specific.

3:54 am - Sunday, November 15, 2009

#4 Thomas

I don't want a camera with an electronic "Rucksack-Viewfinder". There is still room to create something like a digital Contax G2 rangefinder camera.

8:20 am - Sunday, November 15, 2009

#5 Thomas

Contax G2 page: http://bit.ly/1Tkcff

8:21 am - Sunday, November 15, 2009

#6 Gianni Galassi

Thomas, it would be great. But I think manufacturers will rely more on electronic viewing devices than on optical ones. Wich is not a bad idea after all, if you keep in mind the hassle (and cost) of making a well centered and precise enough viewfinder (covering telephoto lenses too), and the fast evolution of LVFs we are seeing lastly.

12:06 pm - Sunday, November 15, 2009

#7 JoelH

In reply to Jerry - I'm sorry to disagree, but your statement is simply not correct. The Panasonic 4/3 and Micro 4/3 lenses, including both the ones branded Lumix and Leica, were designed from scratch for 4/3 size digital photography.

In fact Panasonic has been roundly criticized (very wrongly in my view) for now designing lenses that can _only_ do their best in conjunction with specific software corrections that are part of the digital image processing flow.

So - the image circle of Panasonic's lenses don't match an established film format, the back-focus distance wouldn't work in any 35mm camera, the image quality (particularly in the Micro 4/3 line) requires digital processing, the telecentricity aspect is designed for digital sensors, the lenses can only be focused in concert with sensor Live-View digital feedback. I don't think there's much support for the "designed-for-film" argument.

Of course, it is true that many are using film lenses adapted to the Micro 4/3 bodies - that isa different subject.

6:53 pm - Sunday, November 15, 2009

#8 Bernard

Thomas, Thomas, your so right, it's like watching paint dry for Panasonic and Olympus, get it right with their micro 4/3 cameras I moaned about the design of the first dslr,stateing a rangefinder type camera, would be best design.I must say the efforts are not bad ,but I agree they need a built in electronic viewfinder, and not the carbuncle we have at the moment. Panasonic are tied up with Leica I am shure they can show them were a viewfinder should go and Olympus you giving us the Pen EE2 can we have a Pen F type micro 4/3. a larger body is ok. then I will buy one.

8:37 pm - Sunday, November 15, 2009

#9 Fashion Photographer Jerry Avenaim

JoelH, I will stand corrected on this one. However when I'm beat over the head by folks talking about the superior Canon and Nikon Glass, what they are missing is those lenses are and were designed from the original eos and F film days. So in comparing apples to apples you are correct.

10:40 pm - Sunday, November 15, 2009

#10 Fashion Photographer Jerry Avenaim

Footnote: I will also say the same stands for all my medium format pro camera bodies and 4:3 digital backs et al.

10:42 pm - Sunday, November 15, 2009

#11 heather buckley - silicon beach training

Still trying to decide which to buy. Wrote my thoughts on the subject here,

http://www.siliconbeachtraining.co.uk/blog/micro-four-thirds-olympus-or-panasonic/

leaning towards the pen because of image stabilization.

9:04 pm - Wednesday, January 27, 2010

#12 Rob

It seems that the E-P2 body and viewfinder plus the Panasonic 20mm pancake lens would make a really nice combination. Am I likely to lose any functionality with this setup?

9:38 pm - Thursday, May 6, 2010

#13 Michiel

@Rob,

E-P2 + 1.7/20mm Panny work absolutely fine, give great IQ and are a great combo. I use them with a small Heliopan lens shade and still it's a very compact combo. The evf is great to use (once you've got used to switching it on) but a bit cumbersome on the camera when stuffing it in a bag.

11:10 pm - Tuesday, June 1, 2010

#14 Rob

Cheers Michiel - much appreciated. With the fast panny lens and the in-body stabilisation of the E-P2 it must be possible to get some great images in low light conditions.

5:52 pm - Wednesday, June 2, 2010