Pansonic 20 mmm 1.7 Lens reviewed by Steve (and X1 comparison)

[jsrockit]

Originally Posted by barjohn

The issues I have mentioned clearly bothered him in real world usage, such as an LCD that was unusable. Maybe because I live in a bright sunshine area this type of issue is more relevant to me.

What am I missing... what do other manufactuers do that make their LCDs more usable in bright sunlight?

[h00ligan]

Brighter + better coatings I would think.

Higher density and larger screens - as well as a better refresh rate - and better viewing angle.

Same differences between a better display on a laptop - for bright sunlight.

[barjohn]

And many offer an EVF because that takes care of the sun issue of which there are two.
The first is when the sun is behind you and it washes out the display and the second is when you are facing toward the sun (even off to an angle) and the bright sun causes your pupils to constrict and the relative low contrast LCD is un-viewable. You can try and shade the LCD but in my experience unless you can put a complete hood on it with an eyepiece you still won't be able to see it well enough to frame and confirm focus. That was one of the main reasons I gave up on the EP-1 and it has an equivalent screen to the X1. Even the GF1 with a better screen or the GXR with a much better screen suffers from this problem though the degree to which they suffer the problem may be a little less. P.S. Don't forget his comments on the AF and MF.

[Nei1]

steves huff reviews are great fun,full of flash bang wallop!! but are not something Id use to decide how to spend 2000 dollars.Im sure he"s honest but I think entertainment is his most important asset,that and getting those dollars into his bank account.

[h00ligan]

Hmm, I think he takes a great approach - real world results. That said - it seems quite a few of the images he uses to show the cam are post processed - and what is to him a small amount may seem like a lot to someone looking for out of cam results.

Obviously I think he posts some entertainment things - like his recent shootout - but I think his photos are great, his writing style is easy going - and he focuses strongly on real world image making. So I'm not sure I'd count or discount his opinions any more than dpreview or similar - and am appreciative of having more than charts and graphs as well as comparisons with vastly different cameras. To me it's a needed balance to technical information. He does seem very honest with them - and freely admits he's a Leica nut.

[Nei1]

h00ligan,agree with you 80percent but still wouldnt use his website as an oracle.When I lived in england I used to read both the daily mirror and the guardian and thoroughly enjoyed them both,the former for 5 minutes the latter for life.

[DrVorzet]

"but still wouldnt use his website as an oracle"


Strange idea. Who needs an Oracle?

[jackart]

I have been shooting GF1 + 20mm F1.7 for 1 month and I really like this 1.7 a lot. Sharp and quick.
Few examples in Flickr: Jaak Ennuste's Photostream

[Nei1]

Originally Posted by DrVorzet

"but still wouldnt use his website as an oracle"


Strange idea. Who needs an Oracle?

from wikipedia"An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel"................who needs one,.......well me for one.

[Ecaton]

Originally Posted by Nei1

steves huff reviews are great fun,full of flash bang wallop!! but are not something Id use to decide how to spend 2000 dollars.Im sure he"s honest but I think entertainment is his most important asset,that and getting those dollars into his bank account.

Steve's style is entertaining. But I would not consider his writing "serious reviews". He is always (over-)excited about the equipment he is just using, every M mount lens was "the best I ever used", until the next came along. Entertaining yes, helping for the next educated purchase - rather not.
To help me decide, I prefer other sources. In the end, though, nothing beats trying and experiencing oneself.

[jsrockit]

I enjoy Steve's photos more than the other reviewers though... you can tell he went out and tried with the camera. The other reviewers seem to just go to any random spot and photograph boring stuff. I know this doesn't matter to most, but to me his reviews are always welcome in conjunction with the regular style reviews.

[h00ligan]

Originally Posted by jackart

I have been shooting GF1 + 20mm F1.7 for 1 month and I really like this 1.7 a lot. Sharp and quick.
Few examples in Flickr: Jaak Ennuste's Photostream

It is pretty sharp and pretty quick - but there are some seemingly wonky things that the camera decides on.. when not in full m. auto iso is basically useless with the pancake lens - as it forces the shutter speed to 1/30 in aperture mode rather than bumping iso. not fast enough. Also strange overexposure - blown highlights in some situations. There are a few other shortcomings, in my limited experience - which again puts me on the fence with the x1!!

some beautiful photos Jaak.

@nei1 - good analogy, not in complete agreement but we seem to mostly share the same view

[waileong]

Originally Posted by DrVorzet

Hi !

What do you think about these pictures...

The Pansonic Lumix G 20 1.7 Lens Review | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS

...compared with these others?

The Leica X1 Digital Camera Review | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS

I'm trying to make a decision and is hard.

In any case, I love Steve's reviews.

Thanks.

The picture comparisons are irrelevant.

Would you buy a car just because one has a higher top speed or better fuel economy than another?

These are factors, of course, but most buyers look at their whole picture-- styling, comfort, ease of use, after-sales support, maintenance costs, even choice of colours.

So comparing cameras based on picture quality alone is irrelevant. It leads you to think, why spend 100% more for 5% more resolution?

Not only is 5% resolution hard to distinguish with naked eye, it may require the use of a tripod.

If you look at the total picture, ask which has better low light performance, better is, better exposure, better wb, easier to use, which has got better battery life, better styling, better size/weight, etc. And yes, like cars, brand commands a premium too.

[jackart]

GF1 20mm F1,7 video demo. AVCHD Lite 720p.
YouTube - GF1 test AVCHD Lite 720p

[grober]

Nah . . . no changing here.

Japanese cameras are always too fiddly; too many tiny buttons; too many meaningless features -- sorta like extra "bloatware" on every Windows computer.

I'm standing pat on my pre-order for the X1. Who knows -- it might even come by Christmas 2010, eh?

-g

[jsrockit]

Originally Posted by grober

Japanese cameras are always too fiddly; too many tiny buttons; too many meaningless features --

I agree, but I think we are in the minority.

[jhs1963]

I'm with you two,i had to buy GF1 because of camera course i started and as its my first camera it has been a steep learning curve,especially with all the extras. But i am very pleased with it especially the solid feel to it,but i will be getting the X1 when it arrives for sure. I am just glad to be learning. By the time the X1 arrives i should have the basics sorted.

[abrewer]

I always enjoy your work Jaak