Dear Panasonic,

I know you're busy. You're readying your first full-frame mirrorless camera for market. That can't be easy, since Sony, Nikon, and Canon are already in that "space." We know it's a big deal for you because you're partnering with Leica and Sigma and you're all excited about it. And maybe a little nervous.

We sympathize. We wish you nothing but the best with that.

And we know it still remains to be seen whether you'll really continue supporting Micro 4/3 wholeheartedly, although, well, you promised.

Don't forget you promised.

There's just one little tiny thing that really needs to be done in your Micro 4/3 lineup.

The thing is, you know that wonderful little normal lens you have, the Lumix G 20mm (40mm-e) ƒ/1.7 II ASPH? The one that's the perfect walk-around, light-duty, do-everything lens in your Micro 4/3 system, for when we just want something capable and portable.

Please don't get us wrong here—it doesn't need to be optically redesigned. In fact, please don't redesign it. It's just fine. It's great. In fact it's perfect, in that it has character and just the properties we like and want and are used to. We like the glass just the way it is, which is one definition of love.

And we understand that when manufacturers like you make a "pancake lens," you all try to emphasize smallness, lightness, and, well, flatness. But you don't need to try so hard. You can just let the little 20mm relax and be itself. And isn't that another dimension of love?

Finally, we understand that when you redesigned the mount to the "II" version, you made it cosmetically consistent with your other lenses. Even though we liked the way it used to look just fine. You were trying to help. We get that.

But that wasn't what was needed.

What we needed was for you to fix the AF speed.

Because we use the lens to make pictures with, and don't care what it looks like lined up with all the other lenses in the catalog. We'd rather have it work well.

The 20mm is slow. It doesn't even focus as quickly as my bigger, heavier, ƒ/2.8 zoom. A small, street-suitable everyday normal lens should focus fast.

Not slow. Fast.

I'm not criticizing you! I love your lenses, sweetie, honestly I do.

Like I said, I know you're busy right now. But when you get around to it, would you please make a "III" version of your 20mm? Give it the most practical and highest-quality barrel design you can give it, and rainproofing, and the best possible practical performance. Don't worry about how it looks. It's a go-to piece of kit. We love it for its personality. Don't worry about the cost. (Well, on second thought, don't go all psycho with that.) It will still be worth it.

If you want to add a sales feature, give it Dual I.S. But we're not insisting.

Please don't worry about small and light. It's going to be small and light enough no matter what.

We just need it to, you know, work good.

Okay, it's a little bit of a criticism! But it comes from a place of love.

It's quite a special little lens. I've been using it since the GF1. And if you're worried about giving up the last measure of small and light and pancakey, by all means keep the current lens in the lineup too. Why not?

But it's slow. You have to admit, you were being just a little bit stubborn last time when you refreshed the lens and didn't fix that. That's what needed to be fixed.

Can you do this one little thing for us? We hope it's not asking too much. You know we've been friends for a while now.

When you can get around to it.

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Your friend,

Mike

Original contents copyright 2018 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)

Featured Comments from:

Patrick Dodds: :-)

James: "Amen."

Andy Munro: "That's a thumbs up from me. I had this lens a second time but sold it again as it was just too slow to focus. Weatherproof would be really nice, actually essential I think. Then I could use my GH5 and GX8 whatever the weather. As an aside I don't think there are any small (no, the Olympus ƒ/1.2 primes don't count) weatherproof primes out there for Micro 4/3. I took my Olympus 17mm out in the rain but worried about it and held the camera face down. The Olympus focuses way faster than the Panasonic. Oh and silently as well. But sadly no weatherproofing."

PacNW: "The autofocus is both slow and loud, but yes it is a great lens. I don't need rainproofing or image stabilization or anything else, just faster and quieter autofocus."

PStu: "The Pana 20mm and the 42.5mm ƒ/1.7 are both top-value lenses with character in my stable. If they can make the latter with IS and fast focusing, you'd think they could sprinkle some of that fairy dust on the 20mm."

J Williams: "Hope they listen to you. I have been mumbling the same thing to myself for years. The 20mm was one of my first Micro 4/3 lenses and like you I loved the focal length and the results. The AF drove me crazy sometimes. It now sits on the shelf being replaced on the wider side by the Oly 17mm ƒ/1.8 and the long side by the Oly 25mm ƒ/1.8. Never before had I owned three lenses with such close focal lengths. If the 20mm had fast AF I would have never bought the other two. Maybe it was some part of a grand plan to get us buying more lenses."

Jay: "I just want to add my name to this eloquently written petition! Please Panasonic!"

Dan: "My all-time favorite lens and I could realistically get by with using it and nothing else. I was a little bummed about the refresh not taking care of the relatively slow autofocus, and adding the shiny bits to the front, but I keep using it and loving it. The 14mm ƒ/2.5 is much quicker to focus and a much smaller lens as well so I imagine it’s possible to do but I’m not a lens designer. The GX1 with the 20mm mounted has given me a lot of great images over the years."

James Weekes: "I learned something interesting from the comments here. Someone indicated that the 20mm ƒ/1.7 might focus more quickly on a newer Lumix or Olympus. So, I dug it out and just took a walk around my garden, perched on my Panasonic G9. Its focus speed must be doubled. compared to my E-M1 or G85. Stronger motor? I do not know, but it is now very usable."