In this article, I'm looking at the out of focus rendering of the lenses, the bokeh. I also threw the Lumix X 12-35mm f/2.8 into the comparison.
The comparison was done by focusing on a close object, the box at about 50cm distance in the left foreground:
 |  |  |
| Sigma 19mm @ f/2.8 | Lumix G 20mm @ f/2.8 | Lumix X 12-35mm @ f/2.8 |
Here are some 100% crops from the centre:
And from the extreme right border:
The Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 features asymmetrical out-of-focus rendering outside of the centre of the frame: The further from the centre, the more elliptical the bokeh highlights become. You can see the same phenomenon in this study. This property is also shared with the Lumix-Leica 45mm f/2.8 1:1 macro lens.
The Lumix X 12-35mm f/2.8 also has some minor disturbance in the border: The out-of-focus highlights are rendered somewhat non-circular. When stopping down, this becomes less of a problem. However, this is a very minor issue.
Overall, I think the Sigma 19mm f/2.8 EX DN probably has the most pleasing out of focus rendering in this high contrast scene.
Bought the 19mm last week bc I have always wanted a 35mm FOV and 38mm equivalent is good enough. I already have the Pana 14mm and PanaLeica 25mm. The 19mm is really wonderful lens to add to my bag and definitely worth more than just $99. It may not have the sharpness of my PanaLeica, but I think I can live with it. I love the FOV of 35mm and 50mm. Thanks for the comparison. Now I feel better about my choice and don't feel bad about not investing in the 20mm.
ReplyDeleteThe Lumix 20mm f/1.7 pancake is a very good lens. But the Sigma 19mm f/2.8 is a perfectly good alternative. That is my conclusion so far.
DeleteIt looks like excuses why you bought that cheap bulky and slow aperture lens. It's a monstro. ))
ReplyDeleteNot everyone needs the speed! The Panasonic has very unsure edges to the out of focus areas. Thanks for testing.
ReplyDelete