jonpais

@Cinegain I overlooked the Oly 40-150, added it to my list of zoom options for those who already own a wide zoom.

The Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 would be an excellent choice for anyone owning either the Oly or Panny wide zooms who needs that extra reach.

i don't think you can accuse someone who's uploaded over thirty videos of Hungarian bagpipe music and a 1/2 dozen iPhone videos to YouTube of being unprofessional.

I can respect that. If you need the best AF and magnification while recording, the GH5 isn't for you. But what do you mean when you say, "Definitely, I'll give it a try"? It sounds a bit like you're not sure of yourself. Excuse me while I go to the pharmacy for my medication.

'Splash resistant' is hardly reassuring, and I would never subject my Panasonic to any moisture if at all possible. It's just marketing. What's the IP rating? You've thrown everything you can at me, but I'll help you. Next you're going to say that only Panasonic lenses can perform the pull focus trick. But wait until everyone starts using it and complains about focus breathing. No sherpa needed. Lenses: Leica 42.5mm f/1.2, Leica 12mm f/1.4, Olympus 25mm f/1.2, Olympus 75mm f/1.8

It's okay, the more the merrier - which is I just double posted.

Double-posting seems to be all the rage, so I thought I'd partake in it myself. I've written at length about my dislike of slow, variable aperture universal zooms before, but my thoughts are scattered throughout the forum, and this is as good a place as any to consolidate my feelings in one place. I can’t recall ever seeing a negative review over at Mirror Lessons, but this is as close as it comes. To my shock and horror, they recommend getting the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 or the Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 instead. Just one reason being, the Leica 12-60 is really only f/2.8 at 12mm, which is why I’ve been calling it the Leica 12-60mm f/4. Not at all unlike Olympus’ exaggerated claims that their $2,000.00 Made in Vietnam OMD EM1 Mark II shoots video at a max bit rate of 237 Mbps, when in reality, it’s closer to 40 Mbps. Aside from focal length, the light gathering power of a lens is ordinarily the second consideration when shopping around, but it should come as no surprise that not a single person shooting with it in the videos we’ve had the privilege of viewing up until now has mentioned the fact that the Leica is not as fast as they would have you believe. Nor have any of Panasonic’s representatives. Other reasons to avoid the Leica include onion bokeh balls at the edges of the frame (the bokeh isn’t the most attractive I’ve seen, due to its somewhat busy appearance), poor correction for barrel distortion and vignetting until f/5.6 (read: the apertures you’ll be using most often), and high cost (if purchased separately). For those needing the extra reach, the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 is starting to look like great value, with superb optics (for a zoom) and only $200 more than the Leica. Now let’s say you’ve already got the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 or the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 and are considering trading it in for the shiny new PanLeica for its dual IS and DFD v.2 autofocus capabilities. What about Panasonic’s DFD autofocus technology? The short answer is, you’re not buying the GH5 for its brilliant AF performance. And what exactly constitutes reliable AF anyhow? Say the GH5 has a 60% keeper rate in stills mode (just pulled that number out of my ass, too lazy to check my facts as usual). Then we can safely say that AF-C in video mode will be slightly less effective, can’t we? Let’s say it’s only 10% less. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? If I were playing the Lotto, those would be terrific odds. So, if I’m buying one of Panasonic’s latest tech-tastic lenses with their highly touted DFD v.2, I should be able to rely on it for event shooting, shouldn’t I? Now, let’s just pretend we’re shooting a wedding. Is a keeper rate of 50% good enough for the bride and groom? Of course, this is all imaginary, we’re just playing pretend. Some will argue that they need all Panasonic lenses so they don't run into color matching problems while editing. But Hollywood filmmakers routinely mix footage from GoPro, Black Magic and other brands with Arri. Matching colors shot with the same camera isn't rocket science. And others will contend that only Panasonic lenses can perform the new focus pull hat trick. But wait until everyone starts using the feature and complains about focus breathing! As for dual IS, it’s only going to squeeze an extra half a stop or so of stabilization from Panasonic’s already stabilized lenses: yet I shoot with non-stabilized lenses all the time, and the IBIS of my Lumix G85 works fine. Okay, if you don’t care about onion bokeh balls, I can dig that. And if you’re not convinced that dual IBIS is really not all that important, cool beans. And if you still believe the GH5’s contrast AF will be good enough for your work, that’s wonderful, But – what about this supposed zoom range advantage? Is it really all that useful? I would think, going by that logic, that the Olympus 12-100 would be far more useful, and it’s going to be a superior lens. Because 60mm is neither here nor there as far as I can tell. For those who care about such matters, the Olympus has 80mm longer reach (FF equiv.) and weighs little more than 1-1/3 iPhones more than the Leica. If I were an event shooter, I’d feel way more confident going into a venue knowing I could capture activities going on at a distance as well as up close with the Zuiko. For those absolutely determined to pick up a zoom lens in addition to or as a replacement for their Olympus or Panasonic wide zooms, I’d go for either the proven Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 v.2, the Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO, or the Olympus 12-100mm f/4. And for the more commonsensical among you, the Olympus 75mm f/1.8 would be an even wiser decision.

Not talking about sheep, I'm talking about the extraordinary Olympus 75mm f/1.8, one of the best telephoto lenses in the m43 system. As for needing a sherpa, I can fit my Leica 42.5mm f/1.2, Leica 12mm f/1.4, Oly 25mm f/1.2 and Oly 75mm f/1.8 in a tiny handbag. No need for an assistant! Actually, for those who already own one a Panny or Oly wide zoom, you'd be better off getting the Olympus 75mm f/1.8 if you need the extra reach, rather than buying another zoom.

Another thought - just what constitutes reliable AF? Say the GH5 has a 60% keeper rate in stills mode (just pulled that number out of my ass, too lazy to check my facts as usual). Then we can safely say that AF-C in video mode will be slightly less effective, can't we? Let's say it's only 10% less. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? If I were playing the Lotto, those would be terrific odds. So, if I'm buying one of PL's shiny new lenses with their highly touted DFD v.2, I should be able to rely on it for event shooting, shouldn't I? Now, let's just pretend we're shooting a wedding. Is a keeper rate of 50% good enough for the bride and groom? Of course, this is all imaginary, we're just playing pretend. Now it's time for me to preorder my V-log... Are you suffering from temporary amnesia, B?

I see several here who already own the Oly 12-40mm f/2.8 or Panny 12-35mm f/2.8 who are planning to sell and get the PL 12-60mm f/2.8-4. Any reason not to keep your lens and get the excellent Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8, or, failing that, the soon TBR PanLeica 50-200mm f/2.8-4 instead?

Not sure why this wasn't posted in the Advantages of Traveling Light thread...

If GH5 footage is comparable to Arri, Fuji must be like an Alexa on crack. ?

TBH, there's no excuse for the unnatural looking skin tones we're seeing now. I only just started playing around with AWB on the G85, and the skin tones are often great. At the same time, most of the footage I see online by technicians with their color charts looks awful.

Yeah, no more cables blocking the LCD would be nice!

Two features not many are talking about that may be useful for what I'm planning to do are Bluetooth and USB-C. Bluetooth, because Panasonic already has a good phone app, and Bluetooth will make it much easier for me to connect when I start vlogging. And USB-C because my MBPr doesn't have an SD slot, and I don't believe the adapters they sell in the shops here can handle high speed cards. I'd like it if Andrew could compare the upload speed of USB-C to SD cards.

Thanks for sharing that, Ron. He talks about how when he was young, even going to the theater, what people were watching was actually only something like 1K and nobody complained about the picture. He also talks about intercutting footage from the BMPCC with the Alexa. And how resolution drops down once you begin panning the camera (at 6 minutes), something some still think I'm making up. One advantage of 4K is the ability to crop in on the image. And even if you're delivering in 1080p, if you shoot in 4K first, your image will be crisper and have less moire and aliasing. Which is the reason I shoot in 4K.

Hi Fritz - I bought the Gorillapod to use as a shoulder stabilizer for the GH4, but it never did work out for me. Then I got the Crane and had no use for it anymore. I thought I'd use it with the Yongnuo YN216 LED as a background light or a kicker. As happens all the time in this neck of the woods, I waited 30 minutes for my model to show up this afternoon, then packed up and went home.

those lights are gorgeous!

Okay, if you don't care about onion bokeh balls, I can dig that. And if you're not convinced that dual IBIS is really not all that important (although I've shot with both Olympus and Sigma lenses, shared my results here, and the in-body stabilization works just fine), cool beans. And if you still believe the GH5's contrast AF will be good enough for your work, that's wonderful, I can go along with all that, but - what about this supposed zoom range advantage? Is it really all that useful? I would think, going by that logic, that the Olympus 12-100 would be far more useful, and it's going to be a superior lens. Because 60mm is neither here nor there as far as I can tell. For those who care about such matters, the Olympus has 80mm longer reach (FF equiv.) and weighs little more than 1-1/3 iPhones more than the Leica. If I were an event shooter, I'd feel more confident going into a venue knowing I could capture activities going on at a distance as well as up close with the Zuiko.

Sorry to those who were expecting to see a field test of the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 with the Lumix G85, but looking at my clips, they only confirm what I already knew about the lens – that it really, genuinely is tack sharp from wide open with the Metabones Speed Booster XL – and I really have little interest in pursuing further tests of the lens. For the time being at least, I’m liking the results I’m seeing with native m43 lenses, preferring their compactness. If time permits, I’ll go ahead and post a video of the Sigma, as well as field tests of the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 and Voigtlander 17.5mm f/0.95. I just received new LED video lights, so I’m more interested in shooting with those and sharing my findings than in doing lens tests at the moment. Incidentally, this was shot handheld and I shake like a mad dog, yet the in-body stabilization of the G85 was able to iron out the wobbles, so I see no justification for purchasing a Panasonic lens over any other brand based solely on dual IBIS.

haha. love your way with words!

Pun intended! So I just bought my very first video lights (a Lishuai LED 100WB-56 and Godox Softbox for vlogging, a Lishuai 700RSV and Yongnuo YN216 for location shoots), and I'll be going to shoot a model in the park later this afternoon. I'll be bringing along the G85 and three lenses: the Leica 42.5 f/1.2, the Leica 12mm f/1.4 and the Oly 75mm f/1.8. I've never worked with lights for video before, so it will probably be shit, but gotta start somewhere. What's great is how ridiculously tiny the entire setup is, but not sure if it'll be powerful enough until I give it a go. I've gone ahead and ordered the Lishuai 1500RSV as well, but at something like 20 pounds, not ideal for location work. Of course, there are lots of other, cheaper lights available as well, I think we're approaching the golden age as far as affordable, battery powered, high CRI (or whichever method is used nowadays!), LED lighting is concerned. Mishaps: it took over an hour for me to put together the Godox Softbox; I broke off one of the reflector clips on the 100WB when I hit it while putting together one of my light stands; and I snapped a reflector while trying to fold it. Apologies for the ugly bed sheets.

I do find the Leica 42.5mm f/1.2 to be a bit unbalanced on smaller bodies like the G85, should be much better on the beefier GH5. Lots of forum members talk about how difficult it is to maintain focus at f/1.4, but there are occasions where shooting wide is absolutely gorgeous, and not just for shooting stills. I can't see this being as successful if it were shot at f/4, and I already crave more bokeh than this. Sometimes. Actually, I can't recall which aperture I was using, but even more bokeh would only have helped here. The third image is a screen grab from a shoot in Aruba with Jason Lanier. Can you imagine swapping lenses here? But he does! And the last image is from Mirror Lessons' review of the Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4, shot at 32mm (~64mm full frame equivalent) f/3.8, and even though it's approaching macro territory, I find the background still very distracting. I know I'm being picky, I seldom shoot wide open, but sometimes that extra stop or so of light can come in handy.

If the 12-35 wasn't bright enough, why trade it in for an f/4? ?

Gotta question the integrity of a reviewer (Mirror Lessons) who says (about the Leica 12-60) that the only apertures to avoid are f/16 and f/22 due to diffraction, but this applies to all m43 cameras. I'm curious to know what you think of that statement?