jonpais

I own both the Sigma 18-35mm and the 50mm f1.4 lenses. The zoom lens is wonderful: sharp, beautiful color and not impossible to get relatively steady shots if used with some sort of stabilizer or a Gorillapod. The 50mm on the other hand is imbalanced on the GH4, and because of the longer focal length, virtually impossible for me to shoot handheld. Also, the focus throw is way too short, making focusing video an unpleasant experience. For that reason, I would choose the Panasonic Vario 35-100mm f/2.8 weather-sealed lens with OIS over the new offering by Sigma, should I need a longer lens.

Thanks for the responses. Actually, I believe I'll only be bringing a carry-on with one spare GH4 battery and one mobile battery. I guess carry-on is ok.

I'll be returning to the States from Vietnam for the first time in almost nine years, and of course, I'll want to record my trip on my GH4. But I see that the carrier forbids carrying spare lithium batteries with check-in luggage. I will only be taking a small Lowepro camera backpack with my laptop and some warm clothing. How do you deal with these restrictions? I will need to bring along spare batteries...

Sorry, Zach, but this post is extremely unclear. I can't make heads or tails of it.

This is quite vulgar and adds nothing to the conversation.

When I shoot, I almost always frame the subject to the left or right of center, so the vignetting and drop in resolution wouldn't be worth it for me. I suppose I am willing to sacrifice a touch of sharpness for a wider FOV though, as I would choose the Speedbooster XL over the Ultra any day. At the end of the day though, I think color is more important than mere MTF values.

Why risk damaging your camera when you can get the Metabones Speedbooster XL?

This really does have nothing at all to do with 4K TVs, as Damphousse says, this has been going on for years with HD TVs as well. Just change the factory settings to your taste.

Sony makes crap? Sony 4K is holding you back from being creative? Sorry, but I fail to understand. By the time Panasonic comes out with 8K, there will be lots of other improvements in sensor technology as well, I'm sure. But I really don't care about 8K either: for one thing, I don't extract stills from video that often; for another, I still use a 2K monitor and don't plan on upgrading for a few years.

Sorry to be critical, but there's lots of noise, moire and flickering in the video, and it lacks any dynamic range whatsoever, even for night shots. And I don't see the message conveyed in your clip at all.

Thanks. I wasn't particularly interested in the slider, but I'd been wanting to know how the GorillaPod is used as a handheld stabilizer for ages. Now I realize I've got to get the Focus, since the SLR pod is too small to go over the shoulder and grip the chest. Anyhow, a big thanks!

So Ed, you watched Dave Dugdale's video - do you have an answer to his question?

what exactly will you be shooting? which focal length(s) are you considering? do you already own an adapter? the Milvus have clickless aperture, full manual focusing, weather sealing and a much longer focus throw than the Sigma lenses. both lenses have enough resolution.

Their ART series has received glowing reviews from just about every respectable photographer and lab on the face of the earth. Most recently, their 20mm f/1.4 has earned accolades from reviewers, who call it the best 20mm yet. I own both the 18-35mm f/1.8 and the 50mm f/1.4. I would strongly caution against the 50mm for video because its focus throw is only 90 degrees, making pulling focus extremely difficult. The lens is heavy too, and unless you are Goliath, you'll need some sort of rig to get steady images if you don't have built-in stabilization. From my own experience with the lenses, they both have extraordinary color and resolution and are built like tanks, as far as lenses incorporating plastic is concerned. They also have a nice finish. In fact, they make the Panasonic lenses in my kit (the 12-35 f/2.8 and 35-100 f/2.8) feel like Hasbro toys (not knocking Hasbro, though!). As far as price/quality, they can't be beat: I purchased both Sigmas for under $800 USD apiece.

Color may be overrated, but I'm afraid I don't see anything compelling about the black and white images you've posted - they seem soft and grey and lack any interest for me. I did however just finish watching a fabulous film that uses B&W creatively, A Woman Walks Home Alone at Night, but not once did I think while watching this marvelous vampire movie that color was somehow made redundant. I like color and I like B&W, and I often like the two together.

I tossed and turned too, wondering which wide for my GH4. The Panny 7-14 has gotten nothing but good reviews as far as I know. But I decided to go for the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, for one, because it accepts filters, and I also no longer want to be stuck with a bunch of u43 glass should I ever decide to switch formats. With the Metabones XL, it becomes something like a 17mm f/1.8 or thereabouts when shooting C4K. I find the lens feels very balanced on the GH4, much more so than say, the Sigma 18-35mm. And the Tokina can easily be found here in Vietnam for around $400 USD. The newer Tokina 11-20 is an even better lens, and costs just a few more dollars. Still, if you add in the adapter, it is much costlier than the Panasonic, and as of yet, Metabones adapters aren't available in Vietnam as far as I know. [edit] color reproduction of the lens may be more important than stuff like distortion in your case, since you're not shooting architecture. I find the color of even foliage to be more pleasing with the non-Panasonic lenses I've shot with, though I've never done a side-by-side comparison.

First reviews of the Samyang/Rokinon 50mm f/1.2 APS-C manual focus lens are in and they're extremely positive - even going so far as to claim it bests the Sigma 50mm f/1.4. The Sigma is lovely, but the short focus throw makes it difficult to pull focus in video.

My Speed Booster XL was also delivered with a loose screw. Extremely disappointing for an instrument costing $750 USD. I had to take it to a local camera repair shop, it took them 1/2 an hour to set things right. It's worked fine since.

exactly. And who among us has the resources to investigate the ethical practices of every business we have dealings with?

10 grand is not much, eh? Are you boasting or what? That's half my yearly salary...

I'm not following you, Maxotics. Why is it shoddy journalism not to mention the religious persuasion of the owners? And is it fact or opinion that the owners of B&H consider themselves Orthodox Jews first and foremost, merchants second? Do you have evidence to support your claim? Finally, are you implying that Orthodox Jews care less about human life than other merchants? Sorry, I'm just not sure what you are getting at. And apologies if I'm misunderstanding, I'm just asking for clarification. [edit] I don't see why or how being closed on Saturdays has anything to do with business being more or less important than someone's religious practices. In fact, I've never heard anything but positive reviews of B&H and not once have I heard anyone complain about not being able to do business with them on Saturday. Baffling.

Personally, I would try to adjust the camera settings correctly in the first place. What settings are you using and how do you balance the color when shooting? The vector scope is your best friend when color balancing skin tones, but it won't perform miracles.

Autofocus only works in stills mode, not movie mode

My bad. I mistakenly thought this was a public forum.

To be fair, Damphousse never said the lens was selling for $350