GH5 Lenses

[Rich Merritt]

Jonpais, you are right. I think I am putting too much emphasis on chromatic aberration. I also understand what you are saying about using light small glass without adapters, I am with you 100%. If I was going to ditch my Canon system and go solely over to M43 I would absolutely go native mount, but sadly I'm not in that position and I have to think how the GH5 will fit into my current work and what cameras I'll most likely to be using in the future. As you point out, APS-C is most likely. 

I also agree with you about matching lenses in post, however, most of my work is edited by others and often they do not have the time or skills to do a proper colour correction pass. 

Maybe I could sneakily get just one M43 25mm without the bank manager noticing. 

R

20 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

Has any had experience with the 25mm f1.7 lumix?

Hey Jimmy, I haven't as you've probably guessed. But looking on DXO it scores pretty badly for sharpness and CA. The Sigma M43 30mm 1.4 gets the best marks, and isn't that expensive. 

R

[Rich Merritt]

I thought I saw a comment about why I am looking to buy an M43 camera when I'm unsure about the lenses available. The comment seems to have gone but thought I'd clarify anyway. 

The GH5, for the money, has an incredible feature set for video and is a great lightweight stills camera. I'd like to use it as a B-Cam for video and a second stills camera for the small amount of photographic work I do. 

I'm sure some of the native lenses are incredible, and thanks to those who are giving me advice in that regard. I think it might be worth investing in one, to begin with. However I have to think about the rest of the gear I use, not much point having fabulous M43 glass gathering dust at home if I'm shooting on an F5 or a C300. 

Thanks again for the help everyone. Keep it coming. 

Rich

[jonpais]

11 minutes ago, Rich Merritt said:

I thought I saw a comment about why I am looking to buy an M43 camera when I'm unsure about the lenses available. The comment seems to have gone but thought I'd clarify anyway. 

The GH5, for the money, has an incredible feature set for video and is a great lightweight stills camera. I'd like to use it as a B-Cam for video and a second stills camera for the small amount of photographic work I do. 

I'm sure some of the native lenses are incredible, and thanks to those who are giving me advice in that regard. I think it might be worth investing in one, to begin with. However I have to think about the rest of the gear I use, not much point having fabulous M43 glass gathering dust at home if I'm shooting on an F5 or a C300. 

Thanks again for the help everyone. Keep it coming. 

Rich

That's my fault, Rich. I got happy with the delete button.  I saw Kisaha's comment posted twice on my computer, deleted one, then they both vanished. I pm'd Kisaha, hopefully he'll respond soon. Apologies.

[Rich Merritt]

13 hours ago, Yuan said:

These 3 comparison articles were the biggest influences for me when choosing what lenses to get for the m43 system:

Voitglanders:

http://www.thehurlblog.com/cinematography-micro-43-lenses/

Panasonic Leica:

http://www.thehurlblog.com/cinematography-online-micro-four-thirds-lenses/

Olympus:

http://www.thehurlblog.com/film-school-online-micro-43-lenses-3/

 

I went for PanaLeica. But if I mainly shot landscape, I would've went for Olympus. If I was shooting purely for a cinematic look, I would have chosen the Voiglanders.

 

 

 

Yuan, thanks for these links. Great lens tests. I'm combing through the rest of the site now to see if he did the Veydras or SLR Magics. 

[noone]

4 hours ago, Rich Merritt said:

Thanks. I shall have a read of those.

Do you guys look at DXO lens ratings? A video I watched pointed to their website and now I've realised that even the Canon glass I've got isn't all that great. The Sigma 16-35 and 50-100 come out on top for full frame. For me, the 50-100 is a really weird focal length and not something I'd use. 

For M43 the PanLeica 42.5 gets the highest mark, but it scores really badly on chromatic aberration. Same with the PanLeica 25. Any experience from you guys on this? 

So my current thinking, which I admit changes almost every 5 minutes, is that I should spend the money on good full frame glass that will have a longer life in terms of what I do and the cameras I mostly use. Obviously, I'll have to sacrifice AF speed and Dual IS. 

Rich

 

Both the Sigma 1.8 zooms are APSC.

[Rich Merritt]

Yeah, apologies. Is that why they vignette on a Speedbooster? 

 

[noone]

50 minutes ago, Rich Merritt said:

Yeah, apologies. Is that why they vignette on a Speedbooster? 

 

I think so.

This is what Metabones says (for the Ultra .71x Speedbooster)

"Like the revolutionary original Metabones Speed Booster® announced in January 2013, the Speed Booster ULTRA m43 has a magnification of 0.71x, and so it effectively reduces the crop factor of mirrorless Micro Four Thirds mount cameras from 2.0x to 1.4x.  However, the new ULTRA design makes very effective use of exotic materials at the furthest limit of glassmaking technology, and as a result is almost perfectly corrected for use with all fullframe SLR lenses regardless of aperture.  The Speed Booster ULTRA m43 will also work extremely well with many DX and APS-C format lenses provided the image circle of the lens is large enough.  Optical performance of the new Speed Boosters is so good that the MTF of any lens attached to it will be improved.  Even the latest generation of ultra-high performance SLR lenses such as the Zeiss Otus series can be improved by adding a Speed Booster ULTRA m43. (More information can be found in the press release here and whitepaper here)"

http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_SPEF-M43-BT4

You might find those lenses might vignette for part of the range but not all.

I don't have those lenses or Speedbooster and most of my Canon lenses are FF but my one Canon APSC lens (18-55 ISii kit lens) doesn't vignette on my M4/3 camera at all and that is with (Lens Turbo .72x apox) and without a focal reducer.      In fact, the lens covers FF on my A7s from about 23/24mm and up and covers APSC on the A7s at 18mm just fine (Canon's  APSC is 1.6x while others makers are 1.5x).      

I think it is going to come down to a lens by lens case as to what can work and what can not.

 

With the XL (.64x) Speedbooster, Metabones says-

"EF-S lenses require modification to fit or may remain incompatible even after modification (but third party DX lenses can be used without modification)

EF-S and third party DX lenses may not cover the full Micro Four Thirds sensor in still photo, FHD video (all cameras) and 4k (GH5) modes (but will cover 4k video mode on GH4, GX8)"

http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_SPEF-m43-BT3

 

[Rich Merritt]

Noone, thanks so much. Great reference. 

[Yuan]

Hey Jonpais, glad to see you're enjoying the portability of a m43 system now :D

Rich, if I was working with a C300, I would have a hard time considering m43 unless run and gun type shooting is involved.

I got into the m43 system for its compactness and lenses. Always admired the contrast of Leica lenses and noticed that PanaLeica lenses produced the same character. The combo that sold me was the GX85 with 25mm 1.4, which was super light with fantastic IBIS. It fits in any bag with the rest of my stuff and it's not a pain to lug around everywhere. I wanted it as a casual camera for vlogging, travel, fun shorts, a casual camera that I can bring everywhere. After owning it for a while, I've been getting some surprisingly good videos and photos with minimal/no setup.

I will still reach for the A7RII/A7SII on serious projects, but now I'm dreading the use of heavier gear with a more elaborate setup. I'm looking forward to seeing how well the GH5 summer firmware update goes, maybe that will be enough to meet all of my needs in 1 camera. 

[Yannick Willox]

10 hours ago, Rich Merritt said:

For M43 the PanLeica 42.5 gets the highest mark, but it scores really badly on chromatic aberration. Same with the PanLeica 25. Any experience from you guys on this? 

 

CA is only an issue with non-panasonic bodies. It is 100% corrected in-camera.

[Rich Merritt]

17 minutes ago, Yannick Willox said:

CA is only an issue with non-panasonic bodies. It is 100% corrected in-camera.

Is that right? Fantastic news. Does that work if you are shooting video as well? 

[Rich Merritt]

Interesting news and tests regarding GH5 and the Metabones...

http://www.newsshooter.com/2017/02/06/panasonic-gh5-more-tests-with-the-metabones-speedbooster-xl-0-64x-and-sigma-18-35mm-f1-8/

[jonpais]

21 minutes ago, Rich Merritt said:

Interesting news and tests regarding GH5 and the Metabones...

http://www.newsshooter.com/2017/02/06/panasonic-gh5-more-tests-with-the-metabones-speedbooster-xl-0-64x-and-sigma-18-35mm-f1-8/

It looks promising...

[sgreszcz]

On 2/5/2017 at 0:40 AM, jonpais said:

I'll be getting rid of my two Panny Vario zooms soon myself, but I would never sell them to buy an even slower zoom, but that's just me. Keep your lenses and pick up the Olympus  Zuiko 75mm f/1.8, it's superb! And to anyone else considering the Panny 42.5mm f/1.7 because the Nocticron is crazy expensive, I'd strongly recommend having a look at the Zuiko instead.

Yeah, I'm rethinking the GH5+12-60 kit that I have on pre-order.  It won't get here in time for the job where I wanted the extra slow-mo, and for what I do I get by with my 2 GX80 and two primes.  I've got the Voigtlander 17.5/42.5 as well as the PL15/1.7 and Olympus 75/1.8 for when I need autofocus.  I did a shoot with the Olympus 17/1.8 and the 75/1.8 on the old Olympus E-P5 which looked quite good.  I do find that sometimes the Olympus 75 is a bit too tight so that was why I'm considering the P42.5 /1.7 which also has OIS.  

I still like the Panasonic 35-100/2.8 for outdoors events as the stabilisation in video seems to work now with the GX80 (it had bad stutter with OIS only - see my youtube tests).  I've also bounced around the idea of using an adapted Tokina 11-16 and Sigma 18-35 for video-only work but that is probably too heavy for the GX80 which already can get uncomfortable when using the Voigtlanders.

[ntblowz]

I got the Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 for good macro and working manual clutch focus (unlike stepping focus on the 12mm)

sure I loss the dual IS but these two functions are really important too

 

Having said that most of my lens are all Panasonic, though I will be getting Sigma 18-35 1.8 at some point later

 

[jonpais]

Personally, I haven't been impressed with what I've seen so far of the PanLeica 12-60mm, and since I already own the G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8, and v.2 is essentially the same thing, I would avoid getting any of these overpriced zooms. Recently, Olympus released the brilliant 12-100mm f/4 for those who absolutely must own a universal zoom and don't want to sacrifice quality, and that is the lens I would recommend without hesitation to those who want a lens to record travel. But not a single zoom in the m43 lineup can compare to the native primes. And while it's not a one-size-fits-all lens (no good lens is!), the Olympus M. Zuiko 75mm f/1.8 has impressed me no end: it is all metal construction, spectacularly sharp, has gorgeous bokeh, it balances nicely on m43 bodies and it is quite simply 2.5 inches of nirvana.   There have been many in the forums recommending lenses, but it doesn't mean a thing if they can't back up their words with some images. So here we go...

Music by Eric Matyas

www.soundimage.org

[jonpais]

And for those interested in technical stuff, and zoom lenses in particular, this makes  a good read. 

[sgreszcz]

On 2/17/2017 at 9:40 AM, jonpais said:

Personally, I haven't been impressed with what I've seen so far of the PanLeica 12-60mm, and since I already own the G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8, and v.2 is essentially the same thing, I would avoid getting any of these overpriced zooms. Recently, Olympus released the brilliant 12-100mm f/4 for those who absolutely must own a universal zoom and don't want to sacrifice quality, and that is the lens I would recommend without hesitation to those who want a lens to record travel. But not a single zoom in the m43 lineup can compare to the native primes. And while it's not a one-size-fits-all lens (no good lens is!), the Olympus M. Zuiko 75mm f/1.8 has impressed me no end: it is all metal construction, spectacularly sharp, has gorgeous bokeh, it balances nicely on m43 bodies and it is quite simply 2.5 inches of nirvana.   There have been many in the forums recommending lenses, but it doesn't mean a thing if they can't back up their words with some images. So here we go...

Music by Eric Matyas

www.soundimage.org

Hey @jonpais, thanks for posting this.  I was inspired went out today and played with my Olympus 75/1.8.  I seldom use the lens (and was thinking of selling it) as I find it difficult to use for moving subjects (like my kids).  I also have the 35-100/2.8 which sort of covers the same range with similar compression, but is easier to use due to the zoom.  Were you shooting at f/1.8 in this video, and if so are you adjusting the shutter seed to be able to shoot wide open?  Today was a sunny February day in the UK (not strong sun) and I was recording some scenes with my 6-stop ND and really could only get to f/2.8-4 exposure when using 1/50 shutter speed.

I was also comparing it to my PL15/1.7 which has a much better manual focus feel (and autofocus).  The 75mm has a very touchy focus dial.  The image is lovely though when I could catch my kids in one place to nail focus.

[jonpais]

17 hours ago, sgreszcz said:

Hey @jonpais, thanks for posting this.  I was inspired went out today and played with my Olympus 75/1.8.  I seldom use the lens (and was thinking of selling it) as I find it difficult to use for moving subjects (like my kids).  I also have the 35-100/2.8 which sort of covers the same range with similar compression, but is easier to use due to the zoom.  Were you shooting at f/1.8 in this video, and if so are you adjusting the shutter seed to be able to shoot wide open?  Today was a sunny February day in the UK (not strong sun) and I was recording some scenes with my 6-stop ND and really could only get to f/2.8-4 exposure when using 1/50 shutter speed.

I was also comparing it to my PL15/1.7 which has a much better manual focus feel (and autofocus).  The 75mm has a very touchy focus dial.  The image is lovely though when I could catch my kids in one place to nail focus.

Yes, a in few of the shots I violated the 180 degree rule, but I really dislike the look, and a few of the clips where people, motorbikes or cars are moving in the background gave me a headache while looking at them on the timeline. I almost always shoot in the shade, some days I use a UV filter, others, a Hoya ND8. Not many of the shots are at f/1.8, but I don't keep track of the apertures, so not really sure which I used for each shot. When shooting m43, as a rule, I usually try to avoid closing the lens down below f/5.6 because of diffraction. Concerning your shooting at f/2.8-4, with such a long focal length, it will still give nice soft backgrounds, and that's probably the sweet spot too. At the same time, there is no point in buying ultrafast lenses like f/1.2 if you're not shooting wide open much of the time, because when stopped down to f/5.6 or so, those lenses probably don't perform much better than slower, less expensive glass. As far as manual focusing goes, since I'm mostly a street shooter, I don't have time, so I use autofocus. I set the camera to manual and press the AF-L button, this way I can confirm with focus peaking. The G X Vario 35-100mm is a beautiful lens, I guess Panasonic is making a few changes to their two Vario zooms, like the smoothness of the aperture blades when zooming or something, and a few cosmetic changes, like the color, but I really wish they would consider making their lenses out of metal rather than plastic. On a side note, I could never have made that video if it weren't for IBIS. 

[Emanuel]

Here's some interesting lens: