Recommend me a GH5 Kit

[Oliver Daniel]

Hello Everyone. 

I'm looking into getting a GH5 kit for all purpose reasons.

Something very liberating to use yet still powerful enough to mess with the overall look. 

I prefer small and powerful. 

Would cover 4k 10 bit, slow motion, audio capture, the whole works. 

I had a GH3 for 3 years. I never had a GH4. 

 

Here's what I have and use all the time: 

• Sigma ART EF lenses (mostly - lots of vintage). 
• Zhiyun Crane. 
• Edelkrone Motion Kit. 

 

What I'm not sure about: 

• The audio accessory thingy. 
• Battery grip - not sure if necessary. 
• Speedbooster Ultra vs XL. 
• The 12-35mm and 35-100mm lenses - any good with the IBIS? Optically? (I do always own a few native lenses as well as adapting). 

 

I'll be keeping my A6500 as it's really useful tool and is capable of absolutely fantastic images.

The casualty will be my FS5 and Shogun Inferno. 

Thanks. 

[DBounce]

Oliver, I have struggled with this question a fair bit myself. Here is what I finally concluded:

I love the flexibility of have zooms on my Canon. The 24-70mm is my most used lens. The 70-200 picks up most everything else. While I do have a 16-35 f4 it only really sees service when image stabilization is needed. I think a nice fast prime is a must have for certain occasions, so the 50mm f1.2 does see some more specialized service. 

With this in mind I reasoned that this is my taste. These lenses suit my shooting style. So changing bodies should not change my preferred focal lengths. To this end I just ordered both the 12-35mm and the 35-100mm. From all I have seen, both should be great choices. And well suited to video as they have constance apertures. 

[scotchtape]

12-35 works well.  35-100 v1 acceptable with ibis (dual is 1) but it has crap ois for video.

Generally a challenge to get shallow dof.

I mainly use the native lenses for running around. For interviews then I'll slap on the sigma 18-35.

Really depends on what you are using it for... But for run and gun it's a good setup. Assuming you don't use uwa but my 7-14mm gets used a bunch too.

[EthanAlexander]

7 hours ago, Oliver Daniel said:

I prefer small and powerful.

Have you tried Grindr?

[Oliver Daniel]

1 hour ago, DBounce said:

Oliver, I have struggled with this question a fair bit myself. Here is what I finally concluded:

I love the flexibility of have zooms on my Canon. The 24-70mm is my most used lens. The 70-200 picks up most everything else. While I do have a 16-35 f4 it only really sees service when image stabilization is needed. I think a nice fast prime is a must have for certain occasions, so the 50mm f1.2 does see some more specialized service. 

With this in mind I reasoned that this is my taste. These lenses suit my shooting style. So changing bodies should not change my preferred focal lengths. To this end I just ordered both the 12-35mm and the 35-100mm. From all I have seen, both should be great choices. And well suited to video as they have constance apertures. 

Yep, seems you're like me. You need a bit of both. 

70-200 Canon is just too large for me, hence why I'd consider the 35-100mm. 

1 hour ago, scotchtape said:

12-35 works well.  35-100 v1 acceptable with ibis (dual is 1) but it has crap ois for video.

Generally a challenge to get shallow dof.

I mainly use the native lenses for running around. For interviews then I'll slap on the sigma 18-35.

Really depends on what you are using it for... But for run and gun it's a good setup. Assuming you don't use uwa but my 7-14mm gets used a bunch too.

What really is the beef with the V2 35-100mm for video? What makes it so much worse than the V1? 

15 minutes ago, EthanAlexander said:

Have you tried Grindr?

I can't believe you found out. All my secrets exposed, literally.  

[ntblowz]

I got the audio adapter on my GH5, easier to use than C100MKII's top handle, especially when camera is mounted fairly high.

 

[Ivanhurba]

Get the Oly versions. I thought a lot about it and I've decided to get the 17 1.8 the 45 1.8 and the 25 1.8. For the Zooms Oly has a better range with the 12-40 and the 40-150. Being not stabilized means not paying for the 35-100 II defects with the IBIS. You have better control on manual focus with real rings. The GH5, being contrast detect, it's autofocus won't make a -real- big difference against natives with DFD, especially not in video anyway, as we already know and little in photo. Oly is developing too a 17 1.2 and looks like a 45 1.2 to complete the set and they'll probably too have the manual clutch. I don't find paying for PanaLeica lenses worth it until they add phase detect and no news on a 17 1.2 too.

So, with the Olys you get native m43, manual clutch for video and a normal response in photo for a contrast autofocus. 1.8 are cheap. 2.8 zooms are manual "clutchable" too with better range, no issues with dual IS and, most importantly, you will always make cringe the OCDs anals who have to have everything Leica with the Pana.  

Sorry for my engrish today, too much work, heat, beer and Slovak got mixed.

[shanebrutal]

9 hours ago, Oliver Daniel said:

The 12-35mm and 35-100mm lenses - any good with the IBIS? Optically? (I do always own a few native lenses as well as adapting)

I'm looking into gh5 as well. I was eyeing up the olympus 12-40 pro 2.8 and the 40-150 2.8 as an alternative native lens combo. They don't have ois but I wonder how well the ibis alone on the gh5 works with them. That glass might have a different (in some eyes better) character than the Panasonic's. Not sure though, I'm just asking. 

 

Oops, just saw @Ivanhurba post. Thanks!

[DBounce]

Tell me @Oliver Daniel, how do you like the Edelkrone Motion Kit? I have been eying one of those up.

[Fritz Pierre]

I would recommend the P/L 12-60 as a starting point with the GH5...@ 35mm it's only a 1/2 stop slower than the 12-35 and the extra 25mm reach is significant...then you have the very wide 8-18 for down the road if you ever need to go that wide (personally on the GH5 12mm is adequate for most wide shots for me) you can then add the 35-100 or any of the longer Native lenses down the road...the Leica build quality and weight for an all metal lens is very good, as is the IQ.

[Oliver Daniel]

14 hours ago, DBounce said:

Tell me @Oliver Daniel, how do you like the Edelkrone Motion Kit? I have been eying one of those up.

I've not had the experience with it yet, but it seems like a really innovative device. I had the previous one and didn't use it much as it was just a bit too fiddly, and noisy.

15 hours ago, Ivanhurba said:

Get the Oly versions. I thought a lot about it and I've decided to get the 17 1.8 the 45 1.8 and the 25 1.8. For the Zooms Oly has a better range with the 12-40 and the 40-150. Being not stabilized means not paying for the 35-100 II defects with the IBIS. You have better control on manual focus with real rings. The GH5, being contrast detect, it's autofocus won't make a -real- big difference against natives with DFD, especially not in video anyway, as we already know and little in photo. Oly is developing too a 17 1.2 and looks like a 45 1.2 to complete the set and they'll probably too have the manual clutch. I don't find paying for PanaLeica lenses worth it until they add phase detect and no news on a 17 1.2 too.

So, with the Olys you get native m43, manual clutch for video and a normal response in photo for a contrast autofocus. 1.8 are cheap. 2.8 zooms are manual "clutchable" too with better range, no issues with dual IS and, most importantly, you will always make cringe the OCDs anals who have to have everything Leica with the Pana.  

Sorry for my engrish today, too much work, heat, beer and Slovak got mixed.

40-150mm, that's a bloody good range. 

Just depends how it works with the IBIS. 

 

[Phil A]

After playing around with the Panasonic 12-35 f/2.8 and the Olympus 12-40 f/2.8 in a store I opted for the Olympus, based just on the sole fact that it has solid, repeatable manual focus due to the clutch mechanic.
The way manual focus is executed in most mirrorless systems' focus-by-wire implementation is just awful. Wish there was (per firmware or camera setting or whatever) an option to have it mimic normal manual focus behavior without odd acceleration characteristics based on your focus speed.

Wish there was also more prime lenses with the feature (and not necessarily as expensive as the Olympus 25mm f/1.2). I love the Voigtländer lenses but my gf struggles bad without auto focus.

[BTM_Pix]

1 hour ago, Phil A said:

The way manual focus is executed in most mirrorless systems' focus-by-wire implementation is just awful. Wish there was (per firmware or camera setting or whatever) an option to have it mimic normal manual focus behavior without odd acceleration characteristics based on your focus speed.

Depending on the lens, there are usually between 250-300 individual points that Panasonic cameras can drive the lens to from closest focus to infinity when in manual mode so there is enough precision there but the ballistics of it are a bit quirky. From an external control point of view there are only two speeds - the slow one which moves it in the individual increments and the fast one which moves it by a multiple of ten of those (so 25-30 coarse points from end to end).

Trying to move the focus point with a combination of only those two types of increments causes the weird acceleration behaviour because its trying to anticipate where you are going to end up.

If you want to do A/B focus transitions then this is where an external controller can potentially make things much better as it knows the ultimate distance and can calculate a smoother ride using the two speeds. It will always have some lumps in it as only being able to move one or ten steps is never going to be ideal but at least the overall issue can be masked with a slower acceleration and deceleration.

I've made some progress with this and it won't be long now before people will be able to try it themselves.

[fuzzynormal]

I haven't felt the need to even consider getting a battery grip accessory for the GH5.  Feels decent to me out of the box.

Whereas the battery grip for the Oly EM5II made that camera damn near ergo (and functionally) perfect for me. 

[PannySVHS]

 

Oh fuzzy, you are the master of handheld shooting. I´ve been trying with my GX85 but pans with IBIS look jerky,

whereas with tilts and tracking movements it seems to be that 4K handheld wonder.

Okay, my contribution for the kit: GH5 IBIS with the Tokina 28-70 2.6 and of course a nice 5´´ monitor for critical focussing and a cage.

Check out @jonpais setup with his G85.

 

One native prime: 12mm SLR Magic, the third version- the T! 1.6 version. I own version one which is nicely sharp at 2.8, gloomy at

1.6 and still soft but better at 2.0. Version three is supposed to be sharp as heck from 2.0 on.

Ergos and 15cm focussing distance are awesome. Didnt see any distortion.

 

Again, that Tokina lens is awesome:), as I can tell now from first hand,

bokeh at 28mm wide open a little harsh with closer rectangular shapes in the background, focussing distance 0.7m.

Below a screenshot wide open at 28mm with my GX85 in HD 24p mode, graded:

 

[Fritz Pierre]

2 hours ago, PannySVHS said:

Oh fuzzy, you are the master of handheld shooting. I´ve been trying with my GX85 but pans with IBIS look jerky,

@PannySVHS...on a s35 sensor shooting 24p on a 50 mm lens, the appropriate pan speed according to American Cinematographer should take an object entering one side of the frame 23 seconds to exit the other side of the frame...for faster pans, you'd have to up your frame rate which defeats the idea of shooting with 24p motion blur....pans are meant to be SLOW...if it's still jerky when you pan slowly, I would check your FW or if that's up to date, with Panasonic.

[PannySVHS]

@Fritz Pierre Awesome! Would love to have a few of the AMC magazines! I am shooting on s35 via speedboosted m43, shooting 28mm a lot of times, handheld with my GX85.

With that setup up and shooting style, even with sloooooooow pans I have jitter when shooting with IBIS, tracking and tilting of faster pace are no problems at all.

My FW is up to date. Don´t know if that is a Panny IBIS problem or just the GX implementation of it. Anybody knowing, if panning with GX85 IBIS is an issue?

 

By the way, my 12mm on native m43 sensor has the same problem, which gives me a good reason to post a shot with it.

SLR Magic 12mm at F2.0 with GX85, graded HD 24p material, shot in classic Natural with contrast 0 and color 0. Yeehaw, lil sis of GH5 showin how it goes! 

 

[Fritz Pierre]

I'm not seeing weirdness on the GH5 when panning and obviously you tried different speeds...also not familiar with the GX85, but @jonpais shoots with a G85 and has never mentioned an issue...and I think those  2 cams share the same IBIS 

[jonpais]

3 minutes ago, Fritz Pierre said:

I'm not seeing weirdness on the GH5 when panning and obviously you tried different speeds...also not familiar with the GX85, but @jonpais shoots with a G85 and has never mentioned an issue...and I think those  2 cams share the same IBIS 

True, Fritz, but I don't do much panning. I believe IBIS is also different on the two cameras.

[Fritz Pierre]

Same for me Jon...I like quiet cameras that you don't "feel" in the footage...just because you can move it, does not mean you should??...but if you do, I like the slow control of a dolly/slider shot....For me the value in IBIS is getting away with a shot without a tripod!