GH5 with SLR Magic 1.33x 40 Compact

[DBounce]

Just got the new setup for the GH5. I went with the Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8II and the 35-100mm f2.8ii. The taking lens is the latter. These are just some quick shots out and about fooling around. I get the feeling the Anamorphot, like most anamorphic lenses really likes light. Feed it some and the shots can be quite sharp. Still experimenting, so I hope to learn if I can get shallow DOF with this setup. One thing I can tell you, it is a tiny setup for being true anamorphic. So far I am liking it and am pretty certain it will be a new tool I will keep for the long haul.

As for the lenses... the are perfect for this camera. And the constant aperture is a must have with M43. Love them both. I know now they were the right choice. Feel free to comment. 

 

[Zak Forsman]

The 1.33x SLR Magic Anamorphots don't look great under an f/4. the 50 performs slightly better than the 40. and their 2x is no good under a f/5.6. I've owned them all, briefly. If you want to shoot at f/2.8 or better, you need to go the route of a Kowa or Cinelux ES. I have shot as low as an f/1.4 with each of those and they still look great, meaning, no loss in sharpness due to the anamorphic. the only deficiencies would be attributed to having the taking lens wide open.

[Oliver Daniel]

5 hours ago, DBounce said:

Just got the new setup for the GH5. I went with the Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8II and the 35-100mm f2.8ii. The taking lens is the latter. These are just some quick shots out and about fooling around. I get the feeling the Anamorphot, like most anamorphic lenses really likes light. Feed it some and the shots can be quite sharp. Still experimenting, so I hope to learn if I can get shallow DOF with this setup. One thing I can tell you, it is a tiny setup for being true anamorphic. So far I am liking it and am pretty certain it will be a new tool I will keep for the long haul.

As for the lenses... the are perfect for this camera. And the constant aperture is a must have with M43. Love them both. I know now they were the right choice. Feel free to comment. 

 

 

Curious. 

Firstly, how are you finding the V2 lenses? It's been mentioned on this forum that the Dual IS with these lenses has errors or something? 

I've been considering the Olympus 40-150mm as an alternative. 

Also, very interested in the anamorphic features. I've never jumped into this as adapted lenses either seem too cumbersome or the quality is too compromised. SLR Magic anamorphic products seem to be the "solution", but again, I've read a lot of negative feedback about them making the image too soft. 

I love the anamorphic look, however for me to get into it - the solution would need to be reliable, offer a significant (positive) difference in the aesthetic and not be a pain in the ass. (and not make the image look like SD). 

Nice shots btw

[DBounce]

7 hours ago, Zak Forsman said:

The 1.33x SLR Magic Anamorphots don't look great under an f/4. the 50 performs slightly better than the 40. and their 2x is no good under a f/5.6. I've owned them all, briefly. If you want to shoot at f/2.8 or better, you need to go the route of a Kowa or Cinelux ES. I have shot as low as an f/1.4 with each of those and they still look great, meaning, no loss in sharpness due to the anamorphic. the only deficiencies would be attributed to having the taking lens wide open.

Yes the Kowa and Cinelux ES look good, but do make working with the setup more challenging. I think working with the Compact my be a better run n gun, travel option.

[Emanuel]

10 minutes ago, DBounce said:

(...)I think working with the Compact my be a better run n gun, travel option.

How about comparing with your 1.33x 50 version as far as performance concerns?

And for close-up use even without diopters? And with them (diopters)?

[DBounce]

3 hours ago, Oliver Daniel said:

 

Curious. 

Firstly, how are you finding the V2 lenses? It's been mentioned on this forum that the Dual IS with these lenses has errors or something? 

I've been considering the Olympus 40-150mm as an alternative. 

Also, very interested in the anamorphic features. I've never jumped into this as adapted lenses either seem too cumbersome or the quality is too compromised. SLR Magic anamorphic products seem to be the "solution", but again, I've read a lot of negative feedback about them making the image too soft. 

I love the anamorphic look, however for me to get into it - the solution would need to be reliable, offer a significant (positive) difference in the aesthetic and not be a pain in the ass. (and not make the image look like SD). 

Nice shots btw

I've only just started using them, but my initial impression is that they are great for the GH5. Are they as special as the 42.5mm Nocticron... No, that lens is one of the ones with some special "magic". But I think with use they will come into their own. After playing with them for a bit yesterday, I now know they are both keepers. So that should tell you how I feel. I returned the Veydra... after looking at the footage I was underwhelmed. They looked decent, but nothing about them really touched me. 

If it was me, I would stay clear of the Olympus 40-150mm. Yes it's a great lens, but it is giant by m43 standards. If you are going that large where will it all end? That's just my thinking on this system.

As for the Compact... It's easier to work with than any Anamorphic system that I have looked into. I'm just learning, so don't be too harsh on it based upon my footage. But given time I am confident it will be more than redeemed. It is light weight, strong, the optics are much better than I expected. And I'll let you in on a little secret... the first footage I took had me contemplating returning it immediately. But I persevered, and gave myself time to understand what was and was not possible. I recall thinking to myself as I was in the car,"I'm in a car, and I'm shooting anamorphic handheld". It's are really compact setup. Travel friendly and not much extra work to shoot with. Granted, you will need to light indoor scenes.

Keep in mind, there were a couple of shoot where the shutter angle got accidentally shifted. So those shots do not feel quite the same. But overall I think it really does add something tangible to the footage. And lastly, the 2x lens is more pronounced in what it does, but honestly for me it would soon become little more than a paper weight. It's just too large to deal with.

3 minutes ago, Emanuel said:

How about comparing with your 1.33x 50 version as far as performance concerns?

And for close-up use even without diopters? And with them (diopters)?

No need to do that, I can tell you the Compact can get much closer than the 50 without diopters. But that said, diopters are available from third parties for the 40... and I can tell you I have a set. But I am not convinced they are necessary. 

[Emanuel]

24 minutes ago, DBounce said:

And lastly, the 2x lens is more pronounced in what it does, but honestly for me it would soon become little more than a paper weight. It's just too large to deal with.

But the 1.33x 50 version is as large as the 2x version, correct?

24 minutes ago, DBounce said:

 diopters are available from third parties for the 40... and I can tell you I have a set.

Any tips from yours?

[DBounce]

No, the 2x is much larger/heavier. I think it offers a lot, but I commend those with the patience to wield it. The Compact is most user friendly of the bunch. Honestly, I think the 2x is best used on a tripod. The 1.33 50, 40 can be handheld, with care. The Compact is hand-holdable. But you will get more classic cinema feel by simply popping these on a slider or jib. I intend to do this. The camera movement is a large piece of the puzzle in getting that classic "cinematic" look.

[Oliver Daniel]

2 hours ago, DBounce said:

I've only just started using them, but my initial impression is that they are great for the GH5. Are they as special as the 42.5mm Nocticron... No, that lens is one of the ones with some special "magic". But I think with use they will come into their own. After playing with them for a bit yesterday, I now know they are both keepers. So that should tell you how I feel. I returned the Veydra... after looking at the footage I was underwhelmed. They looked decent, but nothing about them really touched me. 

If it was me, I would stay clear of the Olympus 40-150mm. Yes it's a great lens, but it is giant by m43 standards. If you are going that large where will it all end? That's just my thinking on this system.

Cool. 

So have you not experienced IBIS / Dual IS issues with these updated lenses? 

I've used the original 12-35 and 35-100 on the GH3, I remember them well and enjoyed using them. 

True that the Olympus is much larger, yet it has a bigger range and better focus / zoom mechanisms. I would need to see it in the flesh. 

I do know what you mean about keeping m43's as intended - the sheer liberation from using a system so compact and high quality is a huge attraction. 

I actually used my friends GH5 just for one shot of a singer playing on a piano last week witnthe Sigma 18-35 and Speedbooster, loved it. Also the clip looks awesome. 

On the SLR Magics, I'll keep up to date with them and dive into anamorphic when I get the overpowering urge. 

 

[Paul Cryer]

I got this setup (GH5, 12-35 and 35-100 f2.8ii) a few weeks back. Been on a few test shoots and shot a couple weddings with them. Impressed so far. So small an compact especially after lugging round a C100 and Canon 70-200. I've not seen any IBIS/Dual IS issues apart from one small thing, every so often it seems to 're-centre' itself (best way I can describe it) and the the image just jumps for a moment. But I also had this on my Sony A6500 with IBIS as well.

[Oliver Daniel]

2 hours ago, Paul Cryer said:

I got this setup (GH5, 12-35 and 35-100 f2.8ii) a few weeks back. Been on a few test shoots and shot a couple weddings with them. Impressed so far. So small an compact especially after lugging round a C100 and Canon 70-200. I've not seen any IBIS/Dual IS issues apart from one small thing, every so often it seems to 're-centre' itself (best way I can describe it) and the the image just jumps for a moment. But I also had this on my Sony A6500 with IBIS as well.

I have an A6500. 

How are you finding the GH5 in comparison? 

[DBounce]

4 hours ago, Oliver Daniel said:

Cool. 

So have you not experienced IBIS / Dual IS issues with these updated lenses? 

I've used the original 12-35 and 35-100 on the GH3, I remember them well and enjoyed using them. 

True that the Olympus is much larger, yet it has a bigger range and better focus / zoom mechanisms. I would need to see it in the flesh. 

I do know what you mean about keeping m43's as intended - the sheer liberation from using a system so compact and high quality is a huge attraction. 

I actually used my friends GH5 just for one shot of a singer playing on a piano last week witnthe Sigma 18-35 and Speedbooster, loved it. Also the clip looks awesome. 

On the SLR Magics, I'll keep up to date with them and dive into anamorphic when I get the overpowering urge. 

 

I can't say that I have noticed any real issues with the IBIS / Dual IS setup. So I would not worry too much. At the $499 mark, the SLR 40 Compact is a good way to get a taste of anamorphic without going off the deep end.
The 40 Compact is on my camera right now, and I must say it really suite the sprit of M43, so I'm loving that part. I think the GH5 might just be the best Pro-level camera, bang for buck out right now. This really does put a lot of power in the hands of the people. Now we just have to find ways to make killer productions within a GH5 type budget. 

[Oliver Daniel]

1 hour ago, DBounce said:

I can't say that I have noticed any real issues with the IBIS / Dual IS setup. So I would not worry too much. At the $499 mark, the SLR 40 Compact is a good way to get a taste of anamorphic without going off the deep end.
The 40 Compact is on my camera right now, and I must say it really suite the sprit of M43, so I'm loving that part. I think the GH5 might just be the best Pro-level camera, bang for buck out right now. This really does put a lot of power in the hands of the people. Now we just have to find ways to make killer productions within a GH5 type budget. 

Glad to hear these "issues" aren't widespread.

I'm certain you can also zoom in like Sonys clear image zoom with quality loss, have you tried this feature? 

Also, I like to experiment with old vintage lenses - unfortunately these are hard to use above 50mm on the A6500 handheld due to the severe rolling shutter - the GH5 seems ideal for these experiments. (Much better RS and IBIS). 

The SLRmagic is intriguing - I would need to find out if it's more of an asset than a pain. Your experience sounds positive. 

[Emanuel]

5 hours ago, Oliver Daniel said:

Glad to hear these "issues" aren't widespread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSfbbEK359M&spfreload=10

"For those using GH5 with anamorphic lenses, you may have experienced a jitter kind of, while using the in-body stabilizer. I've found the solution related to this & applies only if you use non-electronic lenses, so you have the option to manually give a focal length to the camera (the option appears everytime you switch-on the camera & asks you what focal length you use):
Put longer focal length than what you actually use, if you have a 50mm on it, give the info to the camera that you're using an 80mm for example. And the jitter goes away..."

[Emanuel]

On 02/08/2017 at 3:49 AM, DBounce said:

I get the feeling the Anamorphot, like most anamorphic lenses really likes light.

 

Take a look on those low light samples...

 

[Paul Cryer]

On 2017-8-2 at 8:23 PM, Oliver Daniel said:

I have an A6500. 

How are you finding the GH5 in comparison? 

I only had it a few months and used it 4-5 times and really didn't get on with it. Fell in love with GH5 from first use.

[DBounce]

More shots for your review. This time with the Tiffen Close-up diopters. 

 

[Emanuel]

1 hour ago, DBounce said:

More shots for your review. This time with the Tiffen Close-up diopters. 

 

How about your experience? Are the diopters useful or not?

[DBounce]

Just now, Emanuel said:

How about your experience? Are the diopters useful or not?

The 4x is useful, but only for very controlled conditions, as it really gets pretty close and has a lot of DOF. If you notice the scene of the boy, one eye is in focus whereas the other is not. The 2x is my favorite. The 1x is not really that necessary on the 40 Compact. The whole set was $75 at BH, so it's a low risk purchase. I was pretty please with the quality. As for my experience using the 40 Compact, it's very favorable. I think this kind of portable anamorphic setup makes shooting scope a real option for regular folk. It's a great way to get your feet wet, and to my eyes it looks pretty good. I'm sure in the right hands amazing results are possible.

[Emanuel]

30 minutes ago, DBounce said:

The 4x is useful, but only for very controlled conditions, as it really gets pretty close and has a lot of DOF. If you notice the scene of the boy, one eye is in focus whereas the other is not. The 2x is my favorite. The 1x is not really that necessary on the 40 Compact. The whole set was $75 at BH, so it's a low risk purchase. I was pretty please with the quality. As for my experience using the 40 Compact, it's very favorable. I think this kind of portable anamorphic setup makes shooting scope a real option for regular folk. It's a great way to get your feet wet, and to my eyes it looks pretty good. I'm sure in the right hands amazing results are possible.

Fully agreed :-)