Suggestion for GH5 lenses?

[jonpais]

52 minutes ago, Mastermind said:

Thanks all!

I see they also have a Sigma 30 1.4 for MFT... would you recommend that over the FF one speedboosted? 

 

Jon, love your videos.  if you had to get just 3 lenses for GH5 video, what would you get?

If you’d asked me the very same question only a few years ago, I’d have unhesitatingly recommended getting a speed booster and some APS-C or full frame glass. More recently, and I’d have suggested the fastest native primes you could afford. Now, I believe the Veydra Mini Primes are the best long term investment. Not that micro 4/3 is going anywhere, but the Veydras have economical user switchable mounts (Fuji X, Sony E, u4/3 and C mounts) that can be swapped in minutes.

[Jonesy Jones]

22 minutes ago, jonpais said:

If you’d asked me the very same question only a few years ago, I’d have unhesitatingly recommended getting a speed booster and some APS-C or full frame glass. More recently, and I’d have suggested the fastest native primes you could afford. Now, I believe the Veydra Mini Primes are the best long term investment. Not that micro 4/3 is going anywhere, but the Veydras have economical user switchable mounts (Fuji X, Sony E, u4/3 and C mounts) that can be changed in minutes.

This is a great suggestion Jon. 

However, the one Veydra that I'd be interested in is the 19mm. On their site it is listed as a T2.6, the only lens that slow in their line-up. However, the most recent news update is that their "new" 19mm T2.2 is on it's way. However, that (most recent) post was from April......... 2016. So, what has happened since then? And why have they stopped posting? Did the 19 2.2 ever see daylight? 

Do you know of any updates?

[jonpais]

@Jonesy Jones Bizarrely, over at the Duclos Lenses website, under tech specs for the 19mm T2.6, the max aperture is still listed as T2.2. My best guess is that they’d intended to release a faster lens but for whatever reason, couldn’t. The 19mm is relatively recent, so I wouldn’t count on a second version. For those not familiar with the Veydras, all but the 12mm and 16mm can cover an APS-C sensor. In other news, Ron Avery, designer of the Veydras, along with Matthew Duclos, has founded the website, LensFinder.com, a marketplace for vintage and pre-owned lenses. Many of the offerings there cost more than my last car.

[Jonesy Jones]

2 minutes ago, jonpais said:

@Jonesy Jones Bizarrely, over at the Duclos Lenses website, under tech specs for the 19mm T2.6, the max aperture is still listed as T2.2. My best guess is that they’d intended to release a faster lens but for whatever reason, couldn’t. The 19mm is relatively recent, so I wouldn’t count on a second version. For those not familiar with the Veydras, all but the 12mm and 16mm can cover an APS-C sensor. In other news, Ron Avery, designer of the Veydras, along with Matthew Duclos, has founded the website, LensFinder.com, a marketplace for vintage and pre-owned lenses. Many of the offerings there cost more than my last car.

I'm guessing they had to do T2.6 to cover aps-c.

[jonpais]

To those interested in picking up cinema lenses, I'd strongly advise getting a set of three as a bare minimum, as the real advantage over stills lenses, (aside from long focus throw, stepless apertures, reliable markings, minimal breathing and on and on), is having uniform front diameters and gear placement, allowing painless switching of lenses without messing around with the matte box, rails and follow focus, as well as consistency of T stops and color rendition, making matching shots much simpler.

[manueldomes]

8 hours ago, Mastermind said:

Thanks all!

I see they also have a Sigma 30 1.4 for MFT... would you recommend that over the FF one speedboosted? 

 

I guess it's a question of the focal length you need rather than anything else. The 40ish mm FF equivalent hits the sweet spot for most of my shots, so a non-speedboosted Sigma 30 would probably see a lot less use.

While the Sigma is an APSC lens, I 've been able to use it with a speedbooster XL on the Gh5 without noticeable vignetting or other problems.

[Fredrik Lyhne]

@Mastermind It's very difficult to only choose 3 lenses for everything. If I made money shooting video I would agree with @jonpais and get the Veydras, but since I'm an enthusiast hybrid shooter I went with the PL lenses and I think they're great. The 12mm and 42,5 are really special and I just got the 8-18mm and it seems to be a very nice lens as well. 

Have a look at the great stuff by @jonpais and @kidzrevil are doing with native and vintage lenses. If the size and weight are not an issue the Sigma seems great,  otherwise I would go native. Also check out Martin Wallgren on instagram, youtube og vimeo, really talented guy.

[Mastermind]

On 9/19/2017 at 5:58 PM, jonpais said:

If you’d asked me the very same question only a few years ago, I’d have unhesitatingly recommended getting a speed booster and some APS-C or full frame glass. More recently, and I’d have suggested the fastest native primes you could afford. Now, I believe the Veydra Mini Primes are the best long term investment. Not that micro 4/3 is going anywhere, but the Veydras have economical user switchable mounts (Fuji X, Sony E, u4/3 and C mounts) that can be swapped in minutes.

Interesting Jon, thanks! Do you recommend the Veydras just because of the switchable mounts?  If I were to pass on the Veydras, which lenses would you recommend next? And which would you choose between the Sigma 18-35 with speedbooster or Panasonic 12-35 (for video).

[sgreszcz]

On 15/09/2017 at 4:05 PM, fuzzynormal said:

I recently bought a pair of Voigtlander for a doc film.  I got 'em specifically because they're a pair.  One GH5 shoots with the 42.5mm and the other with the 25mm.  Easier and pretty much the same price to do this than buying/using old glass with high-quality speedboosters. 

You can always find inexpensive old lenses, but I couldn't really effectively pair-match them up as I wanted to, so I found good value with the V-glass in that regard.

They're nice lenses.  And I WANT manual focus for my doc work (auto focus, yuck) so the Voigtlanders were a good fit for me.  If anyone else is considering this, I'd recommend it.  Fast glass that allows you to shoot in some really low-light if necessary.  They're decently sharp @f1.4...but if you need that .95, it's there for ya.  ISO 6400 @.95 is useable (depending) if the situation demands it, and that's pretty much filming in the dark.

I've have the 17.5/25/42.5 Voigtlanders (got the set at a good price second hand).  I was considering selling them on to replace with the PL12/1.4 and PL42.5/1.2 (as I already have the 15mm and 25mm PL lenses) to keep everything the same plus auto focus.  The Voightlanders were not much use for me when I was doing event work (my manual focus skills aren't fast enough and I am using the GX80 which has a limited EVF) but they really came in handy when I was shooting some stuff inside a museum recently - and I like the dreamy look.

I'm trying to reduce/consolidate lenses, so maybe I will unload them... although using them and reading posts like your makes it hard to do so...

[thehebrewhammer]

I have used the Sigma 18-35mm with a Nikon speedbooster as well as the PL 12-60mm and the Voigtlander 25mm 0.95. My thoughts below

 

PL 12-60

The 12-60mm makes shooting quite easy with its AF and Dual IBIS but it does often render a clinical video sharpness look that cinephiles can't stand. Focus by wire is particularly poor on this lens compared to others I've used (from Olympus' cheap 50-150mm or the PL 15mm 1.7). This is my most useful lens due to its great focal range and it goes with me everywhere. I'm not in love with the look it produces but don't dislike it either - pleasant bokeh when you get close to your subjects. I usually shoot at f4 to soften the look. I'm currently looking into alternatives like the Olympus 12-100mm to get away from the focus by wire.  The PL is sharp, renders lots of detail, and very flat contrast wise IMO.

Voigtlander 25

When I use the PL 12-60 interchangeably with my 25mm Voigtlander the difference in lens looks are so pronounced that its as if different cameras shot them. The voigtlander is soft, dreamy, and very contrasty.  Manual focus on the voigtlander takes some getting used to but is very smooth overall. Close focus on this lens (and I believe the 17.5mm) is ridiculously good, so the macro capabilities are worth noting. The lens is pretty light (not much heavier than the 12-60) and balances well on the GH5. I much prefer the look of this lens to anything else I've used on MFT, including the PL 15mm,, Olympus 17mm, Lumix 20mm, etc, even if it is soft.
 

Sigma 18-35

The  Sigma 18-35mm 1.8 with a speedbooster could see in the dark almost as well as the Voigtlander, and produces noticeably sharper results wide open. I found it gave a more accurate and less filmic rendering.  With the Nikon speedbooster you get a nice manual aperture control ring, which couples with the nice zoom and focus rings that beat out any focus by wire alternative.  IBIS gave me issues if not set to the proper focal length, so when zooming you have to manually change this which is very unintuitive.  If this works in the Canon mount I'd consider picking another copy up. (Canon metabones users, please share insight into this?) 

Mostly, I hated using this lens because with the speedbooster it was 2.2 lbs. The size and weight advantage of Micro 4/3 disappears. This made my camera feel ridiculously front heavy and I'd leave this lens at home a lot. It felt more balanced with the XLR adapter mounted and a shotgun, but still, the size and weight made it really unattractive to use for everyday shooting. I sold this combo.

A couple things to consider that haven't been mentioned so far - consider the Extended Teleconverter (ETC) mode on the GH5 when looking at lenses, as this gives you a 1.4 crop that you can apply to any focal length. Your 18-35 will perform as a 25-50 or 35-70 (roughly). I've mapped this to my front custom function button for quickly getting extra lens reach when needed.

Also , the Panasonic 42.5mm 1.7 is a very nice lens which can be found cheaply second hand. Much cheaper than the 1.2 and produces nice shallow DOF. Though I've found that the focus by wire  sucks.

[Amazeballs]

12 hours ago, thehebrewhammer said:

Also , the Panasonic 42.5mm 1.7 is a very nice lens which can be found cheaply second hand. Much cheaper than the 1.2 and produces nice shallow DOF. Though I've found that the focus by wire  sucks.

Same here. You can buy new for 260$ from Japan or Malaysia, its small, light, very nice DOF and overall image at 1.7. For the price and size-wise it beats PL 1.2 easily for me (its six time cheaper, SIX CARL!). BUT its focus by wire is one the worst I've seen so far. Maybe if Panasonic fixes it someday, I will get back using it for video. For photo its good obviously. 

My main lens for manual focusing and bokeh is PL 25 1.4 and I love it. Got it for 300$ on ebay. Nifty fifty for M43. 

Second favorite lens is a 14-140 3.5-5.6 zoom. It covers all the focal distances I need (except ultra wide), light, has Dual IS#2, so the stab with my G85 is very considerable. Great for many things - landscapes, interview, hunting for butterflies, any kind of hand held shooting cos of its stability. Surprisingly sharp and has enough DOF for separating objects, starting from 40mm or so. 

And third is mentioned above 42.5 1.7 which I love and hate simultaneously for its MF.

Now I need to cover wide angle, and thinking between Panasonic 7-14 and Laowa 7.5 f2. Second is cheaper, lighter, faster and I' am not sure I will need those 8-13mm. 

[thehebrewhammer]

1 hour ago, Amazeballs said:

Same here. You can buy new for 260$ from Japan or Malaysia, its small, light, very nice DOF and overall image at 1.7. For the price and size-wise it beats PL 1.2 easily for me (its six time cheaper, SIX CARL!). BUT its focus by wire is one the worst I've seen so far. Maybe if Panasonic fixes it someday, I will get back using it for video. For photo its good obviously. 

In terms of using it for video, I agree its basically impossible to use on moving subjects. I use it with the focus transition feature of the GH5 which makes it usable for B-Roll. I found a copy for $120 on my local kijiji.

I have some but not much hope of Panasonic fixing it by firmware update as they did update it to add Dual IS support.

[sgreszcz]

On 25/09/2017 at 5:33 AM, thehebrewhammer said:

PL 12-60

I'm currently looking into alternatives like the Olympus 12-100mm to get away from the focus by wire.  The PL is sharp, renders lots of detail, and very flat contrast wise IMO.

Voigtlander 25

When I use the PL 12-60 interchangeably with my 25mm Voigtlander the difference in lens looks are so pronounced that its as if different cameras shot them.

Thanks for the feedback on the PL12-60.  I'm still going to get it this week with my GH5 as I'm trading in one GX80 and selling my 12-35/2.8 and 35-100/2.8.  With the ETC that should get me from 12-90mm which is almost as good as the Olympus.  Wish the Olympus/Panasonic cooperated on dual-IS technology or I probably would have bought the Olympus 12-100 for event work.  Not sure the Panasonic IBIS is good enough to use with the Olympus.

[Kisaha]

I say again, the Olympus 12-100 is a great lens. Check the GH5 IBIS with this lens before you decide, it is good enough for most things.

It feels like a real lens with a constant 4f and 24-200 equiv. Small, light, good looking (!)Really a gem among all systems.

[Rinad Amir]

Have you guys any experience with 25mm 1.2? I really wanna get this badboy for 50mm eq 

[gethin]

Fastest ultrawide native zoom is 2.8-4 (not including the Olympus). Cost is not much different for a sppedbooster and tokina 11-16, which becomes a 7.8_11.5 f2.  (Or pay a bit extra for the 11-20).  Makes shooting In doors readable with available light

[sgreszcz]

4 hours ago, gethin said:

Fastest ultrawide native zoom is 2.8-4 (not including the Olympus). Cost is not much different for a sppedbooster and tokina 11-16, which becomes a 7.8_11.5 f2.  (Or pay a bit extra for the 11-20).  Makes shooting In doors readable with available light

check Jon's video on the Venus Laowa 7.5mm/f2.0.  With ETC you get 7.5mm + 10.5mm-ish and the lens is pocketable.  I have the Olympus 9-18 zoom that I use for travel and probably will sell (already sold the Olympus 7-14/2.8). I think I'll just go with the Loawa for Ultra-wide.  The 4k ETC mode seems pretty useful, and then you can crop more if outputting to 1080p.  This will let me reduce the amount of lenses I have.

 

[jonpais]

On 9/25/2017 at 2:19 AM, Mastermind said:

Interesting Jon, thanks! Do you recommend the Veydras just because of the switchable mounts?

This.