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Replacing the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 on Panasonic GH5


Frank5
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Everything is perspective. As I said, a prime will do the job perfectly, I thought the OP asked for a zoom lens, so my experience with this lens is that is a "do it all" zoom workhorse, we had one for each GH5, and an Olympus fish eye for some special shots the director asked for. I do not even have any of the footage, my work is to shot (or do the sound) and deliver whatever I have to the editing people. The only high pro work I do in post is sound design.

Obviously a 1.4f lens will be much better than a 4f one, but the 12-100 can be put in the camera, and never taken off until a specialized need. Depending the project, a zoom lens can save ones job. If there is no time limit, or the crew is sufficient, then you can go full primes, but in television that has happened only once in my career, when I did sound for a little while in one of the greatest Greek productions ever, all the rest were done with zoom lenses.

You can try with whatever tele zoom lens to experiment with subject separation, the kit lenses (the usual 50-200 ones) will usually be around 5.6-6.3f, and their optical qualities are worst than this zoom. In my line of work (TV, live performances, events) I do not have the time for these, and that is why I do not own any 85mm lens (I do own sets of FD and M42 lense, but haven't use them for years now).

For whoever works with m43 and needs a zoom, I will always suggest this one, until I use something better and more convenient.

 

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1 hour ago, Frank5 said:

Yes, that would be interesting. From my own experience, f/1.8 offers just good enough DOF for interviews recorded from a short distance as I do. f/2.8 already has too much of a video look. I can't imagine an interview recorded indoors at f/4 will look cinematic.

I've seen gorgeous head shots made with say, a Red Weapon and Sigma 50mm at f/1.4, and I just can't imagine a micro 4/3 sensor being able to do the same with a zoom lens at f/4, as good as the Olympus is. But as @Arikhan points out, if you're able to move the subject farther away from the background and light appropriately, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to achieve some pretty fantastic results. If I were you, I'd just shoot some interviews with the Sigma you've got already and see how it goes before investing in more glass. There's a reason why it's such a popular lens among filmmakers. 

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23 minutes ago, Arikhan said:

BTW @jonpais, just curious: Which MFT prime (long focal distance + fast aperture) is considered at the moment to be "bokeh king"? I mean lenses without adapter or speedbooster usage - just lenses designed and built for MFT usage.

Not sure - the longest native micro 4/3 lens in my kit is the Veydra 85mm T2.2. The new Leica DG Elmarit 200mm f/2.8 is probably killer. If I had the dough, I’d go for it.

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After posting in this thread (my experiences with the GH5+12-100 combo were recent, that's why the enthusiasm), I believe that the best lens for your job is the one you already have!

If you shot just one focal length, maybe a great native and very fast lens could be all you need, taking the camera one step back or forth isn't a huge deal and you can achieve interesting results. 

I remember in the video cameras days, we were shooting interviews for TV from the back of the corridor, or on another room, or from outside the house (!) to achieve some kind of separation. Sensors were counting on a portion of an inch back then!

I have heard good words for some - ultra expensive - primes from Olympus, but I guess in the price of one, you can grab a couple of Veydras and be a happy camper.

Good luck, and hope to see your work soon!

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On 2/18/2018 at 2:38 AM, Arikhan said:

BTW @jonpais, just curious: Which MFT prime (long focal distance + fast aperture) is considered at the moment to be "bokeh king"? I mean lenses without adapter or speedbooster usage - just lenses designed and built for MFT usage.


I was playing around on Saturday night with a friend's Panasonic 42.5mm f1.2 on a G9, and that was just delicious! 

On 2/18/2018 at 3:54 AM, Kisaha said:

I remember in the video cameras days, we were shooting interviews for TV from the back of the corridor, or on another room, or from outside the house (!) to achieve some kind of separation. Sensors were counting on a portion of an inch back then!

 


Yikes!

 

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I have been considering a similar choice for lens, and I have my sights set on the Panasonic 12-60 f/2.8-4 It's lightweight with Power I.S. image stabilization and the GH5S doesn't need as fast of glass for exposure with the GH5S's much better high ISO performance. I know your looking to pair the lens with a GH5, and I must admit: Every time I shoot a pro job with the GH4/5 I rent the Sigma 18-35 and a Speedbooster!

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