Ki Rin Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 I guess like a lot of people here, I am planning to get the GH5 after it comes out, and am wondering about lenses. I think the new 12-60 will be fine for most of my needs, but I would also like a faster lens for shallow DOF and low light. It seemed to me that the PanaLeica 25/1.4 would be ideal. However, although it seems like an excellent lens for stills, the reviews I've read say that it is not well suited to video because of the noisy AF motor. Does anyone here have experience with this lens for video? Is it really that bad? Are there any suitable alternatives? I would prefer to stick with native glass to take advantage of the IS, and also keep the kit as small and light as possible. On a side note, I'm also curious to know what lenses people are using for UWA shots with m43? It seems like there are not many options wider than 12mm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flynn Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Laowa is gonna be coming out with a 7.5mm lens for m43. Footage on YouTube. Also, Panasonic will be coming out with a 8mm-18mm f2.8-4. But it will be expensive, gonna have Leica branding. To go wider than 12mm right now there are the 2 Olympus zooms and a Panasonic zoom. The Samyang lens made for mirrorless and some other options which are a bit more niche. I'd wait for the Laowa. They said it will be competitively priced but who knows. You might want to look at the Sigma 30mm f1.4 instead of the 25mm f1.4. Adorama has the Sigma for $339 and the Panasonic for just under $600. I'd prefer the Sigma. Actually, I'd prefer the 20mm f1.7 to both of them as I prefer that focal length on m43 and you can get that used really cheap. webrunner5 and jonpais 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borbarad Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 1 hour ago, Ki Rin said: I guess like a lot of people here, I am planning to get the GH5 after it comes out, and am wondering about lenses. I think the new 12-60 will be fine for most of my needs, but I would also like a faster lens for shallow DOF and low light. It seemed to me that the PanaLeica 25/1.4 would be ideal. However, although it seems like an excellent lens for stills, the reviews I've read say that it is not well suited to video because of the noisy AF motor. Does anyone here have experience with this lens for video? Is it really that bad? Are there any suitable alternatives? I would prefer to stick with native glass to take advantage of the IS, and also keep the kit as small and light as possible. On a side note, I'm also curious to know what lenses people are using for UWA shots with m43? It seems like there are not many options wider than 12mm I don't know the PanaLeica 25mm but I would suggest the new 25mm F1.2. It seems to have everything you need for video. Newest rumors are that there will be also a 17mm 1.2 Olympus on the horizon. B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Andrew Reid Posted February 9, 2017 Administrators Share Posted February 9, 2017 The LAOWA may have a silly name, but it looks absolutely stunning. 19 minutes ago, Flynn said: Laowa is gonna be coming out with a 7.5mm lens for m43. Footage on YouTube. Also, Panasonic will be coming out with a 8mm-18mm f2.8-4. But it will be expensive, gonna have Leica branding. To go wider than 12mm right now there are the 2 Olympus zooms and a Panasonic zoom. The Samyang lens made for mirrorless and some other options which are a bit more niche. I'd wait for the Laowa. They said it will be competitively priced but who knows. You might want to look at the Sigma 30mm f1.4 instead of the 25mm f1.4. Adorama has the Sigma for $339 and the Panasonic for just under $600. I'd prefer the Sigma. Actually, I'd prefer the 20mm f1.7 to both of them as I prefer that focal length on m43 and you can get that used really cheap. You're right, the Sigma 30mm F1.4 is a great bargain I have the Panasonic-Leica 25mm F1.4 DG and it's just ok. The original Four Thirds Leica 25mm F1.4 D, was better optically, better mechanically and had OIS. miss that beast I have the Sigma 30mm F1.4 on E-mount and even on APS-C there's hardly any distortion and the corners are tack sharp. jonpais and Flynn 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki Rin Posted February 9, 2017 Author Share Posted February 9, 2017 1 hour ago, Flynn said: Laowa is gonna be coming out with a 7.5mm lens for m43. Footage on YouTube. Also, Panasonic will be coming out with a 8mm-18mm f2.8-4. But it will be expensive, gonna have Leica branding. To go wider than 12mm right now there are the 2 Olympus zooms and a Panasonic zoom. The Samyang lens made for mirrorless and some other options which are a bit more niche. I'd wait for the Laowa. They said it will be competitively priced but who knows. You might want to look at the Sigma 30mm f1.4 instead of the 25mm f1.4. Adorama has the Sigma for $339 and the Panasonic for just under $600. I'd prefer the Sigma. Actually, I'd prefer the 20mm f1.7 to both of them as I prefer that focal length on m43 and you can get that used really cheap. Thanks. Yes I am eagerly awaiting the Laowa lens. The 20mm is not well suited for video though is it? The auto-focus is unusable. The sigma is an interesting option. Perhaps I should also consider the PanaLeica 15mm / 1.7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonpais Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 10 hours ago, Ki Rin said: Thanks. Yes I am eagerly awaiting the Laowa lens. The 20mm is not well suited for video though is it? The auto-focus is unusable. The sigma is an interesting option. Perhaps I should also consider the PanaLeica 15mm / 1.7 The PanLeica 15mm f/1.7, which sells for around $550.00 USD, is neither particularly wide or fast, nor is it an especially great value. Firstly, it costs 60% more than the Sigma. Its resolution pales in comparison to the Sigma, and f/1.7 isn't fast enough to get the shallow depth of field you're after. Edit: You said you wanted a native lens to take advantage of the IS, but Panasonic's wide angles don't have OIS AFAIK, and in any case, the camera's IBIS works with all lenses, regardless of manufacturer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki Rin Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 Thanks for the advice guys. The Sigma 30mm seems like a very attractive option. My only concerns are the lens is quite large, and the 30mm focal length seems a little long... @jonpais, it seems you are right about the lack of OIS in those lenses. I just assumed the native panny lenses would all have it. I've been doing some more research, and it seems like the PanaLeica only has issues with AF with Oly bodies. On a panasonic body it should be ok. I'm still going to think about the Sigma though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonpais Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 2 hours ago, Ki Rin said: Thanks for the advice guys. The Sigma 30mm seems like a very attractive option. My only concerns are the lens is quite large, and the 30mm focal length seems a little long... @jonpais, it seems you are right about the lack of OIS in those lenses. I just assumed the native panny lenses would all have it. I've been doing some more research, and it seems like the PanaLeica only has issues with AF with Oly bodies. On a panasonic body it should be ok. I'm still going to think about the Sigma though. actually, the Sigma lens is quite tiny and very light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liork Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 The Sigma 30mm is not large, I have it also. Not very very sharp at 1.4, but still usable. From F1.8 its great enough. Also, you can see some 4K sample shot with the 25mm F1.4 with the Pana G7: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki Rin Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 I guess it's relative, but it definitely looks a lot bigger than the 25mm. Still seems to be fairly light though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flynn Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 1 hour ago, Ki Rin said: I guess it's relative, but it definitely looks a lot bigger than the 25mm. Still seems to be fairly light though. Think you might be looking at the wrong Sigma 30mm f1.4. There are two. The one for m43 and Sony E mount has the DN designation. I guess it is a bit bigger but it's not a big lens. According to Adorama Panasonic is 7.05 ounces and 2.7"x2.1", Sigma is 9.3 ounces and 2.6"x2.9". I guess it is a bit bigger but nothing too crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 9 hours ago, jonpais said: actually, the Sigma lens is quite tiny and very light. Does the Sigma have hard focus stops? I briefly had the 17-50mm and was pleasantly surprised by the hard stops. @Andrew Reid do you have an a6500, if so how does the Sigma handle the PDAF? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liork Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Its focus by wire, no hard stops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orangenz Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 On 09/02/2017 at 3:43 AM, Ki Rin said: It seemed to me that the PanaLeica 25/1.4 would be ideal. However, although it seems like an excellent lens for stills, the reviews I've read say that it is not well suited to video because of the noisy AF motor. On a side note, I'm also curious to know what lenses people are using for UWA shots with m43? It seems like there are not many options wider than 12mm The 25 1.4 is absolutely my favourite lens for video. It has a special character and warmth. I have never noticed AF noise with the lens. With the IBIS on newer bodies it will be even better as the lack of stabilisation was the only thing making it more difficult to use with the GH4. Super wide I just use the Rokinon 7.5 fisheye and defish to 1080. Fredrik Lyhne, webrunner5, Grimor and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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