jonpais

Buying 'cheap' costs more in the long run, and will only lead to dissatisfaction. I know little about the less expensive adaptors, but if you purchase one that doesn't communicate electronically with the lens, it could also prove to be a frustrating experience. The OP would be better off waiting until they can buy a good focal reducer like the Aputure or Metabones. In the meanwhile, they can always purchase outstanding, fast, sharp, inexpensive u4/3 glass from Samyang, Sigma, Panasonic and other manufacturers. I would no sooner put a cheap filter on my lens (some of the cheaper ones are no better than window glass), than I would attach something behind the lens that is going to degrade the image. @vulgatron You say you've seen videos shot with the Sigma online - why don't you check out which focal reducers they're using and purchase the one you like best?

You're buying one of the best zooms available, and you want to destroy the image why?

I really regret that when I was shopping at a camera mall in Mongkok, Hong Kong, the SLR Magic shop was closed... I've seen tests over at Focus Numerique and at LensTip that seem to show that at the edges of the frame, the Voigtlander 10mm looks like mush... and the long focus throw, which is so nice on the 25mm and 17.5mm, might be a drawback on the 10mm... I think it would be next to impossible to pull focus, because even with my 17.5mm, as much as I love the construction of the lens, it can be difficult to focus in low light, even when using aids like peaking, enlarging the image (AF Mode/MF on the GH4), and viewing in Monochrome (in order to see the peaking)... And as much as I'm an advocate of faster lenses in the u4/3 system, I don't see any value whatsoever in having such a large aperture on a lens as wide as 10mm... and, were I to purchase a super-wide u4/3 lens at the moment, I'd probably go with the Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2. But, as Sigma recently released the 30mm f/1.4 Contemporary lens for micro four-thirds, I'm going to wait a bit - I have a hunch they'll soon release a 12mm 1.4 of their own - one that will cost $800 less than the Leica for sure; and in all likelihood, it will perform just as well, if not better, given their track record. Nevertheless, everyone owes it to themselves to at least go to a shop and handle one of the Voigtlanders - as has been said elsewhere, they are built like a hand grenade. They are truly works of art, and it is incredible that lenses of this calibre - fanatical and uncompromising - are even being manufactured in this day and age, when plastics and electronics are all the rage. And, while they may not be full frame lenses, and not even optically perfect as the Zeiss Milvus lineup, I think they are far more beautifully designed. When I went to a local camera shop recently and actually held a Zeiss in my hands, I felt it was such a sterile experience.

Dumb question, but how many forum members are looking for a handheld stabilizer with a payload lower than 1,200 grams? I haven't seen anyone in the forums complain of not having a stabilizer built for a point and shoot camera...

I tried to do my first unboxing video, but it was a mess - color balance was off (the light in the room changed when the sun went behind the clouds) and I forgot to plug the Rode mic in. Plus, I shake a lot and move so quickly, the viewer doesn't have a chance to even see what I'm holding... Anyway, I've only ever owned one serious tripod in my life, a Gitzo I used back in my school days, which was built like a tank. But I have to say I'm impressed with the build quality, lightness and general appearance of the Wild Bull. The red metal latches that unlock the legs are a welcome touch, compared to the plastic latches found on some other tripods. I watched a video online (there aren't many), where Nitsan Simantov pushes against the T7 with his entire body weight to show that it can flex, and the legs can slide on the floor - but, try as I might, I couldn't get the thing to budge an inch (I only weight about 140 pounds soaking wet). The tripod comes with a plastic spreader which can be attached at the bottom or at the middle. The unit comes housed in an attractive waterproof carrying case (black with red accents around the zippers), just like the slider does. I bought the tripod to support my iFootage Shark S1 slider, and I'm certain it will perform like it should. But until I've actually used it, I can only give a qualified recommendation, though it appears to be a very well made piece of kit.

Maybe no OIS is a blessing in disguise. All autofocusing motors, switches, and IS motors, which move hundreds of times per second, will fail over time. Check out this article over at LensRentals.

I saw a fellow from California shooting an event here with a smartphone and a Saramonic mixer. It looked so cool! They are also selling one for cameras like the A6300 which don't have a headphone jack. Price is only $129. It will certainly attract a lot of attention. Here's a brief write-up (not a review) over at Cinema 5D.

Smaller, but same payload?

I go with option #2... I have the Edelkrone small, v.2, but I already picked up the iFootage Shark S1 a couple of weeks ago... A phenomenal piece of kit. thanks...

Thanks, Michael. No f/0.95 lens is going to be tack sharp wide open, either in the center or at the edges. You could get usable images with the 25mm Voigtlander wide open, but they wouldn't be critically sharp. The advantage of ultra fast lenses is that they can achieve record breaking resolution when stopped down a bit. The Voigtlanders are special - if you haven't handled one, you owe it to yourself to go to a camera shop and hold one in your hands - they are rock solid, like holding a small hand grenade, and all the markings are engraved. True old world craftsmanship. But because they are completely manual, you'll have to adjust aperture on the lens manually: aperture information doesn't appear in the viewfinder of the camera, as there are no electronic connections. And you have to select 'shoot without lens' in your custom settings to allow the camera to shoot at all. I I have function button 5 set to AF Mode/MF to enlarge the image for focus assist, and function button 1 set to Live View Monochrome just in order to be able to see focus peaking. Because the Voigtlanders lack OIS and autofocus, they are not at all suited for point-and-shoot scenarios. As for whether you need a 25mm lens, that depends on what you are shooting. You can't shoot traditionally flattering head and shoulders portraits with a 12mm lens, any more than you can with a 25mm. For that, a 42.5 or longer lens would be ideal. I intend to start vlogging in earnest soon, but I wouldn't use a lens longer than 30mm or slower than f/2, because I rent a dimly lit, small flat, and the camera would be too far away.

Great audio solution, and the sound of his voice in the video is strong and clear. Problem solved! Next...?

Update: Vietnam customs has kindly agreed to reduce the fees to 20% duty and 10% VAT, even though camera gear and electronics are supposed to be 10% duty and no VAT. I'll probably give in. So, I'll end up paying something like $175 instead of $3,770... What would you call an arm of the government that uses tactics like these?

Honestly, if you're concerned about audio, an external recorder is the way to go. A couple hundred dollars should buy you a nice digital audio recorder. No need to splurge on another camera and lenses. I wouldn't buy the GH4 now, especially with the GH5 coming out soon with 5 axis IBIS and other goodies. I'm curious just how much your buddy's asking for the GH4 and what lenses he's including in the mix anyway. Also, do you actually shoot a lot in inclement weather? And do you have or are you prepared to invest in an external recorder to take advantage of Vlog? I like weather sealed bodies too, since it pours here in Vietnam 6 months out of the year, but even if my body and lenses are weather sealed, my 1) Edelkrone slider; 2) Shark S1 slider; 3) Zhiyun Crane gimbal stabilizer; 4) Metabones Speed Booster XL; and 5) Sony PCM M10 digital audio recorder are not, and as I seldom leave the house without one of these, it's almost a moot point as far as my shooting goes. And furthermore - the GH4 and lenses are really just splash proof, they're not built to withstand the kind of storms we get in these parts.

Crazy beans! At least the Panasonic engineers and designers were clever enough to put a headphone jack somewhere on their flagship model, unlike Fuji, who want you to shell out over $300 USD for their VPB-XT2.

I just recorded the introduction to a review of the Zhiyun Crane using the GH4 and Rode Videomic Pro. It is definitely nice being able to monitor the recording, even if you're just using it for scratch audio. But... Since I'm starting to vlog, when I want to tilt the screen so I can watch myself as I'm shooting, I have to unplug the headphone jack, because it prevents you from flipping the LCD screen over. It would be nice if this is fixed in the GH5.

I have zero charisma, nonetheless, as I'll be retiring next week, I thought I'd start a vlog for those suffering from insomnia. I just recorded an introduction to my review of the Zhiyun Crane using the recently released Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Contemporary lens for micro four thirds. I shot this at C4K, ISO 800, f/4, with both sharpening and contrast set to -4 and saturation at -2. No color correction or sharpening were added in post. I'm pretty pleased with both the color and resolution of the lens.

Thought you might find this amusing. I was so impressed with the iFootage Shark S1 slider that I decided to go ahead and purchase one of their carbon fiber tripods, the Wild Bull T7, from Hong Kong. The price came to around $575. Well, it arrived here in Vietnam, and customs is saying I have to pay 85,893,694 Vietnam dong, or around $3,770 USD in customs fees. My math isn't very good, but I think that's something like a 700% tax. Normally, there is a 10% tax on camera equipment, but I've usually paid somewhere between 10-20% for other gear I've bought in the past, because I didn't want to argue with customs. I'll be sure to let you know the outcome once this is resolved.

To heck with the lenses, all I want is that Mazda Cosmo! Nice work, Midloch! I didn't even know such a vehicle existed. And while I have no doubt both the Samyang and PanLeica are excellent lenses, there was nothing in the video that popped out at me - in fact, if anything, the images appeared a tad soft - but that could just be my Wifi connection. @Michael - if you read my rant in the lenses thread, you'll know that I applaud your decision to go with fast primes. Fast u43 lenses can be very compact, and have the opportunity to saturate the sensor with crazy resolution by f/2 or f/2.8, whereas slower lenses are barely able to correct for aberrations, vignetting, etc. before they encounter diffraction at around f/8. I also agree with Cinegain, $1,300-$1,600 for a PanLeica lens seems a bit excessive, but if you can find the Leica 25mm for 1/4 of the price, that would probably be a steal (maybe too good to be true, and personally I'd never buy a new lens offered for 1/4 of the retail price from anyone, even my uncle). On the other hand, I just bought the Voigtlander 17.5mm for $800 - nothing logical, I just had to own the lens - it's a work of art, old-world craftsmanship. And I also purchased the plastic fantastic Sigma 30mm, but haven't had a chance to try it out yet. I would like to know in what way the Olympus 25mm f/1.2 is superior to the Sigma 30mm, which LensTip calls best in class, to the point that one can justify spending $700 more for it. My guess is, it ain't.

You could also add the Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 and the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 to the list.

nice work.

I go out and shoot in the neighborhood with my GH4 every day, but my camera's in the shop, so I though I'd try out the 35-100 f/2.8 on my GM1. I believe it's the first time I've shot with that combination. Anyhow, first observation, the AF is lightning quick and accurate. Second observation, because there's little to hold on to and you're shooting with arms outstretched, it's almost impossible to hold the camera steady. Free background music from JewelBeat

The 17.5mm interests me more than the 25mm Voigtlander as well.

This afternoon, I walked into a used camera shop here in Saigon I'd never seen before and noticed they had a Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 for sale. It had been several years since I last held one in my hands, and wow, it just felt so great to hold something made of metal, with such a beautiful smooth focusing barrel, and engraved markings. It makes all my lenses feel like crap, even my beloved Sigmas.

Really, it's just that - the PanLeica 25mm is almost twice as expensive as the Sigma 30mm. I expect the trio of lenses coming out to be good, but I don't believe their performance will justify the cost.

The new lenses will be better in what way? We'll just have to wait and see, because at this point, nobody knows how the new zooms will perform. Why anyone would prefer a slower zoom set when the X series are already on the slow side is beyond me. The thing is, the 12-35mm f/2.8 and 35-100mm f/2.8 constant aperture zooms are already super lightweight lenses and ideal for travel or throwing on a gimbal. Variable aperture zooms are simply not ideal for video, and the f/4 maximum aperture is going to make it even more difficult to throw the background out of focus, if that's what is desired. And why exactly do you think they will have better out-of-focus rendering (bokeh?) than the other lenses? This would be a neat trick. Did you read that in Panasonic's promotional literature or something? Lenses perform better when stopped down, regardless of how good they are at maximum aperture. The new Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN shows how that can be put to advantage, because it is able to achieve record-breaking levels of resolution just because it is a fast lens. Concerning what I would have liked to see instead, I can be pretty certain it won't be coming out of the PL partnership. On the mirrorless side of things, Fujifilm was one of the first to launch relatively fast lenses made in Japan with all-metal construction, while Panasonic decided to manufacture their slow premium zooms from cheap plastic. Yet Panasonic continues to release slow, variable aperture zooms made in China that feel like Fisher Price toys. There is one area where Panasonic might surprise us, and that is with lens coatings. The X zooms boasted about their nano coatings, but their work against bright light is weak, which is one reason I'm looking to replace my 12-35mm f/2.8. Actually, I much prefer the look of full-frame or APS lenses on micro four thirds bodies, and the only reason I'm buying u43 lenses at all now is for use with the Crane gimbal. Realistically, were I looking at purchasing any more zooms from PL, I'd prefer to see slightly more modest parameters in terms of focal length, and wider constant apertures, around f/2, that didn't break the bank.