Ki Rin

Guys, I'm wondering if you can advise me about Variable NDs for video. The prices of these vary wildly. Is there any reason a cheap $20 one will be significantly worse than a $200 ? Surely they are just a device to block light... ? Are there any specific things I should look out when purchasing a variable ND? Thanks~!

I'm also interested in this. Especially auto focus settings and tracking. What are the best settings for keeping the subject in focus, especially with a wide aperture? I don't have a gimbal yet, so I can't test it out myself.

It's true.

Has anyone seen any comparisons of the new Dual IS II vs IBIS only on the GH5 yet? I have seen some videos of Dual IS, but none comparing it to IBIS only. I'm curious to see how much of a difference it makes (for video)

Thanks for the explanation. I guess we will have to wait a bit more to see how the system performs then. I'm interested how well this system will be able to keep a subject in focus when shooting on a gimbal for example.

Ok, so the DFD will affect focus tracking as well?

How important is DFD? I've never had a camera with that, so I don't really know how useful it is..

Well, I HAD made up my mind, but now I'm rethinking, especially after seeing that mirrorlesscomparison review. I hadn't realized the 12-60 is only really 2.8 at 12mm. As you said, I could save myself quite a bit of money if I just stick with the 12-40mm... I will have to do some more research about the performance of the IBIS vs dual IS, since I don't have any recent panasonic cameras to test that. I intend to do a lot of run and gun travel video work, so stabilization is key. I'm also curious to see if there is much difference with the behavior of the AF on the GH5 with these lenses. I guess no one can really answer that yet. Actually the GH5 kit lens here (in Japan) is the OLD 12-60 F3.5-5.6 lens for some bizarre reason! So I would have to buy them separately, which gets quite expensive. I've been very happy with the 12-40 lens for photography, but haven't really used it for video, as I don't have any good m43 video cameras (yet). Thanks for the information about the 12-100. I had thought this lens was too big and slow, but I will have another look at it. Although, I think if I went for that one, it makes more sense to get the 12-60. If the 12-40 will perform well on the GH5 though... I might just stick with it for now.

Actually I already have the olympus 12-40, but I was all set to get the Panasonic 12-60 for the extra reach and video features... But now I'm not so sure. I wonder how the 12-40 will perform on the GH5 in terms of AF and IS. If the dual IS is a lot better, I think that tips in favor of the 12-60, even if its slower.

Which do you think will be better and why? There is the obvious difference of extra 20mm reach of the panasonic vs the wider aperture of the olympus.. but what else? Early reports seem to indicate the optical performance is similar.

That's good news. Thanks for posting this, it will be a good reference when I get mine

Yeah sounds like it is too light. Perhaps you could try adding a baseplate under the camera to give it more weight.

Ok that's good. Let us know if you figure it out though.

Oh, maybe you are not balancing it correctly? have you watched the videos about balancing and calibrating it?

What is that caused by? is it a faulty unit? I'm thinking about getting one of these...

I guess it's relative, but it definitely looks a lot bigger than the 25mm. Still seems to be fairly light though.

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.

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

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 see that there was an OM to m43 speedbooster from metabones a couple of years ago that seems to have been discontinued. What happened? Seems like it would be a nice option. Is it gone forever?

Thanks, that sounds good. It seems relatively easy to adjust and not as delicate as the previous generation of gimbals anyway. I'm also hoping they might add a function for shooting time-lapses. Would be great to have that added functionality.

Thanks scotchtape, that's very informative. I guess you tend to stick to just one lens as much as possible to avoid having to rebalance. I'm thinking I will end up using it (in the future) on the GH5 and 12-60 lens most of the time. But unfortunately that lens also extends when zooming, so I might need to readjust each time I want to zoom? BTW, what happens if you try to use the gimbal when it is slightly off balance? Does it just put more strain on the motors, or will it not work at all?

Thanks, that's pretty much what I figured. I think I might end up getting the crane. It seems to be a very useful and high quality piece of kit. I was a bit worried about the weight and time to make adjustments, but it doesn't seem to bad, judging from the videos I've seen.

I've just noticed that Feiyu Tech have released a couple of new gimbals in the last few months. The MG V2 and MG Lite. Has anyone tried these? It seems like currently the best gimbal for mirrorless systems might be the Zhiyun Crane. I've seen good reviews on it here and elsewhere. One thing I'm not so sure about is how essential it will be to have a gimbal with the new GH5 camera? I know the motion is not exactly the same as when using a gimbal, but it seems like the IBIS can give very smooth shots when combined with the new native lenses especially. What do you think? Also, do you know if it is possible to use a gimbal like the crane with a videomic attached to the hotshoe of the camera or does it get in the way? Thanks guys!

the AF doesn't seem to perform very well in that video. Or maybe that lens cant focus that close? that would be a bummer