ThomHaig

Wow! Lots of kit emerging from Photokina! Of all the new stuff, this new Olympus looks the most suitable for me. Currently got a Pana G7 and thinking of an upgrade. The GH5 is probably overkill for me (and too expensive) and the new G80 looks very cool, but maybe not enough to warrant an upgrade from the G7. The crazy stabilisation and better high ISO look awesome. 

Right now my biggest investment is actually in my Metabones EF - MFT XL adapter. Do you guys have any idea if it would be compatible with the EM1-II? I saw my model of metabones isn't supposed to work with the current EM1.

http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_SPEF-m43-BT3

Any ideas? Excited to see more from this camera!

Looks like the gh5 is sizing up to be a very nice piece of kit!I ddon't know if it would take an innovation from Panasonic or metabones,  but I'd love to see full 5 axis stabilisation on adapted lenses! 

Reelsmart Motion Blur can be pretty handy. I typically work in motion graphics, and it's a common tool for 3d artists (where motion blur can take ages to render out of 3d) - and the plugin is marketed to be used in both footage and motion graphics. I've always seen is as a compositing aid really, and it's got me out of some tight spots and helped achieve a more realistic looking composite a handful of times. I'd never consider Reelsmart MB as a replacement to in-camera motion blur though. I can see how that pipeline makes sense in a green-screen heavy project like the Hobbitses where compositors will want a pretty hard edge key on the green screen to avoid spill, and then MB can be added in post to blend everything together. If it's not a green screen project, I'd just base your shutter speed on the amount of MB you want: It's a hassle to do it in post, and you'll be looking at some long render times.

14 hours ago, Ebrahim Saadawi said:

since I adored my ultra cheap CANON STM 10-18 because it's the omly one I"ve ever shot with IS Iwas hoocked by the look it makes having an iS Ultra wide angle that's very shatp.

Just had a look into this lens, and I'm considering an ultrawide also. Looks like it yields some good results! And the IS on an ultrawide looks like a good combo for video. I'd like to ask though: This being an EF-S lens, would it fit ok on a metabones EF to MFT adapter? I saw this blog post where a guy mods the mount to remove the lip on the mount to allow it to fit a Canon FF camera.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=17037103

Would this process also need to be done for the metabones? Thanks

3 hours ago, fuzzynormal said:

If your main objective is shooting video, I still say a good old manual prime lens is the way to go.

And honestly, the more "flawed" the better. I like an image with character. 

Thats my bias anyway. I desire my stuff to have a different look about it and funky old glass helps. Plus, it's cheap. 

Thanks! Yeah, I'm imagining the GX80 ibis in combination with a nice Canon Prime would be a nice combination. It'd be good to get kit that's good for both stills and video, and it would suck to pay out for an expensive Canon IS zoom lens only to find out that it's either incompatible with the dual IS system, or I'm better off ignoring the lens IS and just using the in camera stabilisation exclusively.

Hey guys, could any of you with the GX80/85 let me know: What do you think is better: a non IS lens with GX80 IBIS, or standard lens IS without IBIS.

I currently own a G7, and thinking of buying a lens or two. IS lenses come it at a lot more money typically, so wondering if I were to get, say... a standard zoom without IS and a GX80 how it would hold up?

2 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Hmmm...  short cuts can be set up for that? And if it is 18mm or 20mm doesn't make sure a big deal does it?

Since the stabilisation seems to rely on the camera knowing what focal length the lens is at, sure you could use a Nikon metabones, but you'd have to tell the camera what focal length the lens you have mounted is (it looks like a dialogue comes up). Zooms would prove frustrating though, I think. You couldn't zoom a lens without having to tell the camera you've changed focal length, since it's not reading this information. So in practice: no zooming in the middle of recording (I think!)

(EDIT)... Oh, I see... you mean FN button shortcuts... I have no idea about that, I'm afraid.

Since a few of you guys seem to have your hands on GX80's (or whatever you want to call them) I was wondering if anyone could confirm their compatibility with metabones adapters?

I currently own a G7 and a metabones XL, however nothing in the ways of EF lenses yet. I was considering options and about to blow a load of money of a stabilized full frame EF zoom, however I'm thinking it might be more cost-effective to get a GX80 body and some nice fast primes, and / or a cheaper, unstabilised zoom (I'm figuring some stabilisation will be enough, it'd be nice to shoot handheld, but I'm not anticipating doing so loads)

Would appreciate it if anyone can share their experiences

Thanks for posting this, Andrew. Awesome that Panasonic have got on the IBIS wagon.

As a recent Metabones XL adopter, I'd be interested to know how the ibis works with more EF lenses. Maybe a Metabones firmware update could make this in body stabilisation play ball with more EF lenses?

I'm a little confused about this technologies' application: You mentioned the ibis works well with the sigma 18-35 (which is great news!) - but that said, this lens doesn't have any stabilisation...Does that mean it would work with any non-IS lens? Or is some kind of position data transferred to the body electronically?

Shame the GX80 doesn't have flatter profiles. That said, I use the G7 and usually shoot Cine-D, but I also find Natural to work well.

Hey, thanks very much for your input, everyone.

It's a tough decision, but at the moment I'm thinking I'll go the Nikon route. I really like my 85mm  f1.8D, and there seem to be fast and inexpensive 35mm and 50mm nikon options to expand my set of primes. The canon equivalents seem to be more expensive. Whilst it would be really nice to have IS, I don't really think I'll be shooting too much hand-held for any serious work.

I've been going back and forth a bit in my head, but the more I think about it, I think it makes sense to see the adapted primes as primarily video-only lenses, and to probably stick to nice compact native MFT lenses for amateur photography excursions.

Hey everyone,

A few months back I bought a Panasonic G7. Really blown away by what it's capable of, especially given the price!

I'm considering picking up a Metabones adapter, and I'm wondering whether to go Nikon or Canon EF mount? At present I only have one lens of each mount (tokina 11-16mm f2.8 for EF and Nikon 85mm f1.8 D) so I'd happily consider either. What I'm concerned about it the Metabones Nikon adapter's lack of electronic communication with the lens (no autofocus, no IS). - I'm using my G7 mostly for video, but it's nice that it's a very adequate (for me) stills camera too. I'm by no means a serious photographer, but is AF speed through the metabones EF good enough for the occasional still, as well as good enough to get in focus before switching back to manual when shooting video?

My other concern with the electronic communication with the EF metabones is compatibility with the G7 specifically. Here on the Metabones site, it lists G7 and GX8 compatibility as being different to that of other cameras, though I'd assume it would be the same: http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_SPEF-m43-BT3 Can anyone clarify if G7 and GH4 communicate with metabones + EF lenses differently?

My other consideration is which metabones to pick within their product line. Searching online suggests that they had a firmware update (for the EF mount) that improved AF. There's the metabones ULTRA (always in CAPS!) the T, and the XL. On paper specs, I'd go XL for the slight extra light coming in, but is autofocus the same between them?

Would really appreciate any insight to my decision. Thanks very much

I'm not well versed with many of the lenses that have come up here, I can vouch for a couple of Nikon lenses that are your desired focal lengths being very light though:

The Nikon 35mm f1.8 G- although it felt a bit plasticy out the packaging, that plasticy-ness translates to it being light. It's a metal mount still. It's built for aps-c sensor sizes. I use it on a G7 with metabones XL and can confirm there's no vignetting in video modes. Possibly slightly for stills. Weighs under 200g.

The Nikon D 50mm f1.8 is even lighter still. In your budget you could get the f1.4 version, which is still lightweight.

I also have the Nikon D 85mm f1.8. Seems like a great lens from my use of it so far.

Hope that's of some use.

On 07/04/2016 at 4:46 PM, Mckinise said:

I have not messed with my new Beholder MS1, but I had one a few months ago and I just removed that plug to access the port.

Thanks for letting me know! It's weird... if it will come off, it seems to really want to be prized off... Might see if a pallete knife or something will do the job. Let me know if see a difference with your new MS1 when you get the chance, please!

Hey everyone,

Got my Beholder MS1 through the other day. I'm impressed with it so far, especially given the cost. It's very easy and fast to set up, changing lenses whilst out wouldn't cause too much of a problem. I also like that it's a generic type of battery, making buying extras to be very inexpensive. It also seems to be very solidly built.

I've also learnt that shooting anything with dampening to the vertical bounce is really tough! Interesting to see that guy's technique with the pilotfly. He seems to be holding an attachment that's parallel to the ground (like you'd hold a briefase) and not vertical (like you'd hold a lollipop) which I can imagine would naturally dampen some vertical movement. Is that grip part of the H2, or something he's fabricated?

In an attempt to iron out some of the vertical bounce, I looked into adjusting the PID settings (this is where things get very specific to my situation), which is when I hit a brick wall: all the guides out there say you need to access a mini-usb port, which is behind a plastic cap. The cap I have is metal (with an additional button that controls inverse mode) and once the bolts are removed, the cap doesn't seem to come off! I have no idea if there even IS a usb port under there! Has anyone else run into this problem? Is it something they've implemented in a more recent version? Would be great if anyone here can share these experience in changing PID settings for any of the beholder products. Pics attached to show what I'm on about.

16 hours ago, jase said:

more than one? Would you mind sharing?

I got it from ebay,just looked to share the link, but it looks like the listing has either expired or they're sold out. I'm UK based, and the MS1's were being sold in Belgium, so no import tax. They also took VAT off when you provide a registered VAT number, which I was able to do. With the VAT removed, it came to £360. Here's hoping it does the job when it comes through!

On 19/03/2016 at 0:42 PM, Fredrik Lyhne said:

@ThomHaig In Dave Dugdales review he states that it's not working with the GH4 and 12-35mm. He did review a pre-production model though. Might work with the G7. 

Send OwlDolly an email ask what they recommend. Personally I would get the DS1 between the two models as a lot of people says it's great. I haven't researched the MS1. I opted for Pilotfly H2 myself, which is about the same size as DS1, even though I'm using a GH4 with native lenses. 

Thanks for the info, Fredrik.

I found an MS1 pretty cheap. The G7 + 12-35mm comes within it's weight limit, so hopefully ought to do the job.I think the main practical difference is that it might not function in inverted mode. I'll give it ago and post how I get along here. The weight limit being what it is, I'll be limited almost exclusively to micro 4/3 lenses since they're so compact.

On 17/03/2016 at 9:25 PM, j_one said:

It isn't a MUST if you are experienced with shooting with gimbals, electronic or not (though know the difference!).  It helps to have IS in most cases, but I've even found myself turning off lens/sensor IS for certain steadicam motions due to jitters or complete jumps in motion.  Something to consider.  A well balanced camera+lens with moderate weight within the steadicam system (and a tiny bit of digital stabilization if needed for some troublesome clips) can go a long way, so don't be afraid of lenses without IS if you're finding yourself in a corner with options!

Cool, good to know it's not a must, thanks. Yeah, I could image sometimes lens IS might fight against what the gimbal is doing / natural movement.

11 hours ago, Oliver Daniel said:

I use the 5-axis IBIS with the A7SII on the Ronin-M, and it works absolutely brilliantly if your movements are smooth. It completely erases vertical bounce. 

If your movements are aggressive though, then I'd turn IS off completely. It does jump otherwise. 

Sounds like a pretty rock-sold set up! I can imagine the IBIS could help a lot... Now if only I could have an a7sII *sigh*

2 hours ago, Xavier Plágaro Mussard said:

In Italy they say don't bandage your head if you didn't break it!!! 

Buy your gimbal, test it with your system, if it works great. If not, change something. IS normally helps with microjitter, but you have to test. Sometimes it can disturb the image. You can't know before you try it...

 

Yeah, I think there's a lot of sense in this. Think I've been a bit swept away on the a6300 hype. I'm only just getting back into filming, and g7 seems great (plus it's nice and light for gimbals use), and that 12-35 lens is giving great results for photos and video so far, so as you say, probably not worth a complete rethinking my gear set up completely. Thanks.

Hey, just thought I'd chime in here. Does anyone know the practical difference between the Beholder DS1 and MS1? I know the MS1 is smaller, and has a lighter maximum payload, but is there a difference in the operational quality?

I'm using quite a light setup, a panasonic G7 + 12-25mm lens, which comes in at just under 720g. Thinking if the MS1 is meant to be comparable to the DS1, I could save some money.

I've recently got on the G7 bandwagon, looking to speedboost for cheap. I picked up 2 'Camdiox' focal reducers. One for FD Mount, one for EF. I've heard the 'Camdiox' brand is just a re-naming of Roxsen.

Unfortunately I sent both back. Despite the description saying otherwise, neither of them were able to focus to infinity, plus I think the optical quality suffered (though it's hard to say, since I had no other adapter to try my lenses out with)

I've heard that all cheap speed boosters are made in the same factory, which I would believe. I could well be wrong there though.

I've also heard the zhyongi lens turbo to be better than most. I'm considering biting the bullet and just getting the metabones XL version. Not heard a single complaint about them, and would be nice to use modern lenses (the metabones can control aperture electronically, unlike the cheaper ones)

oh damn... you're right. Must have confused myself trawling through specs! Well, I guess that one's out of the question if IS is a must. Thanks for pointing that out

Hi everyone,

long time reader of the forums here, thought I'd post and see if anyone can help with my specific situation, please!

Ultimately I'm looking for a lightweight-wide angle lens+camera combo to fly on a pistol grip-style 3 axis gimbal (probably nebula 4000 lite) for smooth, stable shots.

At present I own a Panasonic G7, and the 12-35mm f2.8 panasonic lens. Nothing else in terms of accessories / lenses. However, with all this chat about the sony a6300, I'm considering selling up the above and jumping on that bandwagon. So I'm exploring lightweight wide lens options for either camera.

I got thinking an old FD or Nikkor 17mm in combination with a focal reducer on the a6300 might work well, and should be nice and light. However the older manual lenses won't have anythingin terms of stabalisation. Would this be important for gimbal use?

The other options I can think of right now are: stick with the G7 and get the 7-14mm panasonic lens: Problem being it's very expensive for a lens that slow. Has Image stabilisation though, and is nice and light.

Alternatively mount a more modern canon wide onto the a6300 via a commlite or similar adapter with electronic control. Possibly the 10-18mm EF-S. That lens is cheap and light, and has IS, but would it being EF-S (not just EF) be a problem when adapting?

As an aside, I already own the Tokina 11-16mm ultrawide lens for Canon mount. It's great, but it's weight would throw it over the limit on a lot of the smaller gimbals I'm looking at. It also doesn't have stabilisation.

As I'm sure many of us regular feel here, I'm getting a bit overwhelmed by the options out there. Would really appreciate any advice on what might be the best solution for me. Thanks!