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Which Native weather sealed Zoom lens to get with GH5


boxtree
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Need advice on which zoom lens to get with GH5 out of  Panasonic 12-35, Panasonic 12-60 or Leica 12-60. I am looking to also get Sigma 18-35 with speedbooster.

I have the 14-140mm and Panasonic Leica 25mm, but wanted a weather sealed walk around/everyday lens that is weather proof to complement the British weather :)

Any advice, recommendations and anecdotes based on real world use welcome

Thanks,

Boxtree

 

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Hard to go wrong with the sigma 18-35 and a speedbooster on GH5 unless you need weatherproofing :tounge:

I agree with the rest, get the 12-35 f/2.8 but you should also handle the Olympus version that has hard stops in you don't use AF that much. 

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I opted for the 12-60 Panny/Leica...I already own the PL 25 F1.4,  Panny 20mm F1.7 and the 14-140 F4.0. I think it depends on your needs really....to me Leica glass was important...that the lens is F2.8 at 12mm and for interiors I would be on the wide end...I care less about the fact that it gets slower through the zoom...the extra 50mm of reach was also important to me, as I would need that outside, where for my purposes the F4.0 was outweighed by the longer reach of the 60...I would suggest, as they are both in and around the $1000 mark, that if possible you try them out...both for build quality and image

Edit...The only M4/3 lens I actually bought....not as part of a camera package before the 12-60 P/L was the P/L 25 and the lens blew me away...then I added the 12-60....and I can now see myself selling my two Panny lenses and adding the P/L 42 prime and the 8-18 when it's released...there is a distinct difference between the Leicas and the Pannys....so where you go with your set should probably factor into this for you too

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22 minutes ago, Ken Ross said:

I'll never understand why when a discussion of zooms comes up, the question of 'how much reach do you need', never comes up. 

You and I both just brought it up...it's the whole reason in my mind for having a zoom...I never zoom while shooting....that would be a dolly or a slider for me....but the freedom of that lens on your camera...

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3 hours ago, Fritz Pierre said:

I opted for the 12-60 Panny/Leica...I already own the PL 25 F1.4,  Panny 20mm F1.7 and the 14-140 F4.0. I think it depends on your needs really....to me Leica glass was important...that the lens is F2.8 at 12mm and for interiors I would be on the wide end...I care less about the fact that it gets slower through the zoom...the extra 50mm of reach was also important to me, as I would need that outside, where for my purposes the F4.0 was outweighed by the longer reach of the 60...I would suggest, as they are both in and around the $1000 mark, that if possible you try them out...both for build quality and image

Edit...The only M4/3 lens I actually bought....not as part of a camera package before the 12-60 P/L was the P/L 25 and the lens blew me away...then I added the 12-60....and I can now see myself selling my two Panny lenses and adding the P/L 42 prime and the 8-18 when it's released...there is a distinct difference between the Leicas and the Pannys....so where you go with your set should probably factor into this for you too

Agree with Fritz. Also, in terms of usable zoom the 12-60 is far more versatile. I used the 12-35 for a few years and the limit on it's use was the zoom range. In terms of the extra stop or so at 35mm, it makes no difference on the GH5 as it is already a couple of stops better than the GH4 I was using. In terms of low light shooting, neither lens is ideal. F2.8 is just as insufficient when pushing things as F4 is so you go to the 25mm 1.4 at that point regardless of what zoom you have. For the ultimate daylight walk around zoom it's probably still the 14-140 for the biggest range on one lens. Not sure how the stabilisation compares but you can see the daylight IQ lacks nothing 

 

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Without knowing what the OP usually shoots... if it's street photography, generally anything from 35-50mm full frame equivalent is considered the most practical. Anything wider, and you've got to get up in people's faces, any longer and you've got to step back too far to avoid filling the frame with people's heads. As the OP already owns the Panasonic 14-140mm and Leica 25mm, and plans on purchasing the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8, rather than overlapping much of the range of these lenses, I might even go so far as to recommend the Panasonic 7-14mm f/4, which can produce some striking cityscapes, but which is neither weather sealed, nor does it have a filter thread. Another possibility is to wait for the Leica 8-18mm, which Fritz is considering, and which has both weather sealing and a filter thread.

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3 hours ago, jonpais said:

Another possibility is to wait for the Leica 8-18mm, which Fritz is considering, and which has both weather sealing and a filter thread.

I have to admit that at first I was a bit disappointed that it has no constant f2.8 aperture. But now on a second sight, I think this could be really a lens for me - weather sealing, smaller and lighter than the olympus 7-14, leica touch (hopefully) and a filter thread. Bonus: longer end without sacrificing too much on the shorter end. If the manual focusing is the same as with other newer PL lenses like the 15 f1.7 then what is not to love about this lens?

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16 hours ago, Fritz Pierre said:

You and I both just brought it up...it's the whole reason in my mind for having a zoom...I never zoom while shooting....that would be a dolly or a slider for me....but the freedom of that lens on your camera...

With some exceptions, I never considered zooming while shooting to be a good practice. I got into a lengthy discussion with someone on another forum who defended the practice. It's rarely used today in cinema. If you looked at old TV shows and movies, it was used far more frequently back then.

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15 hours ago, jase said:

I have to admit that at first I was a bit disappointed that it has no constant f2.8 aperture. But now on a second sight, I think this could be really a lens for me - weather sealing, smaller and lighter than the olympus 7-14, leica touch (hopefully) and a filter thread. Bonus: longer end without sacrificing too much on the shorter end. If the manual focusing is the same as with other newer PL lenses like the 15 f1.7 then what is not to love about this lens?

If the 8-18 looks anything like the 12-60 you will not be disappointed...no mistaking that it's made by Leica both image and build quality wise...how light it is for a metal lens (at least on the 12-60) will surprise...not sure whether that's possible in such a wide zoom...but the idea of a zoom of this optical quality at 8mm on the wide end for 1100 is enticing...as you already shoot M4/3 this is an amazing price...a company called Laowa makes a 7.5 f2.0 prime....not a bad looking lens, but still 500...for another 600 this lens gives you a nice range and in Leica glass!

Edit: specs say 8-18 is 315 grams....the 12-60 is 320 grams

P

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9 hours ago, Fritz Pierre said:

If the 8-18 looks anything like the 12-60 you will not be disappointed...no mistaking that it's made by Leica both image and build quality wise...how light it is for a metal lens (at least on the 12-60) will surprise...not sure whether that's possible in such a wide zoom...but the idea of a zoom of this optical quality at 8mm on the wide end for 1100 is enticing...as you already shoot M4/3 this is an amazing price...a company called Laowa makes a 7.5 f2.0 prime....not a bad looking lens, but still 500...for another 600 this lens gives you a nice range and in Leica glass!

Edit: specs say 8-18 is 315 grams....the 12-60 is 320 grams

P

Exactly my line of thinking. However I dont buy lenses new, so I will wait until the price drops a bit more and get it used. On the other hand the laowa lens is also quite interesting, since it is also small and lightweight. Will see. 

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7 hours ago, jase said:

Exactly my line of thinking. However I dont buy lenses new, so I will wait until the price drops a bit more and get it used. On the other hand the laowa lens is also quite interesting, since it is also small and lightweight. Will see. 

Yes...A friend's brother bought the GH5 in Germany as a kit with the 12-60 which came in at around 600 where I paid 1000 for mine...in the US where my GH5 is from. no kits are offered...having seen your film on Peru though, these were made for you!

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23 minutes ago, Fritz Pierre said:

having seen your film on Peru though, these were made for you!

Definitely! I need that lens before I will do my next trip to Nepal, so lets see how fast prices will go down.

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15 minutes ago, jase said:

Definitely! I need that lens before I will do my next trip to Nepal, so lets see how fast prices will go down.

Years ago there was a review by a still photographer with the GF1 shooting stills on the 20mm f1.7 Panny...its worth finding online...his shots are stunning and I think that like Peru, you will find Nepal a place of such beauty and production value as a filmmaker...exciting times ahead for you!

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1 minute ago, Fritz Pierre said:

Years ago there was a review by a still photographer with the GF1 shooting stills on the 20mm f1.7 Panny...its worth finding online...his shots are stunning and I think that like Peru, you will find Nepal a place of such beauty and production value as a filmmaker...exciting times ahead for you!

This one: https://craigmod.com/journal/gf1-fieldtest/ ?

If yes: it is indeed a great read and stunning images!

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Yes!!...a stunning stills camera!... I bought one for both my wife and my then 17 year old daughter after reading this??...looking forward to what you come up with from Nepal...I live in Quito now...and as you know from Peru, the quality of light changes drastically at altitude....now you're heading for the "Top of the World"!

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