Mozim Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Hey, I recently picked up a GH3 in addition to the Canon 600D (T3i) that I've been using for the past 2 years. I'm very happy with the results so far, seems like the GH3 in combination with my only MFT lens so far - the Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 - produces a much nicer quality than my Canon does. For now I'll keep the Canon as my backup / second camera as I usually shoot lots of events, so it's convenient to have two cameras shooting at the same time, plus I already have a big selection of Canon glass. I'll very likely purchase the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 and the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 lens soon, so that'll cover most focal lengths... but I also need a wide angle lens. For ultra wide angle stuff I already have a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 on my Canon and to achieve the same field of view I'd need an 8mm lens on the Panasonic. So for now I'm skipping the ultra wide angle stuff and would like to get a regular wide angle lens instead. What's a good affordable wide angle lens for the GH3? A 12mm lens (18mm S35 equivalent) would be nice but as far as I know my only options are the SLR Magic 12mm f/1.6, the Olympus 12mm f/2.0 and the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8... all of which are very expensive and I'm not sure I want to spend that much money on a lens like this yet. Somebody suggested to pick up the old Panasonic 14-45mm... does anyone have any experience with that lens? Another option that looks good is the Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 which can be had for very cheap. I wouldn't mind owning a zoom lens, so I even looked into the Olympus 12-50mm. What's your experiences with these 3 lenses? All cost around the same and all have some flaws (build quality, not very fast) but it'd be nice to hear some opinions of people who have actually used them for shooting video. Thanks for the input! -Moritz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacek Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 You can also buy SpeedBooster for your existing Tokina or wait for Kowa 8.5mm (http://www.43rumors.com/images-of-the-new-kowa-8-5mm-f2-8-12mm-f1-8-25mm-f1-8-mft-lenses/). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy lee Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 try the new ASPH II kit lens 14-42mm NOW HAS 2 ASPHERIC ELEMENTS AND IS VERY SHARP plus stabalisation is now better than the old kit lens.... this new kit lens is shipping with the G6 and all new panny cameras plus the 14mm f2.4 is very good , very sharp and a great lens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mozim Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 Thanks for the suggestions! Unfortunately I can't use the Tokina on my GH3 since the lens is a Canon-mount... so no point in using a Speedbooster. The new Kowas look great, too, but they won't be available any time soon and I think they will be fairly expensive. Andy, how does the 14mm f/2.4 compare to the 14-42 kit lens? Obviously it's a bit faster and doesn't offer optical stabilization or the zoom range. Is the build quality comparable? How easy is it to focus manually with them? What's the build quality like? And how does the 14-140mm compare to either one of these lenses? Thanks a ton! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy lee Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 14mm is insanley sharp 14-42 is also very sharp a few stops slower , stabalisation is very useful to have if you are outside in daylght you will be around f5.6 any how so the faster aperture of the 14mm does not get used all focus manually very easily no issues and are will built (all panny modern lenses are plastic ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasondhsd Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 What about the Panasonic 12-32mm pancake? http://amzn.to/MUauyD etidona 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etidona Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 What about the Panasonic 12-32mm pancake? http://amzn.to/MUauyD That lens was the primary reason for my GM1 purchase, but I think it's just a bit overpriced if brought alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mozim Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 14mm is insanley sharp 14-42 is also very sharp a few stops slower , stabalisation is very useful to have if you are outside in daylght you will be around f5.6 any how so the faster aperture of the 14mm does not get used all focus manually very easily no issues and are will built (all panny modern lenses are plastic ) Thanks man! I mainly shoot in fairly dark environments (forests) and I can't really plan or affect the lighting in my shots, so based on my experience I need to have a lens with an aperture of around 2.8 or faster to keep the ISO below 800 if the light is really bad. On the other hand it'd be nice to have a zoom lens and apparently the end results will look very similar. So I'll just keep my eyes open for a good deal to show up. Jason, as far as I know there's no manual focus ring on the 12-32mm Pancake. Otherwise I'd seriously consider it, but no option to focus manually is a no-go for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasondhsd Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I think all native panasonic/olympus lenses are focus-by-wire in that even if it has a manual focus ring it's not actually moving anything but sending a signal or whatever back through the camera. Anyway if you do want an actual focus ring then this would do the trick http://amzn.to/1bGZiAN or if you can deal with 14mm this is even cheaper http://amzn.to/1mDJtzG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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