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New lenses for new system !


yiomo
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I am building a new simple m43 system. It will consist of GH4 and possibly bmpcc as well.

Well, besides the bodies I'll need some lenses, so would like some thoughts. I want to spent around €1100 max. and my partner agreed so I am in good luck. I have around a month to decide  :) 

 

My work is documentary and fiction and I will be using them handheld occasionally. I also shoot photos and coming from a FF format I still have (a minor) fear that I will miss the (somehow-not too much) shallow DOF when I need it, so I would like to get an as fast lens as possible.

 

My initial focus was the lumix 12-35 OIS f/2.8. But I've read that it has a lot of barrel distortion on the bmpcc. Otherwise it is probably the best cost-effective solution and helpfull for documentary stuff (zoom, OIS).

 

But...thinking that I could perhaps squeeze 3 primes out of my budget, I started looking for more options...

 

So  the **** is for my favourite option up to today.

 

1. ? Cannot find the wide one... that would give a 24mm equivalent on the bmpcc.

 

2. Medium

*****  OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12mm F2.0  (GH4 -24mm) (BMPCC -34mm)     (€ 266)

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f1.8     (GH4 - 34mm)  (BMPCC - 47.6mm)                      (€  395)

LUMIX G 20mm/F1.7    (GH4-40mm) (BMPCC -56mm)     (€332)

 

3.Tele

****  OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm F1.8    (GH4 - 90mm)  (BMPCC - 126mm)  -  Read great reviews.    ( €266)

 

4. I have read good things about the samyang cine lenses but then I'd need a speed booster and bigger cost. Plus a DOP said at an interview that although he has worked with them (speed boosters) he believes they are too limiting and can mess with the image occasionally. I know that others praise them.. internet.. don't know who to trust !

 

5. Read good things about the slr magic 12mm but too expensive.

 

6. Last option is... the most unpractical and unwise perhaps.. to get just ONE lens,

the ****  Voigtlander NOKTON 17.5mm F0.95  (€980) that gives a nice equivalent for both cameras (GH4 -35 mm)  (BMPCC - 50mm), and will probably live more than I will, and with it I can build up  a nice kit with a couple of good lenses later on..

 

The following combination is  â‚¬150 above my budget. Perhaps I can find a way to overcome that.. just hoping she doesn't read the forum. What do you think?

 

OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12mm F2.0  (GH4 -24mm) (BMPCC -34mm)     (€ 266)

Voigtlander Nokton 25 mm f/0.95        (GH4 - 50mm)    (BMPCC - 72mm)    (€717 )  (not the 17.5 which I'd prefer for now)

OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm F1.8    (GH4 - 90mm)  (BMPCC - 126mm)  -  Read great reviews.    ( €266)

 

 

If you have ANY idea what lenses NOT to use in order to avoid this super crisp/clinical look of the GH4, I would appreciate to hear it. I heard that lumix lenses are to be avoided for this reason?

 

thank you !!!

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Fujinon 25mm f1.4

Fujinon 35mm f1.7

 

both great lenses superb bokeh , sharp wide open and great narrow dof

 

 

 I very rarely shoot past f2 on micro 4/3

most of the time I'm at f3.5 or f2.8 indoors I light for that

 

at f1.4 you have a 1cm depth of field....too narrow for me for narative stuff

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Wow andy, you really love lenses!  

 

Of course, from what I read it is better to get vintage or ff lenses as they produce better results on m43 and they are better for future proofing, but then again one looses the advantage of having a small system to travel with. I mean ok, on a set it is probably better to have this big glass. No problems. But I am thinking, I  just put my 5d and trusty 24-105 on sale to get rid of the weight and  to invest in a seemingly better system for video that can also do decent stills. A system that I can use to travel wherever with low weight and volume. 

 

Investing in this glass might be a wise thing to as a set of lenses to have for narrative productions/controlled environments. The same goes for the samyangs and other big lenses I guess..

 

But any recomendations for more a portable solution? Or do you really think it is a very bad idea/investment to go for native m43 lenses?

 

 

p.s Tried to check your web but couldn't open it.

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Had a quick look at ebay. Seems like the Yashika 50mm 1.4 would cost me around €200.

With an aditional €60 I could get the much smaller(?) OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm F1.8  .

 

Would the Yashika be much better?

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Fujinon 25mm f1.4

Fujinon 35mm f1.7

 

both great lenses superb bokeh , sharp wide open and great narrow dof

 

 

 I very rarely shoot past f2 on micro 4/3

most of the time I'm at f3.5 or f2.8 indoors I light for that

 

at f1.4 you have a 1cm depth of field....too narrow for me for narative stuff

Shooting with m4/3?   This sort of depth of field is usually at FF..

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yes shooting micro 4/3 at f1.4 with the Fujinon 25mm the DOF is less than 1cm

 

so all this talk of people say micro 4/3 cannot have narrow dof is rubbish.

 

these lenses are great on Micro m4/3 for ultra narrow dof

 

Pentax 25mm f1.4 c mount

Fujinon 25mm f1.4 c mount

Sigma 30mm f1.4

Fujinon 35mm f1.7 c mount

 

even my Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f1.7 in C/Y mount has a dof of about less than 1 inch !

 

its all about what lenses you use and how you use them

 

if you run around with a Panny kit lens as just your main lens and film outside at f5.6 and then yes people say 'oh Pansonic doesnt have any narrow dof '   well neither does any camera when you stop it down .

 

Micro 4/3 with the right lenses is superb - its all about how you use it

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a great very stylistic range of lenses for micro 4/3 is the Pentax 110 system lenses

 

small light and very very filmic

 

they are all f2.8

they make the following

 

18mm

24mm

50mm

70mm

 

20-40mm zoom

 

I highly recomend you get a full set if you want a very cool filmic looking lens set - very cheap too!!

 

the 18mm is superb you can run around doing steadycam style shot with it , very smooth and light so no camera wobble on a good rig

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There's a special Pentax110 to m43 adapter online, best is to get the one with aperture control, since these lenses have no infinity focus wide open.

 

I'm unfamiliar with these lenses and adapter.  What testimony can you tell me about them?  I'd like to hear from some experience.

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designed in early 1980s for Pentax 110 camera - (110 film frame size is almost exactly the same as a micro 4/3 sensor so these lenses work superbly on Panasonic cameras as they where designed / optomised for this size.)

full frange of prime lenses and one zoom where made

 

24mm is the 'standard' lens

 

all lenses made in Japan by Pentax

 

superb filmic look off these lenses

 

cheap on ebay (as they dont work on Canon cameras)

 

the 18mm is great for steadycam style shots as it holds focus over a big distance

so you can walk around following a subject and not have to refocus all the time

(I mean the normal 18mm lens becuse the did make an 18mm panfocus lens too which is a bit softer)

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designed in early 1980s for Pentax 110 camera - (110 film frame size is almost exactly the same as a micro 4/3 sensor so these lenses work superbly on Panasonic cameras as they where designed / optomised for this size.)

full frange of prime lenses and one zoom where made

 

24mm is the 'standard' lens

 

all lenses made in Japan by Pentax

 

superb filmic look off these lenses

 

cheap on ebay (as they dont work on Canon cameras)

 

the 18mm is great for steadycam style shots as it holds focus over a big distance

so you can walk around following a subject and not have to refocus all the time

(I mean the normal 18mm lens becuse the did make an 18mm panfocus lens too which is a bit softer)

 

Nice.  I got a low-budget American Western on the agenda and finding an interesting lens set for that film needs to happen.  Considering the content of the film, I'm curious about vintage lenses and the IQ character they offer for such storytelling.  I'll try them out and look forward to the results.

 

I don't have any wide-angle shots planned, so 18mm and above would be perfectly fine.  Anything I should know about the adapter or the infinity focus Pascal mentioned?

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these lenses are f2.8 - no aperture

 

so I bought 3 of each lens type

one I keep as f2.8

one I bluetac a small plastic washer on the back so its about f 5.6  - for outsside in cloud

one I bluetac an even smaller  plastic washer on the back so its about f11 - for outside in sunlight with NDs

 

so I just use which ever lens is needed depending on the lighting conditions -

 

this system works well for me

also get  NDs 2, 4 and 8 for each lens so you can use it at f2.8 with the NDs to keep the narrow DOF

 

I have not ever noticed any issues at Infinity focus with my adaptor - mine does not have an iris in it like Pascals

it works fine at Infinity.

 

 

these lense are cheap $30 each so get 3 of each!!

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every single person using these lenses on a M43 body mentions the lens not focusing until infinity when used wide open.  like in every single post or review I've googled.  The 20-40 zoom is a great zoom lens, but wont focus until infinity at the wide 20mm end.  at 40mm it's fine.

 

as andy said, you can solve this by either buying an adapter or DIY-ing by adding a fixed aperture plastic washer.

 

I'm about to sell my 18mm 2.8 with iris adapter cos I no longer need it now that I have a Speedbooster (my Canon FD 24mm now has the same FOV as the Pentax 18mm 2.8).  Selling lens and adapter with iris for $100.

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