Electronic aperture and focus control

[Thomas Church]

Will all Panasonic SLR lenses be supported by the AF100?

Or only specific lenses?

Will we have a list of which lenses are able to "talk" electronically with the camera?

[dcloud]

i think all of them will be supported.. but auto focus wise, very limited

[Barry_Green]

Any Micro Four Thirds lens will be supported on the AF100. Some m43 lenses don't have any communication (such as the Nokton 50mm). I would think that any Lumix lens should have communication back to the body and able to use auto-iris, etc. I haven't seen all the Lumix lenses, but I would think that they would all work that way.

Autofocus, however, is a whole different subject. While the camera can control the lens's autofocus capability, as dcloud says, there's a very limited selection of lenses that can actually do video-style autofocus. In fact, I believe the grand total of video-autofocus lenses on the market is: one. At least as of right now.

[youngindiefilms]

To date there is only one AF lens from Panasonic but I'm pretty sure more will follow.
I'd only ask why does one want AF and electronic aperture control on a cine camera?

[Jesse Brauning]

Because electronic control is the future.

[Stephen Mick]

To date there is only one AF lens from Panasonic but I'm pretty sure more will follow.
I'd only ask why does one want AF and electronic aperture control on a cine camera?

Incorrect. There are quite a few Panasonic lenses with AF, including the 14-140, the 14-54, the 20mm f1.7, the 8mm Fisheye, and…well…pretty much every other MFT lens Panasonic makes.


And while some people may not need electronic controls like AF and aperture control, more control options is generally never a bad thing.

[youngindiefilms]

I think this was referring to lenses with AF that is dedicated to video mode... of course pretty much all MFT lenses have autofocus.

[mitsos68]

Incorrect. There are quite a few Panasonic lenses with AF, including the 14-140, the 14-54, the 20mm f1.7, the 8mm Fisheye, and…well…pretty much every other MFT lens Panasonic makes.


And while some people may not need electronic controls like AF and aperture control, more control options is generally never a bad thing.
What about zuiko 4/3 lenses. Will they operate like Panasonic ones?

[dcloud]

Everything (43 & m43)works but the autofocus is limited. M43 has a chart of lens compatibility at panasonics website

[Barry_Green]

The only lens right now that's HD Video certified, is the 14-140. Other lenses have AF and they'll work, but they're not silent/breathing-free AF like the Lumix 14-140.

[Thomas Church]

I'm not interested in auto-focus, I've never used it for video, but electronic iris control seems pretty important.

[mitsos68]

The only lens right now that's HD Video certified, is the 14-140. Other lenses have AF and they'll work, but they're not silent/breathing-free AF like the Lumix 14-140.
What about LEICA D VARIO-ELMAR 14-150mm?

[alaskacameradude]

Sorry for asking a stupid question, but I haven't seen the answer to this yet, probably
because a lot of you guys are either still shooters, or at least have jumped into
'shooting video on a HDSLR'. I haven't shot on anything other than a video camera....
I've shot on a ton of video cameras, but they are all pretty much the same as
far as controls.......once you learn on one standard 2/3 broadcast camera, you can
at least have the basics down for other cameras, because they are similar and
have controls in similar places. That being said.....I was wondering, How exactly
do you control the iris on this camera? Is there an iris ring on many of these lenses
like there is on a video camera? I see people talking about electronic iris control
and am not even sure what they mean. Are quite a few lenses 'steppy' with the
iris (like the old PD 150 was) because after all, when you are shooting stills, it's
not like you have to ever 'ride' the iris as you make a move from a window, to
a dimly lit interior. I'm sure someone can give me some insight into this :-)

[morgan_moore]

the camera will take many lenses from the 1960s to current

some dont talk to the camera so any irising is done physically on the lens, step or not will be a characteristic of the lens

most still lenses have steps, cine lenses dont, some still lenses can be 'declicked' - google duclas

the camera will be able to control some more modern lenses with an electrical system, I imagine that this will be stepless for % of lenses that work with that system, what that % is I dont know

--

Generally in terms of the learning curve I imagine a switch to this from red or 16mm is more natural than from the ENG cameras you mention, for example I guess Red users dont employ a zoom in 90% of situations but switch primes

[alaskacameradude]

Thanks for the info! I knew there wasn't a servo zoom, but with some lenses, you
would have a zoom on the lens itself, so at least you could set up another shot without
having to move the camera and sticks and everything physically.....so my next
question was about controlling the iris and how that was done. Again, it's a new
one for me, so thanks for the explanation!

[TheReverend]

To date there is only one AF lens from Panasonic but I'm pretty sure more will follow.
I'd only ask why does one want AF and electronic aperture control on a cine camera?
I know I'm interested in these option because if we were to purchase one, it would help to have some cam control for our cam ops. Being a church, we have situations that are run and gun, event style, as well as cine style shorts, interviews etc. An AF100 would be a huge asset for cine style shoots and any low light situations. But if the cam has some event style capabilities, that would be excellent because we can get double the use out of the cams.

[robertrogoz]

That being said.....I was wondering, How exactly
do you control the iris on this camera? Is there an iris ring on many of these lenses
like there is on a video camera? I see people talking about electronic iris control
and am not even sure what they mean. Are quite a few lenses 'steppy' with the
iris (like the old PD 150 was) because after all, when you are shooting stills, it's
not like you have to ever 'ride' the iris as you make a move from a window, to
a dimly lit interior. I'm sure someone can give me some insight into this :-)
Someone might correct me if I am wrong, but it is controlled by a dial on the side of the body, right? Most of shoulder mounts (like jvc gy-hd100) have the iris dial on the side of the body as well.

[robertrogoz]

I know I'm interested in these option because if we were to purchase one, it would help to have some cam control for our cam ops. Being a church, we have situations that are run and gun, event style, as well as cine style shorts, interviews etc. An AF100 would be a huge asset for cine style shoots and any low light situations. But if the cam has some event style capabilities, that would be excellent because we can get double the use out of the cams.
I don't think anything bigger then 2/3" chip for ENG or run-n-gun would be any good. You have to understand there is no perfect camera. This is a camera designed for film work, where you control light and shots. For what you are describing I would buy EX1.

[Barry_Green]

Agreed that for run and gun/event style, something with a servo zoom and deeper DOF is likely going to be more serviceable. EX1, HPX170, HMC150, etc...

[Mark Smith]

Agreed that for run and gun/event style, something with a servo zoom and deeper DOF is likely going to be more serviceable. EX1, HPX170, HMC150, etc...

My HPX 370 is probably still going to be my work horse camera. AVC I, full raster when I need it and any other current video format too. The AF 100 will be in my back pocket for the times I want less DOF.