New Pancake user

[-Tom-]

I just got my pancake lens yesterday. Few questions

1) why do i constantly hear lens motor? AFC mode with continuous AF turned off while taking pictures - I can still hear it all the time.
2) I often get the "Switch to AFC" message..why?
3) I noticed when I put the GH2 in A mode, I get to set f stop and ISO, but I can also change exposure...so if I understood the feature during yesterdays first shoots, I set the desired exposure, for instance if its bright daylight I set it to -1 or something like that to prevent burning, and the camera figures shutter speed according to my desired exposure setting?
4) ND recommendations? I never had a lens this fast, half of my first photos are burned as hell

And just my user observation - GH2 is ridiculous with the pancake immediate 74.32% "under the MSRP" look

[Bruce Foreman]

I just got my pancake lens yesterday. Few questions

1) why do i constantly hear lens motor? AFC mode with continuous AF turned off while taking pictures - I can still hear it all the time.

I don't know. Now if you are in AFS (single autofocus mode), have the dial on the left side of the camera on the first icon (single head in frame), and have just focused on a face or something that looks like a face, the camera with the 20mm pancake will try to keep that face or face like object in focus. Kind of "quasi" follow focus. I use this when I have to work by myself and step out in front of the camera. You have to start the movie recording first, then focus and move to the position you want the camera to refocus on.

2) I often get the "Switch to AFC" message..why?

You're probably getting the "Switch to AFS" message, probably have the switch in AFC mode and the 20mm f1.7 "pancake" is not AFC capable. If you got the GH2 with the 14-42mm "kit" lens, that one is AFC capable and in good light works well in that mode.

3) I noticed when I put the GH2 in A mode, I get to set f stop and ISO, but I can also change exposure...so if I understood the feature during yesterdays first shoots, I set the desired exposure, for instance if its bright daylight I set it to -1 or something like that to prevent burning, and the camera figures shutter speed according to my desired exposure setting?

Yes, it does work that way. The idea being if needed you can "bias" exposure up or down about 3 stops with that function. That is your exposure meter "read out" and when you press the wheel and turn it yellow you can adjust it to increase or decrease (bias) exposure.

I'm assuming you were in very bright light, had ISO set to 160 and were at as small an aperture as you felt you wanted. Small apertures reduce light but when you get to the extreme small end you risk an effect known as "diffraction" where the image forming light rays are diffused too much and the image begins to go "soft" on you.

I had this happen once with the original Canon Digital Rebel. I'd shot at an indoor arena the night before with the iSO set at 1600 (highest that camera would go). Next morning, short on sleep I started shooting cavalry re-enactors and forgot to check ISO. Lens apertures were at about as small as that lens went and I got the diffraction effect on the first two hours worth before I caught it.

Minimum aperture on that pancake is f16 so I wouldn't take it smaller than f11, f8 would be better.

4) ND recommendations? I never had a lens this fast, half of my first photos are burned as hell

And that's your part answer to #3, here's what I have. Lumix 14mm f2.5, 20mm f1.7, Panasonic Leica 25mm f1.4 all take 46mm filter thread, 14-42mm "kit" and Lumix 45-200mm take 52mm filters. My poor Olympus 45mm f1.8 takes 37mm filters.

So I put 46-52mm stepup rings on the pancakes and the Pan/Leica and use 52mm filters on those, the same filters can be used on the "kit" and longer zoom. I had 52mm .6 and .9 ND (2 stop reduction and 3 stops respectively), ordered a 1.2ND (4 stops) and that works pretty good.

Then tried the Polaroid variable ND in 52mm from B&H and am having good luck with that. Set ISO and f stop in "A" mode, set the exposure bias to "zero" (+/- 0) and "dial in" ND, press shutter button to see if you like the shutter speed it's going to give you.

In movie mode with EVERYTHING set to Manual just "dial" the variable ND until that +/- is "zeroed" (that's your exposure meter) and you're exposure is good.

And just my user observation - GH2 is ridiculous with the pancake immediate 74.32% "under the MSRP" look

Not quite sure exactly what you mean but the combination is very powerful when you learn to use it well.