GH2 ~$3000 to spend, what to get for a newbie?

[Chaos123x]

If you want that shallow depth of field like what you get with the Canon cameras you have to get the Nokton.

I have the 20mm 1.7 and while it's a great lens it doesn't do shallow depth of field very well. The cheap 50mm 1.8 on a T3i blurs the background way more then the pancake.

Not that you always have to have extreme shallow DOF but if you really want it the Nokton is the only choice.

 

[TheDingo]

If you want that shallow depth of field like what you get with the Canon cameras you have to get the Nokton.

Yes, the Voightlander Nokton is a nice lens, but the panasonic 25mm f/1.4 still has very shallow DOF wide open.

I have the 20mm 1.7 and while it's a great lens it doesn't do shallow depth of field very well.

Part of the problem is that a 20mm lens is slightly wide angle lens for the M4/3 format. Move up to a 35mm f/2.0 or faster and you will start to realize fairly shallow DOF with the lens wide open.

The cheap 50mm 1.8 on a T3i blurs the background way more then the pancake.

But keep in mind that a 50mm lens on the T3i has DOF characteristics like a 35mm lens does with the M4/3 format, so it's not a fair test. Use a 35mm instead of the 20mm and you will have a fair comparison with the T3i and a 50mm lens.

Not that you always have to have extreme shallow DOF but if you really want it the Nokton is the only choice.

At 25mm with the M4/3 format, yes the f/0.95 aperture makes quite a difference. At 35mm or longer lenses with apertures of f/1.4 or f/2.0 can deliver very shallow DOF too.