35-100 H-HS35100 or alternative lens for video with GH3 & GH4?

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davidp158

Well-known member
I have the 12-35mm lens, and like it very much for stills and video. I also have the 14-140mm kit lens, which works fine in bright light, but not so well in low light. I'm thinking about buying the 35-100mm/f2.8, but want to know if there are other lenses to consider.

I don't always shoot with a tripod or monopod, so I want stabilization when shooting video. That rules out Olympus and adapted lenses, so I'm thinking the Panasonic 35-100mm is my only choice, but I'm open to suggestions. Anything coming down the road from Panasonic? It would be great if another lens manufacturer could build lenses with O.I.S., but that's probably an unrealistic hope.
 
Other than the focal length, how is the performance of the 35-100mm different?

My only issue with the 12-35mm is that the focus ring isn't as smooth as my Lumix 25mm/f1.4.
 
What about the appalling hideous aperture flicker while zooming on the 12-35? My #1 complaint about this lens. The first thing I did after I got it, was to test if I could zoom very slowly and in a tiny increment whether it would still flicker, and it did. Ugh.
 
Does the 35-100mm have this aperture shift issue?

The 12-35mm zoom/flicker isn't a big issue with me as I rarely use zoom during a video take. I presume that is one of the reasons a professional constant aperture cinema lens costs more than the Panasonic 12-35.
 
35-100 is definitely better than the 12-35, in my book. Obviously they serve different needs, but the optical quality is better.
 
serious micro jitters with the 35-100

serious micro jitters with the 35-100

Good news/bad news; I found a used 35-100mm at a local camera store. Hand held, the O.I.S. seemed OK in the store (viewed through the EVF and OLED), but testing it at home and I can see the dreaded micro-jitters. Footage of a tree created a bizarre pulsing effect in the leaves that can't be removed in post. On a tripod with O.I.S. disabled, the lens if fine, but I need stabilization for hand held work. My 12-35mm and 14-140mm lenses are much more stable. I'm kind of torn about taking it back for a refund, but I have 14 days, so I may experiment and see if I can live with it. The exposure stays constant through out the zoom, and the overall image quality is fine, but without stabilization, the 35-100 isn't much use to me for hand held video work.

I have read that some people went through a few of these to find a good version. Is this a common issue with this lens? I would probably (reluctantly) pay for a new one if it was as stable as my other lenses.
 
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