GH2 A companion for my FD's

D

DevonH

Well-known member
After some debate I've decided to stick with my set of Canon FD's instead of buying a set of Nikkor primes, but my kit has some gaps. I currently have a 24mm f2.8, and a 50mm f1.8, and then a 100mm-300m that runs a whopping f5.6. The 24mm is essentially my nifty 50, my 50mm fits in around the 85mm range, so I need something wide.

The Tokina 11-16mm is an option, albiet one that would take a large chunk of money. Does anyone have a suggestion for a wide lens that might fit well with the FD's in the $500 range?
 
This is ultimately why I had to go with Nikon. I love the look of FDs but there is not a lot on the wide wide that is cheap. The 14mm L is expensive. You might want to see if the 20mm f2.8 FD will give you the wide FOV you want. I find 20mm a good wide FOV most of the time.

The tokina will not match the FD's at all. I am better then I used to be with grading, so maybe I could do it now...... I also thought that maybe some tiffen ultra contrast filters on the tonkina might get it to match a little closer. YMMV

Nikon matches with modern glass. But I always miss that low-contrast look of FD.
 
bitcrusher said:
You might want to see if the 20mm f2.8 FD will give you the wide FOV you want. I find 20mm a good wide FOV most of the time.
Click to expand...

I have the Canon FD 20mm f2.8 - it's has a considerable amount of blooming wide open, but once stopped down just one click, it's nice and sharp with very good color and contrast. It's not my everyday lens, but works very well as a wide. I rarely go wider than 28mm, actually - but that's just my style of shooting. On the occasions that I do need something wider than the 20, I use my m4/3 14mm pancake and haven't had a problem matching it up with my FD's in post.
 
cowpunk52 said:
I have the Canon FD 20mm f2.8 - it's has a considerable amount of blooming wide open, but once stopped down just one click, it's nice and sharp with very good color and contrast. It's not my everyday lens, but works very well as a wide. I rarely go wider than 28mm, actually - but that's just my style of shooting. On the occasions that I do need something wider than the 20, I use my m4/3 14mm pancake and haven't had a problem matching it up with my FD's in post.
Click to expand...

I dunno how you do it! Haha. Living without at least a 16/2.8 would be a headache for me with the GH2.

I'm playing with a 25/1.3 S16 lens right now and it covers the entire 4/3 video frame... well mostly, corners are kinda dark. But that's not wide enough for me in a tight space.

THhe 5.9/1.8 S16mm doesn't cover the entire 4/3, but in ETC it's quite wide. So that factors into about a 16mm(ish) in non ETC mode if my half-assed calculations are correct.

I guess that's why I immediately gravitate toward the 11-16/2.8. X_x
 
anyone using FD's must get the 50mm 1.4, for CU's , shallow DOF and low light conditions.
and i personally think the 20mm 2.8 os also a must have for normal POV- it's wide enough, and not too wide.
also got the 28mm 2.8 but the 20mm has better POV.

btw- cowpunk, so you're not advising using FD's wide open? or from your experience, just the 28mm?
 
I use the Tokina & Duclos 11-16 as my go to on the wide end of things. If you need wider the Lumix 7-14 will get you there. A 20mm really isn't that wide on a M4/3 format camera.
 
David W. Jones said:
I use the Tokina & Duclos 11-16 as my go to on the wide end of things. If you need wider the Lumix 7-14 will get you there. A 20mm really isn't that wide on a M4/3 format camera.
Click to expand...

well, cocerning the FD's and achieving the same look, not sure that there are many options to go wider. tokina & FD are not exactly the same.. i want a peace of mind when matching footage.
 
It takes a while to get proficient in color timing, but once you get there using different lenses are no longer a huge concern.
 
SLR Magic 12mm f1.6 is supposed to be released soon - $499 m4/3s manual focus only with cine-style aperture. There are a couple of clips floating around... don't know if it will fit well with the FDs, though (got 3 of those myself).
 
danny dale said:
SLR Magic 12mm f1.6 is supposed to be released soon - $499 m4/3s manual focus only with cine-style aperture. There are a couple of clips floating around... don't know if it will fit well with the FDs, though (got 3 of those myself).
Click to expand...

it looks too sharp to fit the ND's
 
roei z said:
anyone using FD's must get the 50mm 1.4, for CU's , shallow DOF and low light conditions.
and i personally think the 20mm 2.8 os also a must have for normal POV- it's wide enough, and not too wide.
also got the 28mm 2.8 but the 20mm has better POV.

btw- cowpunk, so you're not advising using FD's wide open? or from your experience, just the 28mm?
Click to expand...

At some point soon I'll upgrade to the 1.4, but the 1.8 is actually amazing in it's own right. I think I'll check around for the 20mm 2.8
 
Kholi said:
I dunno how you do it! Haha. Living without at least a 16/2.8 would be a headache for me with the GH2.
Click to expand...

Well, like I said, it's just my style of shooting. Wide angles are really a specialty lens to me, and I mainly use them for effect and not for "getting it all in." For establishing shots and jib moves they come in useful, but I'm telling you, the 28mm is my sweet spot. And I've been known to use my 14mm in tight quarters when I need. I am interested in the 12mm f/1.6 from SLR Magic. It has a certain ease to the picture that should mix well with FD's.

As a matter of fact, for narrative shooting, I've only used the 14mm once. And the 20mm I've used probably on 10 shots in the two years that I've had it. That being said, the shots that I did use them on were absolutely crucial and I can't imagine not getting them with the lens I used.

Now, for more "video" style shooting (because I do use my GH2 a lot for docu-style broadcast b-roll, for which I typically prefer m4/3 glass) the 14mm has been a godsend, but my absolute favorite is the old 14-45 metal mount zoom. Super small and sharp as a tack, if you deal with the slow speed, it's really like a variable prime lens. With the OIS I can get tons of great, steady shots quickly and unobtrusively. Shame the newer 14-42 doesn't perform quite as well. But I do like wide angles much more in my docu-style video footage - being wide and getting as close to the subject as possible can really put the viewer "in the scene."
 
Last edited:
roei z said:
btw- cowpunk, so you're not advising using FD's wide open? or from your experience, just the 28mm?
Click to expand...

I use a lot of my FD's wide open a lot. The ones I generally try not to use wide open are the 20mm f2.8 and the 50mm f1.4. More so the 20 than the 50. Just a little too much blooming and softness for me that I like to avoid if possible. But like I said, just one click down of the aperture and you're in business on both of them.

My other FD lenses perform beautifully wide open, but most notably the 28mm f2. If you can get a hold of that lens, it's one of the absolute best FD primes ever made. Wide open, it's tack sharp, and has beautiful color contrast and bokeh. In fact, I almost prefer to use this lens wide open rather than stopped down.

Other FD primes that I have (35/2, 85/1.8, 135/2) all perform very well wide open and I rarely hesitate to use them that way if need be.
 
Thanks for the input everyone, I think I'll work on finding the 20mm. To be more specific on my use, I'll be flying this lens on a steadicam for real estate videos. The 20mm 1.7 with the AF is a bit of a draw (I'd never use AF for any sort of commercial work, but for 720p online video of houses I think it may be acceptable, just have to test).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top