GH2 Any of you ever shoot an entire film with just one prime lens?

J

Julie_Freed

Member
I find myself unable to take my Voigtlander 25mm off the camera. Is this a problem, or would you consider it a good addiction? :)
 
I love just limiting myself with one focal length for creative projects and seeing what comes out of those limitations. Especially with medium telephoto (55 - 85mm on GH2) lenses, lately. I can totally relate to feeling addicted to the Voigtlander, though.
 
24~28mm is the perfect focal length on GH2, at the right distances you're getting similar results to shooting with a 35mm focal length when shooting S35.

Pretty understandable.

I'm gonna do a 24-28mm comparison of all the 24-28mm primes that I have, and some zooms.
 
i picked up the Lumix/Leica 25mm 1.4 and haven't taken it off sense. I sold my 20mm 1.7 to offset the cost. I thought the 20 was not wide enough to be a good wide and not long enough to be a good normal. i was amazed what a difference 5mm and less than a stop in max iris would make to the look but....i love it. i got started with my dads old Minolta 35mm SLR (late 60's vintage) with a 58mm f/1.4 and thats what i always loved. The Leica lens reminds me of that.

John
 
Not to take away from the DVXUSERs that were your questioned audience, Julie, but if it was good enough for old Ozu - who shot pretty much all of his beautiful masterpieces with a 50mm (which was in the old Academy ratio days, so like Kholi was saying more of a 35mm in modern S35 terms, or pretty close to what you're getting with the 25 on GH2) - then I say go for it. Wes Anderson may have shot "Bottle Rocket" with one lens. A 27 or something like that...? Not quite remembering. Anyway, he doesn't change it up much at all even in latter films. Stays pretty wide, handful of zooms. However you slice it, 9 out 10 audience members sure aren't gonna give a hoot what lens you used, so keep shooting ANYTHING and refine your own aesthetic and tastes and preferences and see what you need to get your own vision up there, and that's what you need. That's it. Anyone tells you it's a problem definitively is coming from a weird objective place and is best left ignored, unless your aim is purely commercial, then I guess start saving up...
 
I actually really like shooting on 50mm lens, regardless of the sensor format. I only switch it up if I'm in a situation where I can't move the camera back, or I need a super closeup of something and I can't move the camera closer.
 
If I were to pick a lens for S35mm it would be a 40mm.

For m4/3, I'd say Barry is onto something. I'd go 28mm if available (not common in cinema lenses). Not a far cry from your 25mm, so perhaps I'd likely end up with that. Maybe a 32mm, if I was feeling it.
 
JeffHarriger said:
but if it was good enough for old Ozu - who shot pretty much all of his beautiful masterpieces with a 50mm (which was in the old Academy ratio days, so like Kholi was saying more of a 35mm in modern S35 terms, or pretty close to what you're getting with the 25 on GH2)
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50 in academy ratio is actually what a 50 on a GH2 would give... Or almost. A GH2 is the same size as academy matted to 1.78:1 (so horizontally and DoF characteristics are the same, but different vertically). Speaking of which... Hitchcock used a 50 almost exclusively in the 50s and 60s, so a 50 on a GH2 is more or less identical to what you'd get in Psycho.

But yeah, using few lenses is fun. It of course all depends on the environment you're shooting. I'm a long lens kind of guy (my current favorite is a Lomo 150), as the close-ups and compression from it is wonderful. But you can't do everything like that. So I need to change around lenses ever so often. Plus sometimes I just see the shot where an 18mm will be perfect for a wide and then I'll use that. But a 25 is a very useful length for doing "one lens" shoots, for me that length would be a 35 on a GH2, but again, I like 'em longer (no pun intended).
 
Yep, you're exactly right Gabe. I forgot about 'Psycho' being with the 50 (mostly at least). Another easy one to study is 'Vertigo', since there's SO MUCH documentation on it! I might go for 35mm myself on GH2 if I had to pick one, but I've been trending wider and wider... (I bet that lomo 150 would take some nice close ups!)
 
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I could totally see shooting an entire project on the 20mm pancake or the Voightlander. As long as you have a wide lens you can do anything...
 
NoahK said:
I could totally see shooting an entire project on the 20mm pancake or the Voightlander. As long as you have a wide lens you can do anything...
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Me too. With 20mm/25mm you can shot several things.
But 20mm is a bit too wide, I like to use it in 2.35 aspect ratio. 25mm is fine for 16:9.

But more lenses = more fun. :)

Add a fast 45mm/50mm/55mm (for "portrait" or "close ups" with cool bokeh) and you'll have almost no other needs.
Add also a few long tele or ultra wide shots ONLY if really needed, and that's all.

EDIT:
So, 20mm/25mm if you can/want only use one lens.
And 45mm/50mm/55mm if you want also a second bokehlicious lens. :D

That's all I need.
 
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