GH2 Best Video Lens

Alright, going to run a couple of lenses I've been looking at by you guys.

This Nikon Nikkor 50mm 1.4

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/97413-USA/Nikon_1902_AF_Nikkor_50mm_f_1_4D.html

And the Rokinon 85mm 1.4 in Nikon mount

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/769363-REG/Rokinon_85M_N_85mm_f_1_4_Aspherical_Lens.html

And this adapter will work for both, right:

http://www.amazon.com/RAINBOWIMAGIN...TF8&coliid=I2E3OJVO02TL9M&colid=1Z04TFDACL3K1

Do these sound like good purchases? I'll probably get the 50mm first.
 
trickhog said:
But the Panny 20mm also kicks serious butt, I just find it sharper with more contrast than the Canon FD glass. I would love to find something affordable that is longer and still pretty fast that is a good match for the Panny 20mm...
Click to expand...

Yep, still haven't used a lens that's sharper than the panny 20mm.
 
BrandonT said:
Alright, going to run a couple of lenses I've been looking at by you guys.

This Nikon Nikkor 50mm 1.4

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/97413-USA/Nikon_1902_AF_Nikkor_50mm_f_1_4D.html



And the Rokinon 85mm 1.4 in Nikon mount

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/769363-REG/Rokinon_85M_N_85mm_f_1_4_Aspherical_Lens.html

And this adapter will work for both, right:

http://www.amazon.com/RAINBOWIMAGIN...TF8&coliid=I2E3OJVO02TL9M&colid=1Z04TFDACL3K1

Do these sound like good purchases? I'll probably get the 50mm first.
Click to expand...

Look on e-bay first: I have one like this I use with the GH2
It won't work with newer Nikons so you can get these cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-Nikkor-S-...era_Lenses&hash=item2eb5d53eeb#ht_1450wt_1141

You might want to look at the LUMIX 20MM pancake.

Remember on the GH2 a 50MM lens is like a 100MM lens on a full frame sensor camera.
The 20MM is like a 40MM and with the Telecrop function the 20MM "zoom" to about 40MM
or the equivelent field of view of about 80MM on a full frame sensor camera.
 
I would buy a used Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI-S manual focus lens on eBay. It will be half the price of buying a new AF lens, an likely smoother focusing.

The Rokinon is a steal. It's a great lens for the price.

Forget Rainbow imaging adpaters. Yes they work, but they are not machined like a good adapter is. Lots of horror stories of these cheap adapters loosening up very quickly. For a good low cost adapter, check out the MetaBones Nikon F adapter on eBay. It sells for about $90, and is a clone of the $200 Voightlander adapter. ( I own the Voightlander adapter, but plan on picking up a MetaBones adapter for a B-camera )
 
HVXguy said:
Look on e-bay first: I have one like this I use with the GH2
It won't work with newer Nikons so you can get these cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-Nikkor-S-...era_Lenses&hash=item2eb5d53eeb#ht_1450wt_1141

You might want to look at the LUMIX 20MM pancake.

Remember on the GH2 a 50MM lens is like a 100MM lens on a full frame sensor camera.
The 20MM is like a 40MM and with the Telecrop function the 20MM "zoom" to about 40MM
or the equivelent field of view of about 80MM on a full frame sensor camera.
Click to expand...

I do actually have the 20mm. Probably should have said that. I also have the 14 - 42 kit lens and the Canon FD 50mm 1.8 (older version, not SSC).

I really liked the focal length of the 50mm, but I didn't realize how soft/ dreamy it looked (at 1.8) until I got it in post. I was able to make it look decent enough, but I definitely want to get a 50mm to replace it.

This is the one you posted, right? From the photos, it looks a bit dreamy/ creamy/ soft, though not nearly as bad as the FD did me. Can you confirm?

http://taishimizu.com/177/Nikkor-S-50mm-f-1-4-Pre-AI-Review

Ultimately, I'm wanting something that can decently match the 20mm in contrast and sharpness (i.e., not dreamy). Like someone said above, the 20mm is about as sharp as they come, so I just mean within reason.
 
TheDingo said:
I would buy a used Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI-S manual focus lens on eBay. It will be half the price of buying a new AF lens, an likely smoother focusing.

The Rokinon is a steal. It's a great lens for the price.

Forget Rainbow imaging adpaters. Yes they work, but they are not machined like a good adapter is. Lots of horror stories of these cheap adapters loosening up very quickly. For a good low cost adapter, check out the MetaBones Nikon F adapter on eBay. It sells for about $90, and is a clone of the $200 Voightlander adapter. ( I own the Voightlander adapter, but plan on picking up a MetaBones adapter for a B-camera )
Click to expand...

Ok, I'll look it up on ebay, but is this the one?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/36977-USA/Nikon_1433_Normal_50mm_f_1_4_AIS.html

There's so many of these Nikons, so I just want to make sure I see a photo of what the lens looks like to make sure it's the right one.

As far as the Rokinon, that's what I thought, too. I've read nothing but good stuff about them. The only debate is whether or not the 85mm is practical.

Ok, I had read a few reviews that made me start questioning Rainbow Imaging. Thanks for the suggestion on the MetaBones.

Edit: Yeah, $200 is a lot better than $470!! Can you confirm that this lens is sharp and has good contrast on the GH2?
 
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BrandonT said:
I do actually have the 20mm. Probably should have said that. I also have the 14 - 42 kit lens and the Canon FD 50mm 1.8 (older version, not SSC).

I really liked the focal length of the 50mm, but I didn't realize how soft/ dreamy it looked (at 1.8) until I got it in post. I was able to make it look decent enough, but I definitely want to get a 50mm to replace it.

This is the one you posted, right? From the photos, it looks a bit dreamy/ creamy/ soft, though not nearly as bad as the FD did me. Can you confirm?

http://taishimizu.com/177/Nikkor-S-50mm-f-1-4-Pre-AI-Review

Ultimately, I'm wanting something that can decently match the 20mm in contrast and sharpness (i.e., not dreamy). Like someone said above, the 20mm is about as sharp as they come, so I just mean within reason.
Click to expand...

Yes that is it
 
TheDingo, I was intrigued by the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI-S manual focus, but from looking at photos and videos using it-- the bokeh just wasn't doing it for me in comparison with the Nikkon 50mm 1.4D. The 1.4D seemed to have nicer bokeh shapes.. more round, without pronounced aperture blade shapes. It still looked like a great lens, but I just liked the look that the "D" model gave.

I found a lot of photos from people using it on the GF1, so I know it works fine with the m43 sensor size. PLUS, I got free financing for 6 mons since I have a Best Buy card and it's available there.

Flicker photos:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=nikon+50mm+1.4D+gf1&m=text

Best Buy link:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Nikon+-...5848384402&skuId=8004456&st=8004456&cp=1&lp=1

And I'm going to get the MetaBones adapter that you mentioned:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Metabones-Nikon-F-M4-3-Adapter-GH2-GF2-EP1-EP2-E-PL1-/110689064994

Woop! Thanks guys!
 
I owned the Nikon D lens for a few months, but I found the manual focusing not as smooth as the older Nikon AI-S lenses, so I sold my 50mm Nikon D lens and bought a used Zeiss ZF 50mm f/1.4 ( which is Nikon F mount ) which has smoother focusing than even the AI-S lens.

The bokeh should not be that much different as the optics and iris design hasn't really changed in 30 years with this type of Nikon lens. They are all based on the original Zeiss Planar lens designed by Paul Rudolph at Carl Zeiss in 1896, which is kind of amazing that such an old lens design is still going strong.
 
How awkward, I've never used or even touched any of the Lumix digital lenses. But the 20mm pancake does seem yummy.

For me it's about fast c-mount TV lenses: My new favourite is the Cosmicar / Pentax 8-48mm f1.0 zoom lens. Yes, f1.0!! But must use in ETC mode as it vignettes on MFT..
 
ed_lee83 said:
How awkward, I've never used or even touched any of the Lumix digital lenses. But the 20mm pancake does seem yummy.

For me it's about fast c-mount TV lenses: My new favourite is the Cosmicar / Pentax 8-48mm f1.0 zoom lens. Yes, f1.0!! But must use in ETC mode as it vignettes on MFT..
Click to expand...

Are there any C-mount lenses that are that fast that don't vignette? I have two GH13s, so no ETC for me. I had never considered C-mount lenses because I heard they were low quality, but f1.0 is very, very attractive, especially if they're less dough than the Nokton 25mm 0.95.
 
CColton said:
Are there any C-mount lenses that are that fast that don't vignette? I have two GH13s, so no ETC for me. I had never considered C-mount lenses because I heard they were low quality, but f1.0 is very, very attractive, especially if they're less dough than the Nokton 25mm 0.95.
Click to expand...
Low quality? Subjective, I suppose and depends on the brand. They were made in the pre-digital era so they don't produce that tack-sharp digital look. But I think the GH2's heavy emphasis on sharpness does its part to make it up for it. But other than that I think they're great - their fast speed being the most attractive.
If there is one that doesn't vignette, I've never found it. Best you could do is to use one that covers the sensor enough to warrant some post-crop. For example the Computar 12.5mm f1.3, Canon 17-102mm f2, 25-100mm f1.8 and 18-108mm f1.6 are just some that cover about 85% (all by the way which need modification).
 
ed_lee83 said:
Low quality? Subjective, I suppose and depends on the brand. They were made in the pre-digital era so they don't produce that tack-sharp digital look. But I think the GH2's heavy emphasis on sharpness does its part to make it up for it. But other than that I think they're great - their fast speed being the most attractive.
If there is one that doesn't vignette, I've never found it. Best you could do is to use one that covers the sensor enough to warrant some post-crop. For example the Computar 12.5mm f1.3, Canon 17-102mm f2, 25-100mm f1.8 and 18-108mm f1.6 are just some that cover about 85% (all by the way which need modification).
Click to expand...

Hmm, I'm not really excited about modifying lenses. It's too bad there aren't faster lenses that cover the sensor properly (and don't cost $1000). Is the difference between f1.0 and f1.7 even that big?
 
CColton said:
Is the difference between f1.0 and f1.7 even that big?
Click to expand...
Perhaps it's easier if you experiment: In my video i shot on a street at night (urban with some street-side illumination) and could see clearly and sharply at ISO 160 (as marked in the video).
You try doing the same with your f1.7 lens at ISO 160 in a similar situation and see what you can get.
Come to think of it I think I need to do a full-on dark night test... coming up!
 
ed_lee83 said:
Perhaps it's easier if you experiment: In my video i shot on a street at night (urban with some street-side illumination) and could see clearly and sharply at ISO 160 (as marked in the video).
You try doing the same with your f1.7 lens at ISO 160 in a similar situation and see what you can get.
Come to think of it I think I need to do a full-on dark night test... coming up!
Click to expand...

Streetlight-lit nights on the way! (Don't worry, that sentence was intentionally confusing)
 
trickhog said:
I have those two lenses and they are awesome. I will say that the Panny 20mm and the Canon FD 50mm have a very different look, so they might be hard to match in the same project, especially if you are doing a narrative piece.

I'm planning on doing a short in a few weeks with these two lenses.. with a slight sense of fear that both of theses lenses are going to clash in the piece. I was hoping that i could match the lenses in post. Am I doing the impossible? Should i look into the Canon FD 28mm f2.8 for my wider lens instead of the Panny 20mm?
Click to expand...
 
ectdog said:
trickhog said:
I have those two lenses and they are awesome. I will say that the Panny 20mm and the Canon FD 50mm have a very different look, so they might be hard to match in the same project, especially if you are doing a narrative piece.

I'm planning on doing a short in a few weeks with these two lenses.. with a slight sense of fear that both of theses lenses are going to clash in the piece. I was hoping that i could match the lenses in post. Am I doing the impossible? Should i look into the Canon FD 28mm f2.8 for my wider lens instead of the Panny 20mm?
Click to expand...

I'd be more likely to stick to the 20mm, it's sharper. They have a different look, but if you stop the Canon down a bit you'll gain some sharpness which will help them match. If I had to eliminate one of the two I'd lose the Canon and keep the pancake.
Click to expand...
 
I'm guessing better rendition and bokeh (circular aperture blades). Also Summilux ASPH... Ah. I'm willing to trade.
 
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