GH2 Choosing "old school" lens for GH2

-Tom-

-Tom-

Active member
I got my first video assigment few weeks back, and just like in photography, I found myself stuck within the settings and capabilities of the camera. Not that I'm some uber-filmmaker (Im not at all) but it just happens that I have a frame, a sequence already in mind, its just that camera cant grant me the options for it.

As usual, it's a case of F stop and ISO. I hate going into big ISO numbers, I dont trust it too much :D but the 14-140 lens I have wont go under 4, which is not wide enough for certain situations.

Also, correct me if Im wrong, but please DO correct me so I can be sure I got this right:

- every m43 camera, including GH2, has a crop factor which makes the 14-140 lens actually behave as 28-280...right?

If thats the case, that means I desperately need a wider lens, 28 is wide but for indoors I think a slightly wider glass is needed. With Lumix's pancake being too expensive for my current camera job cash flow (currently at 0) I'm thinking about buying m43 adaptor from ebay and get some second hand glass from yellow pages for cheap.

One of the options I like is Olympus 50mm f/1.8 OM Zuiko. Love the f-stop, but 50 mm is what worries me. Does this mean when screwed on GH2 it will act as 100mm? If thats so, it renders the whole idea useless for any type of video use exept for some tripod shots.

So, if someone can help me finding some not-expensive wide glass with f under 3...that would be great :D
 
Not that "old school," but your best option is the Tokina 11-16/2.8 in Nikon mount with a good adapter to control aperture. (~$500 + ~$150 adapter)

You're right on the crop factor; it limits what full-frame lenses will actually be "wide" at all, but fortunately the native m4/3 wide lenses are so dang good that often no legacy option is necessary. However, they aren't very cheap.

Best option is probably the Tokina 11-16/2.8 in Nikon mount with an adapter to control aperture. (~$500 + ~$150)

Option#2 is the SLR Magic 12/T1.6. I'm not sure where people actually buy these, but they exist. (~$500)

All the other good wide options (Oly 12/2, Pan 7-14/4, Voigt 17.5/0.95, soon-to-arrive Pan 12-35/2.8, Oly 14-35/2) are $800 and up.

Navitar has machine vision lenses in 12/2 through 50/2 in C-mount for 4/3" sensor, but their prices aren't below the purpose-designed m43 glass... and they're industrial lenses.
http://navitar.com/product/kowa.aspx

FWIW, I have a set of OM Zuiko primes (28/2.8, 50/1.8, 50/1.4, 100/2, 135/2.8, 200/4). I do enjoy them, even if they are a little on the tele side... sometimes, that's what I need.
 
Both the Tokina 11-16/2.8 and SLR Magic are probably the best bang for your buck wide angle lenses out there (the SLR Magic is available at Adorama, but I believe they are currently sold out). But if you are operating on a very limited budget, one perfectly viable option is renting a lens or two until your work begins to pay for your equipment. Lensrentals.com is always very reliable if there is no rental house near where you're located. They ship the lenses to you! Just a thought, hope this helps.

What is the video assignment, if you don't mind me asking?
 
Tom,

You'll find more info in the "Lenses" category higher up on the page, but for your budget you should seriously look into the Canon FD lenses.
Survey says the best value adapter for FD to m4/3 is this one made VERY WELL in Poland
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-FD-FL...531?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a720f83a3
I have this adapter and I can confirm that it is made VERY well, is extremely easy to use, and showed up in the mail in about a week. Well done.

I got a Canon FD 50mm f1.4 (Yes 1.4) for $70 on eBay and I LOVE IT. (I am far from alone on this I've found out too!)
I already have the Panasonic 14-140mm and the 20mm pancake so I got the FD for the "100mm" range.
Point being that there are a lot of sizes and f-stop varieties in the FD line and no one doubts their quality.
Here's a quick example I just googled - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-28mm-...IA+UA+FICS+UFI&otn=21&pmod=150841820254&ps=54


~Cheers
 
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Also fwiw:

Longish lenses are manageable with a simple, decent support. This can be as simple as a Gorillapod Focus with one or two legs perched over your shoulder(s). Sniping event close ups with a 90mm (180mm equiv) is even easy enough.

OMs are great lenses and have the benefit of being adaptable to almost any full-frame system currently available (except Leica R)
 
Don't forget the Panny 14mm 2.5. You can find it unused for less than $200 on ebay. If that's not wide enough for you, you can get the Panasonic GWC1 which is an official wide converter that makes the lenses 11mm.
 
If you are really tight on money, then buying used vintage glass can be a good way to go. The FD or MD/MC lenses with an adapter can be quite cheap. But vintage glass usually won't go too much wider, at least not with good results - they tend to be more useful in the 28mm to 100mm range (or ca. 56mm to 200mm if you are shooting in one of the modes that actually does a 2x crop).

I am spoiled - I normally reach for a Canon 10-22mm EF-S or borrow a Panasonic 7-14mm, but people have mentioned many other good options on here. Frankly, the 7-14mm is VERY reasonably priced for what it is at the moment, though I understand it is outside your budget. Neither one is very fast, though.

Note that the 16x9 mode the GH2 shoots video in is more like a 1.86 or 1.9 crop so your 14-140mm is actually a little wider than 28mm when you are shooting video with it. In stills mode you have a choice of a few different crops, one of which is pretty close to a 2x crop.
 
If you haven't checked out the Minolta Rokkors already, definitely consider them. Here's a video I shot yesterday entirely with the Rokkor 28mm 2.8 which I got off eBay for $70.

 
Most of the options being suggested are NOT wide lenses on a GH2. If you can't afford the 11-16mm Tokina, the Lumix 14mm is your best option - you should be able to get one for around $160 shipped.
 
Well @L1N3ARX took the words right out of my mouth. The Rokkor lenses are some of the most used ones in my collection. Personally, I am very partial to the Rokkor MC 58mm f/1.4.
 
You say 28mm or the 2X crop factor equivalent, 14mm, isn't wide enough. To gain significantly on the 14mm for width you need to go to the Panny 7-14. After crop is figured in, that's a 14-28mm lens. The Tokina being discussed, that crops to a 22-32mm lens. There is one huge problem after you go much wider than 28mm and that is distortion. Dead center on an Ultra Wide Angle (UWA) lens is pretty proportionate. When you get toward the edges of the frame/image, the distortion from the UWA kicks in. The wider you go, the worse it gets. If you are critical, it looks like you used a crappy fisheye, almost. I've had the Tokina and the 7-14 and the UWA distortion is there in both of them. On my Nikon I also had the Tamron 10-24 and it had it too. It is inherent in design, can't be eliminated. If you have a specific shoot that you think is going to require it, rent the 7-14 for it. If you can reset your set where you can make 28mm work but need brighter, go with the 14mm f2.5 pancake form Ebay. If you just go buy an UWA now, plan on it becoming your lest used lens in your bag.
 
ChipThome said:
If you just go buy an UWA now, plan on it becoming your lest used lens in your bag.
Click to expand...

Iam using the GH2 for video as a hobby, filming events, landscape or on vacation just for fun. But I did notice that I use most of the time rather my Sigma 24mm 2.8 prime or a 35mm 1.7 than other lenses. Tele is quiete handy aswell, but first I thought I would need a UWA more often.
 
Yesterday I shot a short film, and the need for wide was obvious in some moments. On the other hand, the 14-140 lens with OIS performed mediocre for my taste, so I'm scared to even think how would the regular no OIS lens produce the video I've shot.

I don't know if this is the right part of the forum for posting clips, can't find one, but this one was really a quickie, we had to film it before the photo session, so it was just one round around town with me hanging out the trunk of my car filming the Golf. Lumix GH2 mounted on my oldschool Slik 503QF tripod, shot upside down of course.

https://vimeo.com/44656028

and the pics are here if anyone wants to take a look, advices and comments always welcome - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomislavmavrovic/
 
"1. Fast
2. Wide
3. Cheap

Pick 2!"

A true saying I've heard floated around these forums several times. The 14mm end of the 14-140 lens or 14-42 has always served me well for wides. Granted, it's not the super wide that some people need.
 
Well, how do you adjust the footage later if multiple lenses are used. For example you are using one of the older prime lenses, a tele and maybe for a wide shot the panasonic 14-42/140 or the 12mm 1.6 from noktor with its individual look. Alone the sharpness of the regular Panasonic lens is already higher...for private use I dont have to worry much about this, but how you solve this if some of the guys are doing it for a job ?
 
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awelgraven said:
"1. Fast
2. Wide
3. Cheap

Pick 2!"
Click to expand...

Well, a Tamron 4-12/1.2 c-mount is all three.

Not the best quality, but it is fast, wide, and cheap.

You can also employ Chicom 0.5x wide angle converter lenses to any standard ~24-28mm lens with similar frugal marginal results.
 
DPStewart said:
Tom,

You'll find more info in the "Lenses" category higher up on the page, but for your budget you should seriously look into the Canon FD lenses.
Survey says the best value adapter for FD to m4/3 is this one made VERY WELL in Poland
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-FD-FL...531?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a720f83a3
I have this adapter and I can confirm that it is made VERY well, is extremely easy to use, and showed up in the mail in about a week. Well done.
Click to expand...

I ordered that one and it doesn't have an "Open" or "Lock" option, so you can't control the aperture :/

*edit* Nevermind, it works, I just needed to watch the video on how to attatch it properly.
 
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