GH4 fast lenses under $700?

Lindquist

Lindquist

Veteran
Looking for somthing besides the sigma 18-35, I will be getting that and the speedbooster for christmas, but what would you guys recommend for video fast lens under $600-700 tops.

Ive been looking at these

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1039950-REG/rokinon_rk12m_mft_12mm_f_2_0_ncs_cs.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/769574-REG/Rokinon_RK35M_O_35mm_f_1_4_Wide_Angle_US.html

I also relise i can get the adapter and use some cheap nikon or canon glass but what would be good tho
?


$400-450.


Thanks for any advice.

Right now all I have is the 14-140mm from my gh2 kit lens and the 7.5mm rokinon fisheye.
 
I see no point in getting either of those lenses if you'll have the 18-35 + speedbooster. The 12mm f2 will be pretty much duplicating the Sigma's wide end, and the 35mm f1.4 will be duplicating its long end.

If it were me, I would sell off the 14-140 and use the cash towards some nice older prime lenses that will fit whichever Speedbooster/Sigma mount you get. A 50mm, an 85mm, a 135... maybe an old 35-70 or 35-105 zoom. And a Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 for your wide end, if you need something wide without the fisheye's distortion.
 
That 35mm f1.4 is for 4/3 mount, not m4/3, so you would need an adapter for that one, and it looks long and like it might be heavy. If you're looking for "fast" glass that would be very useful for video, since you estimate much of the time your zoom is at 25-30mm, I suggest you look at either the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f1.4 or the Olympus m.Zuiko 25mm f1.8.

Both have excellent well earned reputations. The Oly would be a little less costly although I've seen some bargains in lightly used Pan/Leica 25mm lenses in the buy/sell forum on mu=43.com. Also worth looking at (on that same forum) would be the Olympus m.Zuiko 45mm f1.8

I have the Pan/Leica 25 and the Oly 45, very pleased with both as low light performers.

Edited to add:

Just spotted this 25mm f1.4 for $399 - won't last long!

http://www.mu-43.com/showthread.php?t=69181

This guy has 100% rating with 10 transactions.
 
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Your Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 + Speedbooster combo covers one of the most used ranges very nicely, so I wouldn't buy any other lenses that fall in that range. What you're lacking is an ultra-wide, portrait and telephoto.

I'd look at getting a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 (extremely cheap), f/1.4 (a little more), or f/1.2 ($400ish) to use on your Speedbooster. You could also look into 55mm or 58mm lenses for Nikon mount. On a MFT speedbooster in UHD mode, those are roughly equivalent to an 85mm lens, which is a nice focal length for closeups.

On the telephoto end, you basically need to decide how important optical image stabilization is to you. If it's important, you'll want to stick with a native MFT zoom, but they aren't very fast (100-300mm f/4-5.6, 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6). There is also the upcoming Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8, but it's a little out of your price range and as far as I can tell it doesn't have built in image-stabilization (since Olympus camera bodies use IBIS). Otherwise, look at good deals on telephoto zooms for Nikon mount, like an 80-200mm f/2.8 or 50-135mm f/3.5 MACRO. I'll probably pick up the latter.

For a fast wide-angle, you are a little more limited. I'm in a similar situation in terms of using an 18-35mm f/1.8 + Speedbooster on my GH4, and trying to find other lenses to compliment it. My plan is to save up for the recently announced Voigtlander 10.5mm f/0.95, which in UHD mode is roughly equivalent to 24mm on full frame. That should be wide enough for most things, but it's not THAT much wider than the 18-35 on a speedbooster, especially if you get a BMCC or a yet-unannounced GH4 version of the Speedbooster. So you'll have to decide how important wide angle is to you.
 
Zoom or prime... I have the Olympus 12-40 f2.8 which may not be as fast as the primes, but covers a very useful range and optically is probably as good as you'll find anywhere. It is also fully mechanical for focus, not 'fly by wire' so focus pulling is accurate. Occasionally I have to add a couple of stops of gain, but other than that, this lens is rarely off the camera unless it is changed for the Lumix Leica 14-150 which covers almost every other need, but at a slower speed
 
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