Favorite still zoom lens for AF100

B

Bucknfl

Well-known member
I'd like to hear which still zoom lenses people like using for their AF 100. Two of my favorites are the sigma 50-150 2.8 and the Tamron 17-50 2.8 in nikon mounts. I like the fact that they are both constant 2.8, parafocal and moderately priced. I've also heard good things about the Tokina 28-70 pro 2.8.
 
Love the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8
In my opinion the best wide angle zoom lens for the money on the market today.
 
I'm really liking the Canon 17-40 L. Very sharp, beautiful color, smooth zoom ring, very useable focal range, and parafocal. It's a slow lens being f4, but that hasn't been a problem.
 
Canon 70-200 f4. Even though I cant control the iris I set it to f4 and use ISO for exposure.

Tokina 28-70. Angenieux version.

Tokina 11-16. I have the PL Duclos but either way its a keeper.
 
14-140. Don't laugh. While slow, it's very good optically and great for small jobs with lots of fast setups, or ENG.
 
olympus 14-35 f2 - Sharp and very bright
Nikon 28-70 f2.8 - Lovely picture, bright
Nikon 18-200 f3.5-5 - Amazing range, sharp, relatively light. If I have to shoot fast outdoors, this is my lens. You can buy one used for around $500-600.

Good luck

Mark
 
4/3 Sigmas : u can find used and cheap - 18-50 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8 both constant and both are macro lenses! i also have 30mm f/1.4, but i like my new pany 25mm f1.4 more..... all u need for these 4/3 sigmas is a 4/3 to m4/3 oly or pany adopter - they are cheap and in many case sold together with the sigmas (just like i got mines), anyway adopters are cheap and u can control iris from the cam!

unfortunately these lenses are not parafocal!

i really love the way i can close focus with my 18-50, its something to think about if i ever will change to canons...
 
anatusa said:
4/3 Sigmas : u can find used and cheap - 18-50 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8 both constant and both are macro lenses! i also have 30mm f/1.4, but i like my new pany 25mm f1.4 more..... all u need for these 4/3 sigmas is a 4/3 to m4/3 oly or pany adopter - they are cheap and in many case sold together with the sigmas (just like i got mines), anyway adopters are cheap and u can control iris from the cam!

unfortunately these lenses are not parafocal!

i really love the way i can close focus with my 18-50, its something to think about if i ever will change to canons...
Click to expand...

Where are you finding the oly/pany 4/3 to M4/3 adapters cheap? I have have 2 chinese knock offs (1 dumb, 1 electronic) and both don't stay secure on the mount. There is play when I focus so I've been thinking of getting the real deal but haven't seen them for a good price anywhere.
 
my 1st one oly i bought locally used for 80usd , but then i got 2 more for free together with my sigmas, 1 oly and 1 pany adaptor, from ebay..... dont buy cheap china fakes!!! only originals!!!!

seems like the pany are cheaper now then oly

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...=625&_odkw=olympus+mmf2&_osacat=625&_from=R40

u can get it used around 110usd

cheapest oly new i found are 150-160 with free usa shipping
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OLYMPUS-Fou...261?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b9b9cd75
http://www.ebay.com/itm/U1705-Olymp...ography_Conversion_Lenses&hash=item5892c4fda2
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Olympus-MMF...283?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item53eb2d266b

but spend some time and search more , even here at marketplace, or local adds , i would buy used as cheap as possible
also check the desired lens together with that adopter...... just like i did, i won few auctions on ebay cheap, the only thing is that i accidentally bought 2 18-50 lenses, so had to resell 1 locally , what was easy to do, and in fact i even made some $$
 
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anatusa said:
my 1st one oly i bought locally used for 80usd , but then i got 2 more for free together with my sigmas, 1 oly and 1 pany adaptor, from ebay..... dont buy cheap china fakes!!! only originals!!!!

but spend some time and search more , even here at marketplace, or local adds , i would buy used as cheap as possible
also check the desired lens together with that adopter...... just like i did, i won few auctions on ebay cheap, the only thing is that i accidentally bought 2 18-50 lenses, so had to resell 1 locally , what was easy to do, and in fact i even made some $$
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips. I'm probably going to sell my Kiron 28mm f2 locally or on ebay to buy the adapter. Haven't touched the Kiron since getting the sigma 30 1.4.

Sorry to derail the topic folks. Now back on.

I do love the Oly 14-35 f2. Great lens even if its a little husky.
 
Canon EF 24-70 (and macro) 2.8L
and
Tokina 11-16 2.8

I switch back and forth between these two almost exclusively for probably 90% of my shots.
 
Really liking the Tokina 11-16 for wides, Tamron 17-50 and the Sigma 17-50 for wide to normal, and the Lumix 14-140 for all around 'run and gun' situations. I also can't say enough kind things about the Novoflex m4/3rds to f-mount adapter... it's well made and it just works. I had an inexpensive adapter before, and it just about fell apart after three months of moderate use.

Shawn
 
I've had good luck with the $25 Ebay adaptor made by Rainbow Imaging (the one with the aperture ring for Nikon). The Canon adaptor by same company was a bad fit.
 
The original question - "Favorite still zoom lens for AF100" - summarizes the problem. I've been using my AF100 for a year and a half with Leica and FD primes and a Zuiko 14-54 zoom, waiting patiently for a proper CINE ZOOM for this camera. The available lenses are either for much larger cameras, thus heavy and with limited ranges, or they are like the Zuiko - optically fine but varifocal and with clunky aperture movement. The only true parfocal 10x1 zoom, the 14-140, is f4-5.6 (which obviates the purpose of using a camera with shallow DOF) and has the same clunky aperture. But even with the aperture I would have bought one if it was even f2.8-4.

I was very excited when the AF100 was announced because, after years of shooting super16, I felt this would be the perfect camera for the kind of films I make - mostly documentaries and often handheld (and, please, I'm not talking about "run and gun", that term denigrates filmmakers who treat documentary as something more than "COPS"). I was happy that Panasonic chose the chip size they did, because it's practical, being big enough for selective focus, but allowing for smaller, lighter lenses. I wrongly assumed that they, or someone else, would follow up with better lens choices - and an improved camera as they've done with other models.

Unfortunately the "bigger is better" chip bandwagon has overshadowed the potential of the AF100, making the MFT mount herd a diminishing breed from a marketing perspective (I know, the G2 is out there, but sold mostly to still photographers). It's too bad, because the majority of those big chip people will never see their work on anything larger than Blu-Ray on a 60" TV anyway, if that, and they're driving the market.

My work requires another lens.. That's why I bought an HPX250 six months ago, and will get an HPX600 when another large project looms. But I would stay with the AF, despite it's much discussed failings, if a good 5x1 or 10x1 cine zoom was available.
 
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