Finally got out to shoot with the Lumix G X 12-35

Erik Naso

Erik Naso

Veteran
Very cool lens and so light. It really is nice to work with. I still haven't edited the samples together yet but posted some frame grabs on my blog.

http://eriknaso.com/2012/08/27/testing-out-the-panasonic-lumix-g-x-vario-12-35mm/

Editing a short sample this week with F-stop and focal range info so you get an idea how the lens performs. Overall I'm impressed. I had a couple issues with focus indoors and was a little worried but no issues at all with this shoot outdoors even wide open at F2.8 at 12mm.

Here is the video. I wanted to spend more time shooting but I 've been so busy this week. I used all but two shots in this edit. I graded the footage with Colorist II. Nothing major just a little curve, and saturation tweaks. Color balance wasn't changed. No sharping or other filters was used in the edit.

I like this lens! It's the perfect size for the camera. I wish I had this a year ago.


Lumix 12-25 frame grabs.jpg

succulent-tight-en.jpg

Mission-Bell-EN.jpg

Both of these are ungraded frame grabs saved for web in Photoshop.
 
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Non issue. I wasn't really doing any zooming while I was rolling but still didn't hear anything load. Good thing is it's parfocal!
 
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I shoot last week some talking heads with the 12-35. Loved it! Push auto focus was great. Nice color and great sharpness (for the af100 anyway). I would like to see the 35-100 though! With these two lenses you could lighten up the bag considerably.

12-35 frame G with a 3 minute setup talking head. Shot 15 people that day and drove 250 miles to do it:frame grab 12-35.jpg
I shot that image taped to the wall on the left and how I make most my $'s
 
Erik Naso said:
That looks really good. Wide open? His face is sharp and his chest falls off nicely out of focus.
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Wide open at 2.8. But there is a vignette on this grab with soft corners applied. Honestly, to get the narrow DOF we will need the 35-100. But with all the announcements going on lately on cams, my AF100 days might soon be over. I love the cam and made my money back no problem, but I'm eyeing other options...
 
Luckily good cameras don't stop working when marginally better, far more expensive models are introduced.
 
Erik Naso said:
Been hearing that a lot lately.
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I wouldn't sell it because I think it's a bad camera. I'd like more than 10.5 stops DR mostly. I'd sell because with any of the new announcements would get used and the AF100 would sit. I'd rather it be in the hands of someone that would use it if I replaced with say the C100, FS700. I'm GONNA buy the Black magic cam. But that is a totally different beast than the before mentioned. I love my AF100. It's just time to have some more range...
 
I hear ya. I didn't take it that way.
For me I really like the GH2 for stills and occasional video so the MFT format will live on for me even if I choose to move to another video camera. In fact If I didn't have the AF-100 I would still buy this lens and will buy the 35-100 for this reason. The portability of the GH2 and the 12-35 is fantastic. Thats why I did and will invest in these new fast higher quality Lumix lenses. I'm looking forward to a GH2 upgrade more so than the AF-100. But if the updated AF is good then that makes it even better. Double winner!
 
Nice grabs Erik, you too, dusty. 12-35 looks nice!

dusty- what's your lighting ? And you do architectural photography, right?

Erik- look forward to your edit.
 
dustylense said:
I shoot last week some talking heads with the 12-35. Loved it! Push auto focus was great. Nice color and great sharpness (for the af100 anyway). I would like to see the 35-100 though! With these two lenses you could lighten up the bag considerably.

12-35 frame G with a 3 minute setup talking head. Shot 15 people that day and drove 250 miles to do it:View attachment 59249
I shot that image taped to the wall on the left and how I make most my $'s
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Nice! Could you post a full resolution screen grab? or did you shot 720P? Thanks.
 
dustylense said:
But with all the announcements going on lately on cams, my AF100 days might soon be over. I love the cam and made my money back no problem, but I'm eyeing other options...
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Erik Naso said:
Been hearing that a lot lately.
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Hehehe, and here I am, seriously thinking of getting a AF100, this late in the game. Maybe I am too late for the party or maybe I should wait even more like a couple more months and get an even more killer deal for one. :)
 
dustylense said:
I wouldn't sell it because I think it's a bad camera. I'd like more than 10.5 stops DR mostly. I'd sell because with any of the new announcements would get used and the AF100 would sit. I'd rather it be in the hands of someone that would use it if I replaced with say the C100, FS700. I'm GONNA buy the Black magic cam. But that is a totally different beast than the before mentioned. I love my AF100. It's just time to have some more range...
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Jeez, I must be getting old. I remember the 7 stops of DR from the DV days and how 10.5 stops would have seemed like film DR. :)
The F3 is only 1 stop better according to the Zacuto test and costs what, 4 times as much as the AF100?

But how can you prefer a FS700 or FS100 for that matter over the AF100? That thing looks as ergonomic as a brick. At least the FS700 has SDI and ND filters but still. The slow motion feature is nice but how many times I will use that in my life time? I would be tempted to buy 2x AF100 cameras instead. The images I have seen from the FS100 and FS700 are not really nicer than the AF100. Maybe sharper, but they have their own problems, specially color wise and how they do the gradients. Now the C100 looks interesting. If it makes the same images as the C300, which I doubt, and with the same DR then it will be nice. But Canon crippled the HDMI output not to compete with the C300 and it seems it doesn't do any slow motion at all, not even 60p. So basically seems to be a AVCHD only 24p/30p version of the C300 with no SDI and the same 8bit 4:2:2 output of a AF100 or FS100 but with HDMI only ala FS100. I guess for people invested in canon lenses it would be more appealing. But if those are the features and for that price, not sure if I would go for one. I might be inclined to wait and see if there will be a AF200 and what it would bring to the table.
 
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It's incrementalism... some folks only choose to/can afford to upgrade for a major advance (Hi-8->DV, SD->HD, small sensor->large sensor, 1080->4K, etc). Others spend a lot more money to get relatively minor improvements here and there every time something new appears. It works for some people, it doesn't work for others, and others still pretend it works for them when they're really just going deep into debt.

Back on topic, for AF100 owners the 12-35 isn't a minor improvement. This lens should be in every single m43 shooter's bag. It's just freaking good and there's nothing comparable - it (finally) makes the system what it might have been a year ago without tsunamis and global financial collapses and so forth.


edit: I'm also looking forward to the GH3 more, but mostly because (IMO) the GH2 has more useage problems to solve.
 
Adamsenoj said:
Hearing this from current owners doesn't inspire confidence at all. Is the AF100 panasonic's most underrated camera ever?
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I said if they update the AF it would be a double win. I’m happy with the AF-100 now and can achieve what I need with it as is. I’ve won Emmy’s and Telly’s with the footage I shot with the AF-100. Maybe that will help inspire confidence. This thread/post is about the Lumix 12-35 lens and how it performs and how it fits into my MFT cameras that I own/use.
 
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Erik Naso said:
I said if they update the AF it would be a double win. I’m happy with the AF-100 now and can achieve what I need with it as is. I’ve won Emmy’s and Telly’s with the footage I shot with the AF-100. Maybe that will help inspire confidence.
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Nah, don't take me so serious. :)

By the way, sorry for hijacking the thread. Didn't mean.
 
I'm another who may move the AF100 to 2nd tier, or sell, but likely pickup a GH3.

But I'll keep my dedicated glass in hopes of the next AF. It's feature set blows away most any camera below the F3. And in some ways surpasses both the F3, & the Scarlet.

I also echo others who adore the 12-35.
 
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Honestly, judging from what I am seeing around and knowing the feature set of the AF100, if I could afford I wouldn't sell. I would keep it for those jobs that I could use it. Used ones are going for ridiculously low. I have seen some going for $2000 and dropping.

In terms of glass, I think I would rather invest in 35mm cinema glass. More universal and future proof in my opinion and the great thing about the AF100 is that it doesn't care.


Again, I find it ironic that I'm thinking of jumping in when everybody seems to be jumping out.
 
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