GH2 gh2 owner - needs a little help buying a new lens.

K

kevin baggott

Well-known member
Hi good peeps.
So I've been reading the threads here on folks fav lens for the gh2.
At this point I only have the kit 14-42.
I'm not a DP - but a writer/director.
I recently shot a feature film with only that lens and nd filter in Ireland.
It doesn't look so bad. Shooting In Ireland of course helped.
i could spend about a grand on a new lens.
I'm really only shooting narrative material - which at the end of the day comes down to shooting actors.
I'm looking for one good lens. So wont be needing it for extreme wide shots nor for long shots of whales breaching.
I held the Voigtlander 25mm 0.95 in my hands in a store yesterday and almost ran with it naked out of the store.
1200 before tax - would you go with this lens? Or any other lens get me in the same ball park for cheaper?
Appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks.
 
I'd get a 50mm 1.4 or 1.8. You can get old 1.8 Canon FD or Nikon lenses for real cheap. I use a 50mm constantly in narrative work.

I recently picked up the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 as well... really great lens

Edit: Is there any reason you need the low light capability of the 0.95 lens?
 
that 25mm is a pretty nice choice given you can use ETC to get 50mm if you shoot 720. Old fast 50 primes are you best budget bet, an equivalent fast 25mm usually fetches a higher price unfortunately though still cheaper than the Voigtlander. the new olympus 45mm f1.8 is something worth considering too as its a pretty decent performer for its price as a portrait lens if you like something with autofocus, not sure how well it performs for constant auto focus in video though. it is focus by wire though.
 
Hi awelgraven - yeah ive been thinking of the panny 20mm
I will look into the other lens you mention. I appreciate that.
well - as far as low light - sure would be nice to not have to light in certain situations - esp street scenes I might be stealing. And I know folks are going crazy over that lens. And as i said holding it yesterday in the store - a beautiful piece of equipment.

MR fanny - thanks also - yeah I don't really use autofocus - but will check out that lens as well. Yeah the focus by wire - havent come across it yet - i know the concept but have not played with a lens that has it. I like things simple. Mucho thanks guys!!!!
 
With your budget I would consider buying a Nikon 24mm f/2.0 AI-S and a Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI-S, plus a good Nikon ---> Micro 4/3 adapter. You Should be able to buy everything for about $800 or less. These are manual focus Nikon lenses, with manual aperture. Great for film production.
 
thanks dingo - btw - i see you own the Voightlander 25mm f/0.95 - if you had to pick - the 2 lens you suggested (as a package deal ) or the Voightlander 25mm f/0.95 - which would you pick. Jesus I feel like im on the price is right :)
But would appreciate yer answer - thanks.
Kevin
 
I had the budget to buy the Voightlander and the Zeiss 50mm together, but if I didn't I would have bought all Nikon AI-S instead.

I shoot a lot of interviews for work, which is almost always the Zeiss 50mm, but for film work I would probably end up using the Voightlander 25mm most of the time.

There are tons of great Nikon lenses on eBay, just make sure it's an AI-S model you are buying. ( manual focus, great multi-coating, generally very sharp lenses )
 
I'm not the master some guys on here are, but if I were you I'd get a set of Canon FD lenses (24/28mm 2.8, and 50mm 1.4). You could add a decent adapter and still come in around $400 for a set in great shape and it seems the lenses would be more likely to have similar character than mixing and matching between old and new (Panasonic m4/3) lens footage. The main drawback is if you need low light/wide angle stuff.

Edit: I just want to note that I haven't used the Nikon lens that is recommended several times in the thread. I didn't mean to sound like my post was a response to that or a counter-suggestion.
 
Canon FD lenses are very good ( especially the S.S.C. versions ), but they are not as adaptable to other cameras as the Nikon AI-S F mount lenses. For example you can use Nikon F lenses with the current Canon EOS cameras ( 5D MK2, 7D, 60D, T3i, T2i ) and still have proper infinity focus, where the Canon FD lenses lose infinity focus when adapted to the Canon EOS bodies. The Nikon F mount lenses can be used on almost any kind of camera.
 
TheDingo said:
Canon FD lenses are very good ( especially the S.S.C. versions ), but they are not as adaptable to other cameras as the Nikon AI-S F mount lenses. For example you can use Nikon F lenses with the current Canon EOS cameras ( 5D MK2, 7D, 60D, T3i, T2i ) and still have proper infinity focus, where the Canon FD lenses lose infinity focus when adapted to the Canon EOS bodies. The Nikon F mount lenses can be used on almost any kind of camera.
Click to expand...

This is why I always recommend Nikon lenses. I went from a 35mm adapter to a GH1, to a 5D, back to a (hacked) GH1, and then to a GH2. My next camera could very well be an AF-100 (unless Nikon or Red releases something similarly priced soon). My Nikon set stayed with me through all those transitions, and should continue to function on future cameras.
 
Lots of good ideas.... I use the .95 all the time and it's such an awesome lens I think you could shoot most of a feature on that, and I do plan on using it quite a lot. I do also love the value of the FD lenses too and I bought a 50mm 1.4 for like 60 bucks. I do also have the 20mm and I like it for what it is, but the manual focus really kind of stinks but I needed it at the time for some steadicam with and I"m also not that happy with the autofocus.. no where near as good as the 14-140... So with that said, if you can swing it the .95 is awesome...

BUT.. BUT... BUT. The new DSLR magic 12mm 1.6 that's coming out seems to be a simply killer option and of course the 12mm F2 olympus looks great as well. I always think you need a fast wide angle and then from there you can use a variety of different lenses....


The other important thing is that if you buy the right lenses you won't loose much money on them when you sell them... And of course you can rent lenses before you buy them to see if you like them or not. I do that all the time from www.thelensdepot.com
 
Any AIS Nikon in the 24-50mm range is going to work very well for narrative work and as a portrait lens on the GH2. Nikon AIS 24mm F2, 28mm F2, 35mm F1.4 and 50mm F1.4. I'd probably start with the 24mm and 50mm, as you could probably get by with those two lenses and your 14-42 kit lens. Don't forget to factor in ND and polarizing filters to your setup.

Having said that, I have all of these lenses and the voigtlander 25mm is on its way to the house tonight so we'll see if I'd trade my two fav Nikons for the voigt.
 
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