GH4 GH5 - Which Lens???

Harry Pallenberg

Harry Pallenberg

Well-known member
I'll be needing a semi-tele lens for my GH5 (I already have the 12-35mm old version). I figure I dont need something too long
as the GH5 has the .4 tele crop even in 4K and much more in HD. I want to make sure whichever one I get is Dual IS compatible
on the GH5. I'm sort of drawn to the 14-140 as I could probably get away with 1 lens on vacation... and 140mm might just be
long enough. BUT I'm not opposed to something longer like the 45-175mm the 45-200mm (this gets bad reviews?) and I doubt I
would use the really long end of the 100-300mm too often and prob have more ned for something shorter...

SO - is there some other lens I'm missing? Olympus? Other? I really want / need it to be Dual IS and weather sealed would be great.

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. Lens
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...c_h_fs14140ak_14_140mm_f3_5_5_6_ois_lens.html

Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 45-175mm f/4.0-5.6 ASPH. Lens (Black)
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/818956-REG/Panasonic_H_PS45175K_Lumix_G_X_Vario.html

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 45-200mm f/4-5.6 II POWER O.I.S. Lens
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...5200_lumix_g_vario_45_200mm.html/prm/alsVwDtl

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f/4-5.6 II POWER O.I.S. Lens
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...300_lumix_g_vario_100_300mm.html/prm/alsVwDtl
 
Olympus has a great 100-300 but it is not dual IS so you will want Panasonic. The options are a little slimmer there.

35-100 would be a great choice and that is a new update just recently from Panasonic. Might be long enough if willing to use the extended tele option on GH5.

If not I think you pretty well listed the options here from my knowledge. You will want to check from Panasonic's compatibility sheet which lenses will be Dual IS compatible via firmware update.

Out of the lenses that will support Dual IS and weather sealing, I would advise reading reviews on each lens and prioritizing image quality and glass character above reach or range.

A few things to think about:

If you are using this for video, Dual IS is great but going really long is still going to be really floaty handheld at long reach. 100mm is a pretty long lens for handheld video even with dual image stabilization. But it all depends on what is acceptable to you, and I might advise trying this out in a store if possible (assuming the store's lenses have been firmware updated).

With the extended tele feature I can't help but think the brand new dual is, weather sealed 35-100 would be a great fit especially since you have the 12-35.

Lens quality is important. Any zoom already affects that. A 14-140 would be convenient, but it is a compromise as well. It would also means your nice 12-35 (which would give better IQ) would likely sit unused. Personally I'd rather hop between the 12-35 and 35-100 and that is a super popular combo for a reason.

I would ask yourself, how often will you want telephoto reach past 100 (remembering that's 200 on FF equivalent already), and for those likely rarer times, will the exetele feature which would give you the equivalent of a 400mm full frame zoom suffice in quality? If the answer is "rarely" and "probably" I think the benefits, quality, and flexibility of 35-100 might win the day...

But only you know!
 
Another vote for the 12-35/2.8 & 35-100/2.8 combo. The focal lengths are complimentary, they both take the same size filters, & their hoods work with Xume adapters.
 
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12-35 & 35 - 100 all the way. Combined with 4K ETC works perfect. Should your end-product be in 2K you can also crop into the 4K material. Just tried it, works great for any documentary stile shooting (and probably else). You will be covered a long range. And mixing lenses from different manufacturers may also cause slight differences colour wise.

p.s.: ETC with the 100 - 400 (+ cropping to 2K... ouch!!!) is spectacular as well - okay, hand held not so good though.... ;-)
 
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I know I'm a broken record about this, but you need a faster lens in your kit due to the long depth of field created by the m43 systems.

I would highly recommend taking a look at the 42.5mm f/1.7 for all your portrait / slight tele type work. It is an 85 or 120mm equivalent with etc off or on and creates the best images for the money anywhere in the m43 world IMHO !!!

Here's a sample with my new GH5 the other day. I just can't get the depth of field I like when shooting at f/2.8 unless I fill the frame with a head shot from close up. At f/1.7 it way easier to frame an image and get a creamy background. Can't remember which ones were with ETC and which weren't, but it's all auto focus except the 180 fps slowmo. Just a 10 minute edit and not some big production.
https://vimeo.com/212995727

Cheers,
Pete
 
I feel like the 35-100 will not be long enough. I do some birding / wildlife stuff and the extra 75-100mm will be missed... also I'm not in the mood to spend much more than $600... guess I should have put that in my 1st post. Anyone use the OLD 35-100 f4?

Is there a site which lists which lenses will get firmware updates?

re: the 14-140mm, as I'm keeping my GH4 I would use the 12-35 on one and this on another...

re: faster lens - I have a bunch of vintage fast glass from canon 50mm f1.2 to Helios and more with speedbooster for wider and more light or just dumb adapters.

replying to each comment as a way to mentally justify my choice, whatever that turns out to be. Feel like I'm leaning towards the 45-200. THANKS!
 
I have a 45-175 up for sale on Ebay right now for $275 buy it now. It is in like new condition. I agree with the others that the 35-100 is a superior lens but if your trying to check your boxes and not spend much then might not be a bad choice. It is dual IS compatible. PM me if you want the link
 
If you do any sort of wildlife capture, the 100-300 is a good value for the image quality. I use it extensively for filming elk in these parts. It creates a very nice look and is even quite good when using 4K 2x digital to bring the content way in.

The combo of a 12-35, 50mm vintage and 100-300 covers everything. I use a 15mm, 42.5mm, 100-300mm and a vintage 600mm nikkor for everything now. As I said I really like the faster primes to the zoom, but that's just personal preference.

Here's a sample of the gh4 with the 100-300 at 100 and 300 and 300 2x digital rendered to 1080.
https://vimeo.com/141442817

Check the classified's forum's here and at www.fredmiranda.com for some great values on Panasonic lenses with seller reviews. I've bought quite a few lenses there with perfect results so far.

Cheers, Pete
 
Ended up with the Panny 14-140... wide enough for walking around and JUST barely long enough with ETC / 4K on HD timeline for some wildlife. Dual IS is great with it.
In the end I'll probably need to look into the 100-300 like Pete mentioned above...
THANKS.
 
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