GH5 GH5s - Lenses

[TheAmazingShane]

Hey all!

Just seeing what everyone prefers in their lenses for their GH5 or 5s.

I've got mostly Nikon prime lenses that I use with my Metabones adaptor. I also have one good Sigma zoom lens, again for the metabones. But I do have one micro 4/3 prime lens that is pretty nice.

I was looking into getting a few more primes, and I just wanted to see what other peoples preferences are.

Thanks!

 

[BobKo]

Obviously, it depends on what you do with your camera. When I take my GH5 to a park with the hope I'll get some wildlife shots, I use the Panasonic 14-140 (Type II) lens. It is a surprisingly good lens for closeup and mid-distance video shooting, although my wife doesn't like it much for stills. I shoot a lot of YouTube review and tutorial videos, and I use Panasonic's 12-60 (also Type II) lens for that. We also have Panasonic's 100-300 lens for long-range wildlife, but I'm not crazy about the quality of the glass at 300mm. My wife is primarily a photographer and we also have a Panasonic GX8 camera. She frequently uses Panasonic's 12-35 and 35-100 lenses. They have clean glass, but the 35-100 lens is too jittery for handheld work. Updates have made it better, but the 14-140 lens is much less jittery.

I would love to have a couple of prime lenses, but I don't make enough money with the camera to justify the expense. I am eying Panasonic's 10-25 lens, however.

 

[hotchkiss]

10-25 f 1.7

10-25 f 1.7

Hey all!

Just seeing what everyone prefers in their lenses for their GH5 or 5s.

I've got mostly Nikon prime lenses that I use with my Metabones adaptor. I also have one good Sigma zoom lens, again for the metabones. But I do have one micro 4/3 prime lens that is pretty nice.

I was looking into getting a few more primes, and I just wanted to see what other peoples preferences are.

Thanks!

One of... strike that, the LUMIX 10-25 1.7 is best lens I've ever owned. I use it in conjunction with a 35-100 2.8 and a 42.5 1.2 for corporate, stock and general use. As stated by many, the 10-25 is several primes rolled into one. If it fits your other considerations (budget etc) I strongly recommend it.

 

[Lpowell]

I also use Nikon F-mount lenses with the Metabones Speedbooster on a GH5. This combo opens up sub-F2 and super-wide-angle ranges beyond the limits of native MFT lenses. Where Lumix prime lenses give you an edge is in making the most of the GH5's auto-focus features in low-light conditions. GH4 and later models support Panasonic's proprietary Depth-From-Defocus auto-focus system that works only with Lumix-brand lenses. When it works properly, DFD eliminates virtually all traces of auto-focus hunting and pulsing. That, combined with the ultra-lightweight focusing mechanisms of Lumix prime lenses produces near-seamless continuous auto-focus coverage of distant to mid-range static scenery. What it doesn't do well, however, is auto-tracking of close-up and mid-range moving objects, such as people.

With those caveats understood, the most useful Lumix primes I've used are the 15mm f1.7, 25mm f1.7, 30mm f2.8 dual-IBIS macro, and 42.5mm f1.7 dual-IBIS lenses. These lenses can make handheld video look flawless on GH5 rigs without resorting to gimbals. Olympus makes excellent fast primes as well, but they don't have DFD support and generally work better with Olympus cameras. The other notable auto-focus lens to consider for well-lit conditions is the Lumix 12-35mm f2.8 dual-IBIS zoom. Its continuous auto-focus performance is almost as seamless as the Lumix prime lenses.

 

[jdv]

I love my Oly 12-40, perhaps the best walk-around zoom for the MFT format that there is. As the GH5's AF is so poor regardless of lens used, the manual focus clutch becomes even more important. For $500 used, this is the work-horse lens for the MFT system.

I also use the Sigma 16mm 1.4, the sharpest lens I've ever used. The Panasonic 20mm 1.8 is very good bargain, crisp & contrasty, albeit with slow & noisy AF.

the LUMIX 10-25 1.7 is best lens I've ever owned.

This is the lens I'm most interested in. Longer glass from virtually every manufacturer every to exist will work for the GH5/MFT, but getting wide, fast (f1.8 or better), angle lenses is far more difficult. If you want AF too, you have very very limited options for 12mm or wider lenses.

I would have already bought the 10-25, but as I use Olympus (primarily), I need to know how the AF will work. I'm guessing it would be fine, but for $1700 plus it's something I want some assurances on. (if anyone's used this combo, let me know....)

That said, the AF with Sigma 16mm works flawlessly on the EM1 MII (and works on the GH5 about as well as the camera is capable of).