GH2 Good lenses for GH2

A

Actarus

New member
Hello

I'm about to buy this camera with the 14-42 mm lens kit but i will need some other lenses depending of what i will shot, i heard good things about the Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical Pancake Lens, so i think i'll buy that too, i want a good lens for close shots of faces, something that will allow me to capture the best details possible, something that will not look like too waxy or too soft, maybe i need a good camcorder like the TM900 for that and shoot in 60p, buying a camcorder along with the GH2 doesn't bother me if the GH2 can't compete in certain areas, i need a good lens designed for low light or low lit indoors if it's possible because camcorders aren't really good in low light, i need a good lens for wide landscape shot and a lens good enough for bad weather or snow landscapes.
What will you recommend ?

I don't know if it's better to have AF or MF, i'm new to this ... and about the zoom, is it possible to have good optical zoom like in a camcorder ?

If i need to buy a camcorder with it, do you recommend me the TM 900 or 700 ? i heard that there's a Sony out there with a new system of stabilization better than anything else and when you shoot with it, it looks like you're on a steadycam, the name is the Sony HXR-NX30 : http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/853433-REG/Sony_HXR_NX30_HD_Compact_Camcorder.html

Steadycam devices cost a lot so maybe this camcorder will do fine as a B roll camera, what do you think ?

As for the sound of the GH2, i will need a Zoom H4n for example because i think every internal sound devices are s*%tty ...

If you can put me in the right direction i will be very grateful, thank you so much :)
 
I would recommend buying the 14-140 kit lens instead of the 14-42. The 14-140 is going to be great for outdoor shooting (snow landscapes etc.) and the telephoto reach may come in handy. So I'd say skip the 14-42 altogether.

As for choices to cover your other needs, the 20mm f1.7 lens is wonderful, no question. If you want a fast lens (good for low light) that will get good close-ups of people, one inexpensive option is the 85mm f1.4 Rokinon. There are two caveats for this lens: 1) it's full manual, so no auto-focusing or exposure, and 2) it has no OIS, so you need a tripod or other support. It's also a prime lens--no zooming--and you'll need to be fairly far away from the person because it's so long. But it gives beautiful results. It's wonderful for sit-down interviews. You can put the Gh2 on sticks at one end of a room, put the interviewer in a chair at a comfortable distance from your subject, and get a beautiful look with a pleasingly shallow depth of field (though I recommend stopping down a bit--f1.4 is TOO shallow I find, as the person moves around in their chair).

Anyway, you should also consider your budget. There are amazing Voigtlander lenses that many people here love, but they're expensive. There are options like the Tamron 17-50 that you can use with adapters (and that's a great lens). But it depends on how much you want to spend.
 
Thanks for your reply :)

How much i want to spend ? i really don't know, i don't have a precise budget, i just need 3 or 4 good lenses for starting but i don't know if it's better to buy expensive lenses like the Voigtlander or old lenses with adapters, there's so many choices in lenses, i saw anamorphic lenses too but i don't know what it means ...
If i buy a lens without stabilizer in it, i will need a flycam for hand shooting to avoid shaking, are there any good system stabilizer for the GH2 ?

By the way, i don't really want the 14-42mm kit lens but it's in the box for the price of the body only. For Lumix lenses can you tell me what is a really must buy ?
And for the lenses with no AF, is it hard to follow a moving subject manually ?
 
Anybody else have some advice for me ?

I think it will be good to have both manual lenses and AF lenses like the lumix ... by the way, are the lumix very good for focusing quickly at close range ?
I've heard good things about the canon fd 50mm f1.4 and i think i will buy it if i can find one in a near mint condition and if it is compatible with the GH2.

Will it be better to have the 20mm pancake, the 25mm pancake or Olympus Zuiko Digital 12-60mm 1:2.8-4.0 ?

I really love the Voigtlander 25mm but it's expensive (1200$) and i don't know if it will suits me so i prefer trying something similar at a lower cost like maybe an old Nikkon or Canon Lens with this kind of soft look.

Can anyone tell me what is best to avoid shaking ? there's a lot of devices but i don't know which to buy, i need a tripod for sure but when walking with the camera i will need something else, so what are you guys using when shooting handheld ?
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Well the O.I.S. Panasonic lenses work really well to avoid shaking from hand held. And of coarse you can add some image stabilization in post. Might be worth waiting for the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 to come out (available outside USA already). At $1,200 seems kind of high for a 2.8, but you cover 24-70mm which is nice and there aren't many options at this time.
 
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If you like to shoot cinematic type stuff, and need a lens that does low light really well, then definitely look into the Sigma 30mm 1.4. You can check my sig to see videos done with the GH2 and that lens if you're interested.
 
L1N3ARX i saw your videos 2 weeks ago and you and some others like Seb Farges on Vimeo are the reason why i've decided to buy a GH2, your videos are awesome, i loved the one at the lake with the Nikkor 50mm 1.4 ... Where can i buy the Sigma 30 mm 1.4 ? do i need an adapter ? if yes, where can i buy it ?
I love the cinematic image of the Sigma, it's very different from the Lumix lenses ... is this a MF lens ? what tripod are you using ?

Sorry for all the questions but thank you for answering me :)

@GL Shane at the same price i can have the Voigtlander 25 mm so i'll wait for some tests or videos to see what will be best for me but yes if the 12-35 mm with OIS is a plus i think.
 
At the price of the Sigma 30mm 1.4, I don't know why you wouldn't just get the excellent Panasonic lens, Leica DG Summilux, 25mm 1.4 for only a few dollars more. They are a bit hard to find right now (unless you want to overpay or wait for Taiwan shipping).
 
I second Shane on the DG Summilux. Outstanding for the price, $549 when B&H gets them back in. I put my name on the "notify me when back in stock list" and a couple weeks later I got the email. Didn't hesitate and 2 days later they were "out of stock" again. Mine came in almost a week ago and I'm glad I jumped on it.

For your basic working lenses (and this would be one of them) I recommend going with Panasonic lenses or Olympus Zuiko optics (made for Micro Four Thirds) because these will work with almost all (if not all) of the features and functions of the GH2.

My basic "starter" kit was the Lumix 14mm f2.5 (I do wide angle more that I thought I would), the Lumix 20mm f1.7 (slightly wide "normal", and the Olympus Zuiko 45mm f1.8 (perfect portrait short telephoto). All 3 do credible to great low light work, are sharp, good color and contrast, and with a GH2 body pack into a surprisingly small lightweight bag.

The first GH2 was a used body only, the second (purchased for when I need to run two on set) I ordered with the 14-42mm "kit" lens everyone "turns their nose up" at, but in the hands of one who knows what they are doing this lens is capable of more than the "lens snobs" give it credit for. And for long range work (which I don't do much of) I got the affordable Lumix 45-200 zoom.

Hope this helps.
 
does the Leica DG Summilux 25mm 1.4 or lumix 20mm have image stabilization of any kind? I don't see either saying anything about it in the specs. If not is it an issue?
 
My thoughts... Get your camera with the 14-140 zoom which will cover a lot of ground. Once you get acquainted with which focal lengths you tend to use most, then purchase the needed lenses. Just because one person uses the 20mm for most of his shooting does not mean that you will too.

All the Best!

Dave
 
orchidsofwrath said:
does the Leica DG Summilux 25mm 1.4 or lumix 20mm have image stabilization of any kind? I don't see either saying anything about it in the specs. If not is it an issue?
Click to expand...

No, you'll see jittery footage if going handheld so I typically use mine on tripod or stabilizer only.
 
Hi Actarus, I have the Canon 50mm f1.4. Great lens but you are stuck with the shalow depth of field unless you know a way
of increasing it. Do you know or anyone else that knows of a way of changing the DOF on non-panasonic lenses. I've tried increasing
the F stop on non-panasonic lenses but they all stays at the lowest F-stop
 
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