GH13 Help me pick a lens!

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dumile

Member
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Hey everyone! I'm currently narrowing down the search for a second lens for my gh13. Any advice you guys can give would be greatly appreciated.

I already own a 36-72mm 3.5 Nikon E-Series lens. I'm very happy with that lens, but I'm looking for something wider and faster to compliment it.

The obvious answer would be, "Get the 20mm pancake, dummy!" I've considered it, but I'd like my lenses to maintain their value if I decide to move out of the m4/3 class in the future.

So far, the lenses I'm considering include...

- Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 - 659$
- Samyang 14mm f2.8 - 379$
- Sigma 28mm f1.8 - 349$

Nikon mount is preferable, but not a deal breaker. Also, I'd be unlikely to go beyond the Tokina's 659$ price point.

Thanks in advance for all responses!

- dumile
 
Both Nikon and Tokina 20-35mm f2.8 FX zooms work well as manual focus lenses on the GH1, and they have the aperture ring that the newer APS-C lenses lack. Nikon's version can be found for less than $650, and the Tokina for less than $350.
 
I was all set to buy the Rokionon/Samyang 14mm this past weekend. Two things stopped me. The Rokinon has nice bokeh, only if you are right on top of something at 2.8. Stop it down a bit and it's like shooting infinity I read. That and I realized it's only a half stop faster than the 14-45 Panny lens and no sharper. I already owned the Panny, so I saw it as duplication.
 
That Olympus looks promising. I picked up a Tokina in pentax mount. 24-40 2.8 and it was only a 100 bucks. There are definitely deals out there.
 
The widest you can get with FD lenses is the 17mm (non fish eye, except for the SUPER EXPENSIVE 14mm f2.8 L) which is too slow for me at f4.0, and the 24mm f1.4 s.s.c is a bit hard to find (Although many think the 24mm f2.0 is a better lens anyway) and can get pricey, plus it doesn't have a very wide FOV on a GH1... I didn't notice earlier that the OP wanted to avoid M4/3 glass... In this case it should be noted that the tokina will not cover a ff35 like the 5d across the entire zoom (I think it covers from about 16mm on). I personally think that you should just buy the lens you want now knowing that most good glass holds it's value no matter what and you can always sell it if you move to a different shooting format. Some wide lenses which cover ff35:
Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 (expensive!!!)
Nikon 14mm f2.8 (Also expensive)
Sigma 14mm f2.8
Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 (Can cover ff35 but not across the entire zoom range)

On the converse side:
The 20mm panasonic f1.7 is an amazing lens and one I cannot imagine shooting on my gh1 without at this point.
It's a STEAL at it's price and really has no comparable competition.

To go wider the 14mm f2.5 pancake is around 350 bucks, making it one of the fastest wide lenses and a killer deal.

As far as the Samyang's bokah goes, wide angle lenses will all ways have a tendency to have deeper DOF, especially stopped down, I rarely use a 14mm lens for portrait work unless I want the forced perspective for a specific look... And the Samyang will cover ff35... And it is one of the cheapest options at under 400 usd.

At the OP, you just have to think what will give you the most bag for your buck. A 14mm f2.5 for 350 bucks vs a tokina with proper adapter will run you around 650... Would you rather buy another lens with the extra 300 dollars? Is it worth not having that extra lens (Or any other piece of gear you could get with that 300 dollars) just to avoid having to get a new wide angle lens if you switch formats in the future?

Hope this helps.
 
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