GH4 In the market for new all-purpose zoom lens...suggestions?

jaypass

jaypass

Well-known member
I'd love a few suggestions on this...

I've been shooting on my GH4 with the Lumix 12-35mm and 35-100mm for a few months now. I like both of those lenses, and the 12-35 is a great run n' gun lens...I'm just a little frustrated with having to change between them. Far too often I find myself in a situation where I'm on the wide lens, but need something longer and have to stop shooting to change, or I'm on the long lens and have to get wider with no space to move back. Sometimes this isn't an issue, but for some shoots I just don't have the luxury of stopping what I'm doing to make the switch. A client that's getting antsy and doesn't want to wait while I fiddle around to find the right lens, or a live event where I need to keep my shot and just don't have time to switch, etc etc. I'm also tired of having to carry around the other lens everywhere I go, especially if it's a shoot where I have to move a ton.

So I'd really like a great all-purpose lens for situations like that. Something I can stick on the camera and feel comfortable knowing that I won't have to change it for the duration of a shoot. I'd love something that can cover the same range as the two Lumix lenses combined, with a similar aperture, so anything in the area of 12-100mm at 2.8 or so would be ideal. A few options I'm considering..

Canon 24-105mm 4.0 w/Speedbooster
Sigma 50-150mm 2.8 w/Speedbooster (Probably too long at the wide end though)
Canon 24-70mm 2.8

Right now I'm leaning towards the 24-105mm...Correct me if I'm wrong, but with the Speedbooster it gets me to ~17-75mm f/2.8? That combo is a little out of my budget if I buy new, but seems to be the closest to what I'm looking for...Anyone using this combo on their GH4? Any other suggestions that I'm missing? Maybe something vintage floating around eBay? I'm looking to spend around $1000-$1200...I'm probably going to sell off my 35-100mm to fund this.

PS - I'd love to use IS for handheld work for these too...The "S" version of the Speedbooster supports that IS on Canon lenses, correct? Does it work well?

Thanks!
 
A client that gets antsy because you're changing lenses? Has that actually happened before? If this is really a problem then change the expectations you are setting for your client.

How do you carry the other lens when you shoot? Why don't you keep both lenses and buy something like a vest or waist pack etc.? What about losing the matte box (from your site's IG feed) to speed lens changes?

Your homepage reel is fantastic so I don't think your proposed lenses will improve your production value.

If you have your heart set on ditching a lens, I would go for the Canon 24-105/SB combo. I'm unsure about the "S" version question.

As far as comfort while shooting, I would rather keep the set up smaller while shooting than have a heavier lens that does everything (which is why I have some tiny Olympus primes).
 
rob norton said:
A client that gets antsy because you're changing lenses? Has that actually happened before? If this is really a problem then change the expectations you are setting for your client.

How do you carry the other lens when you shoot? Why don't you keep both lenses and buy something like a vest or waist pack etc.? What about losing the matte box (from your site's IG feed) to speed lens changes?

Your homepage reel is fantastic so I don't think your proposed lenses will improve your production value.

If you have your heart set on ditching a lens, I would go for the Canon 24-105/SB combo. I'm unsure about the "S" version question.

As far as comfort while shooting, I would rather keep the set up smaller while shooting than have a heavier lens that does everything (which is why I have some tiny Olympus primes).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliments on the reel, much appreciated!

As for your reasoning towards this, you make some good points. Antsy may be the wrong word for the first situation. But on corporates sometimes we're dealing with people who can only spare a few minutes of their time for the interview/BROLL shoot...Perhaps I'm the one getting antsy in that situation and would like to alleviate the stress of having those extra steps. But the bigger issue is definitely run n gun work, I want to be able to go longer on the 12-35 without having to change lenses, basically. This purchase isn't about production value for me, it's about efficiency. Allowing me to move faster if I need to, allowing me to zoom in further from where I'm set up without having to hop around to get the framing I'm looking for.

I normally carry the other lens in a pouch that I sling around my shoulder. It's not a huge deal...and you're right that none of this affects my overall ability to produce high-quality content. But if I can become even slightly more efficient while carrying slightly less gear, I think that's totally worth a grand. If image quality is improved by a 24-105 + speedbooster, even better. I'm probably going to use this lens primarily for tripod work, so I'm not too concerned about weight...I'd like the IS so I have the option of going handheld, but if it's too heavy no big deal. I never use my 35-100mm handheld anyway, so not having that option won't change much for me.

robbin said:
Canon 24-105 on gh4 and speedbooster should be around 38-170mm
Click to expand...

I'm confused....I thought the Speedbooster made lenses wider? Or do you mean that's the 35mm equivalent?
 
I really wish someone wold convert the 14-140 into a non-barreling, constant T2.0, parfocal lens with three mechanical rings. THAT would be the ultimate "general purpose" lens.
 
I posted this a few months ago: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?331961

With the Olympus 1.4x m4/3 teleconverter, you can now use regular 16mm zooms (with 12.7mm of coverage) combined with it to cover the GH4 in all flavors of 4k (12.7mm x 1.4 = 17.78mm).

So you could get the Zeiss 10-100mm f1.8 lens (which was originally $20,000, but now goes for a fraction of that) and combine it with that Olympus teleconverter to give you a 14-140mm f2.6. This wouldn't fully cover 1080p (which uses the full sensor and has a 19.83mm diagonal), but it would at around 50-140mm.

To give you the same look in 4k with a Speed Booster, you would need to get a theoretical 20-200mm f3.6. :)
 
The Fujinon 19-90 cabrio zoom might be the ticket for a lightweight zoom for handheld work that would offer good coverage without having to change lenses.
 
jaypass said:
I'd love a few suggestions on this...

I've been shooting on my GH4 with the Lumix 12-35mm and 35-100mm for a few months now. I like both of those lenses, and the 12-35 is a great run n' gun lens...I'm just a little frustrated with having to change between them. Far too often I find myself in a situation where I'm on the wide lens, but need something longer and have to stop shooting to change, or I'm on the long lens and have to get wider with no space to move back. Sometimes this isn't an issue, but for some shoots I just don't have the luxury of stopping what I'm doing to make the switch. A client that's getting antsy and doesn't want to wait while I fiddle around to find the right lens, or a live event where I need to keep my shot and just don't have time to switch, etc etc. I'm also tired of having to carry around the other lens everywhere I go, especially if it's a shoot where I have to move a ton.

So I'd really like a great all-purpose lens for situations like that. Something I can stick on the camera and feel comfortable knowing that I won't have to change it for the duration of a shoot. I'd love something that can cover the same range as the two Lumix lenses combined, with a similar aperture, so anything in the area of 12-100mm at 2.8 or so would be ideal. A few options I'm considering..

Canon 24-105mm 4.0 w/Speedbooster
Sigma 50-150mm 2.8 w/Speedbooster (Probably too long at the wide end though)
Canon 24-70mm 2.8

Right now I'm leaning towards the 24-105mm...Correct me if I'm wrong, but with the Speedbooster it gets me to ~17-75mm f/2.8? That combo is a little out of my budget if I buy new, but seems to be the closest to what I'm looking for...Anyone using this combo on their GH4? Any other suggestions that I'm missing? Maybe something vintage floating around eBay? I'm looking to spend around $1000-$1200...I'm probably going to sell off my 35-100mm to fund this.

PS - I'd love to use IS for handheld work for these too...The "S" version of the Speedbooster supports that IS on Canon lenses, correct? Does it work well?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Canon 24-105 4.0 w/Speedbooster = 39.70mm-173.70mm shooting @4K.
IMO this is not wide enough on the wide end.
 
The Cabrio would be the ticket David! Unfortunately yes, it's a bit too pricy for me right now.

So when comparing these lenses to what I'm working with, I have to convert the Lumix numbers to 35mm equivalent, right? So my two lenses cover a range of 24-200mm. And the 24-105 will be 39-173mm? It is almost half as long as the Lumix 35-100mm though on the wide end though(70-200mm), which helps bridge the gap between my lenses a little bit. Because of that, I'm going to continue to leave it on the list...I found some test footage on Vimeo and really like the look of it. Not quite as wide as I'd like, but I think it could do the job in many of the run n gun situations I'm worried about. I might try renting one and see how it works for me. This math drives me nuts.

That Zeiss with the teleconverter is an intriguing option. I'd love to see some footage with this set up as well, get an idea of what it's capable of. The range and aperture is pretty sweet.
 
I have a couple of zoom setups for moving quickly, depending on the job.

3 lens setup Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 / Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 / Sigma 70-200mm f2.8

1 lens setup Zeiss Contax 28-85mm f3.3-4.0 with SpeedBooster
 
I use the EF 24-105mm on the C300, GH4, & FS7, the last two with SpeedBoosters. Either of the EF>m43 SpeedBoosters will work fine on the GH4, but you need the 'S' if working with Olympus cameras. Not sure if there's a downside to the 'S' but if so it will be documented on Metabones' site.

Converting focal lengths into their 135 FOV equivalents is a conceit of the dSLR evangelists & if anything it's more common to convert them to their Super 35 equivalents, especially when working with seasoned Directors & Crews. A SpeedBooster on a GH4 provides roughly the FOV of Super 35, so on set I refer to the 24-105mm as a 24-105mm. A SpeedBooster on an FS7 provides the FOV of 135 so I think of the 24-105mm as a 17-75mm. It's all a bit confusing but you eventually get used to it, more or less.

The 24-105mm's Image Stabalization on the GH4/SpeedBooster combo is very good, but note you'll lose autofocus, & even after adjusting the SpeedBooster's back focus the lens is still far from parfocal, so you'll be refocusing every time you move the zoom. The upside is the 24-105 is not fly-by-wire like the Lumix(s) so you can rely on some muscle memory when racking.

I have too many m43 lens & thinking of shedding several, but the 12-35/2.8 & 35-100/2.8 will likely remain as long as I use the format. Their small footprint, OIS, & parfocal-ish behavior, are well suited to the GH 's compact form factor, especially when working handheld.
 
David, how does the wide end of that Zeiss Contax work for you? Won't be too different far from the 24-105mm I'm considering. Your set up is exactly what I'm looking for...A few fast primes/zooms for long shoots where I have plenty of time, and one solid decent zoom for events when I won't have time for lens changes.

Bern Caughey said:
Converting focal lengths into their 135 FOV equivalents is a conceit of the dSLR evangelists & if anything it's more common to convert them to their Super 35 equivalents, especially when working with seasoned Directors & Crews. A SpeedBooster on a GH4 provides roughly the FOV of Super 35, so on set I refer to the 24-105mm as a 24-105mm. A SpeedBooster on an FS7 provides the FOV of 135 so I think of the 24-105mm as a 17-75mm. It's all a bit confusing but you eventually get used to it, more or less.
Click to expand...

Now I'm even more confused, haha. Basically all I want to know is where the wide end of the 24-105 w/speedbooster will be in comparison to my 12-35. From the fuzzy math I'm using, I think somewhere in the middle of that range...right?

What exactly is the difference between the "S" Speedbooster and and the non-s version? Can't seem to find any info other then the fact that the "S" is required for certain Olympus cameras. If that's the only difference I won't need the S. I thought the "S" added more features...their website says "Wider Sharper Brighter," but who knows what that actually means.

I'm definitely going to keep my 12-35mm, it's a great handheld lens and it's small footprint makes it super useful. The 35-100mm is a good lens, but I only use it for tripod work due to it's funky OIS...if I get a lens with a similar range that has better OIS, I see no reason to hold onto the Lumix.

And talk about good timing, I just saw this on twitter. Makes the 24-105 even more appealing. I was planning on making my purchase in early July, hopefully this will be out by then! Now I just need to recalculate all of my math...

http://www.newsshooter.com/2015/06/...peed-booster-xl-0-64x-micro-43-mount-adapter/

I've been considering a jump to a Canon's C-series or even a FS7 since Panny still hasn't produced an AF100-type competitor to those models...but the more I look into it, a GH4 with that new Speedbooster, VLog and a Shogun is really going to be in the same ballpark image-wise as those cameras. Still gonna miss built-in XLR and NDs, but maybe I'll stick with it a little longer.
 
The 24-105 does come in at f2.8 with the SpeedBooster which is really nice.

The Zeiss Contax 28-85mm has a completely different look to it than my modern zooms. I use it when I want a stylized look, and don't need the get real wide. It's also a push pull zoom, which takes a little getting used to. It's very sharp for a zoom. And because the T* coating is not the most modern, you can get really nice flares when needed.

When I'm shooting what some folks call "run-N-gun" with my modern zooms, I wear an ARRI production belt with large assistant's pouches as well as filter pouch. I used to wear a vest, and sometimes still do. But my ARRI belt setup comes in handy.

Aside from photographer's vests, a low cost solution to carry bits of kit, is a cheap tactical vest. They come in green, black, and tan, and can be found online or at military surplus stores dirt cheap.

The other item I like to wear, are Converse tactical boots. They are very light weight, and offer great toe protection. Especially in crowds like when shooting concerts.


Good luck with your quest!

Dave
 
Okay. I'm in a similiar situation. I'm considering between these 3 lenses:
Tamron 24-70mm F2.8 with IS
Canon 24-105mm F4 with IS
Sigma 24-105mm F4 with IS

http://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Compa...us-EF24-105mm-f-4L-IS-USM__1255_0_884_0_164_0
All of them has stabilisation. As you can see in this test, Sigma F4 lens is almost 1 stop brighter than Canon F4 lens. That's a lot. According to that test it's sharper too. Why nobody's considering Sigma?
Tamron is in different league, brighter but with shorter range. Maybe someone has any good or bad experience with it?
 
jaypass said:
Now I'm even more confused, haha. Basically all I want to know is where the wide end of the 24-105 w/speedbooster will be in comparison to my 12-35. From the fuzzy math I'm using, I think somewhere in the middle of that range...right?
Click to expand...

The current EF>m43 SpeedBooster reduces the focal length by 0.71x. When it's combined with a 24-105mm the FOV equates to that of a 17.04-74.55mm.

The newly announced SpeedBooster focal reduction is 0.64x. Combined with the same zoom the FOV of would be 15.6-67.2mm.

AFAIK the standard EF>m43 SpeedBooster, & the "S" model, are optically identical. However the standard does not fit on some Olympus bodies, so Metabones dropped a couple features & built a smaller version called the "S".

Go to...

http://www.metabones.com/products/details/mb_spef-m43-bm2

...and scroll down to, "Difference between Normal version and S version of EF-MFT Speed Boosters".
 
Yeah, the 24-105mm is the winner. I'll probably check out the Sigma version as well. Looks like the new Speedbooster XL is already available on the Metabones website too.

And David, great tips about vests/belts. I'll definitely look into some of those...The boots are most intriguing, I do a lot of concerts and I usually wear my heavy duty work boots to deal with the craziness in the crowd...A lightweight boot like that would probably make my life much easier.

Thanks to all who chimed in, this helped a ton!
 
rabbit2 said:
Okay. I'm in a similiar situation. I'm considering between these 3 lenses:
Tamron 24-70mm F2.8 with IS
Canon 24-105mm F4 with IS
Sigma 24-105mm F4 with IS

http://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Compa...us-EF24-105mm-f-4L-IS-USM__1255_0_884_0_164_0
All of them has stabilisation. As you can see in this test, Sigma F4 lens is almost 1 stop brighter than Canon F4 lens. That's a lot. According to that test it's sharper too. Why nobody's considering Sigma?
Tamron is in different league, brighter but with shorter range. Maybe someone has any good or bad experience with it?
Click to expand...

The Sigma can be hard to find, there was an interview posted on DPreview IIRC with a Sigma exec that stated they make lenses in batches and it was a slow seller so its not a top priority.

The Tamron is better than the 24-105L in every way - faster, sharper and IMO more effective stabilization. They can be found used under $900.

The L is cheap used because they've been making them for years, can be found for about $500. Supposedly the later date codes are sharper, some think it was tweaked when the 5d3 was released. I don't know. I've had three of them, its a great all around lens, but its not going to be very wide - even on a boosted GH4.

Tamron makes a 17-50/2.8 lens, seems like this would be a better choice for a standard zoom on a m43 camera, unless you have a UWA to cover the wide end.
 
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