GH5 Lenses for focusing by hand for a doc shoot?

KINOKS

KINOKS

Well-known member
Starting a doc soon, that is going to be hand held with something like Zacuto Marauder. Definitely not shoulder based. No time to set up a follow focus, as the lens swaps need to be fast. So I am searching for lenses that are okey to use, to focus by hand. I'm looking at the Oly's 7 - 14 and 12 - 40 and or 12 - 100, but need some feedback from those of you that have already used them in such a scenario.

- How long does the focus ring travel?
- How do the Oly lenses work with Pana body? Any gotchas?
- Are there any corrections being applied to the image, like for CA or distortion, etc....?

I would really like to go the APS-C + speedbooster route but tbh I can't find lenses that are good for focusing by hand. And no, the Sigma's 18 - 35 range doesn't make much sense to me for this project. Also keep in mind, that I would like to use these lenses for future projects. And the use of a FF is a must. That's why I don't want to invest in Pany lenses, bc they are solely fly by wire. Also the lens must communicate with camera so that IBIS doesn't need to be set by hand.

Appreciate any input! Tnx
 
Asking for native glass that communicates with the camera, but is still good for film-style manual focus is a tall order. The Olympus lenses do feature nice feeling focus (it's not truly physical, but feels close) but the throw is VERY short compared to a decent cinema lens.
 
Very rarely use my Canon EF glass on Panasonic bodies, but noticed the GH5 appears to read the focal length when the lenses are attached via a Metabones’ SpeedBooster Ultra, or Smart Adapter, as the camera doesn’t prompt the user to enter the data manually. Behaves the same using primes, or zooms, but don’t know if focal reduction is calculated when using a SpeedBooster.

Would be interesting to try a Canon 18-80mm combined with a SpeedBooster Ultra (effectively a 13-57mm f/2.8 lens) on a GH5.
 
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joe12south said:
Asking for native glass that communicates with the camera, but is still good for film-style manual focus is a tall order. The Olympus lenses do feature nice feeling focus (it's not truly physical, but feels close) but the throw is VERY short compared to a decent cinema lens.
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Yeah I see. It's a shame Sony E can't be mounted on the GH... If choosing short throw manual lens vs flybywire the later is better for use by hand.

I mean I'm not looking for cine stile lens focus throw. In many cases it's actually to much for use by hand. 270° definitely to much, 180° is better but still a tad to much. 120° would be perfect :D

The Sigma's 12 - 24 and 24 - 70 art lenses look nice. To bad that even with a 1.42 crop they are still not what I would want them to be fow whise.

Jeez am I realy going to have to go with the Pany lenses?? How long is the throw of the focus ring on the Oly's? More then 90°?
 
joe12south said:
Asking for native glass that communicates with the camera, but is still good for film-style manual focus is a tall order. The Olympus lenses do feature nice feeling focus (it's not truly physical, but feels close) but the throw is VERY short compared to a decent cinema lens.
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I agree about the Olympus, very difficult to hit marks consistently with such short throw, and they still have that slight unresponsive feel of electronic focus lenses. I think this is one of those situations where there is going to be compromise unless you are willing to drop some funds for something like the Canon 18-80mm. If it was me I'd think about a Canon or Sigma 24-105mm with speedbooster which would cover just about everything but the wide end.
 
The Olympus m4/3 lenses manual focus throw is about 90* but the most used distances are crammed into a fraction of that. They’re better for a slow pull then Lumix lenses, but only because Panasonic’s are useless for this task.

Still own a Olympus 14-35mm f/2 lens that has a decent focus ring, & while I love the look of the lens, the slop between the mounts, & the 4/3-to-m4/3 adapter, causes me to rarely use it. Also own Panasonic’s 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 lens, but it requires the same adapter, so suffers the same slop.
 
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All the auto native MFT lenses from Panny or Oly are focus by wire, even the Oly Pro lenses, which come close to a manual focus feel, with hard stops in the clutch, but still have a short throw. The only manual focus zoom I have found is the Oly FT 14-50 f/2.0 Pro Zoom, whichnis also parfocal, but requires the FT/MFT adapter, which still gives full control of the lens. The only drawback, it is somewhat large and heavy, with a 77mm filter ring, when compared to the other MFT zooms. Still very excellent IQ, with an OK focus throw.

The best option for cine type Primes, that are still compact, and have excellent focus throw for both hand held and when using a FF, are the Veydra Mini Primes. The Veydras have the FF gears buil in, the gear is in the same position from one lens to the next. IQ is similar to Zeiss Cine Primes (Ultra or Master series) and have very little to no breathing. They are actuall cine lenses in a smaller package. All have 80mm front ring and use 77mm filters. Auto corrections for fringing, CA, etc are not necessary, as this is well controlled with the excellent IQ displayed by the Veydra lenses.

Kinoks, you are in luck, because I have a set of Veydra Mini Primes for Sale, (including case for Only $2995). The set includes a 12mm, 16mm, 25mm and 35mm lens. Add a 50 or 85mm for a longer reach, and you have a complete set. If interested, PM me.
 
Huh the Oly's aren't truly manual! Who would of thought. Well, that's marketing for you... So Oly's are out of the question. Appreciate the input!

It baffles me how all mft glass is flybywire.

Okey, so compromises. I once wanted to buy Veydras for promo work but then decided to use other cameras for that work, so I ended not buying them. And for docs I don't need primes but good zooms. GH5 to me is a doc, run'n gun camera. So in that respect I want to keep it small. It's wonderful for projects like this doc that am putting together now, where a small incognito crew is needed. The dual is2 is really a fantastic thing. But IBIS alone is also good. Anyway... I guess I got my question answered: Pany zooms. But still, I'm really hesitant to invest further into Pany glass (I have the 14 - 140). Maybe I'll go with something like the Sigma 10 - 20 3.5 for the wide end as focus really isn't much of a problem on ultra wides and go with the 12 - 35 or the 12 - 60 for the zoom. Although I really would prefer something in the range of 24 - 105 but in APS-C format, like the Sigma's 17 - 70.
 
Denny16 said:
Kinoks, you are in luck, because I have a set of Veydra Mini Primes for Sale, (including case for Only $2995). The set includes a 12mm, 16mm, 25mm and 35mm lens. Add a 50 or 85mm for a longer reach, and you have a complete set. If interested, PM me.
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Thanks for the offer. Probably going to skip though, as I need zooms not primes atm. The Veydras are nice though. Besides production needs, what put off was the fact that the 12mm is mostly not usable on s35 cameras. Also a wider then 12mm would also be nice if they added to the kit. How come you didn't get the 50? For a first kit, I would have probably gone 12, 16, 25, 50...
 
+1

I just got back from shooting a culinary travel show 90 mins. Shot the whole thing with one GH5 and three Nokton primes (17.5mm, 25mm and 42.5mm) All handheld with available light only and it looks great.
The Voigts balance nicely with the gh5 and for me importantly the control of the focus and stepless aperture are key. And because all three lenses have the same layout you develop a muscle memory that works with them.
For me that is key. The ability to shoot between f 1.4-2.8 means that there is literally no situation where you are out of light. If I absolutely had to use a zoom I would look at a m4/3 modified Fujinon 18-55mm t2.9
180 degree focus rotation pretty light weight and actually delivers a better range on m43 , but then again for me a 12mm is an ultra wide angle.

filmguy123 said:
Voigtlander Nokton series is the way to go for this, but they are not zooms.
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I have the Veydra 5-lens set but only use them with a follow focus.

Intrigued by Olympus’s 12-100mm for docuwork, but haven’t added it to the kit as I’m unsure I’d be happy with it’s f/4 maximizing aperture, & lack of Dual IS.

Prior to the introduction of Zacuto’s Marauder I built a similar rig from Zacuto parts. Was useful back in the 5D2 days but abandoned it since adopting GH bodies, & OIS lenses. With the advent of Dual IS, & Lock IS, I only use the GH5 with a simple cage, & sometimes a 502 Bright attached to the top handle via a Cameo Swivel Mount. I find the footage plenty stable for documentary work, & prefer to keep my right hand on the camera where it can operate the controls. Not using a rig also allows the camera to squeeze into places a larger setup would not, & makes transport simple.
 
icarusfilm said:
+1

I just got back from shooting a culinary travel show 90 mins. Shot the whole thing with one GH5 and three Nokton primes (17.5mm, 25mm and 42.5mm) All handheld with available light only and it looks great.
The Voigts balance nicely with the gh5 and for me importantly the control of the focus and stepless aperture are key. And because all three lenses have the same layout you develop a muscle memory that works with them.
For me that is key. The ability to shoot between f 1.4-2.8 means that there is literally no situation where you are out of light. If I absolutely had to use a zoom I would look at a m4/3 modified Fujinon 18-55mm t2.9
180 degree focus rotation pretty light weight and actually delivers a better range on m43 , but then again for me a 12mm is an ultra wide angle.
Click to expand...

Haha if 12 is UW for you then I see how you survived shooting a show basically without a wide lens :)
 
Bern Caughey said:
Intrigued by Olympus’s 12-100mm for docuwork, but haven’t added it to the kit as I’m unsure I’d be happy with it’s f/4 maximizing aperture, & lack of Dual IS.
Click to expand...

Yeah I was to but when you put 2 and 2 together it doesn't make much sense for GH5 users:

- no dual is so for handheld all of it's range wont be useful
- manual focus isn't really manual, so no reason to buy it bc of that
- it's expensive and for half less you can get the 12 - 60 that has dual is and is also 2.8 at 12mm.
 
Is anybody successfully using a standard 2.8 zoom with a speedbooster? I have the Sigma 17 - 50 but use it only with a FF as the focus ring sucks.
 
Have only tried a colleague’s 12-60mm, & like him, believe it has the worst manual focus ring response of any lens I’ve used.
 
I have the 12 -100 its really good. The IS is extremely good so it works really well even on the long side of it. The manual focus implementation is the best I found for native lenses and the range is unbeatable if you need it in one lens. Its super sharp has great contrast etc. Its a great outdoor do it all lens. Its sitting in my bag just in case.

Bern Caughey said:
I have the Veydra 5-lens set but only use them with a follow focus.

Intrigued by Olympus’s 12-100mm for docuwork, but haven’t added it to the kit as I’m unsure I’d be happy with it’s f/4 maximizing aperture, & lack of Dual IS.

Prior to the introduction of Zacuto’s Marauder I built a similar rig from Zacuto parts. Was useful back in the 5D2 days but abandoned it since adopting GH bodies, & OIS lenses. With the advent of Dual IS, & Lock IS, I only use the GH5 with a simple cage, & sometimes a 502 Bright attached to the top handle via a Cameo Swivel Mount. I find the footage plenty stable for documentary work, & prefer to keep my right hand on the camera where it can operate the controls. Not using a rig also allows the camera to squeeze into places a larger setup would not, & makes transport simple.
Click to expand...
 
I did. I do like the Voigts better they reproduce skin in a very leasing way and the mechanics really work for me. There Olympus have a very modern sharp look that I also like.
 
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