GH5 MFT or EF lenses for gimbal use; which do you prefer, and why?...

D

Dave Draper

Well-known member
We're thinking of investing in a CAME-TV Prophet Gimbal.

Would MFT lenses, or EF lenses (with a Metabones Speedbooster) be the better choice for gimbal work?

I'm thinking MFT lenses, because they're smaller, lighter, and there would be more DOF to work with while moving around.

One of the reasons for asking, is because we already own a set of EF lenses, but not yet any MFT lenses, nor a Speedbooster to use with the EF lenses.

What are your thoughts?
 
I don't think it really matters, as long you're within the gimbals weight limit. IBIS on GH5 should be ok... but the OIS in lens system or Dual IS might cause odd jitter issues anyway.

If you wanted a great, small M43 lens for gimbal, some strong options would be the Oly 12mm f/2; the Leica 8-18; or the Lumix 12-35.

Regarding more DOF, I am not sure where you got that idea, but that is not true. Your DOF at any given aperture will be the same on EF lenses or M43 lenses, unless you are on a speedbooster where you gain a stop... but you can just compensate by closing down an extra stop then.
 
In general, the less futzing with gimbals, the better. The simplicity of mating a light MFT lens will make it easier to balance and operate. (And this is from a guy who normally shoots with manual cine glass.)

I haven't tried the GH5 on a gimbal yet, but tests I've seen show IBIS marrying quite well with gimbals. I haven't found Dual-IS to be meaningfully better than IBIS alone, so I wouldn't worry much if your lens of choice isn't dual IS.
 
I work with GH5, GH4 and G7 with gimbal Pilotfly H1+. I prefer Samyang (Rokinon) 12/2.0, Leica 15/1.7 and for superwide linear shots Panasonic 7-14/4.0 (just in good light conditions) Panasonic 12-35/2.8 is great lens, but using it on gimbal you have to re-balance your gimbal every time when you change the focal length (moving part of the lens change the center of gravity of your set)
 
I have a Zhiyun Crane and find myself using native M4/3 lenses because you can, by way of a cable, control the focus and shutter operation of Panisonic cameras directly from the gimbal. I set the camera to AFS and then focus and fire the camera from the gimbal handle. I find it way faster and easier and usually have a higher success rate as a result. Admittedly, I've shot more gimbal stuff with my Gh4 and GX8 than my GH5 but the stuff I've shot with the GH5 has worked the same way. I don't know if the CAME has the same option but if it does, it's definitely worth considering native lenses. I've used the Panisonic 7-14 f4, 12-35 f2.8, 35-100 f2.8, and the Olympus 12-40 f2.8, 12mm f2 and 17mm f1.8 in this way. The only issue is that triggering record from the gimbal sometimes messes with focus so I got in the habit of triggering the shutter first, then focusing and getting then getting the shot.
 
Had my GH5 on my Tilta Gravity yesterday with a Samyang EF mount 10mm lens on a speedbooster XL, with telephoto mode on to stop vignetting. No in-camera stabilisation of any kind.

Worked perfectly. Wouldn't have need the telephoto mode if I'd had the samyang 14mm instead.
 
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