JasonMillard81
Active member
Nice thanks! Yea I was wondering but SLR & Voigtlander will still mimic "video" clarity of Lumix lenses, no? Also, maybe for photography a 20mm 1.7 and video keep Tamron 17-50 and get a fast sigma or old Canon FD prime?
GH4 Native Lenses vs. SpeedBooster & FF Lenses
- Thread starter JasonMillard81
- Start date
joe12south
Veteran
I shoot mostly narrative work, music videos, interviews. I highly value two factors when choosing lenses: 1. Good manual focus control and 2. Good DOF control.
As such, I've really concentrated my toolkit on adapted cine lenses. (In my case Nikon mount Rokinons.) For the reasons stated above, plus the extra stop of light, this is the best combination for this type of work.
If I was more of a run-and-gun shooter, or shot stills, then I'm sure that the size and auto features of native lenses would be attractive.
Here's a simple test: Do you use a follow-focus? If so, you're probably better off with adapted manual glass.
PS. You don't have to pay Speed Booster prices to get the benefits of a focal reducer. I've had very good luck using and RJ Lens Turbo. (I own both, and while the build quality is better on the Speed Booster, the image is effectively the same.)
As such, I've really concentrated my toolkit on adapted cine lenses. (In my case Nikon mount Rokinons.) For the reasons stated above, plus the extra stop of light, this is the best combination for this type of work.
If I was more of a run-and-gun shooter, or shot stills, then I'm sure that the size and auto features of native lenses would be attractive.
Here's a simple test: Do you use a follow-focus? If so, you're probably better off with adapted manual glass.
PS. You don't have to pay Speed Booster prices to get the benefits of a focal reducer. I've had very good luck using and RJ Lens Turbo. (I own both, and while the build quality is better on the Speed Booster, the image is effectively the same.)
JasonMillard81
Active member
Great points joe!
KINOKS
Well-known member
I have both and I use both; lumix glass and Nikon speedboster with nikon lenses. AF is great for run and gun. Its far from a perfect video camera AF but still its something. What I really love about Panasonic lenses though is not AF, actually I don't use it, but is OIS. For run and gun I use it all the time when shooting from the shoulder.
If there is no need for OIS then I shoot with speedbooster. GH4 is a great little camera but it's not so great, actually not great at all, in low light. This is where a 2.8 stop glass with speedbooster really comes in handy. Also a wider FOV comes in handy! Without the speedbooster when shooting UHD (this is really the only mode you should be shooting with GH4) the crop is 2.4! That's a big crop factor. Speedbooster helps a lot as it widens the FOV to 1.77.
So, my opinion:
Use both. Both are great tools to have.
My recommendation:
1. Buy the Panasonic 14 140 for run and gun. OIS will save you big time.
2. Buy the speedbooster and the Sigma 17 - 50 (I think Sigma is the only one that doesn't vignette when shooting HD.
I think this is a good starting point. It covers low light and shallow dof and it covers run and gun. You could even use your Tamron but it's going to be a bit narrow on the wide end...
Last edited:
Randomfactor
Active member
Hi Jason,
I have a nice set of vintage Zeiss Jena M42 primes that I use with an RJ M42 to M43 Speedbooster on my GH4. a 20, 35, 50 & 135mm. These are the 'RED MC' versions. Well worth considering.
Adam
I have a nice set of vintage Zeiss Jena M42 primes that I use with an RJ M42 to M43 Speedbooster on my GH4. a 20, 35, 50 & 135mm. These are the 'RED MC' versions. Well worth considering.
Adam