Panasonic GH2 - Is My Lens Combination for Video Optimal for the Price?

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NuggetWRX

New member
I want to buy a Panasonic GH2 with the 14-42mm kit lens along with the 20mm f/1.8 pancake lens by Panasonic as well. Is this lens combination solid for the price or is it REALLY worth paying an extra $500 (quite a bit i would say) and springing for the Panasonic 14-140mm Vario HD instead of the 14-42mm. My other thought was getting the body only and buying the 20mm f/1.8 alone.

I'm primarily going to be using this camera for video but I definitely want to be able to have solid photographic capabilities still.
 
According to dpreview members, the 14-140mm is disappointing concerning sharpness and speed. Get the kit lens package first - kit lens is cheap. If you want to venture out to more low-light and photography then later add the 20mm.
 
goodgoings said:
According to dpreview members, the 14-140mm is disappointing concerning sharpness and speed. Get the kit lens package first - kit lens is cheap. If you want to venture out to more low-light and photography then later add the 20mm.
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Really? The 14-140?? I really doubt that. Can you post a link to the article please?
 
goodgoings said:
According to dpreview members, the 14-140mm is disappointing concerning sharpness and speed. Get the kit lens package first - kit lens is cheap. If you want to venture out to more low-light and photography then later add the 20mm.
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14-140mm is pretty damn sharp at all apertures...slow, but sharp. Very versatile in daylight, a go-to lens.
 
I never have REALLY needed such a distance lens as the 14-140mm. I have a Canon Rebel XS right now with their 18-45mm lens and it has worked out for me really well for the specific type of photography I've done outside. Generally the camera is close enough to the action and high enough quality for zooming + cropping in Photoshop provides a decent product. So the 14-42mm lens would be fine for doing mostly video stuff in combo with maybe the 20mm f/1.8 lens?
 
Let me add to that I do a lot of indoor video and its self-lighted with 2 stands of 3 60w CFL bulbs per stand on adjustable swivels. So there's as much fill light as I can try to add to the shot but it washes out in some places and is moderately lit in others. So please take that into consideration with filming. I would also like to do some outdoor filming and daylight it seems like either kit lens would work well but at night the 20mm f/1.8 would be the go-to lens for that situation.
 
I don't own the 14-140mm, so I can't speak with experience but it's not on my wish list. If I had money to burn, and I needed the zoom range, then I'd consider it more.

Here is one member who isn't happy. I guess there are numerous posts on this lens you can find. You have to remember this is from people who are mainly considered photographers. For video work, I'm sure it's plenty sharp. If you have lighting, you won't have to worry about the slow f-stop. If you're on a budget, I'd personally consider something else.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1041&thread=37281497
 
The 14-140mm is actually a MUST have. Anything else is just add ons. If you don't own one you will be short changed. All those non camera controlled lenses are just extra weight.
 
A lot of lenses has it's purpose. Just because someone might not need it does not mean other people wont need it. I do believe this lens gets unfairly criticized way too much. This lens can especially be useful for people who shoot events and sometimes it's not a good idea to change lenses especially when there's a lot of people around you and that also increase the chances of particles getting into the camera. It means a lot to me that it can go from a decent wide to a decent telephoto range. It's not just me, you'll obviously see that it's working for other people as well. It has a very good stabilizer and never mind the fact the the auto focusing closely matches a camcorder.

For some people, manual lenses might not be a good idea for them so should that give them a right to say people should not be buying manual lenses? No way! Not necessarily the best example but I really do think it's wrong to imply that most people don't need it and it's true that some won't need it but it's really a disservice to people who could have really used it.

Again, I'm not saying the lens is for everybody, I'm just saying that just because it may not work for you doesn't mean it wont be good for most other people. We all have different ways of shooting.

When I'm shooting events with very low light, that's when I use the 20mm. They both complement each other very nicely.

I'm not specifically targeting anyone here, it's just that it's repeated way too much that the lens should be avoided.
 
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I just picked up the 45 - 200mm Lumix (B and H $265) and it's a nice match for the 20mm pancake also. The auto focus and stabilizer is very handy. Definitely an outdoor lens though.
 
I think Barry Green summed up the 14-140 rather nicely over on the AF100 forum:

"For lenses, I think the 14-140 is nearly a must-have, for the capabilities and flexibility it gives the camera. I have a complete set of Zeiss ZF manual lenses, and a complete set of Compact Primes for cinema shooting, but that 14-140 gets used all the time. It turns the AF100 into not a digital cinema camera, but a regular video camera. The 14-140 lens is sharp, clear, has a great zoom range, is parfocal (meaning it holds focus throughout the zoom, something that's not all that common on SLR lenses), it communicates electronically with the camera body so that auto-iris and manual iris setting works electronically, it has OIS (mandatory with such a long zoom range), it has chromatic aberration compensation and barrel distortion correction when used on a Panasonic m43 camera, it is the only lens that does silent video-style autofocus, and it's integrated with the camera so that the camera's display of zoom setting and focus distance are accurate and properly displayed. It's a pretty perfect match. Yes it's slow at f4, but all the other benefits make it worth it."
 
I think Barry Green summed up the 14-140 rather nicely over on the AF100 forum:

"For lenses, I think the 14-140 is nearly a must-have, for the capabilities and flexibility it gives the camera. I have a complete set of Zeiss ZF manual lenses, and a complete set of Compact Primes for cinema shooting, but that 14-140 gets used all the time. It turns the AF100 into not a digital cinema camera, but a regular video camera. The 14-140 lens is sharp, clear, has a great zoom range, is parfocal (meaning it holds focus throughout the zoom, something that's not all that common on SLR lenses), it communicates electronically with the camera body so that auto-iris and manual iris setting works electronically, it has OIS (mandatory with such a long zoom range), it has chromatic aberration compensation and barrel distortion correction when used on a Panasonic m43 camera, it is the only lens that does silent video-style autofocus, and it's integrated with the camera so that the camera's display of zoom setting and focus distance are accurate and properly displayed. It's a pretty perfect match. Yes it's slow at f4, but all the other benefits make it worth it."
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EXACTLY! The only thing is that it is not a "nearly", but a big MUST HAVE. Lets hope Panasonic makes a faster version sometime soon.
 
If you work in light controlled indoors, making interviews or documentary work at daylight, then the 14-140 is a winner partner, the only complaint about the 14-140 could be the slowness been f4 at maximum. But for me is a great all terrain lens.
 
. All those non camera controlled lenses are just extra weight.
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Thats your opinion, and there's nothing wrong with that. BUT,,, There's tons of fantastic manuel lenses out there. If you want auto focus, sure, thats an option. But many of us actually use manuel lenses for most scenarios. I wouldn't even bother using a dslr if I needed a proper autofocus. I would go with a proper camcorder. Not saying the gh2 isn't capable, just not as capable.
 
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