Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 Lens + Handheld Video = Bad Idea?

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Denise0

Member
I'm considering the GH1 (which isn't the greatest in low light) and the Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens (which helps to improve the low light results on a GH1) for handheld video.

The 20mm pancake lens doesn't have image stabilization, so is this a recipe for disaster?
 
It depends on the kind of handheld. I would say if you're fairly static, you'll be fine. I'd say handheld and walking is pretty disastrous usually. I got many ruined shots with the 20mm where i followed the actress into a shop handheld, and the reason is the dreaded rolling shutter/micro jitter/wobble . not so much actual shakiness. another time I tried filming with the neck strap around my neck and pulling outwards, and i took a few footsteps and it was fine. So results can vary. I am 3 hours away from winning a bid on a shoulder rig right now, so all those issues should disappear for me.
 
Stefanos said:
It depends on the kind of handheld. I would say if you're fairly static, you'll be fine. I'd say handheld and walking is pretty disastrous usually. I got many ruined shots with the 20mm where i followed the actress into a shop handheld, and the reason is the dreaded rolling shutter/micro jitter/wobble . not so much actual shakiness. another time I tried filming with the neck strap around my neck and pulling outwards, and i took a few footsteps and it was fine. So results can vary. I am 3 hours away from winning a bid on a shoulder rig right now, so all those issues should disappear for me.
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How do recommend getting good shots when walking (without using fancy equipment other than the neck strap)? Would you recommend a different lens, or the GH2?
 
Denise0 said:
How do recommend getting good shots when walking (without using fancy equipment other than the neck strap)? Would you recommend a different lens, or the GH2?
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Denise,

Handheld can be made to work when you are standing still and bracing the camera, but generally, even a wide angle lens won't produce good results for walking shots. I have a GH2, and there's only so much that image stabilization can be expected to do.

I would spend the ~$100 for a "Hague-type" stabilizer like the Lensse Midx from Amazon.

Here are a couple of tests with it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cFfBN5rivk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9y8E-dDVCQ

Hope this is helpful,

Bill
 
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Walking shots generally aren't great regardless of camera and lens unless some form of steadicam device is used. Just the way it is, fundamentals.
 
I shoot handheld often with that lens- it's a bit shaky with just the camera. So yeah I'd recommend the monopod route- it's very easy to move around with and gives you much steadier looking shots that still retain enough handheld 'feel' to not look like locked off tripod shots. And you'll be able to maneuver about as nimbly as your would completely handheld. Not to mention you'll have much less fatigue.

Noah
 
I have a compact shoulder/chest rig that can be easily extended to a heavy duty rig. It fits into a corner of Lowepro Slingshot 202 AW. GH2 + battery + 20.7 + a compact rig weigh only 3 lbs. It gives rock solid support. No OIS is no problem. I will share a review video next week. m43 users will love it.
 
NoahK said:
I shoot handheld often with that lens- it's a bit shaky with just the camera. So yeah I'd recommend the monopod route- it's very easy to move around with and gives you much steadier looking shots that still retain enough handheld 'feel' to not look like locked off tripod shots. And you'll be able to maneuver about as nimbly as your would completely handheld. Not to mention you'll have much less fatigue.

Noah
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Noah, Do you use a video head on your monopod, and if so, which one?
 
Denise0 said:
I'm considering the GH1 (which isn't the greatest in low light) and the Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens (which helps to improve the low light results on a GH1) for handheld video.

The 20mm pancake lens doesn't have image stabilization, so is this a recipe for disaster?
Click to expand...


This video was shot almost exclusivly with the 20mm on a GH2 handheld in medium to dim light:


The 14-140 with IS was used on the opening shot (+ stabilization in post) otherwise it was the 20mm pancake lens @ 1/50 shutter speed, 1080p@24fps in smooth film mode (0,0,0,-2).
 
Another example

Another example

I'll ask the question what do you want to shoot and for what purpose? Is it for personal or professional work? You can't go wrong with this camera lens combo.
Here is something I shot very quickly using the GH1 and the 20mm lens all handheld and in pretty low light at 720P, ISO 800
 
I've noticed some participants here obsess about steadiness. It seem to be equated with professionalism in their mind. I guess they missed the last two decades of television and cinema. There's nothing wrong with a little waving, the camera doesn't need to glide magically into space like a disembodied omniscient eye. Viewers will accept camera movement that is not transparent, in fact they don't care. Of course, things like motion control were traditionally associated with big cinema, that's probably what this obsession is all about, to emulate hollywood.
 
chon said:
I've noticed some participants here obsess about steadiness. It seem to be equated with professionalism in their mind. I guess they missed the last two decades of television and cinema. There's nothing wrong with a little waving, the camera doesn't need to glide magically into space like a disembodied omniscient eye. Viewers will accept camera movement that is not transparent, in fact they don't care. Of course, things like motion control were traditionally associated with big cinema, that's probably what this obsession is all about, to emulate hollywood.
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well, this is maybe true for a professional videocamera.... but with dslr the technology inside the body (sensor, stablization, compression,etc.) doesn't allow this kind of movements (you'll get an headache really fast)
 
chon said:
I've noticed some participants here obsess about steadiness. It seem to be equated with professionalism in their mind. I guess they missed the last two decades of television and cinema. There's nothing wrong with a little waving, the camera doesn't need to glide magically into space like a disembodied omniscient eye. Viewers will accept camera movement that is not transparent, in fact they don't care. Of course, things like motion control were traditionally associated with big cinema, that's probably what this obsession is all about, to emulate hollywood.
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True but I think the aesthetic most people associate with 'handheld' is more often created with much heavier, shoulder mounted cameras that don't bob around excessively or even with cameras mounted on loose tripods and shaken to look somewhat handheld. For example this is what Law and Order does. I find handholding a GH2 on anything higher than the 20mm pancake results in movement often excessively shaky. I.e. not cool looking but mistake looking.

Noah
 
chon said:
I've noticed some participants here obsess about steadiness
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For me it's all about mastering your tools and having control of the image you create.

So you can choose to shoot with smooth movement or make it as shaky as you like.

Not being able to make this choice is very limiting...
 
chon said:
There's nothing wrong with a little waving, the camera doesn't need to glide magically into space like a disembodied omniscient eye. Viewers will accept camera movement that is not transparent, in fact they don't care.
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Subtle motion is okay. I even introduce it artificially sometimes for tripod shots to add life, for instance for concert shots where few cameras are handheld and one is steady on a tripod - that makes them more consistent. What I do hate is CMOS wobble that you get from non-stabilized lenses. I'm probably paranoid about it but to me it makes footage look unprofessional. Yes, I can see it more and more frequently on the TV these days as DSLR are becoming the part of production cycle. Most of the people don't care? Perhaps. I do.
 
chon, we are not talking about little waving. Constant microsecond level jitters that also lower the details.

It's relatively easy to mitigate the issue. Get a cheap rig. Some pros might spend $$$$. Average Joe like me spend a few hundreds.
 
Watch Battle of LA for what not to do with camera movement. I stopped watching it after 15 minutes, I was getting nauseous. It looked like someone on meth was shooting it. Style my ass, that looked like crap. The only cinematic shaky movement that was done to perfection was the opening beach scene of Saving Private Ryan.
 
I've been using the GH1 to shoot from a raft as kayakers are going down stream... (quickly throwing the camera in a dry bag before a rapid)...

I found the 20mm to be quite good but I recently bought a cheap 14-42mm OIS lens ... and really the 14mm makes things so much easier...

I guess you could imagine how much rocking we have in a raft as we're going down stream...

I'm surprised how good the footage is...

Cheers
 
Check 'The Farmer's Market' and 'Closing Time' in my sig link for handheld shooting with no IS using a fully manual 35mm CanonFD on a bare GH1. Using that 20mm should be a walk in the park (literally) IMHO.
 
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