pancake lens 1,7

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ingoandfloyd

Active member
i just got my panasonic "pancake lens" today. And i must say iam not very happy with it aleast when it coms to shoot video on it, first of all the lens af is so noisy that you cant use it if you go manul focus is still noisy.

with the normal lens you culd go for manuel focus and just press the trigger button once to focus but i cant do it with the pancake.

it also extremly slow compare to the kit "lens"

anyone with tips?
 
When it's completely quite than yes their is noise but when theirs other noises around, its not distracting at all.

Tell me if you hear anything in the video.
http://vimeo.com/7780332

I had the lens on f/1.7 when I shot that because it was so dark but if there's plenty of lighting, something like f/5.6 helps your focusing by a tremendous amount. More things are in focus that way and the lens won't have to hunt nearly as much because of that.
 
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Did anyone try this with a Merlin or other steadicam device?

Is it wide enough to allow steadi footage or is the 40mm equivalent too tele for most people?
 
noirist said:
The new 1.1 firmware makes a big difference in my experience.
Click to expand...

In what way is it better?

Also, I noticed full HD recording with the 14-45 lens.
Does anybody have experience with how this lens compare to the original stock lens?
Seems too good to be true.

Thanks
 
For me, with any camera/any lens, if you leave the camera in auto-focus WHILE recording, the lens is just going to hunt back and forth, and never focus on what you want it to anyways, so it's pretty useless.

That being said, auto-focus works pretty good on the GH1, even with the 20mm, if you set your focus BEFORE recording. It uses the focus assist laser beam, and the 20mm will focus instantly. Then you have the option of switching to manual to maintain that focus, or hit record and don't let off the shutter release full, keeping it half-pressed to hold focus for short shots (this is where they dropped the ball on the GH1 IMHO....true AFS while recording would have been a dream on a video camera for me).

This is the same reason, for me anyways, that motor noise when focusing is moot...since I wouldn't be recording anyways while the autofocus is hunting. And even when trying to manual focus while recording, while doing a rack focus for example, it's highly unlikely that I'd be using the crappy on-board audio anyways. I can't see doing those kinds of shots with the 20mm in the first place, however. Digital-specific lenses are usually crap for manual focusing anyways.
 
ingoandfloyd said:
...with the normal lens you culd go for manuel focus and just press the trigger button once to focus but i cant do it with the pancake...
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My 14-140 kit lens doesn't work like that...but I wish it did. I wish "AFS" would work like it does in photo mode, while shooting video. That would have been awesome. :undecided
 
noelsphoto said:
swyzlstyx

So, did you do any lens firmware?
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I just did the lens firmware, but haven't done a paid gig since...so I haven't noticed a change yet. Any improvements are welcomed, but the noise or slow focus wasn't a problem for me before.

I guess if I could find anything to complain about with the 20mm, it would be the usual focus-by-wire of digital lenses. The 20mm in particular, takes about 500 spins of the focus ring to find focus...not good for run-n-gun/home video shooting. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

For my wedding videos, the 20mm+GH1 is amazing in low light! Sometimes I shoot almost entire receptions with just that lens, with the exception of a few "detail" shots, where I use a manual f1.8 50mm lens from my Olympus 35mm OM camera. The only downside being, when people see themselves get hit with the focus assist laser beam, they think I'm taking their picture, so they "pose" for the VIDEO. So much for remaining unobtrusive. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
I agree the 20mm is an excellent low light lens.
It would've been a super bonus if it focused like a camcorder for run-n-gun shooting. Or close to the stock lens.
I don't have the stock lens. But I believe it focuses well during HD video.
I'm also curious if anyone did a firmware update with the 14-45 lens and how the focusing behaves during HD video in comparison with the stock lens.

swyzlstyx. Please post when you start shooting with the new firmware on the 20mm. Would like to know the difference from previous version.

Thanks.
 
noelsphoto said:
I agree the 20mm is an excellent low light lens.
It would've been a super bonus if it focused like a camcorder for run-n-gun shooting. Or close to the stock lens.
I don't have the stock lens. But I believe it focuses well during HD video.
I'm also curious if anyone did a firmware update with the 14-45 lens and how the focusing behaves during HD video in comparison with the stock lens.

swyzlstyx. Please post when you start shooting with the new firmware on the 20mm. Would like to know the difference from previous version.

Thanks.
Click to expand...


For sure, I'll shoot some home video with it this month in low light, and see how it goes after the firmware upgrade (I'm not shooting weddings again until the very end of the year).

If anyone wants to see some super low-light footage pre-firmware upgrade, I shot this super dark/candlelit wedding/reception almost entirely with the 20mm Panasonic, 50mm OM manual lens, and a couple shots at the beginning with the Panny 7-14. Most of the ceremony itself was with the 50mm lens, since the 20mm is too wide, and is a little soft since it's nearly impossible to manually focus on the tiny LCD. Anyways, the only time I used my on-camera light was during the cake cutting: http://rustybryce.blogspot.com/2009/11/november-14-2009-lauren-justin.html
 
swyzlstyx said:
For sure, I'll shoot some home video with it this month in low light, and see how it goes after the firmware upgrade (I'm not shooting weddings again until the very end of the year).

If anyone wants to see some super low-light footage pre-firmware upgrade, I shot this super dark/candlelit wedding/reception almost entirely with the 20mm Panasonic, 50mm OM manual lens, and a couple shots at the beginning with the Panny 7-14. Most of the ceremony itself was with the 50mm lens, since the 20mm is too wide, and is a little soft since it's nearly impossible to manually focus on the tiny LCD. Anyways, the only time I used my on-camera light was during the cake cutting: http://rustybryce.blogspot.com/2009/11/november-14-2009-lauren-justin.html
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still eatin' the cheese tuna pasta etc.?

How many GH1s do you shoot with? 2-3?
 
For Rusty,

Because you have the camera and the pancake, and I will be receiving mine soon and have a big shoot lined up, I sent you a message about doing some GH1 training. Let me know if you receive it.

Thanks.
 
I just bought this lens

IT IS AWESOME - and totally have no doubt about the purchase - a GREAT GREAT GREAT walkaround lens, 20mm on the GH1 is just wide enough and just tele enough if you lean back, move forward and great for personal use or for creative/doc work.

THIS THING IS UNDERRATED - it is LASER SHARP and IMO, approaches Canon L level if the lighting is right.
 
I'm glad you ended up buying it.

I almost didn't but when I finally hand enough money for it, Amazon has received a shipment. I figured that the money is going to disappear quickly and that it'll be a while until Amazon gets another shipment. I basically had to force myself and buy it quickly before I changed my mind. I did the same thing when I bought my GH1. I jokingly called an authorized retailer in July asking them if they had any in stock and I panicked when the guy said their was one left. I told him I'll have to call back and think things over. Several minutes later I called, told the guy to save it and went straight to the store on the same day before it closed.

Anyway their are things about the lens that I wish was better like OIS and better manual focusing but there's a reason that lens been very hard to get. It auto-focuses in the video, it's very sharp and it's so compact that it makes the GH1 look like a point and shoot camera.
 
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Psynema said:
still eatin' the cheese tuna pasta etc.?

How many GH1s do you shoot with? 2-3?
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What's up dude! (Sorry for the delayed reply...my internet connection is sporadic at best right now...I'm dropping Comcast tomorrow for good!)

Business is better now....I gave up the Cheesy Tuna Pasta and now feast on $1 Banquet TV dinners. It's a little extravagant, but I'm worth it.

I'm shooting with just one GH1 right now, with a cheap native 1920x1080/24p panasonic palmcorder for backup (it doesn't even require pulldown). I'd like to get a second GH1 for backup, since I also use the GH1 for my personal video and photography and am risking breaking/losing the GH1, but am holding out for a "GH2"...as if that will surface on the market in the next 24 months. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

But yeah, I love the 20mm f1.7. For personal video/photo or wedding video work, I hardly take the thing off the camera anymore! For non-wedding stuff, I use a FaderND (62mm) with a generic metal lens hood attached to it. Works awesome!
 
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