Prime lenses needed?

RichW

Active member
What is the difference between a GH1 with and without using primes?
Is it major? Are prime lenses required in order to get the "fIlm look"?
thanks
 
The GH1 stock lens is quite slow - so a lot of people are investing in primes for their speed (sensitivity to light). Look for f2.8 or better lenses and you'll see the benefit.
 
Coming from a film/video background... When I shot film we shot primes and zooms. I wasn't as knowledgeable or skilled then as I am now and didn't realize the difference primes make. With video I've always shot with zooms in the past. Now that I have primes for my GH1, I'll probably never shoot with a zoom ever again (unless it's demanded for some odd reason).

With the stuff I've shot so far with the GH1 I've gotten the most compliments on my DP work and shooting than anything in the past (mostly HVX200 without an adapter). And everyone is astonished when they're told it was a $1500 camera with $3000 (3 Zeiss primes) in lenses. They're even more astonished when I pull out the camera and show it to them. Lenses make a world of difference.

So... primes... needed? No. Desired? An emphatic YES!
 
wish I could afford some primes. So far I am already happy with my Nikon glass which is fast and the bokeh is excellent! And yes: Glas makes all the difference. If only this AVCHD wasnt so cumbersome to work with...
 
Primes

Primes

"a $1500 camera with $3000 (3 Zeiss primes) in lenses"

May I ask, which primes are these? What would you recommend if I could afford to spend a few $ thousand? (Or less)

Thanks
 
I have Zeiss ZF primes. 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm. I'm still looking for deals on 21mm, 28mm, and 100mm to round out the set.

I should point out that $3K is Zeiss pricing and you can find them for a lot less new and used.
 
wish I could afford some primes. So far I am already happy with my Nikon glass which is fast and the bokeh is excellent!

So you already have some Nikon primes, what's to worry about?

I managed to get a Canon FD prime set of 20mm f/2.8, 28mm f/2.0, 35mm f/2.0, 50mm f/1.4 and 100mm f/2.8 for less than $1100 in second hand shops here in Sweden, prices looks less than that in US when checking on eBay. Only thing I miss is a 85mm and the 20mm is very old and give a softer look than the others so I'm looking for one more of those.
 
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