SLR Magic 12mm Good or just average?

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Fly-catchers

Active member
Over here in the UK where prices are often a bit of a rip-off it plays a part as to whether a piece of equipment is good value or not! I picked up a nearly new Voigtlander Nokton 25 mm F/0.95 for £500/ $780 and I am very happy with it. Now I am thinking of the SLR Magic 12mm F1.6. This is priced at between £400/ $624 to £500/ $780 depending on whether it comes from Ebay or Amazon. I have read a few mixed reviews on this lens but some of the results on vimeo have looked good. Is it worth the amount I am likely to have to pay?
 
I am considering buying the SLR Magic as well. From what I have read/seen (I haven't actually used the lens yet) it seems to be amazing. Andrew Reid at eoshd.com says it is a must-have for any gh2 shooter. And I mean...just look at it... a fast, wide, reasonably priced prime? Sounds gooooood to me!
 
I actually own & love the SLR Magic 12mm 1.6 very much. Here's the latest vid I shot exclusively with that lens.

 
Is it worth upgrading from the Lumix 14mm f/2.5 or skip this one and go straight to the Voigtlander 17mm f/0.95?
 
Awesome lens for the price. I've had mine for about 8 months now. It's great for handheld as well as close-quarters shooting.
 
I have one. It's pretty sharp. The build quality is just OK. I like it for wide stabilizer shots because my other wide is a big 'ol Oly. I think it's good for the money.
 
drewski310 said:
Awesome lens for the price. I've had mine for about 8 months now. It's great for handheld as well as close-quarters shooting.
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Nice video Drew. Did you work out what caused the "pulsing" of the whites? Is it the effect of the rolling shutter? Did you film it using the EVF or LCD screen?
 
Great lens at a great price if you can find it. The voigtlander 17.5mm is in a completely different price range as is the Oly 12mm f2 which also has a much colder look to my eye(Not a bad thing, just doesn't match to my FD's as well as the slr). The 14mm panny is slower, less wide and has the rubber focus wheel but is about half the cost. It really depends on what is wide/fast/cost effective enough for you and the look your going for. Heck, I think the most unloved wide in the m43 format is the panny 7-14mm because of it's speed but as an overall performer is a lens that rivals (And more often than not beats) the other lenses in question. Just my 2 cents-Adam
 
Fly-catchers said:
Nice video Drew. Did you work out what caused the "pulsing" of the whites? Is it the effect of the rolling shutter? Did you film it using the EVF or LCD screen?
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Thanks Fly-catchers. The pulsing I think is just a combination of shutter speed and filming a high-contrast pattern while moving. I haven't seen it since. Filmed with the LCD screen.

goetzpd said:
There are farms in LA?
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The LA Farmers Market has been around since the 30s and has managed to keep quite a bit of its original charm. And yes you can still find some small farms in the area.
 
Ok well ive considered this lens until i heard that it vignettes at 1.6-2.8. So really what would be the point if you have to shoot at 2.8 and above. Wouldn't the tokina be the more natural choice?
 
Just received SLR Magic 12mm lens today and it is fantastic. Perfect wide FOV, smooth long focus, step less aperture and sharp. Focus ring might be too close to the body for some follow focus units but I think its doable. I will try with mine when I get a chance. Fast lens so low light is doable without upping iso too far.
 
HDkilledFILM. said:
Heck, I think the most unloved wide in the m43 format is the panny 7-14mm because of it's speed but as an overall performer is a lens that rivals (And more often than not beats) the other lenses in question.
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Unloved? Unloved by who -- I frickin' love that lens, it's probably my favorite lens in my kit! :thumbsup:
 
blake2404 said:
Ok well ive considered this lens until i heard that it vignettes at 1.6-2.8. So really what would be the point if you have to shoot at 2.8 and above. Wouldn't the tokina be the more natural choice?
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Just checked, and I can't see any vignetting at all, shooting into the sky and doing a sweep from F1.6 to F11.
 
drewski310 said:
Just checked, and I can't see any vignetting at all, shooting into the sky and doing a sweep from F1.6 to F11.
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LOL, i'm going on reports.....hmmmmmm. Makes me curious. Any chance you could post a quick lil test at 1.6? People have reported vignetting. I've seen some examples of it. I suspect it could possibly due to the initial models they shipped and maybe fixed the issue.....and you got one of the lenses they fixed?
 
The lens has 58mm threads on the front but you need to put a 77mm or larger filter on it to avoid vignetting. People have put too small filters on and gotten vignetting. I just got the lens and have been playing with 1.6 all the time, its the main reason i got the lens and I can see no vignetting. There are youtube videos if you need.
 
mico said:
The lens has 58mm threads on the front but you need to put a 77mm or larger filter on it to avoid vignetting. People have put too small filters on and gotten vignetting. I just got the lens and have been playing with 1.6 all the time, its the main reason i got the lens and I can see no vignetting. There are youtube videos if you need.
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fair enough.....i have seen some indoor footage with darkness in the corners, i was told no filters were used. Theoretically some footage could be cropped in post without telling the viewer. But i shouldnt be all that suspicious its just ive been told on a couple occasions by owners of that lens that on the gh2 that it vignettes wide open..........some footage was very hard to distinguish, but its there none the less. Of course, again this could be due to earlier versions of the lens, i'm not saying yours does. Fact is there isn't exactly an abundance of footage out there.

Otherwise, picture quality is great. Nice bokeh, contrast and color is nice and neutral which would be great for me as i am looking into leica r primes and the color although a touch warm seems neutral enough to match up.
 
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