GH2 Stuttering Focus on Panasonic Leica Vario-Elmarit 14-50 2.8-3.5

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Neveraholiday

Member
I just received a new Leica Vario-Elmarit 14-50 2.8-3.5. It seems to be a nice lens, sharp and fast and would be great to shoot run and gun style with my gh2. Now I detected something strange, when focusing: The focus stutters when you slowly pull it manually. It gets stuck for a second, then jumps kind of in steps further on. That is unusable for video!

Does anybody experience the same? Is there some fix for it? Or is this only my lens doing this, being broken?

Thanks for any hint.
 
My copy of the Leicasonic focuses smoothly in manual mode, so it's possible that yours may be malfunctioning. However, this lens works best for preframed and prefocused shots. Like virtually all Lumix and Zuiko Digital lenses, it breathes noticeably while focusing, and zooming at wide apertures can make the iris flicker and the focus drift. Of all the auto-focus zooms available, I've found the Leicasonic the most suitable for run-and-gun, but on the GH2 I'd use it in AFS mode and avoid the zoom while shooting.
 
Thanks lpowel for the reply. I will contact the seller regarding this stuttering, as you tell me this is not normal behavior. With the breathing, I can live. But not with the stuttering. The zoom range is perfect 28-100mm equivalent. Apperture ring on the barrell is also handy. I don't zoom while shooting, and if, it is done so that the editor can cut it out, hence fast and precise with refocusing. Then I shoot on a minimal aperture of 3.5 so I don't get the steps of the closing aperture.

Hope I will get a smooth focus soon... Otherwise I will have to look for another lens.
 
I had the exact same issue and sice i bought it for cheap and use i could not get a refund. When with the olympus 14-54 and im more than pleased.

Ohh and there was simply no autofocus back then in video mode on the gh1.
 
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