Suggestions for a lens to put on my GH1 body

Z

zorkiii

Member
I'm writing to get some opinions on a good general purpose lens to put on my GH1.

I've read through some of the tutorials, one that stated this
Lenses.

On GH1 you can mount almost every lens ever made if converter exists.
Most undervalued lenses came in Minolta MC, Olympus OM and Canon FD mounts (as they are not actual anymore).
Pentax is top in the price, generally, as you can mount very old lenses even on latest bodies, including low end.
So... I suggest to select two mounts and buy converter for each of your lenses.
Two mounts just allow you to save money and widen lens selection.
Small problem. It is very hard to find all necessary manual wide lenses for GH1 (2x crop). Most of manual lenses start at 28mm, 24 price is bigger and 20mm is even more pricey (and it is just 40mm normal lens on GH1).
So... If you want to go primes my current personal suggestion is:

  • 28mm Vivitar F2.0 28x FD ($100),
  • [ 14mm Samyang F2.8 Pentax ($380) moved to reserve to fact that it is very good and very sharp, but generally require video processing due some distortion present. ]
  • 50mm SMC-M 1.7 Pentax ($60) or 50mm Canon F1.4 ($70),
  • 85mm Samyang F1.4 Pentax ($270).
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However, I am wondering if any of you here might have a few recommendations on some good lenses for me to consider, based on your experience or opinion.

I do not plan on doing much zooming at all, primarily shooting some videos for a band project, and could probably use a fixed lens that gets in a normal/decent amount of area.

Should I stick with some 50mm lenses, or go a little smaller? I'm just getting back in to photography, and could use a few tips on a lens or two to consider. Thanks in advance for any replies.
 
Also thinking of getting a Canon FD 50mm 1.4 lens for a general purpose. Anyone think this is a good choice?
 
I would get a new Nikon f1.8 50mm first. Great quality and cheap. Get the 1.4 if you have the cash. My FD's are hit and miss but the new Nikon is going to be quality out of the box.

The vignette is always there in the pentax. Wide open it is soft. Stopped down it is sharp so you may want to try to find some sort of ND for it. I use it mostly for stills and lower light. I use it wide open as much as I can.
 
What would you say is the main difference between the two? I've only used Canon lenses since those are the only camera's I've owned. I have no experience with Nikon gear.
 
zorkiii said:
What would you say is the main difference between the two? I've only used Canon lenses since those are the only camera's I've owned. I have no experience with Nikon gear.
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The nice thing about nikon glass is that you can mount it to newer canons with a simple adapter as well as nikon cameras and m4/3rds. The FDs though there are great FD's out they are basically only glass for your m43rds. The benefit to the FD's are that they are relatively cheap since their applications are limited. The 50 1.4 FD is around the same price as a new Nikon 1.8 so I think it is a bit of a push. I have a 55 FL 1.2 and it is pretty soft wide open so I have to stop it down anyway. I don't know about the 50 1.4FD if you can use it wide open and it is acceptably sharp then for $100 its a good deal.

I just think that if you are spending serious money on glass Nikon makes more sense since it can be used on more cameras. But because of that you won't get the deals that you would get on the FD's.

pentax 25mm 1.4 - Best $100 I have ever spent.

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From Joho:
I love the 50 1.4 on the GH1. It is the lens which is now permanently mounted on my GH1(3). I actually prefer it over the 14-140. Another great one is the Canon FD 85mm 1.8. I used it here: www.vimeo.com/22386439
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Thanks for your opinion, also I like your video! Looks super sharp, nice job.

From tommyp:
I just think that if you are spending serious money on glass Nikon makes more sense since it can be used on more cameras. But because of that you won't get the deals that you would get on the FD's.
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Thanks for your input and photos, so you feel the new Nikon 50mm lenses are better than the older Nikon or the older Canon 50mm FD's?

What's the price range of a used or new Nikon 50mm lens? I'm seeing some mint 50mm Canon FD 1.4's for about $60 - $100 in the completed auctions on eBay.
 
The ones I use most often are the Panny 20mm, the Rokkor 50mm 1.4, The Vivitar 55mm macro (this lens is so cool) the Vivitar 90mm 2.5 macro, the Vivitar 28mm "Close Focus" (must say close focus, hard to find), the Sigma 24mm ultra wide ii.
Remember, for video, color and the intangibles like bokeh, edge transitions, etc are just as important as sharpness.
 
Thanks you guys, excited to get the 50mm 1.4, just ordered one. I have a 20mm that has a dented front where the filter screws on (I dropped it, clumsy me), I don't think I can repair it, I used to love that lens!

I see a lot of people saying the ceico7 adapter is the best, however I don't see him selling it on eBay at the moment. Will most of the adapters work okay?
 
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