GH4 suggestions , gh4 accessories?

Lindquist

Lindquist

Veteran
So I should have enough to get my gh4 and some goods this next week, Ill have between $2500-2700ish.. what accessories do you guys recommend? I already have my gh2's 14-140mm and 7.5mm fisheye, 16gb sandisk extreme 95mbs/64gb sandisk pro 80mbs cards, + filters.

this is what im looking at,

Gh4 - $1700
Olympus M. Zuiko Digital 25mm f/1.8 - $400
ez handle v2 - $300 (http://www.eazydolly.com/)
2 batterie's - $120

thanks for any advice.
 
Doesn't look like you can hang much off the ez handle v2, I went for the Varavon cage which is custom designed for the G4 plus a bunch of bits and pieces from CoolCD to allow me to add the sound recorder, marantz 661, plus mic receivers etc. The CoolCD bits give me the rod mountings for the follow focus and 3 x 3 mattebox. Where lenses are concerned it's very personal, currently I have the olympus 14-40 and 60 macro, I also have my beautiful 105 f2.8 micro nikkor plus extension tube which gives me effectively a 200mm macro lens, images are amazing, then I am hanging onto my 80-400 nikkor and this monster needs the lens support off the rails, but again well worth it... 160-800mm insane! and for what I do, perfect with the voightlander m43 adapter. Thinking about a m4/3 speed booster as an alternative.

So yep, it's coming together slowly, need to fill the optical gap though, olympus 35-100 or maybe the panasonic, not sure yet.

Overall a lot of mind work and sleepless nights chewing things over, but getting comfortable with the results
 
I got me,
Two GH4
Simga 18-35
Metabone speed booster
Honu Cage Kit
MustHD M701
Nyrius ARIES
 
ya well only thing id need atm is a rode video mic pro and thosea re goin from 80-$150 on craigslist not to worried bout that right now.
Plus the audio from the gh4 seems better than my gh2.
 
I'd skip the W717 - I had it, and had to get rid of it, as the fluid head deteriorated within a few months and started getting sticky and squeaky. I then bought the Benro S6 (since then they've come up with S8 and S10) - a bit more money, but so, so, so much better. Mostly however, the problem is that the W717 is just not usable and not reliable... it'll work OK-ish for some time, and then collapse... a waste of money. As to the cage, the Honu Cage Kit is very nice and has more accessory access options than that ez handle - plus, according to cheesycam, they are coming out with a new version in a few weeks, and I'd just wait for that. Lenses are a whole different topic, unfortunately, can't be done for little money... personally I have the panny 12-35 which is OK-ish as a first lens, but much more money than what you're looking at... ultimately, I'm going to spring for a SpeedBooster as that really opens up your options for a one-time investment.
 
OldCorpse said:
As to the cage, the Honu Cage Kit is very nice and has more accessory access options than that ez handle - plus, according to cheesycam, they are coming out with a new version in a few weeks, and I'd just wait for that.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Can't wait to see what they come up with. And wonder why so many other cage manufacturers seem to be dragging their feet.

FYI here Fhugen's tweet about their next cage:

fhugen (@fhugen) tweeted at 5:52pm - 9 Jun 14:

"@Rabelista Sorry for the delay, the Cage is currently being redesigned and will be available within 1-2 weeks. thank you for your patience."
 
Plus, if you consider that the Honu is like $150, that's half the price of the ez and almost half the varavon. That's a bargain - hopefully they don't hike the price on the redesign.
 
+1 on extra batteries. I got a couple of OEM batteries off eBay for $20 and they last as long as the original battery and report status to camera. I just ordered 4 more. I don't expect to use more than two per shoot per day, but you never know...

I also got a couple of OEM battery chargers.

Next to the camera and a good lens, my two most important pieces of gear are a good sturdy tripod and an audio recorder. I personally use the Tascam DR-60D, but I also loved the Zoom H4n.
 
Just got a new GH4.
I intend to shot primarly 4k video.
However, I intend to shoot stills too, of course.
What is a good L-plate? Are there any?
The RRS one doesn't allow full movement of the LCD, so I've read.
 
Not sure if there is a perfect solution, all cages I have encountered seem to have limitations. I ditched the Varavon a while ago as I found it seriously limited the access to some of the buttons, ISO, WB etc and I am now using the Skier Lite Cage. It is a half cage design to has both top and bottom mounting. First limitation here is the flash which won't open plus it uses the hot shoe for the top mount. Screen access is very good provided you are not an HDMI feed, in which case the clamp system (which is also very secure) limits screen rotation, but this pretty much applies to any cage with an HDMI cable clamp.

Since I shoot video 95% of the time, I don't find this a concern, I also have an Alphatron which I use for critical viewing and this often loops through to a 7" screen for the director, so most viewing situations are covered.

The Skier provides a bunch of mounting points so I have top rods, two mic receiver mounts (I now have the new Rode 2.4Ghz systems which are awesome), one on the cage and one on the handle courtesy of a little CoolLCD mount, plus Nato mount for the Alphatron and still have 13 x 1/4" holes left over, excluding the handle holes which add a heap more.

So far the Skier Lite is the best I have found for what I do, there may be others out there, but after a lot of trial and error in the early days, this ticks most of the boxes.

As for lenses for 4K, Olympus Pro... have the 12-40 2.8 and the 40-150 2.8, optics are insanely good, plus they have full mechanical focus, I also have the Oly 75mm and 60mm micro, then 8mm and 7-14mm Lumix so can cover virtually everything from tiny to 800mm when I include my big Nikkor zoom.
 
I just invested in Panasonic in August to shoot music events in 4k. Prior to that I had Nikon, Canon, and Sony. I already have a pretty full set of audio equipment, 3 tripods, Red Rock, Zacuto, etc.

I bought a GH4 body and a G7 with the 14-42 II kit lens for about $1,650 total. I added a Panasonic 12-35 2.8 and 35-100 2.8 for about $650 each used. I bought the Panasonic zooms instead of the Olympus in anticipation of the GH5 having the dual system stabilization that the GX8 has.

I have the 2 video cameras running, each on a tripod, for 1.5 hour events. My total incremental investment was about $3,000. I am also running 2 DSLR stills cameras at the same events, so 4 cameras total.

With winter coming and more indoor events, I will probably add a Metabones Speedbooster and a Sigma 18-35 1.8 in a Canon mount to my pretty full Canon lens kit.

My goal was/is to just adapt Canon to Sony/ Panasonic/ Samsung/ etc. in the future as much as possible. I am tired of spending so much on proprietary lens kits for every different manufacturer. And I need to whittle my kit down to just 2 systems if I can, the 4 different menu and control systems are driving me crazy.

Except I really like my Nikon D750 for low light stills. But I also love my Canon 24-70 2.8 II and 70-200 2.8 II lenses, and can't bear to sell those. I am really struggling, but minimizing the problem by limiting my Nikon lens kit to the Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR II, plus 2 other $300 lenses. But I really want to sell that $1,800 Nikon zoom! ;(

Anyway, good luck with the GH4 kit.
 
I understand you dilemma and your need for rationalisation. May be slightly easier when one sees a number of video cameras now being set up for Canon glass.

I made the decision to go M43 as opposed to full fame as it offered a bit more latitude with depth of field which I find useful for wildlife work as well as corporate work where people are not used to 'hitting their marks'. It was then a decision of the best glass and the need for manual focus override was paramount. I had the Lumix Leica 14-150 which though a great lens with an awesome range is no match for the 12-40 and 40-150 Olympus pro for what I do. I do still retain my Nikkor 80-400 plus the 105 f2.8 micro which are also superb optically. Having the equivalent of 800mm on 4K is something else!

Good luck with the rationalisation.
 
Thank you HughS! I really appreciate your comments. :)

The great adaptability of the Canon glass is exactly what is driving my thinking now. It seems like the perfect, fully electronic glass to adapt to most systems, for both stills and video. For stills especially, the auto focus capability of the newer adapters with Canon glass is a big plus, or will be as it keeps improving. I also like the ability to internally control the aperture from the body like a native lens.

I guess it is just a matter of becoming more familiar with the capabilities of MFT and learning to trust it. Adapting teh canon glass also let me keep and use my $350 Sony A600 body and a $100 adapter, while selling off the about $2,500 worth of Sony glass, plus the A7II.

Your comment on depth of field make a lot of sense for my situation too. I have about 20-25 performers on stage o cover, often stacked 3 deep. And I can't always choose the best location- which is why I have always needed the 2.8 zooms instead of primes too.

+++

I appreciate the comment on wildlife photography, and the 80-400 too! I will be going down to Florida on December 1 to do wildlife stills & video for a good part of the winter. I will be in teh Cape Coral/Fort Myers/ Sanible area on teh Gulf, and travingl back here to Michiogan every few weeks for teh events.

I still need to decide on a long stills lens, which I will also adapt to the GH4/G7. I am really looking forward to the 2x (+-) multiplier for both stills and video! :)

I have been looking at the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary. Or the Canon 100-400 (version I or II), which is very similar to the 80-400. I already have both Canon extenders, 1.4x and 2x, that I sue on the 70-200 2.8 II. I used a Sigma 120-300 2.8 Sport last year. It was a beautiful lens, but it is a little too big and heavy with my physical limitations, even on a tripod + gimbal. (I have bad disks in my neck, and a torn right shoulder. I am partially retired, I used to have a small studio here in Michigan.)

+++

My apologies to the original poster, I don't mean to hijack your thread! I shouldn't post when I am so tired. I wanted to limit my comments to your own situation a bit more, but this decisioon making process has been driving me crazy. Hopefully teh discussion is of some use to you longer term.

Thanks!:)
Michael
 
One thing I find with a number of shooters is they fall into a trap thinking that all glass is the same. Each manufacturer has their own glass "recipe" and their own coatings. For many situations when shooting landscapes and possibly wildlife, but when shooting 'heads' it becomes more critical.

Old school DoPs have preferences for the type of lens, the Cooke vs Zeiss vs Leica vs Fujinon argument,. This is why I have settled for Olympus Pro Glass, my main M4/3 zooms being the 12-40 and 40-150. When Shooting corporates, I know if I change lenses, the characteristics offered won't vary and I can rely on the image... If it's soft for example, I know it's me not the lens!!

If your primary lenses are the f/2.8 Canons, which are superb lenses, my 2 cent's worth would be stick to Canon glass, then work with high quality adapters for the different cameras. You will introduce a predictability and a higher level of control into your image generation that you will come to not only rely on, but be comfortable with.
 
HughS said:
If your primary lenses are the f/2.8 Canons, which are superb lenses, my 2 cent's worth would be stick to Canon glass, then work with high quality adapters for the different cameras. You will introduce a predictability and a higher level of control into your image generation that you will come to not only rely on, but be comfortable with.
Click to expand...

That is a great point, thank you!

I have used the Canon 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8, versions I and II, for about 12 years now. I trust them both shooting in low light, where I am almost always wide open at ISO 3200 to 6400 for stills. I love the look of them both. The 24-70 2.8 was almost the only lens I used when I was in the studio. I actually held on to them for parts of a couple of years when I didn't have a Canon body, because I loved the glass so well.

+++

There is a lot to learn with each new camera and system. Often that means looking at a lot of images, over many months, to really know what the lenses, sensor, ISO settings, etc. can do in any given situation.

I do both stills and video, so I bought the Panasonic 12-35 2.8 and 35-100 2.8 right away to have fast, native autofocus lenses when I needed them. I was a bit surprised at the look of the 12-35 2.8 last week when I looked at some video I shot in lower light. Today I was "playing" with it wide open at 2.8, and the image didn't look critically sharp in the viewfinder. So I need to do more testing, both to learn the characteristics of lens, and to be sure that it is properly calibrated.

+++

Sometimes I think "I don't need to post that question, I'll just figure it out myself." This is a good reminder of why it is worthwhile to get a variety of responses and perspectives when working through these decisions. Especially instead of just letting money drive the decision. :)

Cheers, thanks again HughS. Excellent observations.

Michael
 
One of the overall best additions I made to the GH4 was a SpeedBooster. It puts the GH4 into S35 territory and gives the camera an extra stop of exposure.
 
Which Speedbooster would you recommend for someone who will be doing both stills and video? The .71x or the x.64x?

I guess the .64x vignettes a bit in some modes, and is customized to the GH4 4K crop. So it would even crop a bit in 1080?

I guess it is time for me to order one! I am looking forward to testing the Canon glass and the Speedbooster now. I had been thinking more in terms of "just an adapter." Now I'm eager to see the difference between the look of the Canon and the Panasoic lenses.

Thanks so so much for sharing!
 
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