what lens to choose? pany or sigma or Rokinon?

[anatusa]

hello

i would like to ask if any one of you were able to compare or use some of these lenses , or maybe even all of them?

I am looking at these 4 fellows : pany m4/3 25mm f/1.4, or pany 4/3 25mm f/1.4 , or sigma 4/3 30mm f/1.4, or Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 Wide-Angle US UMC Aspherical Lens for Olympus 4/3

also does any one of u know what is the deal between two 25mm panasonic lenses 4/3 and m4/3, why 4/3 version coast almost as twice as m4/3, is it any better?

from what i understood the good thing about pany is that its very sharp lenses... is its true, i hope i dont have to step down to f/2 to be able to use it

and in case if some one used electronic ff like bebob or manfrotto plz let us know how good or bad it was?


also as we are talking about lenses - i would like to as about 2 more 4/3 Sigmas :
- Sigma EX DG APO Macro II 70-200 mm F/2.8
- sigma 18-50mm F2.8 EX DC Macro Lens

does they worth consideration? how good 4/3 sigmas on holding the focus when zooming? same question about bebob controller in case if anyone tried it with them.?
any noisy clicks when working with them?
also if compare sigma 18-50 to oly 14-54, what is your opinion?

oh and 1 more thing when u changing focus on 4/3 sigmas does it adjust zoom a little like pany on oly do? really hate it if say true!

 

[Lpowell]

I've used all of the above lenses on the GH2, except for the Micro 4/3 25mm f1.4. Here are my observations:

Rokinon 35mm f1.4 - Nikon mount
Pro: Fixed lens barrel, nice bokeh, manual aperture ring, hard stops on focus ring, sharp at f1.4.
Con: No auto-focus, noticeable focus breathing.

Sigma 30mm f1.4 - Four Thirds mount
Pro: Fixed lens barrel, nice bokeh, minimal focus breathing.
Con: Soft at f1.4, slow auto-focus, no aperture ring, no hard stops on focus ring.

Panasonic/Leica 25mm f1.4 - Four Thirds mount
Pro: Fixed lens barrel, nice bokeh, manual aperture ring, fast auto-focus, very sharp at f1.4.
Con: Moderate focus breathing, no hard stops on focus ring.

Which lens is best depends on your shooting style. If you want to use a follow focus, the Rokinon has the best ergonomics but the most noticeable focus breathing. If you're looking for fast auto-focus in low light for ENG-style shooting the Leica is superb. If you can't tolerate focus breathing the Sigma is nearly perfect.

I acquired the Leica most recently and it's become one of my favorite run-and-gun lenses. It is the only available auto-focus prime that comes with a manual aperture ring. Its auto-focusing ability in low light is phenomenal and it focuses nearly as fast as a native Micro 4/3 lens. It's also one of the sharpest lenses I've seen at f1.4.

I keep the Rokinon mounted on a 15mm rails shoulder rig, outfitted with a traditional follow focus and matte box. It feels so great with its totally manual responsiveness that I can forgive it for a bit of focus breathing. The Rokinon 85mm f1.4 is just as sweet and barely breathes at all.

I sold off the Sigma after getting the Leica. It's a good compromise solution but not really sharp at f1.4.

 

[anatusa]

hey! thank you for the detailed info especially about the Rokinon !

but could u tell plz how noisy the lenses u told about are? if u change aperture on a go will it clicks or something ? does the fucus rings makes any sounds? i have now oly14-54 version I (version I not II)- and focus ring is terribly noisy!!!!

i wonder if anyone had any experience yet with other 2 sigmas i listed?
and how any of the listed lenses (excluding Rokinon ) react with remote FF like bebob or manfrotto

regards

 

[Turbodog]

hello

i would like to ask if any one of you were able to compare or use some of these lenses , or maybe even all of them?

I am looking at these 4 fellows : pany m4/3 25mm f/1.4, or pany 4/3 25mm f/1.4 , or sigma 4/3 30mm f/1.4, or Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 Wide-Angle US UMC Aspherical Lens for Olympus 4/3

also does any one of u know what is the deal between two 25mm panasonic lenses 4/3 and m4/3, why 4/3 version coast almost as twice as m4/3, is it any better?

from what i understood the good thing about pany is that its very sharp lenses... is its true, i hope i dont have to step down to f/2 to be able to use it

and in case if some one used electronic ff like bebob or manfrotto plz let us know how good or bad it was?


also as we are talking about lenses - i would like to as about 2 more 4/3 Sigmas :
- Sigma EX DG APO Macro II 70-200 mm F/2.8
- sigma 18-50mm F2.8 EX DC Macro Lens

does they worth consideration? how good 4/3 sigmas on holding the focus when zooming? same question about bebob controller in case if anyone tried it with them.?
any noisy clicks when working with them?
also if compare sigma 18-50 to oly 14-54, what is your opinion?

oh and 1 more thing when u changing focus on 4/3 sigmas does it adjust zoom a little like pany on oly do? really hate it if say true!

I have the Panasonic micro 4/3 25mm f/1.4 and it's my favorite lens in the native micro 4/3 format. There would be no reason to get the larger, more expensive 4/3 version. That was designed for 4/3 cameras with a mirror and prism box, requires an expensive 4/3 to micro 4/3 adapter, and is less compatible. Get the micro 4/3 version deigned for your camera! The colors are brilliant, excellent image quality wide open. Love it.

I don't have the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 4/3 mount but I do have it for the Canon EF-S mount. It works very well on the AF100 / GH2 with a cheap adapter but focus is manual and there is no aperture control. I got an adapter with built-in aperture on eBay for around $60. Again, you would need the more expensive 4/3 to micro 4/3 adapter. Get the micro 4/3 25mm, it's pretty close, not sure if you would need both.

I don't have experience with the other Sigma 4/3 lenses you mentioned but I'm not sure why you're considering those. They don't provide much usefulness on micro 4/3 for video because you give up autofocus and yes iF YOU USE AUTO IRIS YOU WILL ALWAYS HEAR CLICKING AND SEE THE STEP-WISE EXPOSURE CHANGE -- THAT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH ALL THESE LENSES ON THE AF100. That's why no one uses auto iris. Even with manual iris, you hear the clicking and see the light change. It sucks but there is no step-less iris control on lenses made for this mount! The only benefit you get is auto focus, but most filmmakers adapt other lenses that have better manual focus and manual iris control.

4/3 and micro 4/3 lenses kind of suck on this camera due to this issue. Here is AF100 lens compatibility list anyway:

http://pro-av.panasonic.net/en/af100/lens_compatibility.html

I'm using B4 video lenses with an adapter. They are 1. parfocal, which means they maintain focus while zooming; 2. they have a stepless iris; and 3. they have a fixed aperture across the entire zoom range. I have a number of them for sale along with the adapters if you're interested. You can also power the zoom on them, Here is a picture of my rig, I have a battery in the bag and a Hirose cable to power the zoom servo:

 

[anatusa]

I have the Panasonic micro 4/3 25mm f/1.4 and it's my favorite lens in the native micro 4/3 format. There would be no reason to get the larger, more expensive 4/3 version. That was designed for 4/3 cameras with a mirror and prism box, requires an expensive 4/3 to micro 4/3 adapter, and is less compatible. Get the micro 4/3 version deigned for your camera! The colors are brilliant, excellent image quality wide open. Love it.

wait u saying that you are using Pany 25mm m4/3 on your AF100 and it does have Auto Focus? are u sure? and is it fast?

i did not find anywhere a review yet where its confirmed!

no i am not interested in b4 for now, as i really dont know what to use it for .... plus it will take away some f stops as i understood , but i need something for low light

regards