Will Canon have a new dslr soon?

[FrameFarmMedia]

gutterball321 - Changing camera systems won't make a difference. Its the knowledge of how to achieve what you want that is missing. If all you are after is easy SDOF then buy a full frame camera and be done with it. Since it sounds like you are just starting out read everything you can to understand all of the elements that make up an image and how they interact as you change them. Knowledge is priceless!

I personally find FF too shallow and up until the A7s there wasn't enough ISO to stop down on moving subjects. S35 a nice sweet spot and that is what my GH4 with a speedbooster delivers.

 

[gutterball321]

gutterball321 - Changing camera systems won't make a difference. Its the knowledge of how to achieve what you want that is missing. If all you are after is easy SDOF then buy a full frame camera and be done with it. Since it sounds like you are just starting out read everything you can to understand all of the elements that make up an image and how they interact as you change them. Knowledge is priceless!

I personally find FF too shallow and up until the A7s there wasn't enough ISO to stop down on moving subjects. S35 a nice sweet spot and that is what my GH4 with a speedbooster delivers.

im not just starting out, i know all of what you guys have said and every thing you need to do to get shallow depth of field. The reason i haven't gotten a FF is because thats not ALL i need. But its something I'm trying to get better at with my gh4 and everyone says you can get the same look with the GH4 but not a single person can post an example

 

[TheDingo]

Well i thought 50mm was good for talking heads and thats what the 25mm comes out to on the GH4.

With the Full Frame 35mm format a 50mm lens is considered to be a "normal" lens, and gives you a wide-ish 46 degree angle of view. With a Micro 4/3 camera a 25mm lens would have the same 46 degree angle of view.

"Talking head" shots are usually shot like you would shoot a still photo portrait, so for a Full Frame 35mm format camera you would use an 85mm lens ( 28 degree angle of view ) or a 105mm lens ( 23 degree angle of view ), and with a Micro 4/3 camera you would use a 42.5mm lens or 50mm lens. This has that "blown out" background look, so your subject looks sharp while the background behind them quite blurred if they are at least 8-10 feet in front of it. "Faster" lenses with wider apertures let you get closer to the background and still blur it, but you have to be careful with your focus when the DOF is thin.

I also have a lot of interviews in a very small room so can't get too far back. And i don't need to crop, i use the 25mm as the wider straight on shot and a 45mm 1.8 olympus lens on the gh3 to get the close up angled shot to switch back and forth from.

Sorry, I did not realize that you were using the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 for the "talking head" shots, as I thought you were buying the Voightlander 25mm to get this look.

I have the same issues when shooting in small business offices, which is why I have the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI-S lens with the SpeedBooster ( 36mm f/1.0 ) which can still give you that soft background in smaller rooms when shooting a "chest and up" talking head shot.

The Voightlander 25mm f/0.95 helps in small rooms, but it's not long enough for that blurred background "head" shot. I owned the 25mm Voightlander when they first came out but sold it a year later because I've never really liked the "normal" angle of view when shooting stills or video. I always want to go a bit wider, like a 35mm lens on a FF camera ( 15mm or 17mm on a Micro 4/3 camera ) or tighter for the headshot with a 70mm or 85mm lens on a FF camera. ( 35mm / 42.5mm / 50mm lens on a Micro 4/3 camera )

 

[FrameFarmMedia]

im not just starting out, i know all of what you guys have said and every thing you need to do to get shallow depth of field. The reason i haven't gotten a FF is because thats not ALL i need. But its something I'm trying to get better at with my gh4 and everyone says you can get the same look with the GH4 but not a single person can post an example

If you need SDOF in tight spaces and can't control your subject location then get a FF camera. There is no way around it in that situation. FOV is one thing (like 25mm on M43 has same FOV as 50mm FF) but there is also lens characteristics and focal length effects SDOF just like sensor size or aperture does. I don't shoot a lot of these situations so the benefits of the GH4 outweigh the negatives for me. I was seriously considering the A7s which is a great camera but it has its own flaws. I personally might still get one as I find the GH4 and A7s excel at completely different things and can be very complimentary. There is no one tool to rule them all and its all a series of compromises in order to get each one to cover its weaknesses.

Yes you can get that same look. Yes it takes more work to do.

Can you post some examples of your work where you felt let down by the camera aesthetic and not the other elements that make a shot? I am curious to see what exactly you are looking for in your shots.

Either way switching to Canon APS-C will not solve your issue of SDOF in tight spaces. With my speedbooster I have the exact same crop factor and DOF with my lenses. The rest is up to me.

 

[Bassman2003]

im not just starting out, i know all of what you guys have said and every thing you need to do to get shallow depth of field. The reason i haven't gotten a FF is because thats not ALL i need. But its something I'm trying to get better at with my gh4 and everyone says you can get the same look with the GH4 but not a single person can post an example

If you do not want to switch to full frame and are not happy with the GH4 alone, then your only option is to add the speedbootster and split the difference. You are kind of splitting hairs here. The difference between a FF and APS-C is not that much and can be overcome with fast lenses. You should not need any examples for this sensor size as the wealth of cinema exists... Running a FF camera a f1.4 is verrry shallow and at telephoto ranges quite difficult to keep focus. That in many ways is not an answer either.

Since you are not just starting out, and know everything this thread has offered, what advice are you really seeking?

 

[c3hammer]

I will concur with TheDingo that you either want a wider 15-17mm or a 42.5-50mm lens on the GH4 in 4k mode. 25mm is no mans land for me as well and just not that appealing to my eye.

I have been shooting an Olympus m.zuiko 17mm f/1.8 and an Olympus OM 50mm f/1.4 with the new OM Speed Booster. Those two lenses are my bread and butter tools I always go to. The OM 50mm / Speed Booster combo is awesome in 4K at an 88mm f/0.994 equivalent. Similar look to the 42.5 f/1.2, but about $1200 less expensive

With that said, I also agree that it's very difficult to get that Canon look with the GH4. It's just a totally different beast. A much more versatile one for what I like to do, but if your bread and butter is corporate head shots, investing in a Canon body and an L lens or two might be well worth the expense just to project an image your clients perception want to see. Fulfilling your clients perceived image of professionalism can be as important or more important than the quality of the product delivered.

Cheers,
Pete

 

[FrameFarmMedia]

I will concur with TheDingo that you either want a wider 15-17mm or a 42.5-50mm lens on the GH4 in 4k mode.

My 2 fav lenses right now are the Sigma 18-35 1.8 w speed booster (fits into the wide range coming in 12.78 - 25mm) and the Pana/Leica 42.5 1.2. Both lenses are nice naturally sharp wide open and produce a great image for me.