Panasonic GH4/m4/3 owners whatup?

[DopeNZ]

Good day m4/3ers of M&A. I just converted from longtime canon (550,7,5) to a GH4, and in that stage of familiarising myself with this new thing. Interested to know a few things:

What UWAs go people use on these damn 2x crops?! (I just bought a speedbooster because seems like im pouring my money out spending mad coin on non-FF glass)

Then in saying that, i will shoot every other focal length on the speedbooster because committing to m4/3 specific glass seems criminal (When i can grab some old FF or rokinon stuff for relatively cheap)

I have a few ENG lenses i hope to adapt for use at the long end (and hopefully a nice run and gun rig) so should make for some interesting experimentation.

Im intrigued at the "Image App" wifi app for monitoring on my brushless gimbal, Is there a way to make the live view full screen so as i can see a 4" image on an iPhone 5 rather than that shitty wee 1.5" square in the corner? (Just for monitoring and changing settings, not pulling focus etc however, it doesnt seem THAT laggy for a wifi tether)

Also, general discussion!

 

[lIllI]

The nice thing about the 2x crop is that it allows you to use good lenses instead of shitty FF AF ones. Look at Canon FD, Nikkor, Pentax Takumar, the list goes on...

 

[eheath]

(I just bought a speedbooster because seems like im pouring my money out spending mad coin on non-FF glass)

FYI it doesn't make your gh4 FF FOV its more like a 1.5 or 1.6ish crop (correct me if im wrong, i thought that is what zac told me) with the speed booster.

 

[1337]

The nice thing about the 2x crop is that it allows you to use good lenses instead of shitty FF AF ones. Look at Canon FD, Nikkor, Pentax Takumar, the list goes on...

The nice thing about the m4/3 mount and short focal flange distance*

 

[RockNRollNghtClb]

There are a good amount of threads on this topic but I'm currently in a similar situation, I just can't decide between the oly 12mm f2 or the tokina 11-16

check out this thread discussing pretty much the exact same thing

https://www.newschoolers.com/forum/thread/733995/Shooting-wide-with-GH2-GH3

 

[eheath]

There are a good amount of threads on this topic but I'm currently in a similar situation, I just can't decide between the oly 12mm f2 or the tokina 11-16

I'd say go 11-16, more versatile not necessarily worth it for the 2/3 stop of light.

 

[plorr]

There are a good amount of threads on this topic but I'm currently in a similar situation, I just can't decide between the oly 12mm f2 or the tokina 11-16

check out this thread discussing pretty much the exact same thing

https://www.newschoolers.com/forum/thread/733995/Shooting-wide-with-GH2-GH3

I've owned both. I sold my 11-16 for the oly 12 f2 and returned it a couple days later and bought another Tokina. I would definitely go with the 11-16. It just renders a much more pleasing image IMO. I find the olympus primes to be very clinical looking, and the focus-by-wire drives me nuts. The Tokina is also much more versatile and future proof. Buy a nikon mount version and you never have to buy another UWA unless you go full frame. And the 2/3 stop of light is irrelevant if you have a speed booster.

 

[lIllI]

The nice thing about the m4/3 mount and short focal flange distance*

I know what I said you fagget.

 

[RockNRollNghtClb]

I've owned both. I sold my 11-16 for the oly 12 f2 and returned it a couple days later and bought another Tokina. I would definitely go with the 11-16. It just renders a much more pleasing image IMO. I find the olympus primes to be very clinical looking, and the focus-by-wire drives me nuts. The Tokina is also much more versatile and future proof. Buy a nikon mount version and you never have to buy another UWA unless you go full frame. And the 2/3 stop of light is irrelevant if you have a speed booster.

alright thanks for the info, and what is a speedbooster? Also what does the term "knee" mean and what is IQ?

And isn't the tokina full frame capable? Eheath and AJ use it on their fs' or is it because they have a speedbooster?

 

[lIllI]

alright thanks for the info, and what is a speedbooster? Also what does the term "knee" mean and what is IQ?

And isn't the tokina full frame capable? Eheath and AJ use it on their fs' or is it because they have a speedbooster?

Knee refers to the tonal curve's rolloff to highlights. Ever see digital footage where the transition from bright white to clipping (so overexposed that it is pure white with no detail) is very sudden? That is a sharp knee.

The "roller" on the right side of the graph is the knee. The "transition" at the bottom of the graph is called the toe, which is the same concept as the knee, only for shadows instead of highlights. A sharper curve means more contrast, while a more gradual curve means less contrast.

Here's a visual example showing a sharp v.s. soft knee (ignore differences in dynamic range):

Sharp knee:

Soft knee:

IQ = image quality

Sony fsX00 cameras use a super35 sensor, not full frame. Thus, the Tokina is not full frame capable unless you zoom in - to which focal length I can't remember. Maybe 16mm (someone else chime in on this)?

 

[lIllI]

I should exaggerate that the knee and toe are among the most important factors in achieving a pleasing image, one that camera manufacturers and bloggers always seem to ignore in favor of relatively pointless features like resolution, frame rate, etc.

Think of knee/toe as peripheral contrast. They dictate the contrast of the extremes of the tonal spectrum.

 

[DopeNZ]

FYI it doesn't make your gh4 FF FOV its more like a 1.5 or 1.6ish crop (correct me if im wrong, i thought that is what zac told me) with the speed booster.

I swear i have seen some 2x speedboosters (Not metabones branded ones)

I'd say go 11-16, more versatile not necessarily worth it for the 2/3 stop of light.

I have a canon 11-16, but aperture control is lacking. does the nikon version have aperture control or some shit that im missing cause i thought id looked down that route? Also are you suggesting an electronic adaptor somewhere cause thatd be helpful...

 

[nutz.]

I swear i have seen some 2x speedboosters (Not metabones branded ones)

I have a canon 11-16, but aperture control is lacking. does the nikon version have aperture control or some shit that im missing cause i thought id looked down that route? Also are you suggesting an electronic adaptor somewhere cause thatd be helpful...

Sorry for the threadjack, but out of curiousity, are there any speedboosters made for m4/3 to m4/3?

 

[plorr]

I have a canon 11-16, but aperture control is lacking. does the nikon version have aperture control or some shit that im missing cause i thought id looked down that route? Also are you suggesting an electronic adaptor somewhere cause thatd be helpful...

Unlike Canon lenses, Nikon mount lenses control aperture with a physical pin that is moved by the camera. So adapters can easily control aperture with a ring that moves this pin. There's not usually accurate f stop markings but that is easy to work around.

Sorry for the threadjack, but out of curiousity, are there any speedboosters made for m4/3 to m4/3?

No. A speedbooster is the opposite of a teleconverter. It uses optics to focus the larger image circle of full frame lenses down to a smaller image circle a little bigger than a m43 sensor. This has the effect of a wider field of view, and a brighter image.

So a m43 to m43 speedbooster would just cause some crazy vignetting because the image circle is already designed for a m43 sensor, unless it was made specifically for one of the blackmagic cameras with smaller sensors. Even so I don't think that would be possible because it would cause a change in flange distance.

 

[nutz.]

No. A speedbooster is the opposite of a teleconverter. It uses optics to focus the larger image circle of full frame lenses down to a smaller image circle a little bigger than a m43 sensor. This has the effect of a wider field of view, and a brighter image.

So a m43 to m43 speedbooster would just cause some crazy vignetting because the image circle is already designed for a m43 sensor, unless it was made specifically for one of the blackmagic cameras with smaller sensors. Even so I don't think that would be possible because it would cause a change in flange distance.

Ahhh okay that makes sense, thank you! I wish there was like a 7mm f/2.8 prime for m4/3 or something of the sort to combat that 2x crop factor.

 

[DopeNZ]

Unlike Canon lenses, Nikon mount lenses control aperture with a physical pin that is moved by the camera. So adapters can easily control aperture with a ring that moves this pin. There's not usually accurate f stop markings but that is easy to work around.

Oh yea, that pin. (damn you nikon for being useful...) might have to trade mine in and see if i can pick one up then!

 

[michael_bc]

Though rather WA than UWA, I'm a huge fan of the Olympus 12/2. It's sharper than the Tokina and the rendering is so much better.

If you are looking for something to replace a Tokina 11-16, definitely have a look at the Panasonic 7-14/4. For a GH4, this is probably the best UWA option hands down.

You could consider a four thirds adapter and any of the old four thirds ultra wides like the Olympus 7-14/4 or 11-22/2.8-3.5 but I don't think you'll get good bang-for-buck there.

 

[TaranItUp]

Hey guys, quick question. I am picking up a GH2 for the summer while I save some money for the GH4 and get used to the ergonomics of a GH camera. In the meantime I wan't to extend my lens collection. I found a GH2 in LA for sale with a Lumix 14mm f2.5 any thoughts on this lens? It is 650, which seems like a fairly good deal with the lens. I also found one in Santa Monica for sale with a 14-45mm and 45-200mm for $560. Those two lens's seem less appealing and I feel I would be better off getting the 14mm and investing in my own glass for higher focal ranges. Thoughts?

 

[lIllI]

You could consider a four thirds adapter and any of the old four thirds ultra wides like the Olympus 7-14/4

except that it doesn't have front filter threads, making it completely useless.

People underestimate how wide the Tokina is on MFT @ 11mm. It's freakishly wide. I have to zoom in to 14mm or else I'm too close to the skier when doing flying follow cams.

I found a GH2 in LA for sale with a Lumix 14mm f2.5 any thoughts on this lens? It is 650, which seems like a fairly good deal with the lens.

Not really. GH2s can be found for $400 on DVXuser, and that 14mm isn't a particularly expensive lens new. Unless you're going to get the 20mm 1.7, pick up some Canon FD or Nikkor primes. Kalum Ko is selling some GH2 stuff for a good price...

 

[TaranItUp]

Not really. GH2s can be found for $400 on DVXuser, and that 14mm isn't a particularly expensive lens new. Unless you're going to get the 20mm 1.7, pick up some Canon FD or Nikkor primes. Kalum Ko is selling some GH2 stuff for a good price...

I have been looking on DVX for awhile now, and haven't found anything for under 500 and all of those sell pretty quick. I am probably just going to go for it, p.hawks pointed out to me that I can get at least 140 for the pancake, and I am picking up the camera for 600, so not a bad deal if I sell the lens.