I received an email recently from a member on Vimeo that his Lumix 12-35 mm F2.8 lens had a stability problem even when the image stabilization was off while shooting on a tripod. Here's a link to his video.
I decided to test my lens to see if it had the same problem. My lens has the 1.1 firmware. The following video is the test that I conducted with my GH3 and my GH2, plus a test of the Lumix 35-100.
GH2 with X 35-100mm
Yes, there is nirvana, twice. If you have following my site you would know that I have been very excited about two new lenses from Panasonic. The other one of them has been introduced and it is just now becoming available in the US. I had already purchased the the first one, the Panasonic Lumix X Vario 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH Power O.I.S. it has lived on my GH2 ever since. After seeing the new lens at the Kenmore Camera show last month, I waited to till it was available. Then out came my debit card and over a thousand and a half dollars later, I ordered it. Two days later it arrived but I was traveling for Thanksgiving so I had to wait till I got home! I am not disappointed! I have the brand spanking new wonder lens: the Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm F2.8 ASPH Power O.I.S. It has not been left off of my other GH2. That is one of the advantages of having two GH2's.
The New View
This is the most expensive lens I have bought including when I had Canon L lenses and my Lumix G X 12-35mm f2.8. I did not buy the Canon L EF 70-200 f2.8 because it was too expensive, large and heavy. I bought the Canon L EF 70-200 f4 IS because it was very sharp, smaller and lighter. It was used on my Canon 60D a lot. A truly wonderful lens. Like both of the Canon's, this lens has weather sealing and is made to a higher standard than their regular lenses. Panasonic choose to brand this lens as well with their upscale X designation. Unlike the Canons, this lens is much smaller and lighter. It will become one of the lenses that I always carry with me.
The Interview
This lens is the ideal interview lens for MicroFourThirds. The 12-35mm is a little short for interviews because the camera has to be closer than some people are comfortable. Being a video guy who likes to take stills, this lens fills a big gap for me. I have wanted a F2.8, O.I.S. tele lens for shooting video. O.I.S. really combats the shakes and helps eliminate rolling shutter. Being a zoom is a plus, or should I say variable prime.
Boy This Is Small
What we have here is a small, lightweight, fast, ruggedized O.I.S. telephoto zoom lens. On the my GH2 the lens seems to belong there but at the same time it seems small for a tele zoom. It is in diameter about the same as my Lumix 14-140 variable aperture zoom. The weight is about the same too. It fits nicely into my hands and the zoom does not extend when it is zoomed to 100mm with that magical F2.8 aperture. The main barrel seems like metal. The zoom feels very smooth. Smooth enough to shoot during movies. The lens's balance is very good.
Did I Say Sharp
What can we say, this lens is very sharp. Sharp in the center and sharp in the corners. There is very little chromatic aberration in the corners of the lens. Also there is the ability to separate your subject from the background because of the fast F2.8 aperture. On the tele end this is very easy.
Fast Focus
Autofocus is fast and silent on all my cameras. The manual focus ring feels like metal and is very responsive in manual mode. It takes some turning to change focus so I feel rack focusing while be easy. It is not fast like the cheaper lenses. Also if you zoom in and focus the lens seems to keep the focus as you zoom out.
One Stable Lens
With the GH2 I leave the O.I.S. on as this one of the reasons I bought the lens. It is Panasonic's new Power O.I.S. which is very effective while hand holding the camera. I like that Panasonic has put the O.I.S. switch on the barrel of the lens as I turn it on and off quite often. I turn it off on the EM-5 as that camera has internal image stabilization which is quit effective. They fight each other if both are turned on and it is easier to turn off the lens than going into the menus and turning off the camera's. The O.I.S. is needed more on this lens than it's shorter sibling.
Light Clicks
There is a clicking sound from the aperture even at the full F2.8 on the GH2 when not shooting movies but it goes away when shooting. What a relief. On the EM-5 there very little sound from the aperture. On my 14-140 the aperture changes while zooming and the video see variances of light as the zoom takes pace even when the lens is stopped down a aperture stop that is smaller than the smallest aperture on the telephoto side. This is why I wanted a constant aperture lens. If there is any change it is slight and is nothing to worry about.
Worth The Wait
I have to say it has been worth the wait. This lens will get a lot of use by me. Panasonic pulled out all the stops on this one as well. Is as good as we thought it might be? Yes! What more could we ask for? Some are saying the price is to high, but this is a “luxury” lens like the one from the other guys. Their's is much bigger, heavier and expensive. What we get for this expense is a lens that bring MicroFourThirds into the big leagues with it professionalism with a fast tele zoom.
When Panasonic showed the prototype of this lens they also showed a 12-35mm F2.8. O.I.S. This new wonder tele zoom was introduced at Photokina this year in Germany.
I have posted stills taken with the lens on flickr.
Here is a video review of the lens actually on a camera shooting video on my GH2.
The GH3 is getting bigger that it's older brother the GH2.
GH3 Size vs GH2
The GH3 is about the same size of the Canon Rebel T4i
GH3 Size vs Rebel
Here is the Front of the camera
GH3 Front
GH3 Back
GH3 Back
GH3 Top
Yes, there is nirvana. If you have following my site you would know that I have been very excited about two new lenses from Panasonic. One of them has been introduced and it is just now becoming available in the US. Amazon had a dealer that discounted the lens so out came my debit card and a little over a thousand dollars later I ordered it. Two days later it arrived! I have a brand spanking new wonder lens: the Panasonic Lumix X Vario 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH Power O.I.S. It has not been left off of the camera.
The New Normal
This is the most expensive lens in many many years that I have bought including when I had Canon L lenses. I did not buy the Canon L EF 24-70 f2.8 because it did not have image stabilization (O.I.S.). The L EF 24-105 f4 IS did so I used it a lot. It lived on my Canon 60D. The lens cost less than this beauty. Like both of the Canon's, this lens has weather sealing and is made to a higher standard than their regular lenses. Panasonic choose to brand the lens with their upscale X designation. Unlike the Canons, this lens is much smaller and lighter. It will become one of the lenses that I always carry with me and is left on the camera.
In another review at Admiring Light where he was loaned the lens, the reviewer really liked the lens and gave it high praise but said he likes prime lenses more so he would not buy it. I bought it. Being a video guy who likes to take stills, this lens fills a big gap for me. I have wanted a F2.8, O.I.S. wide lens for shooting video. O.I.S. really combats the shakes and helps eliminate rolling shutter. Being a zoom is a plus, or should I say variable prime. I wanted that on my Canon but never really found it. I liked the EFS 17-55 F2.8 IS but it was large, heavy, not ruggedized or weather sealed. My search is over.
Feels Good
What we have here is a small, lightweight, fast, ruggedized O.I.S. lens. On the my GH2 the lens seems to belong there. It is in diameter about the same as my Lumix 14-140 variable aperture zoom. The weight is about the same too. It fits nicely into my hands and the plastic zoom barrel extends when it is zoomed to 35mm with that magical F2.8 aperture. The main barrel seems like metal. The zoom fells very smooth. Smooth enough to shoot during movies. The lens seems a little big on my Olympus EM-5 but behaves wonderfully with very fast AutoFocus. The lens's balance is very good on both cameras.
In Focus
Autofocus is fast and silent on both cameras. The manual focus ring feels like metal and is very responsive in manual mode. It takes some turning to change focus so I feel rack focusing while be easy. It is not fast like the cheaper lenses. Also if you zoom in and focus the lens seems to keep the focus as you zoom out.
One Sharp Dude
What can we say, this lens is very sharp. Sharp in the center and sharp in the corners. There is a small amount of chromatic aberration in the corners on the wider end of the lens. Also there is the ability to separate your subject from the background because of the fast F2.8 aperture.
One Stable Lens
With the GH2 I leave the O.I.S. on as this one of the reasons I bought the lens. It is Panasonic's new Power O.I.S. which is very effective while hand holding the camera. I like that Panasonic has put the O.I.S. switch on the barrel of the lens as I turn it on and off quite often. It turn it off on the EM-5 as that camera has internal image stabilization which is quit effective. They fight each other if both are turned on and it is easier to turn off the lens than going into the menus and turning off the camera's.
Light Clicks
There is a clicking sound from the aperture even at the full F2.8 on the GH2 when not shooting movies but it goes away when shooting. Whew, what a relief. On the EM-5 there very little sound from the aperture. On my 14-140 the aperture changes while zooming and the video see variances of light as the zoom takes pace even when the lens is stopped down a aperture stop that is smaller than the smallest aperture on the telephoto side. This is why I wanted a constant aperture lens. If there is any change it is slight and is nothing to worry about.
It's A Keeper
I have to say it has ben worth the wait. This lens will get a lot of use by me. Panasonic pulled out all the stops one this one. It is as good as we thought it might be. What more could you ask for? Some are saying the price is to high, but this is a “luxury” lens like the one from the other guys. Their's is much bigger, heavier and expensive. What we got for that expense is a lens that bring MicroFourThirds into the big leagues with it professionalism.
What I have not mentioned is that Panasonic has more magic up their sleeves. When they showed the prototype of this lens they also showed a 35-100mm F2.8. O.I.S. I can't wait. That will be the ideal interview lens. It is to introduced at Photokina this year in Germany.
Here is a video review of the lens actually on a camera shooting video on my GH2.
“PopPhoto.com is reporting that specific guidelines for amateur photographers at the London (Olympic) Games have been announced. The maximum permissible lens length is 30 cm (about 11.8 inches), and “large cameras,” tripods, and monopods won't be permitted (along with golf umbrellas, clothing emblazened with political statements, and—thank you, Olympic Police—vuvuzelas).”
A few years ago I tried going to a Seattle Mariners game with an Olympus E-3 and an old used Tamron SP 300mm f2.8 lens that I just bought on eBay. They would not let me in with the lens saying that it was to big and too long. They said that the professional photographers were complaining about us amateur's competing with them. I had walked from the ferry dock so I could not put the lens in my car. I used to take my Tamron Sp350mm mirror lens with no problems. This was news to me.
So what did I do after getting very discussed with this? I gave the tickets away and left. They lost a loyal fan that day and I have not been back. I have not watched them on TV either. I finally realized It was not about the fans anymore. We (the public) helped pay for that stadium but we had no rights. A private concern had all the rights. We were just pawns in the game, so it did not matter that I supported the team. All “Professional” sports are about one thing, money. With their “high priced whiners” (ball players) they can take it elsewhere for all I care.
One thing I like about the m43rd's gear is that it is small. It is a lot more stealth than my old Canon gear. I have never gotten permission or a permit to shoot so I was not about to start now.
I could now show up with my m43rd's outfit and probably get past the goons at the gate. But Why?
Foam Windscreen on GH2
Most HDLR's have the mic on the body of the camera and most are monaural. One of the really cool things about the GH2 is the built-in stereo mic. I am really glad that Panasonic put the stereo microphone on the pop up flash of the GH2. It is wonderful to have cool ambient sound with my videos. I did the Irrigation Festival Parade with the built-in mic but no windscreen. I just set the camera up near the parade announcers. There was some wind noise and I started looking for a solution. I now have a windscreen on my onboard microphone.
I was looking for something to put on the mic with the flash not popped up. Just to cover the top of the camera. Somewhere I had read that some one had popped the flash up to put a windscreen on it. I put a foam windscreen from a small mic I had and it seemed to help but I wanted something better.
Micover on the GH2
So now I was looking for the perfect windscreen. There where some foam screens for small mic's and recorders with mic's. I wanted something like a dead cat cover I had seen on shotgun mic's. Or as some call them, “fuzzy bunnies.” These screens have the best wind resistance.
In my search I found a company that sells all type of windscreens – Micover.com. Then, I had decide which one would work best with the GH2. I ordered a screen that is designed for the Panasonic HVX 200's on-board mic: Micover Slipover-Mini for Panasonic AG-HVX200A (On-Board) [MC-HVX-ONB] It cost about $20 and was sent out to me.
After some tests, I have to say the Micover HVX On-board Slipover Series works great. We had a fair amount of wind where I live so I could test it right away. I have done a demo video with and with out the windscreen.
(UPDATE – I bought One. Great!)
For the longest time the micro four thirds format (of which the GH2 is a member) has been considered not professional. The cameras were not weather sealed. The new Olympus OM-D EM-5 is. Yes, there are some great lenses. The Panasonic 25mm, the Olympus 12mm and 45mm are all wonderful. All are fast aperture primes. There are no constant large aperture zooms to speak of. Nikon, Canon and Sony have such lenses. Panasonic has one constant aperture zoom lens, the Panasonic 7-14mm which is a game changer on it's right but it is not considered as a large aperture lens which it's aperture at f4.0.
For photojournalists and studio photographers the, 24-70mm f2.8 has been the lens that is considered the default lens for their work. On a full frame camera the focal length is good for all around shots from wide angle to portrait telephoto. Most carry this lens on their camera all the time because it is weather sealed, it has good overall sharpness, rugged and has a fast constant aperture. The problem with all these lenses is that they are large, heavy, expensive and don't have image stabilization.
Well Panasonic is changing all that. Introducing the Panasonic Lumix Vario GX 12-35 mm f / 2.8 ASPH. For starters it has a constant f2.8 aperture, rugged and weather sealing like the other lenses. But it adds to the mix, image stabilization, small size and weight at a price is less than the other lenses. PhotographyBLOG lists the lens @ $999.00 US, e1100.00 and £999.00.
This zoom lens is going to be great for video because of the IS and the large constant aperture. Because of the IS and constant aperture, handholding the camera will be wonderful. Finally being able to shoot indoors with a low ISO. It has the HD symbol on it meaning it is optimized for video shooting and should be quiet. One way to think of this lens is that is a variable prime.
I will be buying this lens and will review it as soon as I get it. It is overdue in my kit.
The big advantage of the micro four thirds system has been smaller size up to this point and now we truly have a professional zoom or should I say tomorrow, the 21st of May when Panasonic unveils the lens. How do I know about this lens? It has been shown behind glass as a prototype, we though it would be coming. But it got confirmed because there is already a review. You can read the lens review at http://www.Dslrmagazine.com (Click here) and Click here for the google english translation. This is where most of my information is coming from. Speaking of the review, this zoom lens looks like to be a stellar performer. Up there with the “Big Boys.”
Also mentioned in the review is of a weather sealed Panasonic camera this summer. My guess would be the GH3.
UPDATE: Panasonic has Introduced this lens:
Panasonic’s Premium LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm Lens Offers Exceptional Design, Achieving Increased Functionality for Spectacular Image Quality
SECAUCUS, NJ (May 21, 2012) – Today, Panasonic announced a new digital interchangeable standard zoom lens, the LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm/F2.8 ASPH./POWER O.I.S. (H-HS12035). The newest addition to the company’s premium lens brand “X,” which is compatible with the Panasonic LUMIX G Series and complies with the Micro Four Thirds™ system standard, this lens offers a versatile zoom range of 12-35mm (35mm camera equivalent: 24-70mm) and features constant F2.8 aperture brightness at entire zoom range. Suitable for professionals and enthusiasts, this new lens captures a wide range of scenes from dynamic landscapes to available light and studio-lit portraits and features superb image rendering for lifelike textures and crisp edge-to-edge contrast.
The LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm/F2.8 ASPH./POWER O.I.S. lens incorporates Panasonic’s unique Nano Surface Coating technology which minimizes reflections at entire visual range (380nm-780nm), resulting in a dramatic reduction of ghosts and flare for extremely clear picture quality. The lens’s newly integrated POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) effectively compensates for both small, fast movement and large, slow movement, making it easy to shoot extremely clear photos even in low-lit situations such as at night or indoors.
Boasting outstanding compactness, the LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm/F2.8 ASPH./POWER O.I.S. lens is approximately 73.8mm in length and 10.76oz in weight, resulting in extreme mobility. Additionally with a rubber ring on the lens mount, the new lens is designed to stand up against splash and dust making it ideal for outdoor photography enthusiasts. A highly reliable metal mount endures long time use.
The LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm/F2.8 ASPH./POWER O.I.S. lens system is comprised of 14 lenses in nine groups. The UED (Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion) lens minimizes chromatic aberration while the UHR (Ultra High Refractive) lens realizes high descriptive performance from corner to corner. Featuring high contrast and resolution from the center to corner at entire zoom range, the new LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm/F2.8 ASPH./POWER O.I.S. lens has the ability to capture the details of scenery or portrait with rich perspective.
The lens’s superior inner focus system provides for excellent resolution and contrast without changing the overall length from full life-size magnification to infinity. Seven blades give the aperture a rounded shape that produces an attractively smooth defocus effect in out-of-focus areas when shooting at larger aperture settings. Adopting an inner focus system driven by a stepping motor, the lens’s superior design provides smooth and near silent focusing action which is ideal for both picture and video recording. When the lens is mounted on any LUMIX G Micro System camera body, users can take advantage of the high-speed, high-precisions Contrast AF (Autofocus) system.
The Panasonic LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm/F2.8 ASPH./POWER O.I.S. (H-HS12035) lens will be available in August 2012. For more information about Panasonic LUMIX digital cameras and lenses, please visitwww.panasonic.com/lumix.
DPreview has done a preview of the lens:
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/panasonic_12-35_2p8
PhotographyBLOG has a review as well:
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/panasonic_lumix_g_x_vario_12_35mm_f2_8_asph_review/
ePhoto has done a review as well:
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/panasonic-lumix-g-x-vario-12-35mm-f-2-8-lens-review-19240
Here is the Panasonic page:
http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/lens/g_x_vario_12_35.html
http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/H-HS12035
Here is a YouTube video:
This new Panasonic 12-35mm lens is available for pre-order though Amazon and Adorama.
Originally submitted at Adorama
Olympus Micro Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 Lens – for EP Series PEN Digital Cameras
This is a Great Lens.
Pros: Nice Bokeh, Fast / accurate auto-focus, Easily Interchangeable, Consistent Output, SmallCompact, Lightweight
Best Uses: Sports/Action, Video, Indoors/Low Light, Weddings/Events, Night Photography
Describe Yourself: Pro Photographer
Was this a gift?: No
When I bought this lens, I really did not think that I really needed it. I was wrong. I use this lens a lot. It is small, compact, lightweight and is in my bag always. If i what low depth of field, this is a great lens for this.
The other usage it is getting is video. It is a great interview lens because of the low depth of field. The background blur is wonderful. I use it on my GH2 and AF100.
Thank you Olympus.
(legalese)
I have been busy with my GH2 lately with videos of my local area. Last week end was the Sequim 117th Irrigation Festival. I used my GH2 to shoot the Fireworks on Friday and the Grand Parade on Saturday. Both vids were edited in FCPX. I am getting quite used to FCPX am starting to like it. In the parade I used a couple of effects from Noise Industries development partner SUGARfx which introduces Punchline for FCPX. I will be reviewing it soon.
The parade is the longest video I have edited in FCPX and I can say it handled it well. I just imported the footage from my cards and started editing. No transcoding.
Here are the videos on YouTube.
One of the cool features of the GH2 is the video mode called EX Tele Conv (ETC). Basically the camera is only using the center of the camera's CMOS sensor and cropping it to either 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720 pixels depending on the HD mode selected. When shooting in 1920X1080 HD mode and when ETC mode is engaged, the GH2's 4608 x 3456 sensor is “cropped” to 1920X1080. In other words, only the central 2 Megapixels of the sensor's overall 18 Megapixels is recorded. This is a 1 to 1 radio of the pixels on the chip.
It does wonders for my Nikkor *ED 400mm telephoto lens. There are positive implications: no line skipping, binning, or digital interpolation are needed. It's as if the sensor was only 2MP rather than 18MP. As a consequence the image recorded has a crop factor of 2.6X over the full Micro Four Thirds format, a format that already produces a 2X field of view as compared to full frame 35mm. This means that in ETC video mode the focal length marked on the lens is actually 5.2X what it would be in full-frame 35mm terms. So my long lens, the Nikkor 400mm lens has an equivalent a 2,080mm lens in Extra Tele Conv video mode.
As a consequence, any lens I put on the GH2 when shot in ETC video mode has an effective focal length of 2.6X of what's marked on the barrel, with no loss of light and video quality! It's like shooting with a 2.6X teleconverter but without the image quality loss and without the light loss.
The other benefit of this mode is that smaller 16mm lenses can be used with now light fall off. I have not done this.
Here are some birds I found today around Sequim, WA. I shot both 1080p and 720p. The last two shots shows the difference from not using ETC and using ETC. Edited in FCPX.