Anyone using the Olympus / Zuiko Digital 14-54mm F2.8-3.5II on a GH1?
 

According to the Panasonic lens compatibility charts for the GH1 and GH2, this lens gets improved autofocus capability on the GH2. At f2.8-3.5, this becomes an interesting lens to me for a B-cam on interviews and tight quarters. Is anyone using this lens for video?

Yes I have this lens and totally recommend it as the defacto fast zoom lens to get (until the 12-75mm lens comes out).

It autofocuses when you half press the shutter and you hold down the shutter halfway to lock focus during a shot (this is after the GH13 hack). You can then manual focus during a shot.

No OIS, but you can get a Gorillapod.

I have a few video samples online

www.psynema.net

Olympus only WITH HACK
Project Twenty1 vid / BIrchtree Catering Vid

Olympus Before hack
TYT vid at Washington / Kisses for Kyle Charity

Nice indoor stuff. Was all that indoor shooting of the catering just with available light?

How's the Bokeh when you are about 4' from the subject at 54mm? Any ideas what focal length, aperture and ISO you were using on the attached?

I'm reading different things about the feasibility/reality of the rumored 12-75.

Bokeh's fine - that headshot you posted is about four feet away and maybe in the 35-40mm range IIRC. Not sure on the specs of the shot of that headshot, but I was probably fully open, 1/50th, and in the 600-800 range.

All videos on there are with available light (though on the red carpet of the Project Twenty1 video someone set up a softbox)

I noticed in the Kisses for Kyle piece, the Bokeh was much less. Is this simply the wider FOV or could you have opened the aperture some more?

Can you recommend a useful level of ND for sunny outdoor shooting?

Have you used the 20mm f1.7 pancake?

Forgot to attach the Kisses for Kyle example.

Les Wilson I noticed in the Kisses for Kyle piece, the Bokeh was much less. Is this simply the wider FOV or could you have opened the aperture some more?

Can you recommend a useful level of ND for sunny outdoor shooting?

Have you used the 20mm f1.7 pancake?



The bokeh was less for two reasons - it was indoors, yes, but on a bright sunny day with windows, so the aperture probably was closed down a bit, maybe 4.0 (which I usually aim for vs. 2.8 if there's enough light). It is of course a wider shot since there's two people - I zoom in for a close up in that vid you'll see so the zoom is probably halfway for that shot you posted.

I used the 20mm 1.7 pancake. Great image and can be stunning, but found the manual and auto focus modes to be a pain, so I'm holding hope I'll get the 25mm 1.4 instead one day.

20mm pancake was used for the Puss in Boots vid (aside from a few outdoor shots, that whole video is the 20mm). N Crowd also has 20mm shots in it (except the CU medium shots on stage which is a 50mm lens).

How does the lens sound when auto focusing? Is it loud? Thanks.

During video yes you'll pick up sound, so usually I just hit autofocus to start the shot, then take over manually thereafter.

You can actually hear some sounds in the project 21 video, see if you can catch them.

I didn't hear it with all the other sounds in there -- wasn't what sounded like drums, was it? :-)

nah no drums.