Lens adapter for Canon EF 85mm 1.8

[Jeff Harper]

Gordon, the lens on the chart is not listed as a Canon. The Sigma happens to be a Canon mount, Canon is mentioned no where on the chart. Get it?

[David Grinnell]

Sigma is not canon only... they make for the Pentax K mount, 4/3, Nikon....

Just look at the list here

Amazon.com: Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM

 

Amazon.com: Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM

they are all the same lens, but have different mounts...

[Gordon Hoffman]

Thanks David

Jeff - You're oringinal post also asked why the Panasonic adapter would not work with the Canon lens and that is what I was replying to.

Gordon

[Jeff Harper]

David, Gordon tried to explain it, but I couldn't understand. I now understand what you're saying.

I would have bought the wrong lens. Thanks to you I did not! David, thanks for chiming in. The model #s are the same, but they are followed by the name of the brand they fit. I think I get it, at last.

So they are talking about the Sigma mount model, it would seem. So I would need a Canon mount as you say if I want to use the Sigma for Canon, which I would, since I also want to use other Canon lenses.

David, do you know anything about the Kipon vs Fotodiox?

Gordon, thanks for trying to explain it, I just didn't understand. I've only used one type of camera in the past, a Canon, and I had no idea about the mounting issue.

[Jeff Harper]

Well, it would seem the best choice at this point, is to save up for the Birger adapter, and to go with the Kipon for now.

[Jeff Harper]

I'm surprised no one is using the Canon 85mm or 100mm or 135mm. What do you wedding shooters plan to use to get a tight shot of the B&G at the altar? Certainly not the 14-140? Are there any wedding shooters here using the GH2 or GH1? What are you doing for long shots?

The 14-140mm is so slow I found it unusable in a church. With a ND filter I think the 14-140 would be a decent outdoor lens, but that's about all I can see using it for.

[Jim Forrest]

This is a great little manual lens which would give 100mm and even more with the EX tele conv. The adaptor is around 25 bucks on ebay, I found my adaptor would work with my GH2 and I could control my AF nikon lenses iris and f-stop, no auto focus though but I don't think any of the Canon lens do either...not sure.
But I tend to be a Nikon lens person. I am assuming you already have Canon lenses.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/97413-GREY/Nikon_1902_AF_Nikkor_50mm_f_1_4D.html

[Jeff Harper]

Thanks for the recommendation, Jim. For 50mm, I'm going for a Pentax recommended by Brian L. The Nikon is a great lens at a great price, thanks for sharing it. The Pentax is all manual though, so a Nikon might be worth looking at when I get some extra cabbage.

I've never looked at anything Nikon, really, but thanks to your post I did some looking around and found out interesting facts about the major companies.

100mm will be enough sometimes, but in the large catholic churches I'd need an effective 170-200mm if not more in the biggest ones. I'll be running three cameras, one in the balcony, one on the main floor in the rear, and one down front when I can get away with it.

So the 100mm effective would be good at many churches from the rear, but not most of the ones I shoot in. Below is a typical sized church I work in, about 3/4 of my jobs are in these places.

[Jim Snow]

Sorry, double post

[Jim Snow]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

The 14-140mm is so slow I found it unusable in a church.

Jeff, I'm curious what ISO value that you used in a church? I have read that the GH2 holds up quite well with little noise even at an ISO value of 3200.

[Jeff Harper]

Jim, when I got my first still camera, it came with a kit lens. I had no experience with photography, only video.

Nevertheless, I did not like the images from my camera with the kit lens. I did not shoot with the camera after the first day I got it, until I got new lenses a month later. The 30mm 1.4 pretty much stayed on my camera permanently, unless I was using the 85mm 1.8.

I pretty much dislike any more ISO than I have to have. With the Canon I ran at about 100-400 ISO most of the time in churches when I could get away with it. With the 1.4 I usually could stay at 200, but I might be mistaken with the exact number, that was a long time ago.

I hope to keep the ISO low on the GH2 as well. With the 14-140 I ran the last wedding high ISOs and I hated the look, but I guess that is just me not knowing how to exploit it, I don't know.

The fast lenses just produce such natural looking images, and high ISOs just don't turn me on, no matter how great the camera is.

[Gordon Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

The Pentax is all manual though, so a Nikon might be worth looking at when I get some extra cabbage.

Wouldn't the Nikon be all manual on the GH1/2 as well? Unless using the Birger mount a Canon lens, it would be manual also I believe.

Have you considered a faster Sigma lens with a 4/3 mount to use on the GH1/2. I know it would limit what other cameras you can use it on and you would still have to do some things manually on it as well.

Gordon

[Jeff Harper]

This is a complete redit of this post...I'm editing video furiously, and not paying close attention to what I'm reading.

Anyway, yes, Gordon, I have looked at the Sigma's, but I didn't understand many things until they were pointed out earlier in this thread. I thought the Sigmas on the chart were Compatible with Canon cameras, I didn't realize they meant a Sigma mounted version, and I was very confused.

I had planned on going with the Sigma 1.4 thinking it was a Canon compatible lens, but now I'm not so sure, because I don't want a Sigma mounted lens, I'd prefer Canon compatible lenses because there are other Canon mounted lenses I want.

Lenses are the most important thing to me, and I'm assuming one day Canon will come out with a GH2 killer, at which time everything will work fine.

Unfortunately, the Kipon adapter is not ideal, but it's good, but I'm still torn, I can't decide right now. I was focusing on this heavily for a few days, and now I'm off this to focus on my editing.

I have come across a couple of Panasonic lenses I didn't know about that might be useful, but I think they were 2.8, but that might be OK. I have to wait until my GH2 and 14-140mm lens are returned from Panasonic so I can do some testing at higher ISOs, as Jim alluded to. I don't like running a camera at higher than 400 ISO, but that might be unrealistic with my budget. I also really do need a zoom and a fast zoom costs over $2K, which I cannot afford right now.

[Gordon Hoffman]

If everything works with the Birger mount on the GH1/2 it could be a good way to go. It would open up a lot of lenses that can be used.
I wonder what the battery life of the camera will be like with it?

Gordon

[Jeff Harper]

Good question, but not knowing anything about how this stuff works, I don't know if the adapter will affect battery life, but I doubt that it would be significant. Battery normally lasts an hour or so if your using the LCD full time, and longer if not.