Just purchased GH3 - Lens decision

[Geoffrey Chandler]

I know this is probably a tired subject and honestly I don't even really have a question, but I thought I'd share my long debated lens selection. After reading posts where people lamented they would buy a Metabones adapter and Nikon manual primes if they were to "do it again," I decided to forgo zooms for now. If for some reason I decide to get back into the wedding biz, I will probably have to buy a couple zooms to keep things simpler. For now, I hope to get some small corporate jobs. Anyway, here's my purchase list. I pulled the trigger today.

GH3 - $898 New
Nikon 24 f/2 - $310 Used - 34mm f/1.4 with metabones
Nikon 50 f/1.4 - $144 Used - 70mm f/1.0 with metabones
Nikon 85 f/1.4 - $645 Used - 120mm f/1.0 with metabones
Nikon 105 f/1.8 - $449 Used - 142mm f/1.2 with metabones
Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 $490 Used - 16-23mm f/1/4 with metabones

Total $2626 (Complete camera system for $773 less than a 5D Mk III body)

[James Hollingsworth]

Love to know how you get on with the adaptor and those nikon lenses

[Jeff Harper]

Personally I despised working with 3rd party lenses and adapters. I started out similarly to you (with GH2 a couple of years ago). I started with a Canon 85mm F/1.2L, Canon 50mm F/1.4, and other similar lenses.

As soon as the M4/3rd lens selection expanded I jumped on them and never ever looked back. You sound like you know what your doing. I didn't. So your experience will likely be happier than mine.

You certainly will have fun with the lenses you've chosen. Good luck!

[Noa Put]

That's a nice lens selection, full manual prime lenses are great in situations where you have time to set up, I only think the nikon 85mm f1.4 was a bit on the expensive side, I would have choosen a Samyang 85mm f1.5 cinelens instead as it has a click-less aperture ring.
About the focal lengths you mention with the speedbooster, is it not so that lenses become wider with a speedbooster?

[Geoffrey Chandler]

"About the focal lengths you mention with the speedbooster, is it not so that lenses become wider with a speedbooster?"

Yes. Multiply Focal Length and f/stop by .71.

85mm becomes 60mm. Multiply by 2 for GH3 sensor crop factor = 120mm
f/1.4 becomes f/1

The beauty of these lenses; I could change my mind and at the drop of a hat have them all sold off for what I paid.

The debate I had in my mind was as I get back into film-making; Am I going after weddings? If so, zooms make things much easier. But, I've decided I want to try and find small business, and non-profits (not meaning not profit for me) that can use beautiful, artistic films for their online presence.

The next thing on my list is to figure out how to manage neutral density. An additional selling point for AI and AIS manual focus Nikon lenses is the fact they (most) all have the same 52mm filter size. My first inclination is to get filter adapters for all the Nikon glass to up the filter size to 77mm to match my odd lens - the Tokina 11-16 zoom. I''m going to test today to see if I even need a ND filter for the Tokina. I don't care if I have to shoot at f/16 or whatever as narrow dof wouldn't be a goal on that lens anyway.

[Frank Grygier]

I have been trying to decide on whether to use the m43 cine lenses from Rokinon or get a speed booster and the Rokinon cine lenses with Nikon mount. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Geoffrey Chandler

The debate I had in my mind was as I get back into film-making; Am I going after weddings? If so, zooms make things much easier.

If you are a solo shooter a zoom should be the first on your list when you shoot weddings, especially for any kind of run and gun that happens throughout the day, changing primes to change focal lengths take to much time, as long as you have time to set up then it's no issue.

I do prefer using panasonic lenses with autofocus, they do allow me to lock on focus in a blink of an eye but lenses like the samyangs do allow more precise focus pulls. I did have a almost full set of regular samyangs (sold them in favour of m4/3 panasonic/olympus lenses) and I only had one 24mm f1.5 cine samyang version and after having worked with that one I much preferred it mainly because of the stepless irisring. Nothing looks so bad when having to change your iris in a continuous recording on a regular dslr lens, the jumps in exposure are very distracting.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Frank Grygier

I have been trying to decide on whether to use the m43 cine lenses from Rokinon or get a speed booster and the Rokinon cine lenses with Nikon mount. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Always get the cine versions as they have a stepless irisring which makes all the diference when finetuning your exposure, I think you can get those in a nikon mount as well and couple them on a speedbooster.

[Bo Skelmose]

Just love my voigtlander 17mm with a variable ND filter - fits mft. - the perfect solution !

[Geoffrey Chandler]

"Love to know how you get on with the adaptor and those nikon lenses"
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I haven't done any jobs yet but I've done a bit of shooting and I can report the Metabones adapter is truly amazing. The lens opening is adjusted on the Metabones (not the lens) and is clickless, meaning it has no clicks between stops just like a zillion dollar cine lens. More importantly, It gives you one more stop in speed and seems to be sharp as a tack. My 105mm 1.8 works like a 1.4 142mm on a full-frame and the image is dreamy - focus ring is smooth as butter on these well built Nikons.

Something I just figured out since I haven't had it very long: I can do auto ISO by putting the camera on Shutter priority - the camera is not capable of changing the f/stop, so I have control of lens opening and shutter speed. The only thing the camera controls is ISO. Sweet.