Top 33 Best Lenses For Micro Four Thirds Cameras 2017

William Hohauser · March 9th, 2017, 07:27 PM

Right now there are too many workable cameras between Sony, Panasonic, Canon, Blackmagic, JVC in all sorts of price ranges. It's also easier than ever to design new cameras, the imaging chips are not so easy but the rest of it, yes. It's a crowded marketplace.

The JVC being 8bit doesn't affect me at all. Who can really see it for standard work? It works better than most of the other cameras for a one man crew. If somebody said to me, "I need 10bit", I can rent or explore a possible purchase if the job was lucrative enough. I would rather have a JVC designed 10bit camera in that case but there are enough well-documented 10bit cameras that I could get by with.

Now a good par-focal zoom under $2000, that's more important to me than 10bit.

Steve Rosen · March 9th, 2017, 08:34 PM

William - I totally agree about the lens - I'd even go to 3 or 4 grand for an f2.8 parfocal zoom (I paid $16,000 for my T2.4 Aaton mount Cooke in 1993)...

But 10bit is important if you have to deal with national broadcast, and although that's not always what I'm doing. I need to plan for it just in case someone walks in my door and says, "Hey I want that film for our cable network"... But admittedly that doesn't happen all that often...

Lee Powell · March 10th, 2017, 10:41 AM

I routinely use the LS300 to produce 10-bit 1080p video footage, though it does take considerable processing time. I shoot the footage in 4K at 150 Mbps, load it into After Effects, rescale it to 50%, sharpen and color correct, and export it using a 10-bit encoder. The results are as finely detailed as any other 10-bit 1080p video camera currently available, limited only by the LS300's working ISO range.

Steve Rosen · March 11th, 2017, 10:25 AM

I read somewhere that someone else was doing that with success... I was excited until I remembered that I'd lose my favorite LS300 feature, the prime zoom.

But I'm going to try it anyway soon and compare the footage at 400% with my Micro cam.

Steve Rosen · March 11th, 2017, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay P. Kaley

Steve if you're not using the JVC as much, what camera are you using the most currently?

Sorry, I didn't see this before - I am mostly using a much tricked-out BM Micro shooting ProRes HQ with a MetaBones SpeedBooster and EF 24-105, or EF-S 17-55. The SpeedBooster gives the lenses better low light ability (f1.7 w/ the 17-55), and are very sharp. Reason? Mostly emotional, I shot S16 for 40 years and still like that size.

I record audio either internally with a pre-amp, which is pretty decent, or double system with a Tascam 70D (I can't remember the exact model designation).

I had been using the LS300 extensively, and still do for some jobs. It's an excellent camera, and with my Rokinon primes very versatile, but I don't use it handheld as much as I used to.

March 9th, 2017, 07:27 PM	#16
William Hohauser Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 2,650	Re: Top 33 Best Lenses For Micro Four Thirds Cameras 2017 Right now there are too many workable cameras between Sony, Panasonic, Canon, Blackmagic, JVC in all sorts of price ranges. It's also easier than ever to design new cameras, the imaging chips are not so easy but the rest of it, yes. It's a crowded marketplace. The JVC being 8bit doesn't affect me at all. Who can really see it for standard work? It works better than most of the other cameras for a one man crew. If somebody said to me, "I need 10bit", I can rent or explore a possible purchase if the job was lucrative enough. I would rather have a JVC designed 10bit camera in that case but there are enough well-documented 10bit cameras that I could get by with. Now a good par-focal zoom under $2000, that's more important to me than 10bit. __________________ William Hohauser - New York City Producer/Edit/Camera/Animation

March 9th, 2017, 08:34 PM	#17
Steve Rosen Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Monterey, California Posts: 895	Re: Top 33 Best Lenses For Micro Four Thirds Cameras 2017 William - I totally agree about the lens - I'd even go to 3 or 4 grand for an f2.8 parfocal zoom (I paid $16,000 for my T2.4 Aaton mount Cooke in 1993)... But 10bit is important if you have to deal with national broadcast, and although that's not always what I'm doing. I need to plan for it just in case someone walks in my door and says, "Hey I want that film for our cable network"... But admittedly that doesn't happen all that often...

March 10th, 2017, 10:41 AM	#18
Lee Powell Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 133	Re: Top 33 Best Lenses For Micro Four Thirds Cameras 2017 I routinely use the LS300 to produce 10-bit 1080p video footage, though it does take considerable processing time. I shoot the footage in 4K at 150 Mbps, load it into After Effects, rescale it to 50%, sharpen and color correct, and export it using a 10-bit encoder. The results are as finely detailed as any other 10-bit 1080p video camera currently available, limited only by the LS300's working ISO range.

March 11th, 2017, 10:25 AM	#19
Steve Rosen Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Monterey, California Posts: 895	Re: Top 33 Best Lenses For Micro Four Thirds Cameras 2017 I read somewhere that someone else was doing that with success... I was excited until I remembered that I'd lose my favorite LS300 feature, the prime zoom. But I'm going to try it anyway soon and compare the footage at 400% with my Micro cam.