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12-35mm F2.8 Panasonic lens topic
  • 492 Replies sorted by
  • rockroadpixrockroadpix

    My guess is that the GH3 will ship with one of the PZ lenses.

  • APXmusicAPXmusic

    Just recently got this lens through Amazon Japan. I purchased it to film the final episodes of KEVIN CROCKER IN JAPAN Season 2. Thanks to all of you who donated, giving me the ability to afford this lens. I really do appreciate it!

    All of the shots, except for the first title screen, were shot @ 1080 24p f2.8 with a ND filter. I am using Driftwood's Cluster V6 Nebular GOP6 patch with Vitaliy's wonderful hack.

    No sharpness was added. Only color correction. The GH2 user settings were -2 -2 0 0. The final shot in the test was shot using the EX Tele setting.

    There are Youtube and Vimeo versions. You can download the exported file from Vimeo. The exported file is a 25mbps VBR H.264 MP4.

  • RRRRRRRR

    Just got it, have just shot a few frames with it so far. Looks very sharp, stopped down – not even comparable to the slr magic at 12mm (I´m pretty sure it´s sharper than the oly). My only concern at initial glance is the zoom – it feels really choppy (as opposite to smooth). Is this a "feature" of the lens or just my copy?

  • valpopandovalpopando

    @RRRR I got it too , and the zoom is really smooth ,better than other panny zoom lenses I had ( ex. 14-140mm and 14-45mm) . But my copy got some OIS issue (slight flickering oscillation when filming on tripod still shooting ), so I sent it to the PANA service center

  • RRRRRRRR

    @valpopando thanks - I´ll talk to my vendor about the zoom handling, then. OIS works really well on my copy, haven´t tried to nail it down on a tripod though but the OIS off switch should work well in that case. ;)

  • mikeymikey

    parfocal? aperture glitch? can anyone do a proper review of this

  • StevenTrillbergStevenTrillberg

    I just shipped one of these back that I rented from lensrentals.com for a week.

    I felt like the zoom was very similar to my 14-140 (not that great). Maybe there is some variation?

    The OIS was indeed excellent for handheld work, and it's definitely #1 on my lens wishlist right now.

  • thebmillzthebmillz

    Apologies if this is a stupid question.

    One of the reasons I was excited about the 12-35mm lens was the idea it would have a constant aperture, so that I could do a slow zoom on a character and I wouldn't see the light change or flicker. But, it's definitely happening with this lens.

    Check out this video:

    password: 1235

    I've messed around with the exposure settings in movie mode. But, all of them do the same thing. Am I doing something wrong? Or was I wrong to expect this lens to do that?

    PS. It should be noted: I used the new "Apocalypse Now" hack with the lens. (Sharp)

  • nomadnomad

    I have not tested this lens, but I have a theory about it. Normally, every zoom would have an aperture shift wide open. You can either try to compensate for this mechanically (like the good old Rokkor 35-70mm does) or electronically. But, as we all know, electronic compensation works in small steps and needs delicate tuning of the controlling circuits or algorithm. Could this be the reason for what you see here?

  • thebmillzthebmillz

    @nomad Unfortunately - It happens at other apertures too. Not just wide open.

    Tried it again outside:

    password: 1235

    My apologies for the yapping dog in advance.

    Considering the existence of the Panasonic AF100 and the rumors surrounding the GH3 being more "pro video shooting friendly" - I thought for sure this would be "the lens". Couple that with Panasonic's advertising and well...This just sucks.

    I hope there's something in camera I'm missing, but if not, I'll have to send it back.

    EDIT: I just found this video. At 50 seconds in, there's a zoom with the same problem:

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    One more test

    Read at: http://eriknaso.com/2012/08/27/testing-out-the-panasonic-lumix-g-x-vario-12-35mm/

  • John_FarragutJohn_Farragut

    That's too bad :(

  • nomadnomad

    Seems like there really is an issue with aperture control. Sigh!

    I like the rendering and the bokeh, but obviously this is just another "adjustable prime" and not a filmic zoom. Well, personally I don't zoom a lot when filming and I'll stick to a mechanical lens for the occasional push-in.

  • otcxotcx

    Prize is a bit high for me, but i just love to have one. It just is in range what i need.

  • thebmillzthebmillz

    @nomad - Yeah, I'm really bummed too. I sold two lenses and paid a bunch of $$$ for this guy, thinking it would be the killer cine lens for my GH2. I know "slow zooms" aren't necessarily high on everyone's list. But, I personally love them in films (RE: Kubrick & Altman) and the aperture flicker makes this not worth it for me.

    I reached out to someone who posted a glowing review of the lens on Amazon and he confirmed it happens on his lens too. I'm still holding on another 24 hours to see if there's some magical fix before I return it to Amazon, but it's not looking good.

  • MattRobertson7MattRobertson7

    This is normal for all panasonic lenses, shouldn't really be surprise for this one.

  • bheathbheath

    Jeeze! That's bad news. I do zoom sometimes while cranking, but not too much. It seemed like the perfect thing for this camera and the next gh. Would any of you say the ios is superior to the 14-140 or other panny ios glass? I just did an aerials shoot with the 14-140 and it wasn't too bad with the higher pitched rotor vibes. 12-35 seems like a great focal range for low level aerial work. Its still cheap as chips compared to heavy cine lenses. I remain interested. Thanks

  • RamboRambo

    For some of us the OIS is the main attraction to buy this f2.8 lens. I wonder whether the flicker will be present on the GH3 with it, maybe it can be software controlled ?

  • bheathbheath

    It;s worth the risk to me. But so are a lot of things. thx

  • stoneystoney

    http://www.slrclub.com/v/panasonic_forum/121992/?page=2&divpage=22

    The guy seems pro in disassembling. He had disassembled Leica 45mm 2.8. Yes he assembled too.

    His comment about 12-35. Mostly plastic screws. Only one O-ring around the mount. The barrel contact area has nonwoven material. He says, "Use it with extra caution in rainy day."

  • MikhailKMikhailK

    @thebmillz,

    Your problem regarding the constant aperture "feature" of this lens has been described a lot of times in the beginning of this thread (see the page 2). I wrote about it too because I noticed the same effect when I bought this lens...

    All I can say is that you gotta live with this lens or sell it.

    The upcoming Panasonic 35-100 will have the same fuc...g feature. I'm sure about it.

  • RRRRRRRR

    Thing is; the aperture "feature" should be possible to improve through a firmware update, so I encourage everyone using it to let Panasonic know.

    I just did a test of it today and it seems it´s not a mechanical problem, but a problem of how the aperture is controlled, and it differs depending on what aperture you use. Like at f8-10 there are two "clicks" and wide open there are three..

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    We'll need to ask Panasonic guys about reasons for this.
    Most probably they have something like stepper motor controlling aperture. And step size is not enough to make it seamless. Or it is just small firmware issue.

    If you need really smooth zoom - best bet is to get old push-pull zooms.

  • RRRRRRRR

    @Vitaliy_Kiselev I think that sums it up very well.

  • MikhailKMikhailK

    "We'll need to ask Panasonic guys about reasons for this."

    @Vitaliy_Kiselev, since you're arranging the "Photokina team" I recommend to include this issue into the questions' list your team has for the event. More important is that the same aperture glitch will be 100% in the new 35-100 lens.

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