Fast lens for low light and general purpose

bartolomeo

Would like to add two manual focus lenses to my gear. I am working on a documentary at the moment with interviews and so on.
I have got only the 14-140mm lens at the moment. Which lenses for low light situations and general purpose would you recommend? Something i could buy on ebay with international shipping option would be great.

A other q. did someone find out if there is any way to keep the aperture of the 14-140 lens locked while zooming in or out.

Thanks a lot and enjoy whatever you are doing

See also
http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/93/fast-and-ultra-fast-lenses-discussion

stoney

Set aperture at 5.8 or higher.

bartolomeo

tried that already of course doesn't t work. still jumps

bartolomeo

sorry I just tried it again its not the aperture that changes but something else. the image does somehow steps. it is not a smoth zoom in or out . right?

Mark_the_Harp

Having used many video cameras, more or less everything about the 14-140 is crappy when it comes to zooming. Not knocking the resolution, which is amazing, but I would never use it for any in-vision zooms. You could try using it with auto ISO to avoid the image brightness stepping but to be honest it's better to think of it as a variable prime lens rather than anything you could use in shot. I would defy anyone to do a nice zoom with it.

EDIT: As to your question about primes I think 35mm (equivalent to full-frame 70mm) is a nice focal length for interview shots.

AmandaNL

You have to set the aperture to 5.8 when it's at 14mm.

Hazna

Minolta F1.4 Md Rokkor is the best bang for the buck lens. Even the F1.7 is amazing.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Use this topic:
http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/93

brianluce

Vintage Pentax SMC 50mm 1.4 is really a nice lens. Love it. $100 on ebay. Find good seller though.

Skeptikal

@bartolomeo

"...any way to keep the aperture of the 14-140 lens locked while zooming in or out."

It is a consequence of the focal length changing and can't be over-ridden. Only a larger, heavier optical designs will keep the same "aperture" (actually light transmission) as focal length changes.

Consider getting a cheap old Canon FD (or other make) fixed aperture zoom. It won't be 14-140mm but it might solve the problem for some situations.

Some of these old primes are also a good way to get a relatively good/fast lens...cheap.

Hazna

I just borrowed a panasonic 50-200mm
Zooming does not have the strange going out of focus like the 14-140 has.
almost as good as my Canon L zooms.

bartolomeo

Thanks,
which lens adapter are you using for the minolta rokkor?

Dusty42

@bartolomeo

I am seeing the same problem on my 14-140mm. It's annoying like hell when you think you've locked it at 5.8 and exposure changes on you as you zoom.

test1

That Rokkor rocks - also the Hexanon equivalents are lovely, still love looking thru me 57 1.4!

jules

just bought a MD rokkor x 50mm f1.4 on ebay for $50 shipped... waiting on the adaptor - i got the fotodiox one, on amazon.

bartolomeo

i am just looking through ebay. And found out there are different Minolta Md Models see info below. Does anyone know if the newer models are as good as the older ones?

April 1973 - Introduction of the 50mm f/1.4 MC Rokkor-PG. The lens used the same optical formula as the 58mm f/1.2 and weighed in at a more reasonable 305g compared to the f/1.2's 478g. It has outstanding build quality, and with its big (but not bulky) design it is an absolute pleasure to use.

August 1977 - Minolta introduced the 50mm f/1.4 MD Rokkor-X. It was the first wholly new lens designed for the MD system, and while it retained the 7 element, 5 group optical construction of the MC lens it was a more compact design, slightly shorter and 60g lighter at 245g.

April 1979 - A new 50mm f/1.4 MD Rokkor-X lens is introduced with an optical formula of 7 elements in 6 groups based upon that of the 50mm f/1.2 that was introduced in March 1978. The weight of the lens was reduced to 220g, and the filter size dropped from 55mm to 49mm

June 1981 - The existing 50mm f/1.4 lens was updated to a late MD cosmetic design (aperture ring lock, focus scale in orange not green etc.). The lens weighed an extra 15g at 235g, but otherwise was unchanged from the MD Rokkor-X version introduced in April 1979.
(Source: Justin Bailey's "Minolta Lens Chronology"- http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/mciepl/chronology.htm - an outstanding resource)

nomad

If you can't afford the 58mm 1.2 (beautiful, but expensive), go for the 50mm 1.4 MC Rokkor-PG. It's considerably cheaper and still very good.

DrDave

I have the MD 50/1.4 and it is one of my top 5 lenses for sharpness and color. Many recommend the "tank-like" minoltas because as a *used* lens, they are more likely to still be in focus. As the years go buy, you need survivors. I have the 58 as well and it is less sharp, but is great for portraits where you want a slightly dreamier look and perfect bokeh. For interviews you don't always want chart-like detail. A real sleeper is the 55mm Vivtar 1:1 macro. Sharp at all apertures, excellent color, plus real macro. The long throw focus ring is great for nailing the focus, and the recessed lens functions as a built-in hood. It is lighter than most legacy 50mm and is beautifully made. I also like the compact Vivtar 28mm "close focusing" lens. Again, color is a critical factor as well as sharpness for video. See also Vitaliy's post on fast primes. Lately I've been using the Nikkor 85/2. Decently sharp wide open, compact. The must have lens is the Panny 20mm, but it isn't exactly the ideal portrait lens. It is the lens that is always in my bag, light, fast, sharp.

LPowell

Over the past year, I've tried a wide variety of still photography lenses for shooting video on GH1/2 cameras:

Zooms:
Panasonic Lumix 14-140mm, 14-45mm, 45-200mm
Panasonic Leica 14-50mm
Olympus 9-18mm, 14-54mm, 35-100mm, 40-150mm, 50-200mm
Canon FD 20-35mm, 35-70mm
Konica Hexanon 35-100mm, 80-200mm
Minolta MD 40-80mm
Tokina AT-X MF 24-40mm, 35-70mm, 60-120mm
Tokina AT-X AF 20-35mm, 28-70mm
Sigma AF 70-200mm

Primes:
Panasonic Lumix 20mm
Canon FD 28mm, 50mm, 55mm, 85mm, 135mm, 200mm
Konica Hexanon 40mm, 57mm, 85mm
Vivitar Series 1 MF 90mm, 135mm, 200mm
Sigma AF 24mm, 30mm
Rokinon 35mm, 85mm
Voigtlander 58mm

I find it ironic that in my experience, the absolute worst lens for shooting video was the one Panasonic promotes as the "Lumix G VARIO HD 14-140mm / F4.0-5.8 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. which is developed to be exclusively compatible with movie recording". Aside from its near silent operation, this lens is woefully cumbersome in every aspect: its pathetically slow and twitchy iris, its brain-dead digitized focus ring, its lack of a manual aperture ring, and its sticky plastic zoom tube that jutts out like a toy snorkel. The zoom behavior of this lens is atrocious and completely useless for video. If you make any significant change in focal length during a take, you can count on it to glitch the exposure, dissolve the focus, and derange the AVCHD encoder.

The most rewarding experience I had with this lens was reselling it in near-mint condition on eBay, where it fetched over half the price I paid Amazon for the GH1/14-140mm bundle.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@LPowell

Yep, you are certainly not lover of 14-140mm :-)

last_SHIFT

I recently sold my 20mm pancake - it was a great lens but it wasn't getting any use as my Voigtlander has not left my Gh2 since I got it 2 months ago. I am going to get a Nikon mount Tokina 11-16.

bubba

I highly recommend the new Olympus 12mm F/2.
I came to m4/3 from Zeiss & Nikon rangefinders... So
have some small and fast lenses. Got the panny 20 with
my GF1 and until this lens, hardly used any other. Sharp, you bet, and having such good AF ... is sweet.

DrDave

I have to say I had the same experience with the 14-140. But then, it was easy to sell.
For a super zoom try to find a Kobori (Vivitar serial 77) 28-200. Very sharp lens.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@DrDave
>For a super zoom try to find a Kobori (Vivitar serial 77) 28-200. Very sharp lens.

Yep below is my topic

http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/80/hidden-gems-among-lenses#Item_1

Rambo

Well I will defend the 14 - 140, not to use as a zoom while recording, but as an awesome outdoor lens with gentle ois and as sharp as the cold wind streaming down San Francisco Bay. If you want deep DOF, this is the lens for you. For the event shooter, it's a great lens and if you picked it up bundled with the GH1 for $650 Aussie bucks as new secondhand like i did, you would be as happy as Harry on his wedding nite.

It's ok as an interview lens, just shoot at 45mm mark (90mm eq) and add an ND to open it up. Ok, so you won't win a Grammy for Bokeh, boo hoo.

A nice trick with this lens in shutter priority mode, is you press the F&E lock button on the GH1 body, the focus will snap in then lock, exposure will lock and then you can press record. Awesome forefinger/thumb combination for event shooters. With your other hand you can scratch your balls, pick ya nose or God forbid, twist the zoom, your choice.

Cheers R

No_SuRReNDeR

I just wish there was a fast lens with "OIS" I know there is a f 2.8 in the 4/3rds line up but that adapter is expensive. --
"Panasonic Elmarit Leica DG Macro- 45mm f/2.8 MEGA O.I.S." Still not exactly fast ....

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