@alcomposer
Rokinon 35mm f1.4 - moderate breathing
Rokinon 85mm f1.4 - very little breathing

@alcomposer
Samyang is a Korean lensmaker that markets its products under the Rokinon brand name. Tamron, Tokina, and Sigma are independent third-party lensmakers, well known for many decades.

Anyone managed to try out the ekran-style rebuilt Lomo cine lenses that some US company are advertising on ebay? This looks to be made out of the same optical elements: http://www.lumatechinc.com/S35.html
(not sure it's the same company that I saw on ebay)

A whole (new) range of t1.3 lenses costs 10-20% of a set of (new) similarly specced zeiss or leica cine primes.
Looks like a superb deal to me, although I have no possibility to try them out / order.

Where exactly is Luma Tech advertising on ebay? I can't find it. Curious about the pricing...

@Raoul cheers for that!

They're beyond my personal reach also, but then again, lenses like these should be used so it makes for a very good "community package".. Or for your business if you can manage the cost. A far better investment than a similarly priced camera!
I mean, if you don't live next to a rental shop and know them personally / can pick up high quality lenses for next to nothing.

For my own personal use, I have a bunch of FD, MD, Konica glass and some c-mounts.

@LPowell are we allowed to discuss here upcoming lenses? The Samyang 25mm 1.4 looks amazing! If I didn't know any better it seams like they are creating a speed primes kit!

Vitaliy: sure thing. I thought it was OK since duclos and CP2 was in the topic aswell.. I'll make a new topic later on for cine lenses.

Just to reply to @qwerty123 quickly (and not leave the question hanging): It's not much if you look at what you get. (below 4k/lens) Actually it's t1.2 (latest version) and a pretty much complete range of often used focal lengths.. Like I said, zeiss or leica top cine lineups (with similar t-speeds) are up to 10 times as much... That said, there's plenty of good glass in the low end to shoot with. Many are in this thread.


Re: fd, I've only used my 35mm f2.0 ssc with follow focus (I'm pretty good at focusing without ff) and there wasn't much throw to talk about. Individually, it varies with each lens I suppose, also in terms of condition, but the build quality is overall very good. I've not had many problems, but I have my preferred choices. IMO you need to do a bit trial and error to see what works for your particular needs - although there's plenty of info on most lenses if one gives it some time.
Which entails taking the time to resell lenses you don't like. It doesn't take too long to get a good grip if something is wortwhile or not (without buying).
I've got a c-mount canon f1.4 (used to be a tv-lens in the 70's) that is absolutely brilliant on the gh2. Worked really good with FF.

@Shield

Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/531-sigma1750f28os

* Manual aperture ring: No - aperture cannot be set on Lumix DSLRs
* Direct-coupled focus ring: Yes
* Proper focus ring rotation: Lumix direction only
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: No
* Constant field of view: ??
* Constant f-stop aperture: Yes
* Rotational zoom ring: Yes

In the Photozone review linked above, the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 delivered excellent optical performance down to f4, and fine center sharpness at f2.8. It also has smooth bokeh with almost no chroma fringing. Unfortunately, it's not well-suited for use on Lumix DSLRs, as it has no aperture ring and its auto-focus and image stabilization features will not work. In addition, its outer barrel extends far enough during zooming to make it awkward to use with a rails-mounted matte box.

I have the less-expensive version, a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8-4.5 in a Nikon F-mount. While this lens lacks a constant f-stop aperture, its outer lens barrel is fixed and neither rotates nor extends. However, the lack of a manual aperture ring makes it impractical for me to use it on my GH2, and the focus ring rotates opposite to the direction I prefer.

@Shield
I bought several Canon FD to M43 adapters with "Lock" rings similar to the one in your ebay link.

They all sucked.

These "Lock" rings are not designed for reliable manual aperture setting; they are intended for use with auto-aperture still cameras. In the locked position, the adapter holds the lens aperture wide-open, allowing you to focus with maximum available light. In the unlocked position, the lens works normally. While intermediate positions of the lock ring can be used to gradually close down the iris, it is finicky and unstable. In practice, you would need to tape down the lock ring after carefully adjusting it to make sure it would not slip during a video take.

As for breathing, I'd expect a parfocal lens design to show less than a zoom with internal focusing, such as the Leicasonic 14-50mm f2.8-3.5. In my experience, every one of the Panasonic and Olympus digital lenses I've tried has shown blatant focus-breathing, and the Leicasonic is one of the worst in this regard. This is a lens property that is rarely tested in published reviews, and really requires hands-on evaluation in each case.

In my original post, I considered whether to include parfocal zooming as one of the criteria. While it's very desirable for ENG use, zooming is rarely used in cinematic filming. Modern auto-focus still camera lenses are designed to be zoomed and then auto-focused before each shot. Next to lens breathing, this property is even less frequently documented or reviewed, so I decided to leave it out.

@Shield

IF you want to ask questions or advice, use other topic.
This one is very specific.

@LPowell - I assume this lens would work with the 4/3rds/micro four thirds adapter and allow at least "push" focus. I just can't find one for sale.
https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/four-thirds/lenses/normal-range/sigma-18-50mm-f2.8-ex-dc-for-four-thirds

Also, regarding the Tokina - how is the breathing, and does the iris flicker when zooming at various f stops? I assume it's not super duper sharp, but might be more than passable for video.

@Vitaliy_Kiselev - sorry, these are all lenses for Lumix DSLRs and cameras I'm trying to get to work. :)

Sorry, taking this to PM for more detailed discussion with LPowell.