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

    Even Canon "L" lenses on the expensive C300 don't have completely stepless aperture.

    Get something mechanical and use your hand!

  • disneytoydisneytoy

    How does this compare at 12mm to the oly 12mm f2? i wanted to get the 12mm for street photography at f2.

  • nomadnomad

    Just do it! The Oly is cheaper and it's really good. Don't expect a zoom to perform like a prime.

    Plus, it has an option that comes close to manual focusing.

  • pcadypcady

    We returned the 12-35mm lens because of the aperture glitches, summarized here:

    A call to Panasonic (and their natural-language-phone-tree-from-HELL) confirmed that this is a "design feature" of the lens.

    I'm back to using the Oly 14-54mkII which is optically similar but has the same aperture blade "jumps" and is noisy as well. However, my wife's documentary work really requires a lens in that 28mm-70mm equivalent range, parfocal, quiet and with constant aperture.

    I have not really found anything equivalent to what the 12-35mm was supposed to be for the GH2. My 16mm roots has me thinking of trying an old Angenieux zoom. Ok, just typing that made me cringe... there's got to be something better.

  • touviere7touviere7

    12-35 aperture glitch:

    sad, very sad :-(

  • dixierdixier

    how to check optical stabilization? I turn on\off, but I can't see difference.

  • valpopandovalpopando

    @dixier What you mean "I can't see difference." try to shot a fixed point at 35mm , OIS should eliminate the small vibrations of shooting handheld !

  • dixierdixier

    I use firmware 444 sharp.In 24p mode with 12-35mm lense not switch in ExTele mode, the menu set is not activated. Why?

  • ishvarishvar

    This clip was shot with the 12-35mm 2.8 & 45-175 vario GX lenses by Jan den Ouden, Holland. Patch used was Nick Driftwood's Cluster V5 25p, cinema settings.

  • GravitateMediaGroupGravitateMediaGroup

    I have this lens and have no aperture issues.

  • MikhailKMikhailK

    @GravitateMediaGroup

    "I have this lens and have no aperture issues."

    How can that be, you don't have this aperture glitch? I own this lens myself and I do have this glitch. My friends have this lens and they do have this glitch.

    BTW, every panasonic lens has this "feature". See the beginning of this thread and you'll see that everybody has the same problem.

    @GravitateMediaGroup, could you give us some shots you made with this lens (with zoomig in/out)?

    Very strange...

  • GravitateMediaGroupGravitateMediaGroup

    wouldn't zooming in and out be a "zooming" issue instead of an aperture issue? I'm going to make a test video for you as soon as I make this post.

    All "issues" aside, VERY VERY rarely will I zoom in and out during a shot and typically I will have the aperture set before I begin a shot. I exchanged the voightlander 25mm for 17mm for the de clicked aperture, and purchased the rokinon 35 t1.5 because of it's de clicked aperture (if you couldn't tell de clicked is the route I will try and stick with from here on out with lenses because I'm in love with it) But like I said, I try to stay away from having to change from extreme apertures during a shot.

  • GravitateMediaGroupGravitateMediaGroup

    Just tested it out and I see what you are saying, but everything I said in the 2nd half of my previous post is my procedure so it's kind of a non issue for me, which is probably why I didn't really take notice to the issue.

  • MikhailKMikhailK

    @GravitateMediaGroup

    I do understand your opinion. Nevertheless, nobody's saying someone wanna try "to change from extreme apertures during a shot". A lot of people bought this lens just because they thought it would have a true constant aperture during zooming in and out. Cinema-like lens... People were wrong, just as I was.

  • GravitateMediaGroupGravitateMediaGroup

    That's not at all why I bought the lens, my reason was for the OIS, and I would say several other people bought it for that reason. Although the OIS works pretty good, especially handheld, it's nothing I can't get from a rig or stabilizer obviously. I've had my fun with it, but I'm returning it on Monday, it isn't really worth the high cost. There are several better lenses for half the cost, so I'm pretty much trading it for a rokinon 35 t1.5, rokinon 85 1.4 and possibly a gopro 3 after I see a little more from it.

  • valpopandovalpopando

  • RRRRRRRR

    My reason for getting the 12-35 was mainly that it´s very sharp, reasonably fast and pretty neutral lens that covers all the wide angles I´ll need. Yes, it´s dissapointing that it´s not parfocal but it´s not the end of the world for MY use of it. However had there not been issues with zooming during recording, I could have put the gh2 with the 12-35 in the hands of any documentary shooter used to eng cams / camcorders and get acceptable results. My biggest gripe is the focus by wire. It does not feel right IMO but it could still turn very useful if it can be remote controlled by wifi.

    As for OIS, it will of course help with handheld but the biggest pro with it is avoiding jello from micro-vibrations (f.i. if you do a critical dolly or rails shot)

  • christianhubbardchristianhubbard

    @valpopando WOW. great looking footage.

  • valpopandovalpopando

    @christianhubbard Thanks mate !! ; )

  • tetakpataktetakpatak

    I've decided to cancel my order for this lens.

    It is indeed very sharp, but its sharpness looks somehow artificial to me on all the test shootings I saw here, it does not look cinematic to me at all. Of course many could disagree about what I say, but I can't change my feelings about this. I mean it has kind of all-in-focus like on the paintings of Hyeronimus Bosch (who I admire).

    Its OIS and weather sealing are ceirtanly great features for all those who need them. I do not need them for my purposes.

    The biggest disappointment for me is the barrel distortion of nearly 6% on its short end. Only Panasonic cameras seem to be capable of correcting it, @kodakmoment it is exactly what you commented here middle of July, the newest Photozone review of this lens confirms it. For my own needs, its short end was the most interesting part and I really expected less barrel distortion from a "X" lens in the price category just next to the professional Nikkors and Canons. VK has written in the GH3 topic a hard true: "X is just marketing moniker". I really don't wanna say that anybody who buys this lens does anything wrong, I don't mean that. In different shooting subjects and circumstances than I need this could be a dream lens for many and I am really happy for all of you guys who got here the one you have been waiting for. I didn't.

  • MRfannyMRfanny

    I just bought this lens. Looking foward to shooting with it to see for myself what can be had with it. The focal range alone would have sped up todays shoot indoors. Eliminating the need to swap lenses indoors on shoots and live events is what I hope to get out of this lens. Time will tell if its for me =)

  • RRRRRRRR

    @tetakpatak

    Strange comments.

    Oly 12mm has 5.45% barrel distortion (compared to 5.71% for 12-35 at 12mm). Corrected on the gh2 for video it looks like shit if you try to pan / tilt. Panny 12-35 seems to have a much better correction, panning and tilting looks OK. You must have been watching a lot of gh3 test-videos or simply don´t like a "modern" looking lens..

    It seems like you are complaining about the depth of field as well.. all of that is down to the user of the lens. At f2.8 it´s fully possible to have a short DOF if that is what you want.

    Simply put, the 12-35 is technically the best lens on the market, between 12-16mm for m43.

    With that said, everyone has to consider what fits their needs and technically good is not always the most fun.

  • B3GuyB3Guy

    Panasonic should just sell cinema versions of their lens designs. Same glass, just manual focus, manual zoom and manual aperture controls. Also, a built-in ND tray wouldn't be the end of the world either. I would think that a purely mechanical lens would be more easy to create compared to these plastic motorized electronic jumbles.

  • RRRRRRRR

    @B3Guy My guess is someone else will do it before panasonic. This should be the perfect timing for some of the zoom companies to produce a cheap "cine" zoom for m43 mount. Hell, they can even make the same zoom in two versions with different housing.

  • B3GuyB3Guy

    I'm sure someone will do it first. It just baffles me that any company investing so much in the development of a lens' optical system would not make at least a couple iterations of that lens formula, especially considering that some folks might even by both.

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