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20mm GH2 lens similar to look of 20mm pancake
  • howardsthowardst

    i use a gh2 for video. i love the look of the 20mm pancake. im considering the 2.8 12 to 35 but its very expensive. im using the kit 14 t0 45 and 14 to 140. does this faster than kit lense give u a similar shollow depth of the pancake? if it doesnt i dont understand why its so expensive. any insight most appreciated

  • 6 Replies sorted by
  • TscheckoffTscheckoff

    Well - The 12-35mm is the most flexible (fast) lens for the GH-series bodies. Constant F2.8 aperture, very good optical stabilizer built in, it´s weather sealed and also WAY easier & "better" to use with a follow focus (that´s quite hard with the 20mm pancake for example - size wise - But also the focus ring of the 12-35mm is out of metal with the - So it´s working better with focus gears - As it´s not deforming that easy - At least I think it´s out of metal ^^). Also the AF performance is WAY better with the 12-35mm lens (not compareable with the 20mm pancake) - Btw.: With the new GH4 you´re getting even better AF performance with it (through the new DFD - depth from defocus system - for even faster focusing). So it´s also nice for stills - And a nice future investment if you plan to upgrade to the GH4 somewhere in the future - Btw.: Don´t forget - If you buy the 12-35mm you can sell the 14-45mm and the 20mm pancake lenses - And you cover wide to light tele with it ^^.

    THOUGH: If you´re just searching good native glass (which is also working quite well with a follow focus) you can also check out the very robust Sigma DN lenses - 19mm F2.8, 30mm F2.8 and 60mm F2.8 - All delivering a VERY GOOD performance (though coming without an internal stabilizer ^^). But the image they are producing is very lovely (and they are priced quite low / competitive).

    HTH

  • howardsthowardst

    thank you for your response. my real question was does the 12 to 35 give you that same pretty shallow d.o.f the pancake does through the lense? if it does that ill buy it

  • Sph1nxsterSph1nxster

    Depends how you are using it. If you expect to get the same look at the 12mm end of the lens then no way, but when zoomed in at 35mm the bokeh is really nice and pretty similar to the 20mm. The lens is very sharp at 35mm with an aperture of 2.8. Also it depends what you are filming to warrant the steep price

  • eatstoomuchjameatstoomuchjam

    Since depth of field directly correlates to aperture, at 20mm, the 12-35mm f/2.8 is going to have deeper depth of field wide open than the 20mm f/1.7 is going to have when it is wide open. As to whether the DOF at a given focal length will be sufficient for your needs, you'll need to evaluate that for yourself!

  • howardsthowardst

    if the bokeh on this lense is like the pancake im buying it. the pancake is acbitch to focus but the bokeh is gorgeous.

  • TscheckoffTscheckoff

    Ups. Sorry. Forgot to mention the differences according DOF ^^. About the DOF / shallow DOF: Sure it´s not 100% the same. It´s a F1.7 aperture vs. a F2.8 - So one and a half stop of difference - So as already said, you will get more DOF with the 12-35mm. But the bokeh of it is quite nice and smooth. AND: There are not other options out there (with faster aperture) - Especially which are as nice and comfortable to use as the 12-35mm (I listed the pros already in my last post) ^^.

    Sure - There are the F1.8 primes from Olympus. The 17mm, 25mm and 45mm for example. And the 12mm F2.0 - But they are all quite expensive. And you also don´t get the stabilizer of the 12-35mm (which is essential for run and gun style shots with a GH-body). Maybe also important for the future: The Olympus lenses don´t offer the DFD (AF) support (important for the GH4 and other following bodies from Panasonic) - And they are also not wheater sealed (like the 12-35mm) ^^.

    HTH

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