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Lenses for Over the Shoulder and Close-ups GH4 C4k
  • MckiniseMckinise

    In the market for a couple new lenses that will be my go to glass for character close ups and possibly over the shoulder mediums. I currently have the 14-42 kit lens and Lumix 20mm 1.7 Pancake.

    Sharpness is important, but just getting the most attractive shots of my actors matter most.

    What do you guys suggest and why?

  • 11 Replies sorted by
  • CFreakCFreak

    When I was a focus puller we would typically use a 75mm (Panavision) or 85mm (Zeiss on an Arri camera) prime for the over the shoulder shots (OTS) in (edit) STANDARD 35mm (ca. 18x24mm with a 1.85 crop). so on a GH4, without a speed booster that would be about a 50mm lens.

    Which 50mm? I can't say. I have a manual focus Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AIS. It's soft at 1.4 and becomes usable at 2.0. I have heard they are all like this and I have read that the 50mm 1.8 AI/AIS is quite good at f2 and cheaper. See: http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/384/nikon-ais-vs-canon-fd-for-video-gh2-gh1/p1

  • StudioDCCreativeStudioDCCreative

    Building on what CFreak was saying (good advice there), I would add:

    Given that Nikon lenses all focus the "wrong" way (opposite direction of barrel rotation from cine lenss) you may want to consider the Contax/Yashica 50mm, older FD Canon 50's, or if you want a more ultramodern higher contrast look to match "todays" lenses, go with a Rokinon/Samyang or the Voigtlander 42,5mm which can REAALLLLY open up if you need ultra low depth of field. It has more character than the Samyang or the Sigmas (or new Nikon / Canon EF glass) wide open, but still has a solid modern look stopped down.

    I can also heartily recommend the Helios 44/2 family of 58mm lenses with or without the speedbooster and the Dog Schidt Optiks rebuilds of the same (known as the FF58), if you love the vintage low contrast look and want your lenses to flare more easily and profusely. I find that my FF58 is one of the few lenses that is nearly always on my camera.

  • CFreakCFreak

    @StudioDCCreative good point, Nikkors all focus in reverse. I am just used to it.

    If he needs AF then I guess the Pana 35-100 2.8 or Oly equivalent could be options.

    I was thinking the 42.5 might be too wide to get the working distance for the OTS shots and that a 50-60mm range might work well.

    You'll also need to factor your crop factor if you are on a GH2 (1.87x) or a GH4 in UHD (2.2x) it'll make a small difference.

    OK, I see, you are asking about C4K I think that's 2.1x? you might be able to use a 42.5mm lens, but, I'd double check using the 14-42 to make sure you're happy with the cam/subj. working distance.

  • caveportcaveport

    I'm using old cheap Pentax K-mount 28mm f2.8 and 50mm f1.4 lenses on my GH4 using a cheap adapter and they give a nice look for close-ups and general shooting. They are sharp in the middle and a bit soft on the edges as you open up the iris. The stock 12 - 35mm Panny lens is electronically corrected and is way better for crisp wide shots. I also have the 14 -42mm Panny lens and it's pretty good, but not as nice as the 12 - 35mm lens.

  • MckiniseMckinise

    Ah, crop factor. I have been estimating it to be closer to 2.5 for C4k and 2.6 for UHD based upon the calculations from this article: http://gh4crew.co.uk/?p=460

    FHD 1920×1080 (16:9 Full Sensor Width) crop factor = 2.18

    4K 3840×2160 (16:9 Cropped Sensor Width) crop factor = 2.18 x 1.2 = ~2.6 (test calculated: 2.616)

    C4K 4096×2160 (17.07:9 Cropped Sensor Width) crop factor = 2.18 x 1.14 = ~2.5 (test calculated: 2.485)

    If true, this makes my 20mm basically a 50mm lens and a 50mm closer to 125mm which should be fine for what I have in mind.

  • MckiniseMckinise

    @caveport @Cfreak @StudioDCCreative

    How do you feel about the Olympus 45mm f/1.8?

  • CFreakCFreak

    I don't know it.

  • joetheprojoethepro

    I second the Pentax K mount lenses. STELLAR things. I have a 50mm Pentax M f/1.7 and it is the best looking 50mm Ive ever used (but I havent used many...). Its soft at 1.7 but actually gets really good at f/2. Inexpensive too.

  • DrDaveDrDave

    For a portrait style lens, I always reach for the Olly 45mm first.

  • mrbillmrbill

    You need something that will offer you some shallow dof to separate your subject from his/her background. If you don't mind an all manual lens, the contax zeiss 50mm f1.7 renders stunning color and contrast, and is beautifully sharp wide open, as well as being amazing value for money. Looks like you could do with a long lens too - I have the 135mm f2.8, another great lens. You'll get them both for £300-350. Here's a great guide to the whole contax series...

    http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?92044-Contax-Zeiss-Survival-Guide&p=1209006&viewfull=1#post1209006

  • StudioDCCreativeStudioDCCreative

    @McKinise, I'm not a fan of the Pany lenses or the modern Oly or Canon glass as the majority of them focus-by-wire and it's absolutely unusable for an AC to pull focus with them. They look great but AF is of limited usefulness in cinema, IMO.

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