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ANGENIEUX or old Fujinon B4? for gh2 super zoom?
  • I have a GH2 and an old B4 Lens, but a proper adapter for the B4 lens actually costs more than I may be able to get an Angenieux and cheap c-mount adapter for. At 9 -144 mm f1.8 for the Fujinon I would get more range and a little bit faster lens speed, and thanks to the doubler I wouldn't always have to use Ex tele... Basically the question comes down to image quality. Has anyone used both of these types of lenses? Does one tend to give better results? More contrast/sharpness et cetera? B4 seems like the better bet unless the Angie's perform noticeably better. I've seen a few videos with each, but none that allow me to really compare the two.

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  • Keep the B4 and buy an adapter. From what you say, I infer the Angenieux is a 12-120 f:2.2 and if it has a native C-mount it's probably not one of the best series. These 16mm lenses were rather on the soft side in terms of definition and contrast. Their reputation came from the fact they were the first ever zoom with such focal range and max aperture, but by the time I was shooting S-16 and 16mm we would much prefer to use the Zeiss 10-100 or Zeiss primes... This said, if you can get an Angenieux 9-57 f:1.6, then this would probably be very interesting on a GH2 because of its small size, wide aperture and sharper image!

  • Why the hunger to use old zooms designed for film and ENG cameras? They are not a particularly good match for the GH2. Firstly, they weigh a ton and need serious support on rods. Secondly, all of the ones I tried didn't cover the GH2 sensor adequately through the full zoom range. Really, you'd be much better served by the excellent zooms designed specifically for the MFT format or something like the superb Tokina zoom lenses originally made for 35mm still and full-frame (FX) digital cameras. (Lots of reviews and recommendations can be found on this forum)

  • @sherwood I just have a b4 lens already, and there aren't really any still lenses that offer the same kind of range and speed anywhere in my price range...I have been considering the going with the Tokinas instead lately though.

  • It's good to experiment, one that is an evolution