Panasonic Gh4 Lenses for Video - Wide Angle, Portrait, and Telephoto

2023-04-23 2162 words 11 minutes

Contents

GH4 Lens Considerations for Video

When selecting a lens to use on the Panasonic GH4 for video, there are a few factors to consider:

Aperture: A lens with a wide aperture (e.g., f/1.8 or f/2.8) will allow more light into the camera and provide better low-light performance. It will also give you a shallower depth of field, which can be useful for creating cinematic effects.
Focal length: The GH4 has a Micro Four Thirds sensor, which has a 2x crop factor compared to full-frame sensors. This means that a 25mm lens on the GH4 will have a field of view equivalent to a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera. When selecting a lens, consider the field of view you want for your video.
Auto-focus: The GH4 has fast and accurate auto-focus, but some lenses perform better than others. Look for lenses with fast and quiet autofocus motors unless you will be manually focusing.
Manual focus: If you plan to use manual focus for your video, look for lenses with a smooth focus ring that allows for precise adjustments.

When Should A Wide Lens Be Used

Sense of Scope and Scale

A wide-angle lens can greatly affect the sense of scope in a movie. By capturing a wider field of view, a wide-angle lens allows you to include more of the scene in the frame, which can make a space feel larger or more expansive. This can be useful for establishing shots, landscapes, or any scene where you want to give the audience a sense of the surroundings.

However, a wide-angle lens can also distort the perspective of objects in the frame, making them appear larger or closer than they actually are. This can be useful for creating a sense of intimacy or tension in a scene, as it can make the viewer feel like they are physically closer to the action.

Additionally, a wide-angle lens can create a deep depth of field, where objects in the foreground and background are in focus at the same time. This can be useful for showcasing the details of a location or creating a sense of depth in a scene.

The opening shot of “Lawrence of Arabia,” where the vast desert landscape is captured with a wide-angle lens, creating a sense of grandeur and scale.
The sweeping shots of New York City in “Spider-Man” or “The Avengers” that use wide-angle lenses to capture the entire skyline, giving the audience a sense of the city’s size and scope.
The iconic opening shot of “The Shining,” where the camera glides over the lake and up to the Overlook Hotel, using a wide-angle lens to showcase the hotel’s imposing size.

Enhanced Sense of Speed

A wide-angle lens can enhance the perception of speed in a video or movie by creating a sense of motion and exaggerating movement in the frame. This is because a wide-angle lens has a wider field of view, which allows more of the scene to be captured in the frame, including objects that are moving quickly.

When shooting with a wide-angle lens, any movement in the frame, whether it’s a car racing down a street or a person running across a field, will appear more dynamic and dramatic. This is because the wider field of view of the lens exaggerates the apparent speed of the object by making it appear to cover a greater distance in a shorter amount of time.

A wide-angle lens can create a sense of immersion and proximity to the action, which can also enhance the perception of speed. By bringing the viewer closer to the action, they are able to better sense the speed and movement of the objects in the frame.

The high-speed car chases in “The Fast and the Furious” franchise that are often shot with wide-angle lenses, creating a sense of speed and intensity.
The running scenes in “Chariots of Fire,” where the camera is positioned low to the ground and uses a wide-angle lens to capture the sprinters’ strides and convey their speed.
The action sequences in “The Bourne Identity,” where the use of wide-angle lenses gives a sense of the frenetic pace and urgency of the fight scenes.

Use in Small Spaces

A wide-angle lens can be incredibly useful when recording video in small spaces because it allows you to capture more of the scene in the frame. In a small room, for example, a standard lens might only capture a small portion of the space, but a wide-angle lens can capture the entire room, giving the viewer a better sense of the space and surroundings.

By using a wide-angle lens, you can also create a sense of depth in the shot, even in a small space. This is because a wide-angle lens can create a deep depth of field, where objects in the foreground and background are in focus at the same time. This can be useful for showcasing the details of a location and creating a sense of spatial relationships between objects in the frame.

Real estate videos: When shooting a video tour of a small apartment or house, a wide-angle lens can capture the entire space, giving potential buyers a better sense of the layout and flow of the space.
Vlogs and interviews: When filming a vlog or conducting an interview in a small room or office, a wide-angle lens can capture the subject and their surroundings, creating a sense of context and depth.
Music videos: In a music video shot in a small room or studio, a wide-angle lens can capture the entire band and their instruments, creating a sense of intimacy and connection between the musicians and the viewer.
Product demos: When shooting a video showcasing a small product or item, a wide-angle lens can capture the product and its details in the foreground, while still showing the surrounding environment in the background.
Event coverage: When covering a small event or gathering, a wide-angle lens can capture the entire space and the people in it, creating a sense of community and atmosphere.

Smoother Handheld, Rigged, and Gimbal Footage

A wide-angle lens can help with recording smooth video by reducing camera shake and making it easier to keep the camera steady during filming. This is because a wide-angle lens typically has a wider field of view, which means that it captures more of the scene in the frame, making it less susceptible to small movements or jitters that might be noticeable on a narrower field of view.

Zoom Lenses

Panasonic 7-14mm F/4

panasonic-7-14mm-f4-zoom.jpg

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Ultra-wide-angle zoom lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras, with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 14-28mm.
Constant maximum aperture of f/4 throughout the zoom range, which provides consistent exposure and allows for shallow depth of field in certain shooting conditions.
Durable construction with metal housing and sealing against dust and moisture, making it suitable for outdoor and travel photography.
Fast and accurate autofocus system, and a silent autofocus motor, making it ideal for shooting both stills and video.
Features Panasonic’s Nano Surface Coating technology, which helps reduce ghosting and flare, resulting in clear and sharp images with high contrast.

Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 II ASPH Power OIS

Versatile standard zoom lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras, with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 24-70mm.
Constant maximum aperture of f/2.8 throughout the zoom range, which provides consistent exposure and allows for shallow depth of field in certain shooting conditions.
Durable construction with metal housing and sealing against dust and moisture, making it suitable for outdoor and travel photography.
Fast and accurate autofocus system, and a silent autofocus motor, making it ideal for shooting both stills and video.
The lens also features Panasonic’s Power OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) technology, which helps reduce camera shake and produces sharp and clear images, even in low light conditions.

Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm f/2.8 II Power OIS

Telephoto zoom lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras, with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 70-200mm.
Constant maximum aperture of f/2.8 throughout the zoom range, which provides consistent exposure and allows for shallow depth of field in certain shooting conditions.
Optical design with 21 elements in 16 groups, including one ED and two UED elements, which helps to minimize chromatic aberrations and produce high-quality images.
A linear autofocus motor that provides fast and precise focusing performance, making it ideal for capturing action and sports photography.
Weighs only 357 grams, making it lightweight and portable, which is ideal for photographers who need to move around with their gear.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO

Professional-grade standard zoom lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras, with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 24-80mm.
Fast and precise autofocus system with a high-speed MSC (Movie and Still Compatible) linear motor, which provides smooth and silent focusing performance, making it ideal for video recording and stills photography.
Weighs 382 grams, making it relatively lightweight and portable, which is suitable for photographers who need to carry their gear around.
Durable metal construction with weather-sealing against dust, moisture and splashes, making it ideal for outdoor and travel photography.
Filter thread size of 62mm, which is a common filter size of Olympus professional lenses that allows photographers to easily add filters for creative or practical purposes.

Prime Lenses

Panasonic 15mm f/1.7

Wide-angle prime lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras, with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 30mm.
Features a fast and accurate autofocus system with a stepping motor, which provides quiet and smooth focusing performance, making it ideal for both photo and video recording.
Weighs only 115 grams, making it lightweight and portable, which is ideal for street and travel photography.
Durable metal construction, but does not have weather-sealing against dust or moisture, so it may not be ideal for outdoor photography in extreme weather conditions.
Filter thread size of 46mm, which is common among Panasonic lenses.

Olympus 12mm F/2.0

Wide-angle prime lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras, with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 24mm.
Features a fast and accurate autofocus system with a high-speed MSC (Movie and Still Compatible) linear motor, which provides smooth and silent focusing performance, making it ideal for video recording and stills photography.
Weighs only 130 grams, making it lightweight and portable, which is ideal for street and travel photography.
Durable metal construction with weather-sealing against dust, moisture and splashes, making it suitable for outdoor and travel photography.
Filter thread size of 46mm, which is common among Olympus lenses.

Rokinon Cine 12mm T2.2

Wide-angle prime lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras, with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 24mm.
Features a manual focus system, which allows for precise focusing control and is ideal for video recording where autofocus may not be desirable.
Weighs 238 grams, making it a bit heavier than some other options, but still relatively portable for a cine lens.
No weather-sealing against dust or moisture, so it may not be ideal for outdoor photography in extreme weather conditions.
Filter thread size of 67mm, which is larger than some other lenses in this category, but allows for a wide range of filter options to be used.

Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art

Zoom lens designed for APS-C cameras, with a 35mm equivalent focal length range of 27-52.5mm.
Features a fast and accurate autofocus system with a Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM), which provides quick and silent focusing performance.
Weighs 810 grams, making it a bit heavier than some other lenses in this category, but still manageable for handheld shooting.
The lens has a brass bayonet mount and a durable construction, but does not have weather-sealing against dust or moisture, so it may not be ideal for outdoor photography in extreme weather conditions.
Filter thread size of 72mm, which is a common filter size that allows photographers to easily add filters for creative or practical purposes. Additionally, it has a constant maximum aperture of f/1.8 throughout the zoom range, which allows for greater flexibility in low light situations and shallow depth of field effects.

Voigtlander Nokton 17.5mm f/0.95 Aspherical

Wide-angle prime lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras, with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 35mm.
Features a manual focus system, which allows for precise focusing control and is ideal for video recording where autofocus may not be desirable. Additionally, it has a clickless aperture ring for smooth iris adjustments during video recording.
Weighs 540 grams, which is a bit heavier than some other lenses in this category, but still manageable for handheld shooting.
No weather-sealing against dust or moisture, so it may not be ideal for outdoor photography in extreme weather conditions.
Filter thread size of 58mm, which is a common filter size that allows photographers to easily add filters for creative or practical purposes. Additionally, the lens has a fast maximum aperture of f/0.95, which allows for greater flexibility in low light situations and shallow depth of field effects. The lens also features aspherical elements, which help to reduce aberrations and improve image quality.