That was the question we asked ourselves this morning while stopping for a coffee break after running through the pelting rain.
We’ve been carrying our oldest and lightest mirrorless hybrid camera and lens combination for the past few days when going about these suburbs where little ever seems to happen to see what we can make of minimalist moments like this one.
Lumix GH4 and Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS Bayer raw file processed with DxO PhotoLab Elite 6.3 & Fujifilm Astia film simulation
When I got back into photography and video with the accidentally revolutionary Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR camera, I went back to covering events as I had with a range of cameras during the analog era ranging from a Crown Graphic sheet film camera down through the film sizes to several Leica M System rangefinder cameras.
With its kit lens the 5D Mark II proved heavy, unwieldy and slower to focus than I liked and I found myself pining for my Leica cameras and lenses but film and processing had become too expensive and environmentally imprudent.
I was pleased when Fujifilm released its just as revolutionary Fujifilm Finepix X100 digital APS-C rangefinder camera and then I discovered even more benefits to the Micro Four Thirds format when I discovered a more agile camera for video work in the Panasonic Lumix GH4.
M43 and APS-C are the sweet spot for deep focus documentary photographs like this compared to 35mm sensor aka “full frame” – I hate that silly marketing man’s terminology – cameras where one struggles to get all the essential image information razor sharp from near to far.
The two smaller sensor sizes make photography fun again and I love M43’s default 4:3 aspect ratio which is easier to design beautiful images within than the often too-narrow 2:3 aspect ratio of 35mm.
The Lumix GH4 and Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS camera and lens combination is also handy for quick video footage given the lens’ stabilization and with a Urth ND8-128 37mm variable neutral density filter attached to its pointy end, using the camera’s Cine D profile.
Links
B&H Affiliate Link – click here to research and purchase or pre-order your choice of cameras, lenses and accessories for stills photography and video production whatever your genre and subject matter.
Leeming LUT Pro – website – “Leeming LUT Pro™ is the world’s first unified, corrective Look Up Table (LUT) system for supported cameras, designed to maximise dynamic range, fix skin tones, remove unwanted colour casts and provide an accurate Rec.709 starting point for further creative colour grading. The Pro III LUTs are designed for perfect Rec.709 colorimetry and have a linear luma curve, with an average measured dE(2000) of less than 1, meaning they are visually indistinguishable from reality to the human eye. Athena III LUTs are a brighter version of Pro, designed around how the eye sees, while retaining the same perfect colorimetry as Pro.
Our favourite raw image file processing software DxO PhotoLab Elite has now gained the ability to support .RAF files from Fuijfilm’s X-H2S, X-H2 and X-T5 APS-C cameras and support for Panasonic’s Lumix S5II is coming in March 2023.
At the moment, in mid-February 2023, we’re still waiting for the DeepPRIME XD demosaicing and denoising function to support Fujifilm X-Trans raw files but Fujifilm Bayer raw files from the original Fujifilm Finepix X100 are supported as well as, we believe, Bayer raw files from Fujifilm GFX cameras.
We took one of our oldest Panasonic Lumix camera and lens combinations out for a walk today – a Lumix GH4 and Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS standard zoom lens – and it worked fine when minimally processed in the current latest version of DxO PhotoLab Elite.
Lumix GH4 and Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS Bayer raw file in DxO PhotoLab Elite 6.3
We’re not street photographers but this image is an apt document of aspects of life in this cluster of suburbs where Edward Hopper’s paintings of American urban living can be an appropriate comparison.
One of the many things we love about DxO PhotoLab and its companions-cum-plugins DxO FilmPack and DxO ViewPoint is that these applications inject new life into old digital images even when made with lower specced cameras and lenses.
On another note, as soon as DeepPRIME XD for Fujifilm X-Trans comes to DxO PhotoLab then we’ll be shouting it from the rooftops.
Links
B&H Affiliate Link – click here to research and purchase or pre-order your choice of cameras, lenses and accessories for stills photography and video production whatever your genre and subject matter.
DxO – Supported Cameras & Lenses – At the time of writing in mid-February 2023, DxO PhotoLab Elite 6.3 supports Fujifilm X-H2, X-H2S and X-T5 and Panasonic Lumix GH6 with support for the Panasonic Lumix S5II coming in March 2023.
There’s been quite a bit of discussion online around Panasonic’s introduction of phase detection hybrid autofocus aka PDHAF or PDAF in its two latest cameras the Lumix S5 II and S5 IIX.
Lumix camera users have been asking Panasonic for PDAF for years now instead of the depth from defocus aka DFD autofocus system upon which Panasonic has hung its hopes despite performing below par compared to other cameramakers’ autofocusing systems.
Panasonic introduced its video-oriented Micro Four Thirds flagship camera the GH6 in 2022 and with it still relying on DFD Lumix users are asking for an upgraded GH6 with PDHAF, perhaps a GH6 II.
Is a GH6 Mark II already on the slate for release later in 2023 or might Panasonic first be planning a return to smaller and more stills-oriented M43 cameras, this time with improved IBIS and the PDAF we’ve been wanting for so long?
Some Lumix small camera, small lens snapshots from earlier today
The M.Zuiko Pro professional prime and zoom lenses from the Olympus Micro Four Third lens collection as of June 2021. Image courtesy of OM Digital Solutions Australia.
We bought our one small Lumix M43 camera, a GX8, not long after our first Lumix M43 camera, the GH4, for producing video for an unfunded global human rights charity where we were volunteering.
We chose the GX8 as a second camera primarily for video, for two-camera setups as well as a back-up for the GH4 if it went down on location.
We soon discovered the GX8 was an excellent stills photography camera as well as a fine video camera though without all the specifications of the GH4, and it had 3-way in-body image stabilization for stills only, Panasonic’s first venture into this essential feature for all cameras whatever their sensor size and intended use.
Then there’s the almost unique tilting electronic viewfinder aka EVF, rivalled only by Leica with its pricey Visoflex 2 detachable tiring EVF for its pricey M-System cameras.
Previously Panasonic had relied on IBIS for its zoom lenses but, with the exception of a couple of its longer prime at the time, not its single-focal length optics.
OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 II Pro zoom lens. Image courtesy of OM Digital Solutions Australia.
Although we defaulted to prime lenses for our pre-digital film work, zoom lenses have advanced in leaps and bounds since trying out and quickly returning our first one.
When we ordered our GH4 we had no hesitation adding an Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro standard zoom lens after comparing one to a Panasonic Lumix GX Vario 35-100mm f/2.8 Power OIS zoom.
The clincher for choosing the M.Zuiko Pro despite its lack of IBIS?
Its solid non-plastic body and its manual clutch focusing ring.
In our humble opinion every lens for serious documentary stills and video production should come with manual clutch focus aka MCF, no questions asked.
If Olympus could do it for its M.Zuiko and M.Zuiko Pro primes and zooms then surely all others can do it too.
We’ve been asking for MCF for Fujifilm and Panasonic lenses for years and, lo and behold, Panasonic’s brilliant available light and darkness zoom lens pair, the Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 Aspheric and Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm f/1.7 Aspheric came with exactly that.
Thank you, Panasonic, and now please add MCF when you revise other lenses for the extra resolution demands the GH6’s 5.7K 60p option may well demand.
Panasonic Lumix GH6 with Vario-Summilux 10-25mm & 25-50mm f/1.7 zoom lenses, a core M43 kit for 4K documentary video production
Panasonic Lumix DC-GH6 Micro Four Thirds hybrid mirrorless camera. Image courtesy of B&H.
Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 Aspheric ultra-wide to standard normal zoom lens. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm f/1.7 Aspheric standard to short telephoto zoom lens. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
If Panasonic comes up with a GH6 Mark II with PDHAF then we’ll add one to the top of our video production wishlist along with the two f/1.7 zooms, but they’re a little too large for daily carry.
Instead for that we want a radically upgraded version of our beloved GX8, one suitable for professional stills and video work and not aimed at “street photography” with a reduced feature set as happened with the GX9.
That request is not just ours alone: we’ve been amazed at how so many GX8 users are asking the same question as well as GX7 and GX9 users.
Panasonic GX8 with two zoom lens kit
The GX8 has a good built-in grip and no need for optional hand grips to be attached in order to securely grip and balance big, heavy lenses. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS collapsible standard zoom lens. Image courtesy of B&H.
Panasonic Lumix G Vario 35-100mm f/4.0-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS moderate telephoto zoom lens. Image courtesy of B&H.
B+W 37mm #900 Rubber Lens Hood. Image courtesy of B&H.
The GX8 comes with a good built-in rubber eyecup and an even better optional eyecup great for when shooting video is available. This optional replacement sits on my GX8 24/7. Image courtesy of B&H.
Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 Aspheric prime lens. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Although we often carry our GX8 with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro zoom attached as one and only camera and lens combo each day, when we want to be even more discrete we choose our Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS collapsible zoom instead.
The 12-32mm’s optics may not be as advanced as those in the 12-40mm and the former lacks any form of manual focusing much less MCF, but its optics are good enough when the GX8’s raw files are processed in DxO PhotoLab Elite with its superb DeepPRIME XD denoising and demosaicing feature selected.
We’ve come to rely on DxO’s DeepPRIME XD function for all our M43 raw files and have seen some amazing results with it especially with images shot in available darkness with less than stellar lenses.
Video often benefits from less than razor-sharp optics based on the number of videographers adding softening filters to their lenses and there’s the benefit of the 12-32mm’s optical image stabilization aka OIS that works for video when the GX8’s IBIS does not.
If you’re considering the tiny 12-32mm zoom, only available secondhand these days or bundled with a lower-tier Lumix camera, then please also consider the Lumix G Vario 35-100mm f/4.0-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS lens as its natural telephoto companion.
We don’t have one – we have an Olympus telephoto zoom instead – but we’d love to add one when we can as this smaller, more affordable and collapsible alternative to the Lumix GX Vario 35-100mm f/2.8 Power OIS zoom gains great reviews and was recommended by the late, great M43 reviewer and former Fleet Street press photographer David Thorpe.
Panasonic GX8 with Lumix three prime lens kit
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 without lens, top view. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Panasonic Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 Aspheric medium wide-angle prime lens. Image courtesy of B&H.
Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 Aspheric perfect normal prime lens. Image courtesy of B&H.
Panasonic Lumix G 42.5mm f/1.7 Aspheric Power OIS moderate telephoto prime lens. Image courtesy of B&H.
Rolleiflex f/2.8 Twin Lens Reflex with standard lens. Photograph courtesy Franke & Heidecke.
Our GX8 came with a prime lens bundled as part of a promotion, the often-underestimated Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 Aspheric prime lens, and a spare battery.
Although we’ve never been dedicated standard normal lens users whatever the sensor or film format, the 25mm f/1.7 comes in handy when we want the feel of a Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex camera with 80mm standard normal prime lens by flipping the GX8’s EVF up to 90 degrees.
Until their demise in 2015 with the dissolution of the successor to original manufacturer Franke & Heidecke, the Rolleiflex TLR 120-rollfilm cameras were documentary, portrait and fashion photographer favourites and they’re still in demand on the secondhand market.
Franke & Heidecke made a number of variants beyond the 80mm standard-normal Rolleiflex including the first we had with a 75mm perfect normal lens, a wide Rolleiflex with 50mm lens and a telephoto Rolleiflex with 135mm lens.
There’s two ways of simulating these four Rolleiflex TLRs with a GX8, the first by attaching one or two zoom lenses.
The second is by having a nice little set of matched primes such as the Panasonic Lumix G 14mm f/2.5, 20mm f/1.7, 25mm f/1.7 and the OIS-equipped 42.5mm f/1.7.
I’d opt to leave out the standard normal 25mm f/1.7 for stills as the perfect normal 20mm f/1.7 is so, well, perfect but the 25mm lens is better for focus pulling given its normal length and not pancake sized barrel.
All four Lumix G primes have lightweight plastic bodies and quality optics though I can’t vouch for their performance with 5.7K video production and their glass is excellent even if it wasn’t designed and branded by Panasonic partner Leica Camera.
I’ve certainly come across documentary movies and narrative shorts being made with these Lumix primes on GHn series cameras as well as the GX8.
Contax G2 with three prime lens kit
Contax G2. Image found on ebay.
Bundled lens set for Contax G1 & G2 analog film rangefinder cameras: Biogon 28mm f/2.8, Planar 45mm f/2.0, Sonnar 90mm f/2.8. Designed & made by Zeiss & Yashica.
Contax G2 with four prime lens kit: 21mm, 28mm, 45mm and 90mm. Image found on ebay.
A little bit of a history lesson!
I’ve been a rangefinder camera user even from before our two Leica M System cameras and lenses dating back to discovering two Linhof 4″x5″ and 120-rollfilm cameras hidden in a closet at art school.
Two analog rangefinder cameras that I’ve had the pleasure of owning or using include the Contax G2 and the Minolta CLE which developed from the Leica CL.
Minolta CLE with three prime lens kit
Minolta CLE with 40mm f/2.0 perfect normal prime lens. Image courtesy of Japan Camera Hunter.
Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm f/2.0 lens for Minolta CLE 35mm, successor to the Leica CL and Leitz Minolta CL. Image courtesy of Japan Camera Hunter.
The three legendary Minolta M-Rokkor prime lenses for the Minolta CLE: Minolta M-Rokkor 28mm f/2.8, M-Rokkor 40mm f/2.0 and M-Rokkor 90mm f/4.0. Image found on ebay.
An example of the legendary Minolta CLE three lens kit featuring 28mm, 40mm and 90mm prime lenses. Image found on ebay.
In partnership with Zeiss, Contax G1 and G2 maker brand Yashica expanded the bundled 3-prime lens set comprising 28mm, 45mm and 90mm wider and longer and in-between with 16mm, 21mm, 35mm and 35-70mm lenses.
The Leica CL and Minolta CLE stuck to their core set of three prime lenses.
I’ve never had the pleasure of using a Contax G2 or a Minolta CLE but pictures of proud owners using those cameras remind me so much of the look and feel of our GX8 whether equipped with a 12-32mm zoom or a 25mm prime lens.
A radically updated successor to the GX8 can’t come soon enough.
Links
B&H Affiliate Link – click here to research and purchase or pre-order your choice of cameras, lenses and accessories for stills photography and video production whatever your genre and subject matter.
We’ve been frustrated by the lack of feature parity in DxO’s support for Fujifilm X-Trans cameras in the current version of DxO PhotoLab Elite so our older Panasonic Lumix Micro Four Thirds cameras have been our daily carry lately along with several Olympus and Panasonic zoom lenses.
We bought into the M43 system more for video than stills when older Fujifilm X-Trans cameras proved suboptimal for the task and zoom lenses better suited our needs back then.
Olympus, now OM Digital, and Panasonic continue to provide remarkable zoom lenses well suited for video production and stills photography due to their manual clutch mechanisms, and we’re dead impressed by what we’ve seen of Panasonic’s Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 Aspheric and Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm f/1.7 Aspheric zoom lenses.
Today we still tend to prefer prime lenses for our Fujifilm X cameras and zooms for our Panasonic Lumix M43 cameras though we may well change that a little with what we hope will be ongoing production by Fujifilm of more stills and movie-capable prime and zoom lenses like the very promising Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR zoom.
Our ongoing adventures with applying DxO’s DeepPRIME XD denoising and demosaicing to Bayer raw files from older low megapixel digital cameras with pro and consumer quality zoom lenses is bearing fruit and opening our eyes to what can be extracted from gear we’re encouraged to think is getting too long in the tooth to keep using.
We’ve often thought the the constant churn, churn, churn of stills and video hardware is not best practice for the hip pocket or the planet.
The world of digital is one where software and hardware intimately work together and while both continue to evolve, jumps forward in software can keep much older hardware relevant for years to come.
We’ll continue to experiment with our older Panasonic Lumix cameras and lenses for stills photography when their raw files are processed in the latest versions of DxO PhotoLab Elite, DxO FilmPack Elite and DxO ViewPoint, but we really wish that DxO would support Fujifilm X-Trans cameras with the same features we’ve come to love in its support for Bayer sensor cameras.
We carry at least one camera and lens with us everywhere we go every day and today was no exception with our choice of camera being two oldies but goodies, as they say, a Panasonic Lumix GH4 and Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS Zoom.
The 12-32mm zoom lens is small and collapsible so it easily fits into most small camera bags or even coat pockets and it in combination with our GH4, GX8 or other Micro Four Thirds cameras always proves to be almost invisible where we live.
The local population is much more accustomed to seeing photographers wielding Canon or Nikon DSLRs with big, long zoom lenses so ignores people like us.
The GH4’s M43 sensor is 16 megapixels and the camera itself has no in-body image stabilisation so a stabilized lens like the 12-32mm with its Mega OIS is useful for making photographs or videos handheld in low available light.
For comparison purposes we made the top photograph outside one local café with the GH4 and Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro while the other two were made with the same camera and the 12-32mm.
We processed all three 16 megapixel Bayer raw image files in DxO PhotoLab Elite 6 with DxO FilmPack Elite 6 and DxO ViewPoint 4 using the Astia film simulation located in Color Rendering/Digital Films/Fuji Astia-Soft.
The Digital Films film simulation collection is based on Fujifilm’s own film simulations as used in its Fujifilm X and GFX APS-C and large sensor cameras.
It’s handy being able to process images photographed with Fujifilm X-Trans and Panasonic Bayer cameras so they have the same rendering of colour and detail regardless of what size sensors they have.
As camera and lens makers don’t offer the perfect choice of lenses in every camera mount, we often mix and match cameras and lenses from different brands in the same project over time.
DxO is renowned for profiling combinations of cameras, sensors and lenses and that data goes into its software to enable that in a way we haven’t found with other makers’ raw processing and image editing software.
These three images were also all processed with DxO’s new DeepPRIME XD denoising and demosaicing feature, making it difficult to tell which lens was used for which photograph, whether a pro-quality zoom like the M.Zuiko Pro 12-40mm or a consumer-quality zoom like the Lumix G Vario 12-32mm.
The lower two images were made at the local café that is about to close down tomorrow.
“The Canon 5D Mark II is an extremely popular camera that many photographers still use today….
FoxTailWhipz purchased a camera with 2,269,757 total shutter actuations, far exceeding Canon’s shutter rating of 150,000 actuations….
The Canon 5D Mark II was originally announced in mid-September 2008 and then released in late November.”
The camera that accidentally changed everything. Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM kit zoom lens. Image courtesy of Canon.
Canon BG-E6 Battery Grip for Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Image courtesy of Canon.
Canon BG-E6 Battery Grip for Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Image courtesy of Canon.
Motion9 cage for Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Image courtesy of Motion9.
Panasonic Lumix GH5 with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro telephoto zoom, Lumix G0 with Panasonic Leica DG 200mm f/2.8 Power OIS telephoto prime and Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with Canon EF 400mm f/4.0 DO IS II USM telephoto lens. Image courtesy of Compact Camera Meter.
You either love it or loathe it. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens, prone to the all-too-common aperture control ribbon cable failure that can apparently cost a fortune to have fixed in Australia. Otherwise a remarkably popular lens with videographers using it natively and adapted on a wide range of cameras and sensor sizes.
Commentary
Panasonic Lumix GH2, GH3, GH4, GH5, GH5 S, GH5 II and GH6. Image courtesy of Compact Camera Meter.
That “2,269,757 total shutter actuations” that exceeds “Canon’s shutter rating of 150,000 actuations” is amazing and an impressive achievement for Canon’s designers, engineers and factory workers.
On the advice of my partner here at Unititled.Net who was working in Canon’s global research and development division at the time, I bought a Canon EOS 5D Mark II kit with kit lens, the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM, along with a Canon Speedlite 580EX II, a collection of portable flash unit light modifiers and assorted other hardware with a small legacy left by my late Uncle Brian.
Despite the acclaim in the press for the 5D Mark II and the 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM kit zoom lens at the time, however, I never really took to the heavy, oversized and frankly clunky DSLR and its problematic bundled zoom lens, the 5D’s mirror slap and shutter shake and other large and small annoyances including the lens’ tromboning when tilted downwards on a tripod or monopod.
I’d never been a dedicated SLR camera user during the analog film camera era, preferring for much of my work view cameras using sheet film and 120 roll-film, 120 roll-film rangefinder hand cameras, Rolleiflex Twin Lens Reflex cameras and even a Hasselblad or a Mamiya RZ67 when their use was specifically required by a client.
On the other hand, when Fujifilm released the Finepix X100 I was ecstatic as it harked back to the Leica M System cameras and lenses I carried all the time and that supplemented the larger sheet and roll-film cameras I used for my commissioned projects and magazine assignments.
Later I encountered Panasonic’s GH4 and bought one and a GX8 when I needed to make videos for a human rights charity and then added a Fujifilm X-Pro2 and some Fujinon fast prime lenses after finding that camera delivered on the promise of the X100 and the X-Pro1.
If only I’d known about the Lumix GH1 & GH2 instead of the 5D Mark II
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 Aspheric Mega OIS zoom lens. Image courtesy of Panasonic.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens. Image courtesy of Panasonic Global.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 with Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS zoom lens, now updated to the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 with Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS zoom lens, now updated to the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens.
If I’d been lucky enough to have encountered a Panasonic Lumix GH1 or better yet the hackable GH2 I would have taken a very different direction in my work, I suspect, given their incredible video capabilities for the time and especially their size and weight compared to the Canon DSLR.
Meanwhile the Canon 5D Mark II, Speedlite 580EX II and the 24-105mm f/4.0 kit lens languished in storage after the lens suddenly failed just after its warranty expired and I learned it would cost a fortune to have it repaired locally.
My 5D Mark II’s usage fell far short of the “2,269,757 total shutter actuations” and “Canon’s shutter rating of 150,000 actuations”.
Now I’m wondering whether I should finally sell all my original Canon gear and flash light shapers.
I suspect I won’t get much for them despite their lack of use and low, low shutter actuations but if any of you are interested then please let me know.
Links
B&H Affiliate Link – click here to help us with costs for creating this website and its contents by pre-ordering and purchasing items from B&H.
Canon Global – EOS 5D Mark II – “The Canon EOS 5D Mark II succeeds the EOS 5D, launched in October 2005, which marked the first digital SLR camera for advanced-amateur users to incorporate a 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor and enjoyed lasting market acclaim.”
Magic Lantern – website – “Magic Lantern is a software enhancement that offers increased functionality to the excellent Canon DSLR cameras. We have created an open framework, licensed under GPL, for developing extensions to the official firmware. Magic Lantern is not a “hack”, or a modified firmware, it is an independent program that runs alongside Canon’s own software.“
Shark & Palm – Canon 5D Mark II Review in 2022: Is It Still Worth It? – “The little – well, kind of big – camera that could: fourteen years after it’s release, the Canon 5D Mark II remains a top choice… for a certain kind of photographer.”
SmallRig Affiliate Link – click here to help us with costs for creating this website and its contents by pre-ordering and purchasing from SmallRig.
Wikipedia – Canon EOS 5D Mark II – “The 5D Mark II is the first camera in the EOS line to provide video recording functions…. Canon 5D Mark II was able to compete with high-end digital movie cameras available that time. Its release started the trend of “DSLR revolution”, significantly changing the world of independent filmmaking for upcoming years.”
“LUMIX is celebrating its 20th anniversary since the brand was born. In this website, we will be introducing the 20 years of history and content with gratitude for our customers who have supported us.”
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Micro Four Thirds camera with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS zoom lens. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Micro Four Thirds camera with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS zoom lens. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens. Image courtesy of Panasonic Global.
Commentary
Somehow we at Unititled.Net managed to be unaware of Panasonic’s introduction of the world’s first mirrorless camera, the Lumix DMC-G1, at the time.
Back then everyone was fixated on digital single lens reflex cameras aka DSLRs, and given one of us was working in Canon’s R&D division at the time, it was only natural that our first serious digital camera would be the Canon EOS 5D Mark II with kit lens.
If only we had known about the Lumix DMC-G1 and its stablemate the Lumix DMC-GH1 at the time: things would have taken a very different turn.
After too much frustration and disappointment with the 5D Mark II and its rather dodgy kit lens, we invested in a Lumix DMC-GH4 followed by a Lumix DMC-GX8, and both groundbreaking 4k video-shooting cameras are still in our production kit.
Panasonic continues to innovate in the realm of Micro Four Thirds and 35mm hybrid video and stills cameras and lenses, and we look forward to more content appearing in this special 20th anniversary microsite.
Panasonic Lumix DC-GH6. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Commentary
The Olympus M.Zuiko Pro professional prime and zoom lens collection as of late 2017, all with manual clutch focus, invaluable for fast, accurate and repeatable manual focusing as well as linear focus-by-wire and autofocus. Image courtesy of Olympus.
The staff at 4/3 Rumors have done their customary excellent job of linking to articles and videos by brand ambassadors and professional reviewers so I am linking to the site’s first and most important collection of them here.
I will be adding other content about the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II, Lumix DC-GH6 and the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 Aspheric zoom lens as it becomes available.
Meanwhile if there is any substance in the article linked below by 4/3 Rumors from February 2021 where Mr Uno mentions that “We are also considering to make a “Revolutionary” new zoom lenses and new fast single focus [focal length] lenses for Micro Four Thirds” then that is a very pleasing development.
I have long been an advocate of the Olympus M. Zuiko Pro professional-quality Micro Four Thirds lenses that are excellent for stills photography and cinematography, and that I rate as almost perfect if it were not for their lack of an aperture ring.
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 17mm f/1.2 Pro, Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm f/1.2 Pro and Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 Pro professional prime lenses with manual clutch focusing, brilliant for shooting video or stills where accurate focus is absolutely critical. Image courtesy of Olympus.
With the sale of Olympus’ camera and lens division to JIP, the future of new additions to the M. Zuiko Pro collection is in doubt, so I would be well pleased if Panasonic has taken a leaf out of the Olympus book and is in the process of creating a matched set of pro-quality optics for stills and video.
Until then, one of the best investments that Micro Four Thirds documentary videographers and photographers might consider making may be Panasonic’s current Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 Aspheric zoom and the coming Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm f/1.8 Aspheric zoom.
While the 10-25mm f/1.7 is often described as a “box of primes” by happy owners, and the 25-50mm f/1.7 would make a great companion for it, some documentary photographers and videographers prefer matched sets of fast prime lenses and that includes me.
I was impressed when Olympus released its M. Zuiko Pro 17mm f/1.2, 25mm f/1.2 and 45mm f/1.2 primes and had been hoping that the company would add other focal lengths to the set.
Leica worked out the best prime lens focal length line-up for documentary photography and photojournalism in 35mm years ago and it remains the benchmark and role model for other lens makers to this very day.
I would love to see Panasonic produce its own professional fast primes in at least the following focal lengths, with my documentary favourites marked in red:
10.5mm = 21mm in 35mm sensor format
14mm = 28mm
17.5mm = 35mm
20mm = 40mm
37.5mm = 75mm
45mm = 90mm
52.5mm = 105mm
Imagine if all or some of these appeared alongside the Lumix GH6 and the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm f/1.8 Aspheric zoom lens later this year.
It would cement Panasonic’s dedication to the ever-versatile Micro Four Thirds format in the minds of its current and future customers.
Even releasing a fast professional prime subset alongside the GH6 would make a difference, say the 10.5mm, 14mm and 20mm core lenses though I do love the idea of that 37.5mm equivalent to Leica’s legendary 75mm fast prime lenses.
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro standard zoom lens. Image courtesy of Olympus Australia.
Ever since buying into Micro Four Thirds with the Lumix DMC-GH4, which I still use and love, I have continued to set my default documentary zoom lens, the M. Zuiko Pro 12-40mm f/2.8, at 14mm for wide or 37.5mm for long, a perfect pairing of wide-angle and telephoto.
How about it, Panasonic, a great matched set of wide aperture primes to go with your two matched f/1.7 zooms on the release of the GH6?
Panasonic’s lens design strategy has always seemed a little random to me with gaps in its prime and zoom lens offerings, two sort of competing collections under its Leica and Lumix lens branding, and the challenge of assembling a perfect set of focal lengths in the way that Olympus has already achieved, albeit with gaps, in its M. Zuiko Pro lineup.
Panasonic DMW-XLR1 Microphone Adapter for Panasonic Lumix G and S-Series cameras. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Panasonic has long been a leader in small camera high-end video and with the addition of the DeepPRIME AI algorithms to DxO PhotoLab, its cameras now produce remarkable high-end stills photography results in the widest choice of aspect ratios for sub-medium format cameras, including my favourite aspect ratio of all in 4:3 for painterly documentary scenes and 3:4 for portraits.
Panasonic now needs to be seen as a leader in matched prime and zoom lens collections so those of us who love their cameras no longer need to pine for the lenses of other brands.
Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 Aspheric ultra-wide to standard normal zoom lens, first of a series of fast matched prime and zoom lenses?
Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 Aspheric ultra-wide to standard normal zoom lens. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 Aspheric ultra-wide to standard normal zoom lens. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Optical diagram for the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 Aspheric ultra-wide to standard normal zoom lens. ASPH = aspherical. ED = extra-low dispersion. UHR = ultra-high refractive index. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 with Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 Aspheric wide to standard zoom lens. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 Aspheric zoom lens, equivalent in 35mm sensor terms to 20mm through to 50mm. This is the zoom lens I wanted when I invested in the Micro Four Thirds system but nothing like it existed back then. Image by Karin Gottschalk.
B&H Affiliate Link – Panasonic DMW-BGGH5 Battery Grip – does this vertical battery grip go with the GH5 II? I am currently awaiting confirmation on that question.
DxO – DxO PhotoLab, DxO FilmPack, DxO ViewPoint, DxO PureRAW and Nik Collection – the first two is a superior raw processing pairing for documentary and photojournalism work while DxO PureRAW² offers a great first step for those relying on other companies’ image processing software.
Leeming LUT Pro – cinematographer/director Paul Leeming offers a wide and growing range of camera profile and looks LUTs – “Leeming LUT Pro is the world’s first unified, corrective Look Up Table (LUT) system for supported cameras, designed to maximise dynamic range, fix skin tones, remove unwanted colour casts and provide an accurate Rec.709 starting point for further creative colour grading.”
Unititled.Net – Cameras – Please use these B&H affiliate link lists here and below for researching and purchasing hardware and help keep Unititled.Net going.
“SmallRig Side Handle with Remote Trigger for Panasonic Mirrorless Cameras 2934 is designed to provide a comfortable grip and features a record button on top to control camera start/stop.
Key Features:
1. Ergonomic Control Handle for Selected Panasonic Cameras.
2. Start/Stop Remote Trigger Button.
3. 1/4″-20 & 3/8″-16 & Cold Shoe Accessory Mounts.
4. Features Slots for Cable Tethering.
5. Adjusts up & down with Sliding Connector.
6. Integrated Allen Wrench Stores Inside the Grip.”
SmallRig Side Handle with Remote Trigger for Panasonic Mirrorless Cameras 2934. Image courtesy of SmallRig.
Commentary
This long-awaited remote cable side handle for a range of Panasonic Lumix Micro Four Thirds and 35mm sensor aka “full frame” or “full format” hybrid stills/video cameras is in pre-order at time of writing with a 15% discount so get there soon to secure one.
This device looks well-designed and well-executed, and it is now on my production accessories wishlist.
We have been following Australian director/cinematographer Paul Leeming’s progress in creating, refining and updating his Leeming LUT One unified, corrective Look Up Table aka LUT system for popular mirrorless and DSLR hybrid cameras and camcorders ever since we launched the ‘Untitled’ project.
Leeming LUT One began as an effort to transform the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4’s ‘Cine-D’ aka Cinelike D video picture profile into the most accurate, most realistic rendering possible and has expanded to encompass a range of cameras including those made by Canon, DJI, GoPro, JVC, Sony and more, with support for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and Fujifilm X-T3 and others coming in the near future.
Mr Leeming continues to refine Leeming LUT One with version 801 for Panasonic being the most accurate yet, setting a new industry benchmark for realistic colour rendering for video footage shot with the Cinelike D, V-LogL and HLG profiles for editing in Rec. 709 movie projects.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 Power OIS and Panasonic DMW-GGH3 battery grip. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 professional rangefinder-style camera with Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 Aspheric Power OIS lens. Note the tilting EVF, turning the GX8 into a waist-level viewfinder camera on command, enabling discrete waist-level shooting as on long-gone classics like Rolleiflex’s normal, wide and telephoto lens-equipped twin lens reflex aka TLR cameras, for example. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 with Panasonic DMW-BGGH5 Battery Grip and Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Panasonic DC-GH5S with DMW-BGGH5 battery grip and Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens. Image courtesy of Panasonic Australia.
Recently I put Leeming LUT One 801 to the test with Cinelike D footage from my Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 camera, the one that goes with me almost everywhere everyday, and the results were, as usual, impressive.
Better yet, correcting footage with Leeming LUT One then adding film simulation or creative looks LUTs produces rich grading with a lush and easy-to-grade tonal range.
Many independent moviemakers shoot video for the same project on several cameras including within multi-camera interview set-ups, and Leeming LUT One is invaluable in reducing time in the colour grading suite matching footage from all those different cameras, especially when exposed according to the principles of ETTR aka expose-to-the-right.
In all the following examples, I graded quickly and minimally to simulate the look and feel of the subject at the moment I shot it, to be as realistic as video permits.
Skin tones in mixed available light with Leeming LUT One 801 and LookLabs’ Digital Film Stock Fujifilm Eterna 500T
Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
LookLabs’ Digital Film Stock Fujifilm Eterna 500T LUT added to Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Slight curve applied to LookLabs’ Digital Film Stock Fujifilm Eterna 500T LUT added to Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Reds, greens and blue in strong sunlight with Leeming LUT One 801 and Leeming LUT Quickies v8 Basic Balanced v8 Lighter
Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Basic Balanced v8 Lighter from LeemingLUT Quickies v8 added to Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Slight curve on Basic Balanced v8 Lighter from LeemingLUT Quickies v8 added to Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Greys and greens in weak sunlight on cold, windy day with Leeming LUT One 801 and LookLabs Digital Film Stock Kodak 5218
Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
LookLabs Digital Film Stock Kodak 5218 film simulation LUT added to Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Links
Leeming LUT Pro – “Leeming LUT Pro™ is the world’s first unified, corrective Look Up Table ( LUT ) system for supported cameras, designed to maximise dynamic range, fix skin tones, remove unwanted colour casts and provide an accurate Rec709 starting point for further creative colour grading.”
LookLabs – Digital Film Stock aka DFS – “DFS instantly gives you the natural look of film and the most flexible set of LUTs on the market. The DFS bundle includes 19 LUTs that perfectly emulate the most popular Kodak and Fuji film stocks. DFS comes in both REC.709 and LOG video formats and all SpeedLooks camera patches work with today’s most popular digital cinema and mirrorless cameras. DFS even makes your Android videos look like film!”
Help support ‘Untitled’
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