From what I’ve heard, my Panasonic GH4 body will be shipping out sometime next week and I’m still on the hunt for lenses. I’ve been looking into the Voigtlander Nokton 25mm f/0.95 as a good fast manual prime for the GH4 but the new price is a little steep at around $1000. I might still end up with a Nokton as I’m scheduled for one of those shifty Craigslist coffee shop meetups later today, if the price is right, I’ll take it home.
My research into the Voigtlander Nokton ended up leading me to the Mitakon 35mm f0.95 above. At a price of $664 on ebay
, the Mitakon 35mm f0.95 seems reasonably when compared to the $1000 Nokton 42.5mm f0.95. Sure you loose a little reach as the Mitakon is a 70mm equivalent and the Voigtlander is an 85mm equivalent, but for a $300+ price difference I think I could live with it. Also the Mitakon appears to be a bit heavier at 1.5 lbs (680g) vs 1.26 lbs (571g). The weight difference actually makes sense because the Mitakon is designed to cover a APS-C sensor which means the glass elements have to be a little bigger. This also means there wont be much if any vignetting wide open on a m4/3 body.
I’ve done some hunting and haven’t found any conclusive reviews on the Mitakon 35mm f0.95. There are a lot of statements like “it’s very solid” and “image quality is good” but those aren’t exactly comprehensive reviews. Have any of you Panasonic shooters given this lens a try?
Tags: M4/3, Mitakon 35mm f0.95, Panasonic Gh4
April 25th, 2014 at 9:44 am
You might also want to look into SLR Magic lenses. I have the 25mm T.95 and it’s very nice, and since they specifically designed these lenses to be sharp wide open, it’s a lot sharper than the 25mm Voitlander at .95.
One of the biggest changes in moving from full frame to micro 4/3 is the difference in depth of field. The depth of field at 1.4 on m4/3 is about the same as the depth of field of 2.8 on full frame for example. So if you’re looking to get a shallow depth of field, you want to look for the fastest glass possible, and performance wide open is a factor to consider.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:29 am
I’ll look into the SLR Magic Lenses. Also you’re right, the DOF will take a bit of getting used to. F2.8 felt more like an f5.6 on a full frame for me. Now I see why there are so many f0.95 lenses for M4/3, it’s really the only way to get that wide open shallow DOF look that I’m used to with my 50mm f1.2 and 24mm f1.4 on full frame.
April 25th, 2014 at 12:53 pm
If you’re looking for a 35mm lens I suggest you to look into SLRMagic 35mm 1.4 mkII since it’s sharp wide open, has lens gears, declicked aperture and far less breathing than Rokinon 35.
It’s 499 now, or 849 in a bundle with the 17 1.6 that is pretty nice too.
I have 12, 17, 25 and 35 lenses from SLRMagic for my BMPCC and I like them all.
April 26th, 2014 at 12:03 am
Hey Deejay,
I have been following your website for quite some time now. I know you are use to a full frame camera, that being the case have you considered the Sigma 18-35 1.8 with a Metabones Speedbooster? So far all the guys that have this setup are really happy. This will give you an equivalant of 25.56mm to 49.7mm on a 35mm camera.
I shoot Nikon so I have the cheaper Mitakon version. I am very happy with it considering the price it is actually pretty sharp. I have older style D series lenses for various reasons and so they work out great with this adapter. Have fun with your GH4 😉
April 26th, 2014 at 12:07 am
I forgot to add you could also purchase the Samyang 35mm 1.4 in a Nikon mount ad a speed booster and also use this for your Canon 5D Mark III with a cheap adapter. This is actually what I have and it works out great.