Panasonic AF100 Needs Fast Lenses. Contax 50mm f1.4

Cameras
Posted by Admin on 05, March 2011 with 8 Comments
Twitt

Here is a Quick Take on the Contax/ Zeiss 50mm f1.4 with the Panasonic AF100. As you may know we have been messing around with the Panasonic AF100 and now we have the Panasonic GH2. There is a huge difference between the two cameras. We have found that the GH2 produces a much more pleasing asthetic than the AF100. We are not really sure why the 1K camera looks better than the 5K camera, but it does. One way we have found to combat the nasty video look of the AF100 is to use fast lenses at all times. Fast Primes are just what the doctor ordered for the AF100. When shooting wide open at f1.4 we get the results we are looking for. The difference between the Contax and the Panasonic Lumix Zooms are night and Day. The Lumix lenses just look nasty on the AF100. I could not bring myself to use them on the last shoot and found myself switching between Contax Primes throughout the day. My Right Hand man Chris Collins was trying to figure out how to pull focus with the GH2 and Voigtlander 25mm lens. He was twisting his arm in a very weird fashion, so I jumped in to see just how bad the focus pull would be. That is the intro for the Contax QT. Chris deserves a ton of credit for the work we do. He does most of the shooting and cutting. I really cannot thank him enough. We get most of our Contax Primes used from KEH camera. I am still on the fence with the smaller MFT sensor. I do like the tiny size of the GH2 and see myself bringing it with me everywhere I go. I grabbed mine from DigitalRev out of Hong Kong for around 1K.

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Jared Abrams is a cinematographer based in Hollywood, California. After many years as a professional camera assistant he switched over to still photography. About two years ago a new Canon camera changed the way the world sees both motion and still photography. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
  • http://www.penningtonimages.com Bill Pennington

    Do you need an adapter to mount the Contax lenses to a GH2?

  • http://www.alanfentiman.co.uk Alan

    Thanks for this. Looks great. What adapter do you need for this lens on the 101?

  • http://wideopencamera.com Jared Abrams

    Yes. Check out http://www.fotodiox.com

  • http://wideopencamera.com Jared Abrams

    http://www.fotodiox.com C/y to M4/3″

  • http://hybridcamerarevolution.blogspot.com Bill

    Thanks for this post, Jared. I was very interested in your comparison of the GH2 and the AF100. I’m a GH2 shooter, and at this stage in my career, the difference in what shows up on the screen is not worth the extra $4K for XLR inputs, uncompressed HDMI/HD-SDI out, video camera form factor and other on set advantages.

    The difference in what the 2 cameras produce on the screen also means that the Zacuto 12 camera single-chip shootout is missing a major player. Too bad.

    Anxious to see the new Sony Super 35mm NXCAM, though.

  • http://YourWebsite Jerem

    Do you have a direct link t the lens shown in this video. I would like to purchase one but can’t seem to find it on the site.

    Much Appreciated, God Bless,

    Jeremy

  • http://wideopencamera.com Jared Abrams
  • Matthew Haas

    I just bought an Contax/ Zeiss 50mm f1.4 from KEH and the Fotodiox Adapter Yashica C/Y To Micro 4/3 from glazerscamera.com because of this post! Thanks for the heads-up!