Tech Thursdays: Review – Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 50mm f/2 ZF.2

The Zeiss 50mm Makro Planar

This week we rented a Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 50mm f/2 ZF.2 to use on our Panasonic AF100 to film the walking gallery.  We knew that the painted jackets by Regina Holliday would be the star of the video, so we wanted the capability to get some really great closeups.  This lens is not a true macro lens because it only provides a 1:2 magnification, but it still gave us the ability to get extreme closeups.  In the case of the painted jackets, we did not want to get too close, as then the images would no longer make sense.

The Zeiss is truly a joy to use for macro work.  The focus ring is very well dampened, and has a near 360 degree throw.  The majority of the throw is in the 9″ – 1′ range, so once you focus past 1′ it quickly goes to infinity.  But getting sharp focus for the macros of the jackets was incredibly easy.  The lens allows for very precise focus adjustments.  I could easily focus on individual threads of the jackets.  We used the lens for the interviews and some other shots, and it worked quite flawlessly there as well.  The only real challenge was focusing on anything farther than about 5 feet away.  I never felt like I couldn’t get focus, but it was much more challenging due to the very small turn between 5′ – infinity.  The lens was tack sharp wide open, and I found that f2 was plenty fast for us.  Faster lenses in this price range are rarely as good wide open, so I end up stopping down to at least f2 most of the time.  The lens is built like a tank and weighs over a pound, so it is best suited used on a tripod.  I would not want to run around handheld with this lens shooting video.  The only real downside of using it this week is that now I want to buy one!

Tech Thursdays: Micro 4/3rds Lenses for the AF100

Along with Art Tuesdays we are also going to be posting “Tech Thursdays.”  Each week I will post about a piece of technology, camera gear, computer software or the like and how we have used it at Eidolon in our work.  For the first post, let’s take a look at using Micro 4/3rds lenses on the AF100.

Why m4/3?

Why use a m4/3 lens on the AF100 out of the nearly endless possibilities of lenses available (thanks to the m4/3 format being incredibly adaptable)?  For me there are two main reasons: size and camera integration.  There are a few other advantages as well, but I’ll focus on these two big ones.

Size

AF100 with Lumix 20mm Lens.

Micro 4/3rds is a relatively new format sensor designed for photography and video.  It is about half as large as “full frame” sensors like the Canon 5D mkII, yet only slightly smaller than Academy 35mm motion picture film.  This makes it a great size for video, especially for those with a film background.  The “crop factor” with lenses is minimal when compared to 35mm motion picture film.  M4/3 also lacks a mirror when implemented in a DSLR body, allowing the cameras to be much smaller than a true DSLR.  All of this means that lenses for m4/3 can be built smaller than lenses of the past made for full frame and APS-C DSLRs (that’s some alphabet soup.)  Take the Panasonic Lumix 20mm f1.7 pancake lens.  They don’t call it pancake for nothing!  It is tiny.  When put on a m4/3 DSLR it doesn’t look too silly, but stick it on the AF100 and the combination looks like it was run over by a steamroller.  Looks aside, the lens is incredibly sharp wide open, pretty fast and a joy to use.  Focusing can be a little tricky in manual mode on the AF100 because the focus ring is electronic and is so close to the body that those with larger hands may have trouble.  But the total weight of the lens & camera is so low that hand holding is easy and can be done with little fatigue.  The 20mm gives an equivalent field of view of 40mm on a full frame sensor, great for walking around taking photos or close proximity filming.

Taken with the Lumix 20mm in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

It is the lens that probably spends the most time on our AF100.  Another great m4/3 lens is the Panasonic 7-14mm f4.0.  This equates to a 14-28mm field of view on full frame, so this is a super wide angle lens.  Yet it remains rectilinear, meaning lines stay straight and not distorted like on a fisheye lens.  Again, this lens is also tiny.  Not as small as the pancake, but when compared to its full frame equivalent from Nikon it is nearly a third of the weight and half the size (and half the price.)  Yes it’s made of plastic, but most of the size difference comes from the smaller sensor and shorter flange distance (because of no mirror) of the format.  This lens is extremely fun to use and sharp wide open.  The last lens with a great size to feature ratio is the Lumix 14-140mm.  This is a 10x zoom, and while it only opens up to f4.0 and quickly falls to f5.6, it is also tack sharp, light, and comes with OIS, something that is a huge benefit for video.  We use this lens often when running around during the day because it is so versatile when there is enough light.  It practically turns the AF100 into an upgraded HVX200.

Camera Connectivity

All of the Panasonic Lumix lenses interact with the AF100 body, meaning iris and focus information are passed through and electronically controlled, and the lenses correct for chromatic aberration and distortion.  For video, the camera connectivity is essential.  These are not cinema lenses, so they don’t have focus marks on their electronic focus rings, making it nearly impossible to rack focus or hit focus repeatedly and reliably.  But having a focus readout in feet helps alleviate the issue.  In our shooting so far, I’ve found the focus readout to be very accurate.  It can tend to jump quickly from .7 feet to say 5, 6 or event 30ft, but turning the ring slowly will allow for smoother focusing.  This is not unlike shooting with other camcorders like the Canon XHA1 which also had an electronic focusing ring and distance readout.  The iris control is also essential for video.  Non m4/3 lenses need adapters for iris control if they aren’t fully manual, and this tends to be a hit or miss proposition.  We have some non m4/3 lenses with adapters, and the iris control is just a ring that opens and closes the iris, but doesn’t provide any information as to what f-stop you might be at.  3rd party solutions to adapt lenses and retain electronic control of the iris are coming to market, but they are expensive and not for all lens manufacturers.  Lastly, the CA and distortion correction in the Lumix lenses, while not essential, is a nice extra feature.  It’s not something you would necessary notice if no one told you about it, but it makes the images better overall.

Video Still with the Lumix 7-14 at Georgetown University.

M4/3 lenses are a great option for shooting with on the AF100.  They are light, sharp and tend to be cheaper than their full frame counterparts.  They aren’t a total solution however.  Prime lenses from Nikon, Canon, Zeiss and other manufacturers can offer much higher build quality, manual focusing and image quality.  And then there is the cinema glass for those that need it and can afford it.  But having at least a couple m4/3 lenses in your bag is a must when shooting with the AF100.