What's new
L-MOUNT Forum

Register a free account now!

If you are registered, you get access to the members only section, can participate in the buy & sell second hand forum and last but not least you can reserve your preferred username before someone else takes it.

Panasonic S 85mm f/1.8

Snowcat

Snowcat

Member
This is my latest addition to the system. I used a Canon 70-200 as a shallow dof lens via L to EF converter, but the speed of AF was pure and I decided to buy a Panasonic S 85/1.8 here in Malaysia, where I live now.

I must say that I was very surprised about how light is this lens. It weights nearly nothing! Yet it gives quite a nice pictures, Whenever I go to Chinese temples, I take 20-60 and 85 lenses. First one for wide shots, then I switch to 85 and take some intimate detail shots. A perfect combination, that cannot be replaced with 24-105/4, as it is both not wide enough and don't offer shallow DOF.

Some pictures (all from S1R + 85/1.8):











 
Lovely shots. Really like the one of the roof!
 
Very good images. You live in Malysia? I am a big fan of Asia. Was a couple of years ago also in Malaysia. Really nice there.

I find the Lumix 85/1.8 and Lumix 50/1.8 the best Panasonic lenses in the Lumix system. Great image quality. For the rest I prefer the alternatives from Sigma.

But if you need to use a Gimbal for video, I would only use Panasonic lenses, since they have all the same size and weight.
 
Yes right now I live in Kuala Lumpur, I work here for the last 4 months. Hope to stay here for much longer.
Since 2010 I fell in love with China and it's culture... Last time I was there in Nov 2019. Then Corona began and the world gone mad. And now I am here. For me KL is like English speaking China - practically a dream come true :)

Yet only 50% of people here are Chinese, other 50% are a mix of different cultures, it's very interesting here.

S1R+85/1.8, in Batu Caves, Hindu temple.
 
Really nice images!

Dirk you mentioned you have the tiny Sigma 90mm f2.8 as well as the Panasonic 85mm f1.8. I would really be interested in a bokeh comparison between the two. Would you mind shooting comparision shots between the two of an object around 6ft away with same background wide open with both lenses so we can see what the background bokeh looks like?
 
Qwerty said:
Really nice images!

Dirk you mentioned you have the tiny Sigma 90mm f2.8 as well as the Panasonic 85mm f1.8. I would really be interested in a bokeh comparison between the two. Would you mind shooting comparision shots between the two of an object around 6ft away with same background wide open with both lenses so we can see what the background bokeh looks like?
Click to expand...

I will do this as soon as I have the time, hopefully this week-end.

How far away shall be the background from the object?
 
Can't wait thanks. Background should be anwhere you want from 4ft to infinity, really want to see how the subject isolation looks vs out of focus backgrounds.
 
Dirk, if you can, please add light sources to background in that test... To see the form and uniformness of bokeh circles.
 
Ok, what else do you find important while evaluating a lens to buy?

Front bokeh (i.e. DOF at portrait) and background bokeh at various distances
Bokeh circles with light sources
Sunstars
Flare
...

I was thinking in the past already about buying or constructing a testchart for resolution. But does this make sense nowadays, if all lenses are so good now? And I need something "flat", so I can hide it in the appartment easily. My wife is killing me already...

If you had to pick only your 5-7 most important criteria to buy a lens, at what would you look at?
 
dirk said:
Ok, what else do you find important while evaluating a lens to buy?

Front bokeh (i.e. DOF at portrait) and background bokeh at various distances
Bokeh circles with light sources
Sunstars
Flare
...

I was thinking in the past already about buying or constructing a testchart for resolution. But does this make sense nowadays, if all lenses are so good now? And I need something "flat", so I can hide it in the appartment easily. My wife is killing me already...

If you had to pick only your 5-7 most important criteria to buy a lens, at what would you look at?
Click to expand...
I think it depends on what you are shooting. Since I mostly do landscapes, what's important to me are:

- Compact zoom lenses with good range (the fewer lenses to carry the better)
- First class sharpness across the frame when at f8 or f11
- Good contrast
- Good flare handling
- Little CA/fringing
- Weather sealing
- Good sunstars
- OIS for longer-focal lengths (I don't always want to carry a tripod)

Assessed on these characteristics, my current landscape kit of 14-28, 24-105, and 70-300 acquit themselves pretty well. I'd prefer to ditch the 24-105 and 70-300 and replace them with a 24-200 (or even a 28-200), so long as the IQ was good enough.
 
pdk42 said:
I think it depends on what you are shooting. Since I mostly do landscapes, what's important to me are:
Click to expand...

What would be your individual ranking for the above mentioned criteria? In the order of importance for your kind of photography?
 
dirk said:
What would be your individual ranking for the above mentioned criteria? In the order of importance for your kind of photography?
Click to expand...
Well, I guess it would have to be:

1. Compact zoom with good range - if the range is wrong, or it's ridiculously big, I won't be buying it!
2. First class sharpness across the frame when at f8 or f11 - this really is a base hygiene factor. It has to pass this hurdle.
3. Good flare handling - shooting into light is common in landscape photography so this is really important.
4. Good contrast - hard to find a modern lens that doesn't deliver this.
5. Weather sealing - lenses will get wet when you're shooting outdoors.
6. Good sunstars - I like sunstars!
7. OIS for longer-focal lengths - this is a really nice to have, but I could compromise if it met the other requirements
8. Little CA/fringing - this is easy to fix in post processing so long as it's not too bad.
 
Great images @Snowcat ! I'm curious about the autofocus performance of Sigma 100-400mm on Lumix bodies.

I'm Malaysian and currently based in KL too. It's glad to see someone in Malaysia using Lumix cameras as there aren't a lot of Lumix users in Malaysia.

My S5 II will hopefully arrive within this week. Can't wait
 
lipwen said:
Great images [UER=741]@Snowcat[/USER] ! I'm curious about the autofocus performance of Sigma 100-400mm on Lumix bodies.

I'm Malaysian and currently based in KL too. It's glad to see someone in Malaysia using Lumix cameras as there aren't a lot of Lumix users in Malaysia.

My S5 II will hopefully arrive within this week. Can't wait
Click to expand...
I will create a post about this sigma in coming days. I wash shooting with it in the Butterfly garden just last Sunday :)

Also, as we are both in KL we can easily meet in person and you can check how Sigma will perform with your S5-II.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top