Switched from Fujifilm -> Lumix, from Photo -> Video

[reddygtvs]

Hello!
Tushar here, I'm a CS student & portrait photographer who wanted to get more into video.

As a broke student who's open to manual focus, I saw that the feature set that panasonic offers for the lumix is unbeatable (6K Open Gate, great IBIS, anamorphic desqueeze, in camera monitoring LUTs, etc). I was using a Fuji X-T20, and I wanted a wider set of ultra-fast lenses that I could adapt (full frame), along with switching to video. And as I searched, I recently found a Lumix S9 on a great deal, about $900 and I ended up purchasing it

Currently, I'm using a brightin star 50mm F0.95 lens (L mount native), and a Tamron 24-70 2.8 (Nikon F -> L mount adapter). I also just ordered a Pergear 35mm 1.4 (cheap, lightweight, really fast) as I wanted something lightweight for impromptu outings. As I live in a small college town in Norcal (Hit me up if you're in Chico!), I wanted to find more Lumix shooters and hopefully, a bigger community

Looking forward to interacting with all of you!

 

[CharlesH]

Welcome!

The Brightin Star really looks interesting. How do you like it so far? I shoot lots of video with manual focus - when I don't want focus moving around by itself. The S9 is a great video camera.

 

[PJD]

 

[reddygtvs]

Welcome!

The Brightin Star really looks interesting. How do you like it so far? I shoot lots of video with manual focus - when I don't want focus moving around by itself. The S9 is a great video camera.

I'm blown away by the IBIS especially for such a tiny camera!

Pros:
Ultra Shallow DOF: obvious, but I love the way the shallow DOF at F0.95 affects the image. The benefits are obvious at close/mid range, but I enjoy using it wide open even sometimes even for landscapes where there's stuff both in close range and far, gives a 3D wraparound effect. There's some cat's eye bokeh.

Low light: I can crank up the ISO to 25600 and use it practically in the dark. Turned out to be very useful when shooting for night outs, parties and shots inside the car.

Flaring: subjective but I love the wild flaring wide open - they look like beautiful orange/red rings around light sources. Be prepared for lower contrast though.

The cons are the usual: There is heavy vignetting, lots of glow/lack of sharpness in the edges, wide open the centre is just good enough to effectively focus peak. I feel like the focus throw is a touch too long to constantly readjust during shooting, but it might be better for stationary situations. It's super heavy too, I wouldn't have minded a lower weight for slightly worse IQ like the Voightlander F1 which weighs 485gms vs this at 750+gms. But overall, I do love this lens. I got it for really cheap ($150), stopping down makes it really sharp and contrasty (F1.8-2 for the centre, F2.8-4 for the corners).

I'd share a video but I'm not sure if I can share links as a new user yet.

 

[reddygtvs]

Hello there, thank you for the invite

 

[reddygtvs]

I'm blown away by the IBIS especially for such a tiny camera!

Pros:
Ultra Shallow DOF: obvious, but I love the way the shallow DOF at F0.95 affects the image. The benefits are obvious at close/mid range, but I enjoy using it wide open even sometimes even for landscapes where there's stuff both in close range and far, gives a 3D wraparound effect. There's some cat's eye bokeh.

Low light: I can crank up the ISO to 25600 and use it practically in the dark. Turned out to be very useful when shooting for night outs, parties and shots inside the car.

Flaring: subjective but I love the wild flaring wide open - they look like beautiful orange/red rings around light sources. Be prepared for lower contrast though.

The cons are the usual: There is heavy vignetting, lots of glow/lack of sharpness in the edges, wide open the centre is just good enough to effectively focus peak. I feel like the focus throw is a touch too long to constantly readjust during shooting, but it might be better for stationary situations. It's super heavy too, I wouldn't have minded a lower weight for slightly worse IQ like the Voightlander F1 which weighs 485gms vs this at 750+gms. But overall, I do love this lens. I got it for really cheap ($150), stopping down makes it really sharp and contrasty (F1.8-2 for the centre, F2.8-4 for the corners).

I'd share a video but I'm not sure if I can share links as a new user yet.

Some other thoughts:

The minimum focus distance is fairly average (0.5m). I do find myself wishing it would focus closer. I don't like the built-in non removable lens hood that this comes with, as it slides out with some heavy movement.

It is probably the best looking lens I've ever seen, tied with the TTartisan 90mm 1.25 (apart from the crappy brightin star logo pasted on the barrel), and I've seen a lot out there. The lens opening when wide open looks like a black hole, you can tell this thing sucks in a lot of light. I love the classic lens markings and the buttery smooth focus throw.

 

[Pete_W]

Hi @reddygtvs and welcome to the forum.

The S9 is a great camera, I love mine. I have a few of the small Sigma contemporary lenses that pair nicely with the S9 and can recommend them. Keep an eye out for deals!

 

[dseres]

and
If you have some good video, please, show us!

 

[pdk42]

Welcome! Would be good to see some of the results from your Lumix gear in due course.

 

[Travis Butler]

Hey there! I admit I’m not much into portraits or video, but still looking forward to seeing stuff from you.