Lumix G1 Lens

[Tricki]

Hi All,

Nice to finally sign up to a forum.

I new here and fairly new to photography. I am looking to buy a new lens for my G1. I am looking to improve my DOF. I don't seem to be able to achieve the results I want with the stock 14mm - 45mm and am looking to buy a new lens. I have seen lots of videos saying 'everyone' should have a 'nifty fifty' in their arsenal.

I am a new grandfather and would like to capture some nice memories of the new grandchild.

So my questions are:

1. Should I buy a 50mm or go for a pancake lens?
2. Is a 50mm lens nearly the same as my stock 14-45mm?

Hope I'm clear and thanks for any replies

[Old git]

Welcome

Fifties are popular because they are fast and work well in lower light. Also image quality is better in a prime lens that a zoom.

It may well suit your needs for shooting the kids without the need for flash.

[Zou]

You should consider both the Lumix 20mm f1.7 and the Olympus 45mm f1.8. The 20mm is a nice 'normal' lens with great bang per buck, whereas the 45mm is a nice portrait lens - again great bang for buck. Neither will be stabilised with your G1 though. If you were to go down the route of a non Micro 43 lens you can save a lot of money but focus will likely be harder to achieve. The big difference of the 'nifty fifty' is that they are typically fast (f1.4 to f2) and cheap. Compared to the kit lens at maximum zoom you would be getting about two stops of speed and a narrower depth of field.

Both Micro 43 options I suggested are around £240~£280 but will autofocus and allow all exposure modes to be used. With young kids that can make all the difference.

[Tricki]

Can you clarify something please.

My stock 14-45mm at full zoom is close to a 50mm? Am I understanding this right?

thanks

[Benchista]

Can you clarify something please.

My stock 14-45mm at full zoom is close to a 50mm? Am I understanding this right?

thanks

Yes, you're right. However, when people are talking about the benefit of a 50mm, they're (a) talking about a "fast" or wide aperture lens, which helps you minimise depth of field and is good for low light, and (b) they're generally referring to how useful a 50mm was on 35mm film or a "full frame" digital format. On your G1, it's effectively a short telephoto - not without uses, but generally not as versatile as the 20mm Zou is suggesting instead for general photography.

[Tricki]

Brilliant, thank you

[Footloose_returns]

The Depth of View any lens produces, is down to the F-stop you are using.

If you are focusing the camera on something 10ft away, and you want them sharp, but the foreground and background NOT, use the smallest f-stop number, the lens will allow. (f2 to f5.6)

If instead, you want a sharp image from 6ft to infinity, use a larger f-stop number, eg, f8 to f22.

Just remember that using a larger f-stop number, will also mean that your shutter speed will be slower. (maybe causing camera shake)

In bright sunlight, this might not cause this problem, whilst if it is dull, you might find the shutter speed goes below 1/30 of a second, and cause camera shake.

On your G1, the 'Nifty-fifty' people refer to, would equate to the 20mm pancake, and the standard (14-45mm zoom, already covers that focal length, but the 20mm, will allow you to take photos in lower lighting conditions, and/or use a faster shutter speed. Optically, the 20mm, being a Prime (fixed focal length) lens, is optically better than the zoom you have, but in both instances, the amount of depth of field you see in your images, still depends, and is controlled by the f-stop you set.

Tip: Turn the mode dial to A, and on the screen, you will see what f-stop the camera is using in the bottom left-hand corner, and to the right of this, is displayed the shutter speed. In P mode, you still see both these displayed in the same place on the screen. Whichever mode you decide to use, turning the dial (Top right hand corner of the body) L or R to change the F-stop/Shutter speed to what you want the camera to use.

I hope that clarifies things somewhat.

[Tricki]

Thank you for all your responses. I finally decided to buy the Olympus 45mm f1.8

Thanks again

[Learning]

Thank you for all your responses. I finally decided to buy the Olympus 45mm f1.8

Thanks again

I think that you will find that rewarding however you will have to put some effort in. The nifty fifty was so described for use on the 135 format (normally known as 35mm). You have bought a long focus lens for the micro four thirds format. This is good for restricting depth of field and will allow you to crouch well back from your grand child. Don't let me put you off. A significantly longer length than standard and with a large aperture will allow you to make wonderful photographs with 'impact', but it will also allow you to easily make failures. Just be careful of your point of focus (the nearest eye), hold it steady, don't invade your subjects space (easy with this lens) and enjoy it. Don't be afraid to use the lens wide open; that's how it's meant to be used.
I used the word crouch just now; perhaps lay prone would have been better for a very small child.

[Tricki]

Hi

I've already been 'playing' , only photos of the dogs at the moment though. I can't believe the difference this lens has made to what I was originally trying to achieve.