(Part 2) Best products from r/M43

I'm sooooo happy with my G85. I've taken it around the world. Here's a list of things I've been keeping track of:

Microphones:

Get the Videomic Pro+. The differences are that the mic turns on/off automatically and it has a usb rechargeable battery.

Having to carry extra batteries are dumb. Especially when they're not rechargeable. Also, you WILL forget to turn the mic on, then your whole shot is ruined because NO SOUND will be recorded. Trust me.
You probably noticed that you can't look in the viewfinder because of the videomic. This Movo 4" bar will fix that.


Batteries:


Speaking of extra batteries, you're going to want more. There are two types: cheap non-decoded, cheap decoded, and OEM.

Non-decoded means you won't know how much battery you have left in the camera. Obviously that's dumb. Spend a little more and get decoded. I really like these OAproda 2 pack + charger. No battery lasts as long as the OEM, but it's close enough. Plus, the OAproda charger is much thinner than the others and charges via USB.

SD Cards:

I love these SanDisk Extreme Pro. I purchased the 128gb because I NEVER want to be in a position that I can ever possibly run out of space.

You'll want a way to copy the files to your pc. This Transcend USB 3.0 works amazingly, and it's $9 for a two pack.

Lens:

The kit lens is pretty damn good. But here are the lenses that you'll see people talk about all the time. Depending how new you are in photography/videography, you should know this: we have a crop sensor. It's not the end of the world. A majority of the people don't mind it. But when you're looking at lens sizes, you need to double the number in order to compare it with full frame camera's. But again, not a big deal.

Panasonic 25mm f1.7 - compared to the "nifty fifty" on a full frame (25mm*2=50mm). This lens works aaaaaaamazing in low light / day light / etc. But to get an idea of how 'zoomed in' it is, take your kit lens and rotate it to "25mm". That's how this lens is. Nevertheless, still such an awesome lens.

Panasonic 45-150mm f4.0-5.6 - I just bought this lens from Amazon Warehouse for $100. It's very well built and serves it's purpose (when I want to zoom in on something far away)

Rokinon 12mm f2.0 - Everyone loves this lens, but keep in mind that it does not have autofocus. Is it the worst thing in the world? No. But it's the only drawback so it's worth mentioning. I was doing some night time time lapses last night and man, this sucker was beautiful. It's WIDER than any other lens, so you'll capture more of the image but it DOES NOT have a fisheye effect (which is awesome).

DSLR Video Shooter's G85 guide was wellllll worth the $20. Most of it was pretty elementary, but I did learn so much more and started using about 90% of what he spoke about. Brilliant.

That's almost half the price, the Oly is a great deal for $180 IMO. I'd go for it tbh, but the subtleties might sway you one way or the other depending on what you'll use it for... So into the weeds we go...

The Oly has some field curvature which could actually contribute to what some describe as character but also seems to rob it of sharpness on the edges, when you're focusing on the middle of the frame anyway (if your subject is on the edge and you focus there it wouldn't be an issue).

The Oly may also filters a bit more UV since Oly is aware that they use a weaker on-sensor UV filter in their bodies, that may both contribute to less CA and/or pair better with Oly bodies. (wouldn't make a difference one way or another on a Pana body) It could also contribute a little to color rendering but it's kinda moot if you shoot RAW.

The Pana has little to no field curvature and OIS, if you're using it for portraits I don't think either of those elements really matter. Your frame is usually gonna be defocused around your subject anyway and you'd need to keep shutter speed up to account for subject movement. The OIS does come in handy for video if you were to use it on an IBIS-less body (I had a GM1 when I got it and now have a GX850).

I also like that it focuses much closer, the Pana that is, but that doesn't really matter for portraits either unless you're taking portraits of bugs, heh. It does make it a little more versatile, the Sigma 60/2.8 and the upcoming 56/1.4 also focus closer than the 45/1.8 tho not as close as the 42.5/1.7, which still yields the most magnification.

The CameraLabs review of the 42.5 compares them heads up and it touches on some of this, it doesn't explain the field curvature (tho LensRentals' has a good blog post on that) but notices the effect on edge sharpness (I still think Gordon had a less than optimal sample tho, but he said he tried several).

There's a few things I've been meaning to check out myself as far as CA on point light sources and bokeh, which might favor the 45/1.8, just haven't gotten around to it... The Pana has some cat's eye bokeh on the edges characteristic of a few Pana lenses.

I think the Oly is more round throughout. Honestly they're both great, you have to be pretty anal to notice most of these things (outside the two obvious pluses to the Pana which might not matter at all for what many will use it).

The Panasonic comes with a lens pouch and a hood too, so there's that. The Oly is part of an old series of Oly lenses (anything launched pre-25/1.8) that didn't come with those. I like this screw in metal hood on either just cause of how it looks and how compact it is, tho the OEM hoods are reversible (you also gotta take off a cosmetic decor ring on either to use them, bleh).

If you were gonna use it for something like landscapes or even copy work, the Pana has a clear edge in having less field curvature... I tend to use zooms for that myself but YMMV.

Edit: Whoa, that got long, hopefully it's more useful than hopelessly confusing. :s

Edit #2: Even more insignificant than everything else, I think the Oly is sold in black and silver whereas the Pana might only be sold in black in the US IIRC... I bought mine from Japan cause it was a little cheaper when it came out or something (in silver if you must know, my Oly as black, heh).

Metabones' Speed Booster is not compatible with Canon EF-S lenses (due to an extended protrusion at the rear of the lens), but it is completely compatible with third-party APS-C lenses (e.g. Sigma, Tokina, etc.).

Here are a few wide-angle options:

• [Tokina 11-20mm f/2.8](http://amzn.to/2cKMP23 "Tokina 11-20mm f/2.8") (Boosted: 7.8-14.2mm f/2.0)
  
• [Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 II](http://amzn.to/1z02lz0 "Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 II") (Boosted: 7.8-11.4mm f/2.0)
  
• [Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8](http://amzn.to/1r8xVUj "Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8") (12.8-24.9mm f/1.2) - Not as wide as the Rokinon 12mm, but a good deal faster, which may be a worthwhile trade-off.
  
  You may also be interested in native wide-angle lenses for astrophotography purposes. They may not be fast, but they may provide better quality at these ultra-wide angles, especially compared to non-Metabones focal reducers. Here are a couple options:
  
  
• [Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8](http://amzn.to/1AUqH9G "Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8")
  
• [Venus Laowa 7.5mm f/2](https://bhpho.to/2qV02zA "Venus Laowa 7.5mm f/2")

Depends on how budget we are talking. If we are talking ultra tight budget then you can get those really cheap knockoff softboxes that just have a regular bulb socket and put in a daylight balanced LED light bulb like one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EFK7XE6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It actually produces pretty nice even light

Current setup:

(A) Backpack connector: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010HA68I/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(B) Large clip to 3/8" Mini QD adapter. You need this if you want to attach directly through eyelet. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I2PCBQQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004N623UW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (Optional extension, adds another 5" of adjustability, for a total of 10" of adjustment)

​

Another way to create an attachment point is to rig this 3/4" loop on backpack or clothing (instead of (A)), then use (B) to connect directly to an eyelet.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010HA6A6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UT

​

I've also used the Mini QD (https://optechusa.com/mini-qd-loops.html) to create a quick-release attachment on a leather strap. That lets me wear a strap that makes me feel cooler than when I wear the dorky Neoprene ones that Op Tech sells. Currently using this one b/c it has the necessary 3/8" wide strap at the camera attachment point.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CNP9842/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have one of these as my "store everything" bag, but generally for going out to shoot I have a much smaller bag (I think I got from Wal-Mart) that perfectly fits my 14-42EZ, 25mm f/1.8, and either an adapted 50mm or the 40-150 f/4-5.6 on the camera (facing down), along with a spare battery. Kinda like a narrower version of this.

I have some mild interest in this lens, looks like it is [$1,200] (https://smile.amazon.com/Olympus-M-Zuiko-Digital-7-14mm-Cameras/dp/B00WENHU6S/) new on Amazon. Why are you selling it? How long have you had it? Out of curiosity, how much did you pay for it?

If you really want to go for bottom dollar, you can get the 7Artisans 25mm f/1.8. It's a manual focus lens like the Canon would be, but it's a native mount and a focal length that would be more useful for your use.

Well, with this endless budget of yours. I'm going to go all out if you don't mind.

• Wide Angle: Pana Leica 8-18 f/2.8-4 or if you want smaller the Laowa 7.5mm f/2
  
• All round zoom lenses: Olympus Pro 12-40mm f/2.8 and the Olympus pro 40-150mm f/2.8 with a 1.4x converter if you want
  
• Primes 1: Olympus 75mm f/1.8 and 45mm f/1.8 and then sell the 45mm to make a profit
  
• Prime 2: Panasonic Leica 42.5mm f/1.2
  
• Prime 3: Sigma 30mm f/1.4
  
• Prime 4: Olympus 17mm f/1.8

Totally fine, it's what a lot of people do. Usually though, they'd be bringing an even smaller aperture and larger zoom range like the 14-150 or 12-100.

The other two lenses are so small that you could just wrap them in lens bags and throw them into your backpack. If you don't anticipate using them much, that's a perfectly fine solution.

https://www.amazon.com/Medium-Micro-Lens-Pouch-Thirds/dp/B007TMZW2S

If you don't need low light or narrow depth of field, you can take the 25mm out.

I remember some guy on here used a 12-100 F4, but ultimately switched to the 12-40 because it was so much bigger and heavier, and he never used the lens past 40 anyways.

I use some random entry-level tripod from amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XC3GWU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

It's good enough for my casual shooting.

Thanks. I don't need automatic aperature control, but I just need to be able to control aperature through the camera as it's not manual on the lens

edit: http://www.amazon.com/Fotasy-AMNG-G-type-Thirds-Adapter/dp/B003TROEBM Something like this except for Sigma mount

If I use an adapter like this (not a speedbooster) to adapt my nikon lenses to my new camera, is it true I will lose ~a stop of range, I remember hearing that somewhere and am wondering if it's true?

When i bought my camera i bought a 7Artisans 25mm f1.8 . Its a fun lens.

> There is no 14-42 G X.

Yes there is: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-14-42mm-F3-5-5-6-G-Series-Digital/dp/B005J5TZVG

THough, don't confuse "X" as high end. It's a compact power zoom that was the first of a pair of power zooms intended for video. I honestly don't know why they got an "X" moniker, never made sense. They weren't any better than kit lenses (maybe the tele zoom was a little) optically.

> It will end up selling a lot cheaper than the oly 12

It's already available on Adorama, B&H, and Amazon for $370... so almost half the price of the Olympus. Very nice.

I always use a lens hood, both to improve contrast and to provide some extra protection for the front element. For the Panasonic, I use this lens hood from JJC: https://www.amazon.com/JJC-LH-46GFII-Metal-Panasonic-Lumix/dp/B00L4KR1ES. For the Oly, I use this metal one from Fotasy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0061GS1OO

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B005J5TZVG/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all

An adapted lens is always pretty ridiculous looking especially on a rangefinder style body, and unless you're using an expensive speedbooster rather than a dumb adapter and you're not spot on perfect with your settings, the results aren't going to be great.