As someone who shoots sony a7iii and panasonic g9 I am so glad someone is addressing the elephant in the room. Light is often more important than depth of field.
Light is everything. A professional will have studied the masters of light and known all the different setups. But, as our profession keeps getting better equipment, the photographers of the future feel they don't have to learn the basics and the true art is lost.
This MFT lens yields results equivalent to a 20-50mm f/3.5 on full frame. In terms of light gathering its barely any better than f/4 full frame kit lenses and a good deal worse than professional grade f/2.8 zooms.
As a retired professional let me say that this was a wonderful video explaining what is really important when we shoot. The closer we can get to base ISO, the better. It's what we aimed for with film and what we still aim for, for the discerning photographer.
@Joseph Madsen Photography In fact, both then and now, a professional photo will have an appropriate background along with foreground, in order to make it pop off the page. Blurring backgrounds is just another way for amateurs to not have to learn the true art of photographing people.
@@TheIkaika777 Yes, in those rare instances a higher ISO looks good with some architectural photography, but 95 percent of the time you want the lowest ISO with the highest Fstop for that same subject. And as the video says, a lens with a 1.4 Fstop is worth more than a lens with only a 2.8..
I just got my copy of this lens and I am in full agreement that it is nothing short of spectacular. This lens is blisteringly sharp and has amazing bokeh, close focusing, lightweight for what it is, the whole nine yards. It's been marketed for video but it's a stills beast. It behaves like a "variable prime". Give me a GH6 with a little better ISO performance and higher resolution chip...and I'll be in nirvana.
As a person who shoots Nikon full frame and a g9 I am so pleased the often overlooked advantage of a less shallow depth of field while retaining a large aperture is mentioned. The g9 is a joy to use with so much tech and perfect ergos. Lugging full frame lenses around is definitely not a joy. As you say the G9 does 99% of what 99% of people need most of the time. Thank you Hugh. Measured considerations articulated like no other you tuber
I hear you Charlie. Another Nikon full frame shooter here who picked up a G9 for travel purposes. The camera is feature packed, feels great in the hand and is a delight to use. It's my second favourite camera behind my D850.
I loved this video. Every time I watch one of this guy's videos I learn a ton. He peppers his content with all kinds of brilliant insight and tips, but you have to be quick on the uptake to catch said tips because they can come at you fast and furiously.
Persuasive. I shoot almost completely mid-priced residential real estate that is published online. The Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14 f2.8 Pro works great on my G9, but I need to quit shooting so wide and have been considering this lens (and possibly the Leica 8-18 you mentioned too). But then I was hypnotized by the siren song of the S1. "As long as you are going to invest, why not move up to full frame? Come on! You know you want to! Real professionals shoot full frame! Don't you want to be taken seriously?" This video broke the spell. Thanks.
I use the 8-18 for pro commercial architecture and I can say it's good in terms of hybrid versatility but unfortunately technically flawed in many ways for architectural work. Weird led light flares, field curvature issues, more distortion than the 7-14 and odd focus quirks with the IBIS on the GH5. The 10-25 seems good and I love micro four thirds but the Sony 16-35 GM is tempting me back to FF.
My GH5s is still waiting for the 10-25 I preordered. Already have the PL 50-200. Update: It came! I have to say I agree with Hugh on this one. On my GH5S with its oversized sensor it offers a 18-45mm FF FOV at f3. Which I have found is the sweet spot for beautiful bokeh and a useable DoF. The images and video have been stellar and beautifully isolate the subject without the, what I like to call, the FF fish bowl effect. The zoom range is irresistibly versatile. The aperture is fast and bright. It isolates the subject without drowning out the context of the environment like FF 1.8 or 1.4 glass. It is the lens to get for the GH5S and G9 if versatility and practicality are what you like.
Well done. Well spoken. The biggest issue for MFT is not the system, it is the marketing... and more specifically the use of the word "micro". It is such a misnomer that implies something it is not. Not to mention that I fully agree, the G9 is one of the most underrated cameras currently on the market.
@@3BMEP The "micro" point was originally brought up by Olympus visionary Robin Wong. Just giving due credit. The guy has been blogging Oly reviews since the early days.
Well, the term micro refers to the rather small sensor by comparison with the alternatives. And I believe most of the marketing around MFT is rather overselling the system's capabilities. You consistently see Olympus and Panasonic market their lenses as substitutes for large full frame glass, when they clearly aren't.
@@youknowwho9247 Actually no. It refers to the mount. Not the sensor. At least that is what my Olympus engineer friends tell me, who also agree that it is a misnomer.
what an excellent, thorough review and solid reasoning for advocating micro four thirds and its relevancy. couldn't put it into better words myself. and by god what a gem that Panasonic 10-25 looks to be.
Excellent argument for Micro Four Thirds!!! The best I have ever heard. I hike up mountains with two Em1-2 bodies and the Leica trinity, oly 60 macro and my most loved 8mm fisheye. Stunning results. I make up for dynamic range by using exposure bracketing and Aurora to produce amazing realistic hdr pictures. Keep up the excellent videos!!!
I've been a follower of your videos for some time. Being a Lumix G9 owner and salivating over the PL 10-25mm lens, I once again arrived at one of your videos. You are so articulate and your videos are so informative! Your comparative analysis between MFT, APS-C and Full Frame is sooo good! It's all about trade-offs in the context of usage scenarios. 9:18 I have the PL 12mm f/1.4, PL 15mm f/1.7 and PL 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron along with the Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8. My camera gear journey took me from the Lumix G7 in 2015 to the G9 in Jan/2018. In the quest for lightness, I was a believer in zoom lenses. I added the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 lens and I thought I was done with gear! Because of portrait work, I purchased the Nocticron which opened my eyes to lens IQ. I purchased the relatively inexpensive PL 15mm f/1.7 lens which has superb sharpness. I put my 12-35mm lens up for sale (because the sharpness of that lens was so far below the Nocticron) and ended up with someone offering to trade his PL 12mm f/1.4 for my zoom. He was going backpacking in Indonesia and wanted as light as possible. I am mostly a camera enthusiast with an active interest to capture sights and sounds with my camera system. I do freelance camera projects as they become available. I cannot justify purchasing the PL 10-25mm f/1.7 lens due to its cost (plus 690g is a concern for carry and shooting weight). I don't have 25mm focal length and that can be useful in situations when I cannot zoom with my feet using the 12mm or 15mm lens. Driven by G.A.S. and usage applicability, I would like to own the PL 10-25mm lens. From my shooting experience, I find the PL 12mm to render nicer colors and dimensionality (micro contrast?) than the PL 15mm which is sharper. e.g. For landscape and scenic shots, I will reach for my PL 12mm. When I want sharpness such as food photography, I will reach for my PL 15mm. If I'm shooting video on gimbal, the PL 15mm is lighter for the overall rig. What is your assessment of the IQ (sharpness) of the PL 10-25mm lens compared to the PL 12mm, PL 15mm and Nocticron lenses?
I purchased a G9 kit with the Leica DG 12-60mm lens and a GX9 with the 25mm Leica DG lens last week so that I could have a compact, light-weight film focused kit. The glass, the usability of the G9/GX9 cameras and the IBIS produce wonderful files to work with. It’s a dramatic difference to my Leica SL and 24-90mm SL lens I’ve previously used for filming...My back is approving of my new kit! The SL is joining the CL and M’s now as photograph focused work only!
I love the G9 .. but have you checked out the Olympus OMD-Em1 Mk2 with the new firmware? It will definitely replace your sony a6400 for the purposes your mentioned- the auto focus in video is stunning and it shoots 4K 24p at a higher bit rate than everything on the market except GH5. Its really stunning and you can get more purpose out of your m43 glass …
joseluisphoto I have not. As I’ve lamented before, I’ve reached out to OLYMPUS multiple times without success, and though we own their brilliant 75/1.8, I’ve given up on them.
The only curse with Micro 4/3 is choosing between Olympus and Panasonic. I haven't decided on my overdue camera upgrade (from superseded Sony E mount cameras) but Micro 4/3 is at the top of the list. For now. 😉
@@3BMEP Sadly olympus doesn't care for visibility and promotion for...Reasons? I am an oly-canon guy but honestly panasonic is far more friendly and versatility since olympus doesn't take pana lenses as well as pana bodies do with oly
A fairly recent convert to the M4/3 and Panasonic system. Love it. The other day when I picked up my FF Nikon I found the coveted bokeh to be kind of distracting even at F4. Let's bring the context back into photos! Wonder whether in 10 years the current bokeh obsession will just be seen as a fad of the 2000s that people took WAY too far.
johnpatrickbishop I think so. Even more hilarious is people vlogging with lenses faster than f2.8 and it seriously looks like they live in a fish bowl. No context whatsoever. It’s kinda silly. Anything faster than f2 complete kills the context of the surroundings. Which is 50% of the shot or video imho. Learn to compose and stop down those apertures!
The point is that full frame gives the photographer the creative flexibility to use shallow depth of field, while MFT does not. I like to have all tools at my disposal for when I want to use them instead of being hamstrung by my gear.
@@youknowwho9247 fair enough. And I still shoot full frame. I like full frame. I have countless photos all bokeh'd up. For years that was what I equated with "good photography." My broader point is more about bokeh's fetishization, people obsessing over feathered vs busy bokeh and whatnot. Just wonder if we are taking it too far.
Landscope 360 then why are you not shooting medium format? I jest. But in all fairness someone of the most well regraded photographers didn’t shoot shallow depth of field at all. I feel the bokeh madness is loosing sight of the fundamentals of what and why you are capturing a moment.
@@finnillson4808 Because medium format isn't versatile enough. Full frame handles all kinds of photography very well. Medium format can't handle action. Besides, the cost gap between full frame and medium format is much larger than between MFT and full frame.
Thank you for a video that does more than apologize for MFT limitations. I've been attracted to the G9 but had no clarity on the lens situation. This information is priceless! This is the first time I"ve heard that a decision to go with MFT is not a huge compromise on image quality.
I don't understand the hype. This lens does not overcome the limitations of MFT. It's equivalent to a 20-50mm f/3.5 on full frame. That's not particularly fast or versatile, and certainly nothing groundbreaking.
@@brjukva I bought a $1000 new Japanese G9 (with unlimited hack) with $350 second hand 12-60 Leica about 9 months ago. It seemed to have slightly better af than gh5 (same af performance as gh5s) I guess there might be one or other slightly different af processing in the g9. It's still not good enough though, I've posted over 1000 videos using my g9 thus far, with pulsating backgrounds, pulsating af on faces and objects always slightly. But at $1350 with lens there is nothing better. Dual SD, flip to the side LCD, Dual IS, 4K60 without a crop, decent battery, good sound, all these are compulsory so I can't yet consider any Canon/Fuji/Sony. I really hope GH6 gets phase detect. At that time, I'd gladly sell my g9 second hand at $500 (or more if possible) to upgrade. Panasonic needs to upgrade g9 firmware with official unlimited recording support, having to use that hack is not really propper, I don't believe there is any overheating going on I have filmed lots of long 4k60 videos without a problem.
Wow! You've said in a much smarter and clearer way what I've been thinking for the past 6 weeks about the G9, the 50-200 and 10-25! Perfect! I bought a G9 six weeks ago for all the goodness it offers over my GX8. Since then, I haven't picked up my beloved GX8. Except for the slight .5lb weight increase and let's face it, the silver GX8 is beautiful, the G9 is superior in every other way. Superior. For me, it's pretty much the perfect camera. As you said, sure there is a difference between it and other formats. But most people won't see it. In sensor performance, except for low light, it beats a Canon 5D MKII which was king of the hill for years. And that wasn't that long ago. A camera I owned. I did a fashion shoot with my G9 and Nocticron recently and it was fantastic! I'd have to spend 10x the money on a camera to get an appreciable difference in quality. And when I got a notice from B&H a couple of days ago that they had the 10-25mm f/1.7 in stock, well I just had to run over and check it out! I had high expectations of it. Basically everything I want in a wide-medium zoom lens. It surpassed my expectations! Huge! With the brief time in the store, I was stunned at the images. Color. Sharpness. Contrast. Beautiful. I consider it a wide-medium version of my Nocticron. It's that good! I'm just getting into video and it would be great for that too as shown in your great video! 8-bit video and it looks that good! It took every ounce of my being to put the lens down and walk away. The salesperson knew it too as he had the sale ready to go when I picked it up in my hands! I can't afford it just quite yet. Maybe as a birthday present to myself next month!
Your praise is fulsome Ricardo. Unfortunately it also rings as almost a paid advertisement for Panasonic. The choice of language is pure copy writing gold take a bow sir.
Peter Lemke Thank you for the compliment! I used to be a horrible writer and have been working a lot to improve on it. Looks like I'm doing well! Haha! If my glowing response seems like a paid advertisement for Panasonic, then you must be saying that to lots of people especially recently.
After years of shooting APS-C and full-frame, I am now centring my kit around the G9 and the Panasonic Leica lenses, though I do have the excellent Olympus 75 mm f1.8 and the 40-150 mm f2.8. I am seriously considering selling most of my Nikon equipment (including my D850), though I won't part with my Df or the 58mm f1.4 G lens.
@@youknowwho9247 You could look at it that way, but I don't see it as downgrading per se. The G9 is a very capable camera, and the telephoto lenses are much smaller and lighter. I see it more as downsizing.
@@Gynra He's just trolling - I still shoot ASP-C as well as G9 and GX8 - all have their place and time and all are capable of giving the required results. Most people forget that early FF cameras had sensors which were nowhere near today's, yet many top class images were created - it's not ALL about technology.
@@blackislepeastoo He's entitled to his opinion, and I respect that. But I don't happen to share it and completely agree with you. I have used full-frame cameras since the D3 came out in 2007. They have included the D800, D4, D810, Df and D850, as well as Canon and Leica. They are all highly capable cameras, even now. I'm not giving up on full frame entirely as I have a Nikon Z6 and the Df, but I am very enamoured of the micro four-thirds system for its smaller size and lighter weight, not to mention the astonishing Olympus and Panasonic Leica lenses that go with it. I am so committed to it, that as I write, I have just finished packing my D850 and six Nikon lenses for transport to Wex Photo Video, where I am sure they will find a good home. I am not a professional (though I am professionally qualified), but I know that many professionals are happy with the micro four-thirds system. What I do know is that more than meets my needs, both in the studio and for general use, and has rekindled my love of photography all over again.
Even the kit lens that comes with a Panasonic is decent. I think people think I'm mad for using a 2x crop sensor for astrophotography but I have my reasons. M43 is underrated and I don't think Tony N's predictions will come true.
It will come true, but it will also come true for APS-C. The bottom of the market is being devoured by smart phones and the cheap FF bodies is putting on pressure from on top. Enjoy the smaller form factors while you can (I know I will).
Addressing the statement at 6:12 , Doesn't the Panasonic S1 offer the same combination of IBIS, pixel shifting (Hi-Res mode), same internal video recording options AND a flippy screen in a full-frame package though? Then the S1H if you legitimately need your camera to do almost everything. It doesn't fall anywhere close to the same price range, but, if you go for those super nice Leica lenses for M43, the full-frame S1 lenses aren't far off in price. I think at that point between those two cameras, it just comes down to the ergos and size of rig that you want. Also, the IBIS on M43 will always be a bit superior to full-frame simply due to physics. I think where M43 will hold it's relevancy will still be in the area of travel photography, and sports. Having a smaller sensor, and thus less to scan, the framerate options for stills can be very good. Throw some phase-detect focus points on the sensor, dual-native ISO, and you've got yourself a sports monster.
I appreciate your style for making videos and your biases towards Panasonic lol. I am a fan of panny and its good to hear professionals like yourself explain the pros/cons of all cameras/lenses.
Hugh - any chance of hooking a follow focus up to it to see how it plays with the focus by wire? I ask because I have the Sigma 16mm 1.4 lens, which is a brilliant lens in many way (especially at its price point), but, its focus by wire rotation pitch is such that it's a bit tricky to use a follow focus, far trickier then using say the Olympus 12-40mm. I'd want to know before dropping that kind of coin.... I think lenses have always been the strong suit of MFT (size, sharpness, weight, IQ) and it's great to see Panasonic still delivering the goods. Hopefully we'll get to strap this lens onto a GH6 sooner then later. Awesome work as always.
Evil Genius Entertainment Lower on my list of priorities for awhile, but yes, could do eventually. Candidly, not sure it’s worth holding that thought. 😔
Wow, what an interesting video crammed full of facts. I'll need to re-watch this one for sure. I think this is one of your best videos- excellent perspective!
So last night I was watching your video on the Leica CL; then went shopping. This morning I watched this video on the G9 and the 10-25. Man, oh man. Comment 1: My experience is that even the consumer grade Panasonic glass has been good to me; so it's easy to imagine what this lens would be like. Comment 2: I now use both Sony full frame and OIympus cameras and use both for different things but: as I move gradually toward more video, the M4/3 system seems to make more sense than ever to me. Anyway, thanks as always for your insights and humor and pro opinion. (PS---I love the Sigma 16mm lens on my Olympus. Fast, sharp, beautiful sunstars!)
Hey Brad, could you explain why you say the M4/3 system "makes more sense"? I'm currently shooting Sony APS-C, and I am at a crossroads whether to jump into the M43 system vs. going full-frame Sony, any help would be great! Thanks!
@@daveyineluctable5525 If you're going to shoot video on a Sony full frame, then you're probably going to shoot it in S35 which is more or less a crop sensor size image, and therefore it is not much larger than m43 so your full frame 'advantage' (if you want to call it that) shrinks down to negligibility over M43. I think M43 is perfect for video and general photography, even though I do love the resolution potentials of the Sony full frame for stills. I had a chance to shoot a grab shot of a mountain range while traveling over the weekend, and I had both FF and M43 in the seat beside me in the car and I grabbed the Olympus....took four images and stitched together a beautifully resolved photo as a result. Just my 2 cents! I also love being able to use the same vintage lenses on both systems using different adapters. Cool! My 1.8 50mm on the Sony is now a 1.8 100mm on my Olympus. I could go on and on but this is my experience so far. I sold my A6000 and bought the A7Rii. No regrets there.
@@bradmiller9993 thanks for the reply! So you don't shoot the A7Rii in full-frame? Is that because you prefer the Super-35 look for video in APS-C as more of a standard? I'm mainly looking to shoot video but I am more worried about low-light situations, which I thought would be nice to have FF just for the indoor low-light/no-light scenes for some documentary work. Then again, the GH5S has a 1.8 crop, which when speed boosted comes all the way down to a 1.15, so the difference is heavily negated. I appreciate your input, and yes, I really, really like the ability to adapt various lenses and get all sorts of looks!
There comes a point where your enjoyment of both shooting and experiencing a place are seriously hindered by your gear. MFT strikes a balance where it's a joy to carry all day AND,.. enjoy your surroundings at the same time, without limiting your creative freedom. Isn't this what street photography is all about anyway? Disclaimer: I'm a MFT shooter and have never regretted the choice.
I’m really unsure of what to do. I literally had my mind made up to move to the A73 with the Tamron 17-28 for my videos and then you post this. Maybe it bothers me that it cost as much as an A73 body. I love my G9 but I need something more consistent in low light. Maybe the 10-25 will give me that. I can’t afford to do both. Help me.
This lens will yield results equivalent to a 20-50mm f/3.5 on full frame. Go with the a7 III, the kit lens will gather nearly as much light as this thing at a much lower price point, and an f/2.8 zoom on full frame does much better in low light than an f/1.7 on MFT.
@@ClevelandTerry I still don't see any advantage of this to a regular 24-105 f/4 on full frame, other than that it's slightly wider. For that you pay a huge premium and lose half of the zoom range at the long end.
Landscope 360 to each his own my friend. I need the wide, not the long for most of what I shoot. I'm a video guy and the manual clutch and having the aperture ring makes thi a joy to use.
@@ClevelandTerry Fair enough. If the handling is what you need for what you do, why not. Personally I'd prefer the clean stills and high res of a full frame any day. But as you said, to each his own.
Absolute dream lens for everyday and indoor photography - honestly considering to rent one for a day when our next annual mini expo at the arcade here comes up again in January. Either this, or the Olympus 17 1.2 Pro.
Well done. I've been using the combination since February and I'm enjoying unfettered creativity. Your descriptions are accurate at high resolution cropped all the way in. HIGH TRUST CHANNEL
Those little moments of silence in your videos really make me take pause to contemplate why other creators choose loud background music throughout their entire videos.
Cracking video. I have four Panasonic lenses which are fantastic but I typically have to budget with bang to buck in mind. Even though Leica are often vastly more expensive I now seeing more and more bang.
can we get a wrap up of your favorite m43 lens' now that ff is the becoming the norm and theres budget buyers just getting into m43? Thanks so much for your work.
I am looking at the Olympus OMD-Em5 MkIII which is like the Olympus OMD-Em1 Mk2 but smaller and lower cost. My G85 contrast based focus was sometimes painful when moving. I never thought I'd consider an Olympus and just found out days ago my lens for my G85 is compatible due to the use of the same Micro 4/3rds
The G9's form factor and ease of use has consistently inspired me to take more photos with it since I picked one up a month or so ago, and this lens looks like something I definitely need to be considering in future. Beautiful shots from Claudia, and excellent discussion on your part. I feel this lens will pair quite nicely with my BMPCC4k too when the situation calls for it. I've found my other Panas to fulfill the needs of even the lowest compression rates on BRAW at 4K so this looks like a gorgeous addition to the collection. Fantastic video. That Patreon page is becoming a little too enticing to forego for much longer I think.
Awesome stuff Hugh thanks for sharing this. I just switched from Sony A7rii and a6500 to Panasonic Lumix G9 and what a thrill of a camera it is. I have the Lumix GX 12-35mm and 35-100mm f2.8 glass and I am very pleased and blown away so far. Love to get my hands on that LEICA 0-25mm f/1.7 but it might be up there in price for me
This is very intriguing as I have a number of m43 cameras and lenses, but have been eyeing the A7 III as a hybrid system. I find the GH4 to be acceptable but not superlative as a stills camera, although I do love how light the system is compared with Canon full frame. What do you like about the G9 compared with the A7r II?
What a very good and well presented video. As a daily vlogger I found this advice very helpful . . . the lens has been ordered to accompany my GH5. Thank you 👍
Another fantastic video Hugh, Maybe in a future post you can share your Color to B&W conversion workflow, love your B&W photos and also if possible can you share where you get your music from ?
How about a photowalk here in Indianapolis? Also, I want the hell out of this lens for my G85, but I'll settle for my merely excellent Olympus 12-40mm f2.8.
Great video, one of the best delineating the different between MFT and FF. Only thing that wasn't resolved: Is 10 bit 4.2.2 needed for broadcast quality video say for making documentaries etc? If so the GH5 is a better all round choice that the G9 or the Olympus...
Very interesting video. I wish I could join the photo walk. I am an Olympus user BUT my only non-Olympus lens i.e the Panasonic 25mm f/1.8 sits on my Olympus body most of the time and although it is (a bit, but noticeably) slow on Olympus...it still is fast (being f/1.7) and it gives the pleasing on the eye...very close to the"natural" field of view and perspective. The Leica 10-25mm f/1.7 can be a dream travel/street photography lens BUT it is way way way...out of my league. It's very VERY expensive. Thank you very much for your time and effort.
Way more money than I can currently justify spending on a lens, but the results definitely show it to be worth it. (Probably helps that the photographer(s) are no slouches either!😜). As always your analysis of the various options and their strengths and weaknesses is first grade and an absolute joy to absorb. Thank you.
Aside from the amazing image quality - it's also helpful to show up to a shoot with a beefy looking lens, as opposed to some of the typically smaller mft lenses.
Here in Australia 🇦🇺 this lens is a massive eye watering $2,800 - looks like a fantastic lens though - our exchange rate is almost in the banana republic territory
Own an A7r3 and a g9. Have the Sony 16-35 f2.8 and the 10-25 f1.7. If I want to pixel peep, or shoot the Milky Way the Sony is my choice. If shooting the interior of a dimly lit church, for example, the Panasonic combo is the way to go. I can shoot at f5.6 and get f11 equivalent "full frame" dof, but my shutter speed is two stops faster, or my iso two stops lower. And the g9 definitely has better IBIS than the A7r3, so the iso can be even lower, or I can increase the dof to f8 (f16 full frame equivalent). Depends what you want to do, I like both systems.
@@lesleo123 The Sony has better low light performance. I used a 5dsr before, and discovered the Sony can record some of the colours without a special filter on a clear night.
quite a powerful statement. I tell you if Panasonic only adopts phase detect AF, they will be the king. Loving my gh5 & leica 12-60. The leica lenses are just phenomenal.
Sooooo... here's a funny question. I'm planning on investing in a camera to shoot videos (primarily for UA-cam and similar platforms). The camera is a Z Cam E2-M4, which is an MFT camera. I will be shooting inside a workshop with rather limited space and I'll often point the camera at small devices (the size of an SD card or thereabouts). I've already accepted that I'm going to need a wide zoom. I have no MFT experience whatsoever. I'm considering three very different lenses in terms of price : the cheap Olympus 9-18mm f/4-5.6, which has a reputation for sharpness, the "intermediate" Panasonic 8-18mm f/2.8-4, and this monster 10-25mm f/1.7. Money isn't really an option though any money I save on the lens will likely go towards more camera gear (obviously...) and I do feel that the 8-18 is a good compromise, but what do you guys think ? I know I tend to pixel-peep and be way too demanding for my own good, so I'd really like someone else's point of view.
I recently rented this Leica lens with my G7 and an old Olympus Pen PM1. The pictures were always more likely to be interesting and compelling compared with my current lenses. I didn't want to hand it back. The G9 is my future upgrade, currently having a bargain resale value of around £900. MFT is here to stay I think, given the amount of video support it gets from third party manufacturers. But it's lightness juxtaposed with awesome lens support and very often the price. It's almost unbeatable. I come to NYC from time to time. Would be great to hangout with some photographers whatever you do a meetup again.
A very handy video! Thanks. I've found some Leica EF lenses on ebay. Would you be interested in reviewing the ways to mount a Leica lens on a Canon EF or Canon-compatible camera?
Property Pitch Not sure what you mean by a Leica EF lens, but we no longer have Canon cameras in-house except for sentimental reasons (my 1D, which is only 4MP).
What are your thoughts on the better natural pairing with the 10-25 f/1.7: the PL 35-100 f/2.8 or the Olympus 12-100 f/4 Pro. I already have the 12-100 and I recently picked-up the 10-25, but I cannot help but notice the 12-100 is seeing less and less use because of how awesome the 10-25 is.
It was from Tony N that I first learnt about the lens equivalency details (DoF, total light gathered, ISO etc etc), and I suspect he'd love seeing this video, which IMHO supports everything he's been trying to teach us. EDIT: although I suppose their "MFT is dying" video goes against this one. 😉
really enjoying 20+minutes of my life watching you talking no BS about photography like some other channels out there thank you sir to shared tous your knowledge and great images in this episode +1 new subs sorry for my bad english
Interesting opinions :-) I can confirm - 10-25/1.7 is an amazing and inspirative piece of glass. I own it for a few days only and I have done only one photoshoot with it, but I’m in love already :-)
@@johnsexton3841 The new mirrorless full frame bodies are barely any larger and heavier than crop sensor cameras, and lenses have the same size and weight when they offer the same performance. Because physics can't be cheated.
@@youknowwho9247 The new mirrorless full frames do not have the good battery life I need for field work I do and the comparable lenses for the Sony, for example, are about $2200
Thanks for this - a quite amazing and timely reality check. On a side note, I agonized for seeming ages between the G9 and GH5 and eventually went for the GH5. May I ask if there is any stills quality difference between them - I know they share the same sensor but one never knows if the processing differs. Thanks
Ben McCartney Take a look at photonstophotos.net. Note where dynamic range is highest and dynamic range lowest for your particular sensor (or sensors) of interest. Short answer: base ISO is where it’s at. 😎
Hi Hugh, Thank you for your well considered and the detailed comparisons you make in your video regarding potential alternatives to the Micro Four Thirds: LEICA DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7. The positives for me are, it gives the clarity I need and the justification to purchase yet another lens. The negative is I feel compelled to rush out and purchase this lens right away after hearing your arguments. As always Hugh, thank you for the effort you put into providing detailed and qualified information to your loyal viewers.
Amazing content and much-needed clarification as always! Keep em coming! Could Panasonic phase-detect autofocus make MFT more popular in this day and era? Hold that thought. lol
Please no phase-detect! I decided for Pana because of contrast-af. I have enough of back and front af problems of other system (canon, fuji, nikon...) The contrast AF ist more than enough speed for my needs and never had problems with AF accurancy.
@@Gagula57 I agree for native mft lenses, but when you use adapted af lenses from other brands pdaf is very useful : this allows me to use old Zuiko 4/3 or Canon ef lenses such as 100:2, 135:2 or 200:2.8 and 1.4x converter with Viltrox adapter or speedbooster. Results are really excellent, keeping tele primes cheap & both very luminous and light VS native Pana or Oly proposals!
Hugh... you mentioned that Leica doesn’t do a 40mm lens. BUT, they did produce one for the original Leica/Minolta CL. And the dirty little secret is that the Minolta Rokkor 40 mm lens also contains the same Leica glass as the much more expensive Leica 40mm Summicron.
Interesting that you bring up the depth of field vs ISO/shutter speed advantage of m43. I actually prefer to shoot m43 for video because it means slightly longer DoF at lower ISO than would be on full frame or aps-c / Super 35. This means easier focus and more of the subject in focus. The GH5S and P4K closes the gap on high ISO anyway. All m43 needs is fast and reliable autofocus and it will meet the needs of most. The 10-25 would come in really handy on many jobs, using that as the main lens, with an 85 equivalent like the Panasonic or Voigtlander, and a longer zoom like the 35-100mm or 50-200mm.
But do you realise that a FF sensor will produce about the same amount of noise as the MFT, when using a two-stop higher ISO? (all other things being equal - "equivalent" lenses & apertures, and similar sensor technology).
Another really excellent video, Hugh. I am not at all surprised with your analysis and your conclusions. I shot with the G9 for a full two hours in May 2018 and I was _really impressed_ with it. It reminded me a lot of my Canon 1D-series bodies, and I immediately felt right at home with using it. A VERY good camera that is very well-thought out and executed to a high level of performance. The Panasonic 10-25 seems to be a great lens, and I really like the idea of pairing it with the 50-200 for a killer two-lens kit. Back when I had a M4/3 kit, I had the Oly E-M1 MkI (this was before the G9 was out) paired with those sweet Panasonic f/2.8 zooms: the 12-35/2.8 and 35-100, and that was also a killer two lens kit; it made a for a very, very nice light and compact travel kit that could pretty much do anything. So, I totally get that what you're talking about with the G9, 10-25 and 50-200 pairing. Cheers, Stephen
Stephen, always a pleasure to see you here. For those of you who don’t know Stephen, he’s an accredited pro motorsports and real estate photographer whose current weapon of choice is the FujiFilm X-H1. The points are 1) what an amazing community we have here; and 2) we have an incredibly rich set of gear choices - all we have to do is figure out which system(s) best fits each one of us (a bit like the Hogwarts sorting hat, I think)!
@@3BMEP Thanks, Hugh, and thanks for the introduction! I agree we are living in a time where we are suffering from a veritable "embarassment of riches". There is SO much great gear these days; I would encourage folks to really think through what their needs and requirements are, and then evaluate some choices based on that. Its so easy to rent different cameras and lenses to try out, but its only with real-world, practical experiencec can one really figure out what best works for you and your specific use-cases. Sometimes its as simple as which camera just fits best in your hand, if the lens has hard stops, or which direction you like the zoom ring on a lens to turn. Cheers and best regards, Stephen.
@@3BMEP Well, that and for those of us with limited budgets who also want to do it ALL...tough choices. I've been sitting on my hands for the last year, reading and listening. I'm still not sure what I'll wind up with.
Wow, another great vid. So thoroughly explained. I use 4/3rds for the reasons you mentioned. I am not a pro so never need or fall into the other small niche areas you mentioned. I know we all love new gear and the best perceived gear like Leica but unless ...well your an elephant or a blind man, you’ll never really need it! God it would be nice though. Lol
@@3BMEP thank you. I just picked it up and can't wait to try it out. Do u think the 12-60mm lens compliments this 10-25mm lens well or is it more of one or the other?
A year after opting for my A7R2,,, I still waffle about m43. Gee, thanks. ;) Looks like a lovely lens but I gotta wonder how you fill in from 25-50mm with your pairing. Do you just ignore that range?
As someone who shoots sony a7iii and panasonic g9 I am so glad someone is addressing the elephant in the room.
Light is often more important than depth of field.
Bakteria 😉
Amen to that, Bakteria!
Light is everything. A professional will have studied the masters of light and known all the different setups. But, as our profession keeps getting better equipment, the photographers of the future feel they don't have to learn the basics and the true art is lost.
@@chip1987 well something needs to separate the men from the boys.
This MFT lens yields results equivalent to a 20-50mm f/3.5 on full frame. In terms of light gathering its barely any better than f/4 full frame kit lenses and a good deal worse than professional grade f/2.8 zooms.
As a retired professional let me say that this was a wonderful video explaining what is really important when we shoot. The closer we can get to base ISO, the better. It's what we aimed for with film and what we still aim for, for the discerning photographer.
@Joseph Madsen Photography In fact, both then and now, a professional photo will have an appropriate background along with foreground, in order to make it pop off the page. Blurring backgrounds is just another way for amateurs to not have to learn the true art of photographing people.
@@TheIkaika777 Yes, in those rare instances a higher ISO looks good with some architectural photography, but 95 percent of the time you want the lowest ISO with the highest Fstop for that same subject. And as the video says, a lens with a 1.4 Fstop is worth more than a lens with only a 2.8..
@@TheIkaika777 I find what you say to be interesting
@@TheIkaika777 Is this astro that you are talking about, how do you get on with upping the shadows and the worms and artifacts ? Neil
I'm still shooting film (or more honestly put, shooting film again), and trying to work out which cameras and glass to invest in. I loved this video!
The g9 update made it even better!
I just got my copy of this lens and I am in full agreement that it is nothing short of spectacular. This lens is blisteringly sharp and has amazing bokeh, close focusing, lightweight for what it is, the whole nine yards. It's been marketed for video but it's a stills beast. It behaves like a "variable prime". Give me a GH6 with a little better ISO performance and higher resolution chip...and I'll be in nirvana.
Bobby dual-native iso in the GH6 would be epic!
As a person who shoots Nikon full frame and a g9 I am so pleased the often overlooked advantage of a less shallow depth of field while retaining a large aperture is mentioned. The g9 is a joy to use with so much tech and perfect ergos. Lugging full frame lenses around is definitely not a joy. As you say the G9 does 99% of what 99% of people need most of the time. Thank you Hugh. Measured considerations articulated like no other you tuber
I hear you Charlie. Another Nikon full frame shooter here who picked up a G9 for travel purposes. The camera is feature packed, feels great in the hand and is a delight to use. It's my second favourite camera behind my D850.
I loved this video. Every time I watch one of this guy's videos I learn a ton. He peppers his content with all kinds of brilliant insight and tips, but you have to be quick on the uptake to catch said tips because they can come at you fast and furiously.
Amazing lens
Persuasive.
I shoot almost completely mid-priced residential real estate that is published online. The Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14 f2.8 Pro works great on my G9, but I need to quit shooting so wide and have been considering this lens (and possibly the Leica 8-18 you mentioned too). But then I was hypnotized by the siren song of the S1. "As long as you are going to invest, why not move up to full frame? Come on! You know you want to! Real professionals shoot full frame! Don't you want to be taken seriously?" This video broke the spell. Thanks.
mediamannaman Glad to be of service. 😎
I use the 8-18 for pro commercial architecture and I can say it's good in terms of hybrid versatility but unfortunately technically flawed in many ways for architectural work. Weird led light flares, field curvature issues, more distortion than the 7-14 and odd focus quirks with the IBIS on the GH5. The 10-25 seems good and I love micro four thirds but the Sony 16-35 GM is tempting me back to FF.
My GH5s is still waiting for the 10-25 I preordered. Already have the PL 50-200.
Update: It came! I have to say I agree with Hugh on this one. On my GH5S with its oversized sensor it offers a 18-45mm FF FOV at f3. Which I have found is the sweet spot for beautiful bokeh and a useable DoF. The images and video have been stellar and beautifully isolate the subject without the, what I like to call, the FF fish bowl effect. The zoom range is irresistibly versatile. The aperture is fast and bright. It isolates the subject without drowning out the context of the environment like FF 1.8 or 1.4 glass.
It is the lens to get for the GH5S and G9 if versatility and practicality are what you like.
Well done. Well spoken. The biggest issue for MFT is not the system, it is the marketing... and more specifically the use of the word "micro". It is such a misnomer that implies something it is not. Not to mention that I fully agree, the G9 is one of the most underrated cameras currently on the market.
Alex Zafer Good point!
@@3BMEP The "micro" point was originally brought up by Olympus visionary Robin Wong. Just giving due credit. The guy has been blogging Oly reviews since the early days.
Well, the term micro refers to the rather small sensor by comparison with the alternatives. And I believe most of the marketing around MFT is rather overselling the system's capabilities. You consistently see Olympus and Panasonic market their lenses as substitutes for large full frame glass, when they clearly aren't.
@@youknowwho9247 Actually no. It refers to the mount. Not the sensor. At least that is what my Olympus engineer friends tell me, who also agree that it is a misnomer.
@@AlexZafer I'd call that slightly nit picky, since the mount size can only be "micro" because the sensor is. But alright.
I just sold my Canon R5 and associated lenses and bought a G9, the 10-25/1.7, and the 100-400/4-6.3, and I approve this message.
what an excellent, thorough review and solid reasoning for advocating micro four thirds and its relevancy. couldn't put it into better words myself. and by god what a gem that Panasonic 10-25 looks to be.
Max Distortion it really is exceptional
Excellent argument for Micro Four Thirds!!! The best I have ever heard. I hike up mountains with two Em1-2 bodies and the Leica trinity, oly 60 macro and my most loved 8mm fisheye. Stunning results. I make up for dynamic range by using exposure bracketing and Aurora to produce amazing realistic hdr pictures. Keep up the excellent videos!!!
I hike up mountains with my D850 and don't need to bracket or stitch panoramas. ;)
I've been a follower of your videos for some time. Being a Lumix G9 owner and salivating over the PL 10-25mm lens, I once again arrived at one of your videos. You are so articulate and your videos are so informative! Your comparative analysis between MFT, APS-C and Full Frame is sooo good! It's all about trade-offs in the context of usage scenarios.
9:18 I have the PL 12mm f/1.4, PL 15mm f/1.7 and PL 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron along with the Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8. My camera gear journey took me from the Lumix G7 in 2015 to the G9 in Jan/2018. In the quest for lightness, I was a believer in zoom lenses. I added the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 lens and I thought I was done with gear! Because of portrait work, I purchased the Nocticron which opened my eyes to lens IQ. I purchased the relatively inexpensive PL 15mm f/1.7 lens which has superb sharpness. I put my 12-35mm lens up for sale (because the sharpness of that lens was so far below the Nocticron) and ended up with someone offering to trade his PL 12mm f/1.4 for my zoom. He was going backpacking in Indonesia and wanted as light as possible.
I am mostly a camera enthusiast with an active interest to capture sights and sounds with my camera system. I do freelance camera projects as they become available. I cannot justify purchasing the PL 10-25mm f/1.7 lens due to its cost (plus 690g is a concern for carry and shooting weight). I don't have 25mm focal length and that can be useful in situations when I cannot zoom with my feet using the 12mm or 15mm lens. Driven by G.A.S. and usage applicability, I would like to own the PL 10-25mm lens.
From my shooting experience, I find the PL 12mm to render nicer colors and dimensionality (micro contrast?) than the PL 15mm which is sharper. e.g. For landscape and scenic shots, I will reach for my PL 12mm. When I want sharpness such as food photography, I will reach for my PL 15mm. If I'm shooting video on gimbal, the PL 15mm is lighter for the overall rig.
What is your assessment of the IQ (sharpness) of the PL 10-25mm lens compared to the PL 12mm, PL 15mm and Nocticron lenses?
You mean, m43 isn't dead :-) I love the format.
I purchased a G9 kit with the Leica DG 12-60mm lens and a GX9 with the 25mm Leica DG lens last week so that I could have a compact, light-weight film focused kit. The glass, the usability of the G9/GX9 cameras and the IBIS produce wonderful files to work with. It’s a dramatic difference to my Leica SL and 24-90mm SL lens I’ve previously used for filming...My back is approving of my new kit! The SL is joining the CL and M’s now as photograph focused work only!
Oh wow, it's good to hear from a Leica SL-owner getting into MFT and trully appreciating its benefits!
Enjoy! 😄
Phenomenal breakdown. I just bought this lens today and paired it with my three-year-old GH5s. Truly love it.
I love the G9 .. but have you checked out the Olympus OMD-Em1 Mk2 with the new firmware? It will definitely replace your sony a6400 for the purposes your mentioned- the auto focus in video is stunning and it shoots 4K 24p at a higher bit rate than everything on the market except GH5. Its really stunning and you can get more purpose out of your m43 glass …
joseluisphoto I have not. As I’ve lamented before, I’ve reached out to OLYMPUS multiple times without success, and though we own their brilliant 75/1.8, I’ve given up on them.
The only curse with Micro 4/3 is choosing between Olympus and Panasonic. I haven't decided on my overdue camera upgrade (from superseded Sony E mount cameras) but Micro 4/3 is at the top of the list. For now. 😉
joseluisphoto , I thought the Fuji xt-3 had a bit rate of 400 in 4k video. So the Olympus has a higher bit rate?
Theo GT you may be right. I have no idea I’ve never considered the Fuji due to lack of ibis. The Olympus is 237 bit rate In c4k 17:9
@@3BMEP Sadly olympus doesn't care for visibility and promotion for...Reasons? I am an oly-canon guy but honestly panasonic is far more friendly and versatility since olympus doesn't take pana lenses as well as pana bodies do with oly
A fairly recent convert to the M4/3 and Panasonic system. Love it. The other day when I picked up my FF Nikon I found the coveted bokeh to be kind of distracting even at F4. Let's bring the context back into photos! Wonder whether in 10 years the current bokeh obsession will just be seen as a fad of the 2000s that people took WAY too far.
johnpatrickbishop I think so. Even more hilarious is people vlogging with lenses faster than f2.8 and it seriously looks like they live in a fish bowl. No context whatsoever. It’s kinda silly. Anything faster than f2 complete kills the context of the surroundings. Which is 50% of the shot or video imho.
Learn to compose and stop down those apertures!
The point is that full frame gives the photographer the creative flexibility to use shallow depth of field, while MFT does not. I like to have all tools at my disposal for when I want to use them instead of being hamstrung by my gear.
@@youknowwho9247 fair enough. And I still shoot full frame. I like full frame. I have countless photos all bokeh'd up. For years that was what I equated with "good photography." My broader point is more about bokeh's fetishization, people obsessing over feathered vs busy bokeh and whatnot. Just wonder if we are taking it too far.
Landscope 360 then why are you not shooting medium format?
I jest. But in all fairness someone of the most well regraded photographers didn’t shoot shallow depth of field at all. I feel the bokeh madness is loosing sight of the fundamentals of what and why you are capturing a moment.
@@finnillson4808 Because medium format isn't versatile enough. Full frame handles all kinds of photography very well. Medium format can't handle action. Besides, the cost gap between full frame and medium format is much larger than between MFT and full frame.
Thank you for a video that does more than apologize for MFT limitations. I've been attracted to the G9 but had no clarity on the lens situation. This information is priceless! This is the first time I"ve heard that a decision to go with MFT is not a huge compromise on image quality.
Glad to be of service. 😉
I don't understand the hype. This lens does not overcome the limitations of MFT. It's equivalent to a 20-50mm f/3.5 on full frame. That's not particularly fast or versatile, and certainly nothing groundbreaking.
Dual IS 2 with my 12-60 Leica or with the 12-35 mark2 is so good wouldn't I miss it badly with that 10-25?
Did you finally get a GH5? :)
@@brjukva I bought a $1000 new Japanese G9 (with unlimited hack) with $350 second hand 12-60 Leica about 9 months ago. It seemed to have slightly better af than gh5 (same af performance as gh5s) I guess there might be one or other slightly different af processing in the g9. It's still not good enough though, I've posted over 1000 videos using my g9 thus far, with pulsating backgrounds, pulsating af on faces and objects always slightly. But at $1350 with lens there is nothing better. Dual SD, flip to the side LCD, Dual IS, 4K60 without a crop, decent battery, good sound, all these are compulsory so I can't yet consider any Canon/Fuji/Sony. I really hope GH6 gets phase detect. At that time, I'd gladly sell my g9 second hand at $500 (or more if possible) to upgrade. Panasonic needs to upgrade g9 firmware with official unlimited recording support, having to use that hack is not really propper, I don't believe there is any overheating going on I have filmed lots of long 4k60 videos without a problem.
Wow! You've said in a much smarter and clearer way what I've been thinking for the past 6 weeks about the G9, the 50-200 and 10-25! Perfect!
I bought a G9 six weeks ago for all the goodness it offers over my GX8. Since then, I haven't picked up my beloved GX8. Except for the slight .5lb weight increase and let's face it, the silver GX8 is beautiful, the G9 is superior in every other way. Superior. For me, it's pretty much the perfect camera. As you said, sure there is a difference between it and other formats. But most people won't see it. In sensor performance, except for low light, it beats a Canon 5D MKII which was king of the hill for years. And that wasn't that long ago. A camera I owned. I did a fashion shoot with my G9 and Nocticron recently and it was fantastic! I'd have to spend 10x the money on a camera to get an appreciable difference in quality.
And when I got a notice from B&H a couple of days ago that they had the 10-25mm f/1.7 in stock, well I just had to run over and check it out! I had high expectations of it. Basically everything I want in a wide-medium zoom lens. It surpassed my expectations! Huge! With the brief time in the store, I was stunned at the images. Color. Sharpness. Contrast. Beautiful. I consider it a wide-medium version of my Nocticron. It's that good! I'm just getting into video and it would be great for that too as shown in your great video! 8-bit video and it looks that good!
It took every ounce of my being to put the lens down and walk away. The salesperson knew it too as he had the sale ready to go when I picked it up in my hands! I can't afford it just quite yet. Maybe as a birthday present to myself next month!
Your praise is fulsome Ricardo. Unfortunately it also rings as almost a paid advertisement for Panasonic. The choice of language is pure copy writing gold take a bow sir.
Peter Lemke Thank you for the compliment! I used to be a horrible writer and have been working a lot to improve on it. Looks like I'm doing well! Haha! If my glowing response seems like a paid advertisement for Panasonic, then you must be saying that to lots of people especially recently.
I love it when an intelligent video validates my camera choices in a more comprehensive, explanatory way than my “me like the G9 and the 10-25 lens’’.
Martha Keil hah!
After years of shooting APS-C and full-frame, I am now centring my kit around the G9 and the Panasonic Leica lenses, though I do have the excellent Olympus 75 mm f1.8 and the 40-150 mm f2.8. I am seriously considering selling most of my Nikon equipment (including my D850), though I won't part with my Df or the 58mm f1.4 G lens.
Brian Davies We own the Oly 75/1.8 as well. EYE-peeling sharpness! 💯
Somewhat weird case of someone downgrading rather than upgrading. Interesting.
@@youknowwho9247 You could look at it that way, but I don't see it as downgrading per se. The G9 is a very capable camera, and the telephoto lenses are much smaller and lighter. I see it more as downsizing.
@@Gynra He's just trolling - I still shoot ASP-C as well as G9 and GX8 - all have their place and time and all are capable of giving the required results. Most people forget that early FF cameras had sensors which were nowhere near today's, yet many top class images were created - it's not ALL about technology.
@@blackislepeastoo He's entitled to his opinion, and I respect that. But I don't happen to share it and completely agree with you. I have used full-frame cameras since the D3 came out in 2007. They have included the D800, D4, D810, Df and D850, as well as Canon and Leica. They are all highly capable cameras, even now. I'm not giving up on full frame entirely as I have a Nikon Z6 and the Df, but I am very enamoured of the micro four-thirds system for its smaller size and lighter weight, not to mention the astonishing Olympus and Panasonic Leica lenses that go with it. I am so committed to it, that as I write, I have just finished packing my D850 and six Nikon lenses for transport to Wex Photo Video, where I am sure they will find a good home. I am not a professional (though I am professionally qualified), but I know that many professionals are happy with the micro four-thirds system. What I do know is that more than meets my needs, both in the studio and for general use, and has rekindled my love of photography all over again.
Even the kit lens that comes with a Panasonic is decent. I think people think I'm mad for using a 2x crop sensor for astrophotography but I have my reasons. M43 is underrated and I don't think Tony N's predictions will come true.
It will come true, but it will also come true for APS-C. The bottom of the market is being devoured by smart phones and the cheap FF bodies is putting on pressure from on top. Enjoy the smaller form factors while you can (I know I will).
I LOVE my G9!! This lens will be a great gift to me.
Haven’t seen it in the video or comments section yet, but what about the sigma 18-35 with a metabones speed booster?
Addressing the statement at 6:12 , Doesn't the Panasonic S1 offer the same combination of IBIS, pixel shifting (Hi-Res mode), same internal video recording options AND a flippy screen in a full-frame package though? Then the S1H if you legitimately need your camera to do almost everything. It doesn't fall anywhere close to the same price range, but, if you go for those super nice Leica lenses for M43, the full-frame S1 lenses aren't far off in price. I think at that point between those two cameras, it just comes down to the ergos and size of rig that you want. Also, the IBIS on M43 will always be a bit superior to full-frame simply due to physics. I think where M43 will hold it's relevancy will still be in the area of travel photography, and sports. Having a smaller sensor, and thus less to scan, the framerate options for stills can be very good. Throw some phase-detect focus points on the sensor, dual-native ISO, and you've got yourself a sports monster.
matrodmedia Well-reasoned!
@@3BMEP Thanks, Hugh! Great, in-depth video nonetheless, as always. Love your style.
Outstanding. Do I have to watch every outstanding video you make? (yes)
😎🙏🏻
I appreciate your style for making videos and your biases towards Panasonic lol. I am a fan of panny and its good to hear professionals like yourself explain the pros/cons of all cameras/lenses.
Hugh - any chance of hooking a follow focus up to it to see how it plays with the focus by wire? I ask because I have the Sigma 16mm 1.4 lens, which is a brilliant lens in many way (especially at its price point), but, its focus by wire rotation pitch is such that it's a bit tricky to use a follow focus, far trickier then using say the Olympus 12-40mm. I'd want to know before dropping that kind of coin....
I think lenses have always been the strong suit of MFT (size, sharpness, weight, IQ) and it's great to see Panasonic still delivering the goods.
Hopefully we'll get to strap this lens onto a GH6 sooner then later. Awesome work as always.
Evil Genius Entertainment Lower on my list of priorities for awhile, but yes, could do eventually. Candidly, not sure it’s worth holding that thought. 😔
Wow, what an interesting video crammed full of facts. I'll need to re-watch this one for sure. I think this is one of your best videos- excellent perspective!
So last night I was watching your video on the Leica CL; then went shopping. This morning I watched this video on the G9 and the 10-25. Man, oh man.
Comment 1: My experience is that even the consumer grade Panasonic glass has been good to me; so it's easy to imagine what this lens would be like. Comment 2:
I now use both Sony full frame and OIympus cameras and use both for different things but: as I move gradually toward more video, the M4/3 system seems to make
more sense than ever to me. Anyway, thanks as always for your insights and humor and pro opinion. (PS---I love the Sigma 16mm lens on my Olympus. Fast, sharp, beautiful sunstars!)
brad miller 😎👍🏻
Hey Brad, could you explain why you say the M4/3 system "makes more sense"? I'm currently shooting Sony APS-C, and I am at a crossroads whether to jump into the M43 system vs. going full-frame Sony, any help would be great! Thanks!
@@daveyineluctable5525 If you're going to shoot video on a Sony full frame, then you're probably going to shoot it in S35 which is more or less a crop sensor size image, and therefore it is not much larger than m43 so your full frame 'advantage' (if you want to call it that) shrinks down to negligibility over M43. I think M43 is perfect for video and general photography, even though I do love the resolution potentials of the Sony full frame for stills. I had a chance to shoot a grab shot of a mountain range while traveling over the weekend, and I had both FF and M43 in the seat beside me in the car and I grabbed the Olympus....took four images and stitched together a beautifully resolved photo as a result. Just my 2 cents! I also love being able to use the same vintage lenses on both systems using different adapters. Cool! My 1.8 50mm on the Sony is now a 1.8 100mm on my Olympus. I could go on and on but this is my experience so far. I sold my A6000 and bought the A7Rii. No regrets there.
@@bradmiller9993 thanks for the reply!
So you don't shoot the A7Rii in full-frame? Is that because you prefer the Super-35 look for video in APS-C as more of a standard?
I'm mainly looking to shoot video but I am more worried about low-light situations, which I thought would be nice to have FF just for the indoor low-light/no-light scenes for some documentary work. Then again, the GH5S has a 1.8 crop, which when speed boosted comes all the way down to a 1.15, so the difference is heavily negated.
I appreciate your input, and yes, I really, really like the ability to adapt various lenses and get all sorts of looks!
Claudia rocks! Hugh, you continue to be amazing!
Jim Bean 🙏🏻
There comes a point where your enjoyment of both shooting and experiencing a place are seriously hindered by your gear. MFT strikes a balance where it's a joy to carry all day AND,.. enjoy your surroundings at the same time, without limiting your creative freedom. Isn't this what street photography is all about anyway?
Disclaimer: I'm a MFT shooter and have never regretted the choice.
For me, weight is a big factor in my backpack. Even with my G9 and 3 lenses, an entire day of walking around (e.g. at street festivals) wears on me.
I’m really unsure of what to do. I literally had my mind made up to move to the A73 with the Tamron 17-28 for my videos and then you post this. Maybe it bothers me that it cost as much as an A73 body. I love my G9 but I need something more consistent in low light. Maybe the 10-25 will give me that. I can’t afford to do both. Help me.
This lens will yield results equivalent to a 20-50mm f/3.5 on full frame. Go with the a7 III, the kit lens will gather nearly as much light as this thing at a much lower price point, and an f/2.8 zoom on full frame does much better in low light than an f/1.7 on MFT.
I bit the bullet and bought the lens. It's pretty damn amazing. You can see it in my latest wedding vlog. I love love love this Len.
@@ClevelandTerry I still don't see any advantage of this to a regular 24-105 f/4 on full frame, other than that it's slightly wider. For that you pay a huge premium and lose half of the zoom range at the long end.
Landscope 360 to each his own my friend. I need the wide, not the long for most of what I shoot. I'm a video guy and the manual clutch and having the aperture ring makes thi a joy to use.
@@ClevelandTerry Fair enough. If the handling is what you need for what you do, why not. Personally I'd prefer the clean stills and high res of a full frame any day. But as you said, to each his own.
Absolute dream lens for everyday and indoor photography - honestly considering to rent one for a day when our next annual mini expo at the arcade here comes up again in January. Either this, or the Olympus 17 1.2 Pro.
Jenny Darukat Hey, Jenny!!
@@3BMEP hello 👀
Well done. I've been using the combination since February and I'm enjoying unfettered creativity. Your descriptions are accurate at high resolution cropped all the way in. HIGH TRUST CHANNEL
Those little moments of silence in your videos really make me take pause to contemplate why other creators choose loud background music throughout their entire videos.
😊🖖🏻
I want this lens on my (coming next week) Lumix GM1 !!!!
That's the perfect camera!
The GM1 will look like a stylish body cap on that lens.
It came early, what a cutie! Have played a little with it. WiFi great. Flash works nice with my Godox TT350. Oh last, but not least. Great pictures.
@@rudolfabelin383 Congratulations! I wish Panasonic would make more cameras in the GM line, they are excellent.
Hugh can you do a video in the new 25mm f1.4 mk 2 which was also released but overshadowed by the 10-25 - apparently its a massive upgrade
Cracking video. I have four Panasonic lenses which are fantastic but I typically have to budget with bang to buck in mind. Even though Leica are often vastly more expensive I now seeing more and more bang.
can we get a wrap up of your favorite m43 lens' now that ff is the becoming the norm and theres budget buyers just getting into m43? Thanks so much for your work.
Very nice detailing,felt like I attended my first photography class...👍🏻
I was desperately waiting for your review. I own the 8-18 (which I might sell for this one The 50-200 is as yo said brilliant ! - Merci
I am looking at the Olympus OMD-Em5 MkIII which is like the Olympus OMD-Em1 Mk2 but smaller and lower cost. My G85 contrast based focus was sometimes painful when moving. I never thought I'd consider an Olympus and just found out days ago my lens for my G85 is compatible due to the use of the same Micro 4/3rds
The G9's form factor and ease of use has consistently inspired me to take more photos with it since I picked one up a month or so ago, and this lens looks like something I definitely need to be considering in future. Beautiful shots from Claudia, and excellent discussion on your part. I feel this lens will pair quite nicely with my BMPCC4k too when the situation calls for it. I've found my other Panas to fulfill the needs of even the lowest compression rates on BRAW at 4K so this looks like a gorgeous addition to the collection. Fantastic video. That Patreon page is becoming a little too enticing to forego for much longer I think.
This was one of the most informative and helpful camera/camera equipment reviews I watched in a while. Thank you!
Vern Thornblad My pleasure!
Awesome stuff Hugh thanks for sharing this. I just switched from Sony A7rii and a6500 to Panasonic Lumix G9 and what a thrill of a camera it is. I have the Lumix GX 12-35mm and 35-100mm f2.8 glass and I am very pleased and blown away so far. Love to get my hands on that LEICA 0-25mm f/1.7 but it might be up there in price for me
This is very intriguing as I have a number of m43 cameras and lenses, but have been eyeing the A7 III as a hybrid system. I find the GH4 to be acceptable but not superlative as a stills camera, although I do love how light the system is compared with Canon full frame. What do you like about the G9 compared with the A7r II?
For 4/3 my go to lens is the Panasonic 20mm my only problem with 4/3 is being stuck at 200iso base.
What a very good and well presented video. As a daily vlogger I found this advice very helpful . . . the lens has been ordered to accompany my GH5. Thank you 👍
Enjoy!
Glad to be of service. :)
@@3BMEP it has arrived in the post this morning. Thank you.
I rarely comment. Sir your video was excellent.
joninva1 Thank you for your encouragement!
Another fantastic video Hugh, Maybe in a future post you can share your Color to B&W conversion workflow, love your B&W photos and also if possible can you share where you get your music from ?
How about a photowalk here in Indianapolis?
Also, I want the hell out of this lens for my G85, but I'll settle for my merely excellent Olympus 12-40mm f2.8.
If I’m ever there on other business, would love to...
Great video, one of the best delineating the different between MFT and FF. Only thing that wasn't resolved: Is 10 bit 4.2.2 needed for broadcast quality video say for making documentaries etc? If so the GH5 is a better all round choice that the G9 or the Olympus...
Very interesting video. I wish I could join the photo walk.
I am an Olympus user BUT my only non-Olympus lens i.e the Panasonic 25mm f/1.8 sits on my Olympus body most of the time and although it is (a bit, but noticeably) slow on Olympus...it still is fast (being f/1.7) and it gives the pleasing on the eye...very close to the"natural" field of view and perspective. The Leica 10-25mm f/1.7 can be a dream travel/street photography lens BUT it is way way way...out of my league. It's very VERY expensive.
Thank you very much for your time and effort.
Wahab Dilawar 🙏🏻 It is a wonderful thing to want what we have, rather than obsessing over what we want and do not. 😊
Great narrative.. Yes, I agree with you than G9+ 10-25 + 50-200 are quite complete combo, with excellent images and reach..
Kent Ekasak 🙏🏻
Way more money than I can currently justify spending on a lens, but the results definitely show it to be worth it. (Probably helps that the photographer(s) are no slouches either!😜). As always your analysis of the various options and their strengths and weaknesses is first grade and an absolute joy to absorb. Thank you.
Neil Ford 😉
Aside from the amazing image quality - it's also helpful to show up to a shoot with a beefy looking lens, as opposed to some of the typically smaller mft lenses.
Here in Australia 🇦🇺 this lens is a massive eye watering $2,800 - looks like a fantastic lens though - our exchange rate is almost in the banana republic territory
😯
Own an A7r3 and a g9. Have the Sony 16-35 f2.8 and the 10-25 f1.7. If I want to pixel peep, or shoot the Milky Way the Sony is my choice. If shooting the interior of a dimly lit church, for example, the Panasonic combo is the way to go. I can shoot at f5.6 and get f11 equivalent "full frame" dof, but my shutter speed is two stops faster, or my iso two stops lower. And the g9 definitely has better IBIS than the A7r3, so the iso can be even lower, or I can increase the dof to f8 (f16 full frame equivalent). Depends what you want to do, I like both systems.
why do you prefer the sony for the milky way?
@@lesleo123 The Sony has better low light performance. I used a 5dsr before, and discovered the Sony can record some of the colours without a special filter on a clear night.
Not much mention in the discussion of the OIS advantages of M43. This can be an advantage in many cases.
quite a powerful statement. I tell you if Panasonic only adopts phase detect AF, they will be the king. Loving my gh5 & leica 12-60. The leica lenses are just phenomenal.
Helpful, informative, (yep) authoritative. Well done.
Sooooo... here's a funny question. I'm planning on investing in a camera to shoot videos (primarily for UA-cam and similar platforms). The camera is a Z Cam E2-M4, which is an MFT camera. I will be shooting inside a workshop with rather limited space and I'll often point the camera at small devices (the size of an SD card or thereabouts). I've already accepted that I'm going to need a wide zoom. I have no MFT experience whatsoever. I'm considering three very different lenses in terms of price : the cheap Olympus 9-18mm f/4-5.6, which has a reputation for sharpness, the "intermediate" Panasonic 8-18mm f/2.8-4, and this monster 10-25mm f/1.7.
Money isn't really an option though any money I save on the lens will likely go towards more camera gear (obviously...) and I do feel that the 8-18 is a good compromise, but what do you guys think ? I know I tend to pixel-peep and be way too demanding for my own good, so I'd really like someone else's point of view.
I recently rented this Leica lens with my G7 and an old Olympus Pen PM1. The pictures were always more likely to be interesting and compelling compared with my current lenses. I didn't want to hand it back. The G9 is my future upgrade, currently having a bargain resale value of around £900.
MFT is here to stay I think, given the amount of video support it gets from third party manufacturers. But it's lightness juxtaposed with awesome lens support and very often the price. It's almost unbeatable.
I come to NYC from time to time. Would be great to hangout with some photographers whatever you do a meetup again.
I love Lumix, and now i used GH5 with Lens Leica 12-60mm
doesn't it good?
Glad you enjoy it!
@@3BMEP excuse me Do you know about S1H? Is't focused on photo or video?
Da Vlogs video - in fact, cine video.
@@3BMEP ok thank you
What G9 settings did you use for this video? Was it color graded in post? Great job on the skin tones.
A very handy video! Thanks. I've found some Leica EF lenses on ebay. Would you be interested in reviewing the ways to mount a Leica lens on a Canon EF or Canon-compatible camera?
Property Pitch Not sure what you mean by a Leica EF lens, but we no longer have Canon cameras in-house except for sentimental reasons (my 1D, which is only 4MP).
What are your thoughts on the better natural pairing with the 10-25 f/1.7: the PL 35-100 f/2.8 or the Olympus 12-100 f/4 Pro. I already have the 12-100 and I recently picked-up the 10-25, but I cannot help but notice the 12-100 is seeing less and less use because of how awesome the 10-25 is.
Ryan Kwan I’d go straight to the Leica DG Vario Elmarit 50-200/2.8-4 or just add the Oly 75/1.8. This is the glass we use virtually 100% of the time.
@@3BMEP Ooo. Interesting, I didn't think about that. Is the 25 - 50 mm too large a gap or do you just crop in that range?
Ryan Kwan we have the little 42.5/1.7 of we need it, but we almost never do - we can move in or back up to cover the shot we need.
Realistic content like these will drive Northrup mad
ATT MEE Tony & Chelsea are friends - reasonable people may disagree. 😊
It was from Tony N that I first learnt about the lens equivalency details (DoF, total light gathered, ISO etc etc), and I suspect he'd love seeing this video, which IMHO supports everything he's been trying to teach us.
EDIT: although I suppose their "MFT is dying" video goes against this one. 😉
Very thought provoking. Thank you for posting this.
Do you still feel the same way today in regards the 10-25?
It’s still a superb lens, but we shifted to full frame in 2020, primarily for higher sensor resolution.
Such a great street portrait at 4:38
Vm Vm Not an easy shot to take.
really enjoying 20+minutes of my life watching you talking no BS about photography like some other channels out there
thank you sir to shared tous your knowledge and great images in this episode
+1 new subs
sorry for my bad english
Your command of my language is infinitely better than my command of yours. Welcome!
Interesting opinions :-) I can confirm - 10-25/1.7 is an amazing and inspirative piece of glass. I own it for a few days only and I have done only one photoshoot with it, but I’m in love already :-)
Thanks Hugh, you just cost me that 1800... But I knew I was getting it before this...
John Sexton 😊 Claudia says “it’s worth it - you won’t regret it.”
I don't understand why people would pay 1800 bucks for a lens that had performance comparable to full frame glass that costs half that price.
@@youknowwho9247 I am not shooting full frame nor am I willing to carry one of those monsters for a longer period of time.
@@johnsexton3841 The new mirrorless full frame bodies are barely any larger and heavier than crop sensor cameras, and lenses have the same size and weight when they offer the same performance. Because physics can't be cheated.
@@youknowwho9247 The new mirrorless full frames do not have the good battery life I need for field work I do and the comparable lenses for the Sony, for example, are about $2200
Can i use this with panasonic G85 camera ?? Is it worth buying for G85, as I don't have any lens other then kit lens?
Thanks for this - a quite amazing and timely reality check. On a side note, I agonized for seeming ages between the G9 and GH5 and eventually went for the GH5. May I ask if there is any stills quality difference between them - I know they share the same sensor but one never knows if the processing differs. Thanks
The colors, IBIS and AF on the G9 are all marginally better. If it had no recording limit, it would replace our GH5 as we don’t shoot in 10-bit.👍🏻
Damm your videos are always so well lit and colour corrected so well!
Thanks! I do my best to get the lighting and color right in camera so I don't have to futz much in post.
Great video. Great points, well made.
Great video and after 10:40-ish it becomes pure gospel.
Mr Brownstone, per your comment: Is base ISO or native ISO best? For example, my GH4 goes down to a base 200, but native is 800.
Ben McCartney Take a look at photonstophotos.net. Note where dynamic range is highest and dynamic range lowest for your particular sensor (or sensors) of interest. Short answer: base ISO is where it’s at. 😎
@@3BMEP l love that website it's a great resource for photographers.
Hi Hugh, Thank you for your well considered and the detailed comparisons you make in your video regarding potential alternatives to the Micro Four Thirds: LEICA DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7.
The positives for me are, it gives the clarity I need and the justification to purchase yet another lens. The negative is I feel compelled to rush out and purchase this lens right away after hearing your arguments. As always Hugh, thank you for the effort you put into providing detailed and qualified information to your loyal viewers.
😉🖖🏻
Love ya man. Another great video.
PhotoJoseph 🙏🏻😊
love it
Would Like to go those events but I'm not in NY. Kinda sad for me :(
Amazing content and much-needed clarification as always! Keep em coming!
Could Panasonic phase-detect autofocus make MFT more popular in this day and era?
Hold that thought. lol
Northstar Gaming I’ve been holding that thought for a while... 😊
haha that makes two of us
Please no phase-detect! I decided for Pana because of contrast-af. I have enough of back and front af problems of other system (canon, fuji, nikon...) The contrast AF ist more than enough speed for my needs and never had problems with AF accurancy.
@@Gagula57 I agree for native mft lenses, but when you use adapted af lenses from other brands pdaf is very useful : this allows me to use old Zuiko 4/3 or Canon ef lenses such as 100:2, 135:2 or 200:2.8 and 1.4x converter with Viltrox adapter or speedbooster. Results are really excellent, keeping tele primes cheap & both very luminous and light VS native Pana or Oly proposals!
Hugh... you mentioned that Leica doesn’t do a 40mm lens. BUT, they did produce one for the original Leica/Minolta CL. And the dirty little secret is that the Minolta Rokkor 40 mm lens also contains the same Leica glass as the much more expensive Leica 40mm Summicron.
Bill Daniels You are right! Thanks for providing the historical context. I should have been clear by adding “in their current lens line up.” 👍🏻😊
Interesting that you bring up the depth of field vs ISO/shutter speed advantage of m43. I actually prefer to shoot m43 for video because it means slightly longer DoF at lower ISO than would be on full frame or aps-c / Super 35. This means easier focus and more of the subject in focus. The GH5S and P4K closes the gap on high ISO anyway. All m43 needs is fast and reliable autofocus and it will meet the needs of most.
The 10-25 would come in really handy on many jobs, using that as the main lens, with an 85 equivalent like the Panasonic or Voigtlander, and a longer zoom like the 35-100mm or 50-200mm.
raksh9 just so!
But do you realise that a FF sensor will produce about the same amount of noise as the MFT, when using a two-stop higher ISO? (all other things being equal - "equivalent" lenses & apertures, and similar sensor technology).
Your always pleasure to watch and listen, very informative and knowledgeable , Kudos kiddo 😉
Thanks, Harry!
Another really excellent video, Hugh. I am not at all surprised with your analysis and your conclusions. I shot with the G9 for a full two hours in May 2018 and I was _really impressed_ with it. It reminded me a lot of my Canon 1D-series bodies, and I immediately felt right at home with using it. A VERY good camera that is very well-thought out and executed to a high level of performance. The Panasonic 10-25 seems to be a great lens, and I really like the idea of pairing it with the 50-200 for a killer two-lens kit. Back when I had a M4/3 kit, I had the Oly E-M1 MkI (this was before the G9 was out) paired with those sweet Panasonic f/2.8 zooms: the 12-35/2.8 and 35-100, and that was also a killer two lens kit; it made a for a very, very nice light and compact travel kit that could pretty much do anything. So, I totally get that what you're talking about with the G9, 10-25 and 50-200 pairing. Cheers, Stephen
Stephen, always a pleasure to see you here. For those of you who don’t know Stephen, he’s an accredited pro motorsports and real estate photographer whose current weapon of choice is the FujiFilm X-H1. The points are 1) what an amazing community we have here; and 2) we have an incredibly rich set of gear choices - all we have to do is figure out which system(s) best fits each one of us (a bit like the Hogwarts sorting hat, I think)!
@@3BMEP Thanks, Hugh, and thanks for the introduction! I agree we are living in a time where we are suffering from a veritable "embarassment of riches". There is SO much great gear these days; I would encourage folks to really think through what their needs and requirements are, and then evaluate some choices based on that. Its so easy to rent different cameras and lenses to try out, but its only with real-world, practical experiencec can one really figure out what best works for you and your specific use-cases. Sometimes its as simple as which camera just fits best in your hand, if the lens has hard stops, or which direction you like the zoom ring on a lens to turn. Cheers and best regards,
Stephen.
@@3BMEP Well, that and for those of us with limited budgets who also want to do it ALL...tough choices. I've been sitting on my hands for the last year, reading and listening. I'm still not sure what I'll wind up with.
Vern Thornblad let me know what you end up doing, and how you use it once you settle on the gear?
@@vernthornblad1598 Hi Vern, I'd like to know what you end up with as well. Cheers. -Stephen
Where do the images at 14:15 come from??
The pCAM app on the Apple App Store.
Great video
🙏🏻😊🖖🏻
At the current prices. What should I get the Fuji xh1 or the Panasonic G9. I already have some m43 lens?
If you already have and like the m43 lenses, G9.
Wow, another great vid. So thoroughly explained. I use 4/3rds for the reasons you mentioned. I am not a pro so never need or fall into the other small niche areas you mentioned. I know we all love new gear and the best perceived gear like Leica but unless ...well your an elephant or a blind man, you’ll never really need it! God it would be nice though. Lol
Kevin Power 😉🖖🏻
Brilliant arguments and as always an amazing video! Thank you very much. Looking forward to join a NY photo walk in the future.
Sebastian Freund we look forward to meeting you on one!
Thank you for the points you are making starting at 11:51 :)
does it make sense to get this lens if I already have the Leica DG 12-60mm?
This is a FAR better lens.
@@3BMEP thank you. I just picked it up and can't wait to try it out. Do u think the 12-60mm lens compliments this 10-25mm lens well or is it more of one or the other?
A year after opting for my A7R2,,, I still waffle about m43. Gee, thanks. ;) Looks like a lovely lens but I gotta wonder how you fill in from 25-50mm with your pairing. Do you just ignore that range?