The incredible flexibility that the micro four thirds system offers, especially in terms of lens selection, is simply astounding. So with the vast array of lenses available for your camera, how do you exactly know which ones should you get for your videography needs?
We’ve previously covered the Best Value Legacy Lenses you can adapt to your Panasonic camera and if you’re a videographer on a budget, I highly recommend checking that out first. But if you’re set on getting the best of the best for your filmmaking career, you’re in the right place. Today, we’re rounding up some of the highly regarded micro four thirds lenses for video, according to pros.
Let’s start with my personal favorite, so much so that I shot an entire wedding with it (and it was my first wedding! Watch the trailer below):
*Here’s another video on mine on 10 Tips for Shooting a Wedding Video on a Budget if you’re curious
Plain out and simple, the tl;dr version of this post is that if I only had $500 to spend on a lens the Panasonic-Leica 25mm f1.4 is my pick, and it’s not even close.
We’ll go in-depth on my choices in a bit, but here’s the summarized version:
- Panasonic-Leica 25mm f1.4 (from $375 used on Amazon) – A versatile focal length, smooth/fast AF focus and a fast f1.4 aperture make this my best value pick.
- Panasonic-Leica 10-25mm f1.7 – The new king, good enough to replace many of the best primes for Panasonic, but it comes with an $1800 price tag (Amazon). See our Panasonic-Leica 10-25mm f1.7 review for more info.
- Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 II (from $700 used on Amazon) – The old king, and the 24-70mm full frame equivalent is one of, if not the most popular lens on any system and for good reason.
- Panasonic 8-18mm f2.8-4.0 (from $850 used on Amazon) – Best if you need something a little wider, a very popular option for vloggers and YouTubers.
- Panasonic 14-140mm f4.0-5.6 – A great option for the casual video shooter, it’s on Amazon for about $400 renewed. It’s a superzoom covering a wide focal range that has Power OIS and a fast silent AF, both a must for video. If you prefer a zoom, and want a really versatile zoom, this could be your best bet.
Avoid Olympus Lenses – You might be tempted to Olympus lenses, especially the ones with a manual focus clutch. However, my experience is that the focus doesn’t transition smoothly, instead in “steps” (as described here), plenty of YouTube videos on it as well. I’m not sure if it effects every Olympus lens, but there were a few listed in that link. Personally, I’d avoid them but there are plenty of people that disagree with me. I also just think it looks better to match a Panasonic lens with a Panasonic camera.
Besides, Olympus has sold off their imaging division, which IMO will more than likely mean Olympus will be out of business in 3-5 years. Not a terrible thing at all, their lenses will only become cheaper as time passes.
Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f2.8 II
If you find yourself shooting a lot of run and gun scenarios like weddings and low light documentary-style assignments, the Lumix 12-35mm f2.8 II is king. The 12-35mm range is roughly equivalent to 24mm to 70mm in full-frame terms; you’ll have all your bases covered from wide to short telephoto — enough to get the job done without you ever needing to change lenses.
It ticks a lot of boxes out of the “pro” checklist, too! This super compact standard zoom is weather sealed, offers excellent sharpness at the center even when shot wide open, controls chromatic aberration well, and has very minimal distortion on the short end.
Caleb Hoover of Hoover Heights Media has shot a documentary for a non-profit with just this one lens, which should speak volumes about how much utility it brings to the table. This phenomenal lens naturally gets high praises from him:
“I really think you could shoot everything from interviews to documentaries with this lens. Then probably my favorite thing about this lens is the optical image stabilization, when combined with the GH5, gives you the Dual IS, which in my opinion just can’t be beat by any other camera on the market that features an image stabilization option.”
Check out his very informative review of the Panasonic Vario 12-35mm f2.8 II below!
Venus Optics Laowa 7.5mm f2
You’ve probably heard of Laowa before and their wonderfully quirky “probe” lens. But what you may not know is that the company has an amazing ultra-wide-angle (UWA) lens for micro four thirds systems. At 7.5mm, right about equivalent to a 15mm field of view, this fast UWA lens produces very minimal distortion. If you frequently work with tight spaces and clean, low-ISO footage is a concern for you, then the Laowa 7.5mm f2 might be the lens to go for.
It boasts solid sharpness in the center frame, while stopping it down to f2.8 to f4 improves both corner and center sharpness. For right around $500, this gem from Laowa features an impressive metal build while being light and compact — perfect for more discreet shooting and gimbal shots that won’t hurt your back. Professional videographer David Darrah has used the Laowa 7.5mm f2 extensively in his real estate videography business and is very happy with the results he’s getting:
“If you are looking at getting into real estate videography and you do shoot on the micro four thirds system, personally, I don’t think that there’s a better lens out there for value for money that will give you the same result as this does. I know that there’s the 8-18mm Panasonic lens, but in comparison for the size and the weight, this thing is just absolutely amazing especially for real estate.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaYUMl2mYv0
Rokinon 24mm T1.5 Cine DS
Next on the list is a “dedicated” cine lens for the micro four thirds system. I say dedicated because the Rokinon 24mm t1.5 cine (or Samyang 24mm t1.5) is specifically designed for video shooters, unlike the first two recommendations that could seamlessly function between photo and video applications. The Rokinon 24mm t1.5 is available in m43, Sony E, Fujifilm X, and traditional DSLR mounts.
Now the strengths of a dedicated cine lens lie on its compatibility with more “serious” filmmaking tools such as the compatibility with a follow focus rig. Both the focusing and the de-clicked iris ring have a standard geared design to fit follow focus systems that camera operators use for more accurate and reliable focus pulls. At 24mm, it’s roughly equivalent to a standard 50mm and is a very useful focal length for videography.
So how does it perform optically? Cinematographer Trey Lowell says he’s quite satisfied with the image quality he’s getting from the Rokinon.
“Over the past few years, using it with the Panasonic GH5, I absolutely love the look and feel of this piece of glass… When it comes to shooting b-roll (referring to the focus ring), you can just pull focus so easy and so smooth. Now, also, you do have the advantage of knocking this bad boy down to t1.5, which is a great feature when paired up with GH5.”
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f2.8 PRO
The PRO designation on this high-end telephoto zoom from Olympus is not just for show. It’s got a reassuring metal build, fully weather-sealed, light and compact especially for an f2.8 telephoto. The Olympus Zuiko 40-150mm f2.8 is right around 80-300mm in full frame terms, providing you with significantly more reach than the alternative fast telephoto zooms available for the micro four thirds system — quite enough range for events and sports coverage assignments to wildlife projects!
Filmmaker Jon Bear thinks this top-end glass from Olympus is a perfect fit for the hybrid shooter. He particularly liked its minimum focusing distance of 70cm, which lets you take really close, almost macro shots with your telephoto zoom, and its quirky “parfocal” workaround trick. Basically, a parfocal lens maintains the focus distance you’ve set even as you zoom throughout the range. This is obviously an awesome feature, intentional or not, for videographers and Jon explains how it can be done with this lens on his video down below.
“In conclusion, the Olympus 40-150mm telephoto is great for sports photographers or if you’re a photographer/filmmaker. If you’re someone in between and you want to have a lens in your kit that can fit in both of those shoes, this is the lens for you.”
It should be noted that this lens does not have optical image stabilization. But with the amazing IBIS in Panasonic bodies like the GH5 and the g9, this shouldn’t be an issue. However, if you want to take advantage of Panasonic’s Dual IS, then the Panasonic 35-100 2.8 II might be the one you should go for.
Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7
The Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 + Metabones Speedbooster combo used to be the “go-to” lens for Panasonic video shooters. It was amazing in low light and covered a wide range of useful focal lengths for those invested in the micro four thirds system. The Panasonic Leica 10-25mm f1.7, however, seems to be positioned to go toe-to-toe with the Sigma and Metabones duo.
Unlike the Sigma 18-15mm f1.8, the newer Panny-Leica glass is weather sealed which is a game changer for a lot of professionals working in less than ideal environments. It also has a de-clicked aperture ring, and a focus clutch that lets you access linear manual focus; not the unpredictable focus by wire in most modern lenses. Finally, you won’t need to bother with specialty adapters with this lens — it’s a native Panasonic lens and should not encounter any reliability issues.
In the image quality department, here’s what photographer and filmmaker Valentin Kossenko has to say about this gem:
“This lens is probably the most perfect lens I have ever shot with. It is sharp even at f1.7, it has almost no chromatic aberrations, there’s some vignetting but you can correct that in your camera… For me, it’s pretty much perfect. You’ll also notice that this lens has great contrast, I think that it’s even better than the Sigma 18-35mm but I’ve only tested it with the viltrox EF-M1 adaptor so it might be an issue with that one, but in my comparison I found out that the Leica is a lot better — it was sharper, it was more contrasty and all in all felt a lot better.”
Notable Mentions
Another guide I like is from Zach Arias, a long time well known photographer whom has recently decided to move to motion after many requests from clients. In his series “moving to motion,” he lamented on what gear he should use. And the truth is, there are plenty of options. Though he noticed that virtually every post on the internet was a comparison with the Panasonic GH4, eg. “Panasonic GH4 vs Canon 5D3” or C100, “Panasonic GH4 vs Sony A7s”, etc. And ultimately, that’s what he landed on. And his choice of lenses include the Panasonic 7-14mm, Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8, Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8 and last but not least the Panasonic-Leica 42.5mm f1.2.
Since I don’t shoot much video, I’ll pass the torch over to Shane Hurlbut at Hurlbut Visuals, where he has a 3-part series on the best video lenses for Micro Four Thirds. He reviews the best primes from Panasonic, Olympus, and Voigtalnder. Overall, he had high marks for both the Panasonic and Voigtlander lenses, but felt the Olympus lenses felt “one dimensional.”
We’ve hopefully covered a roster of cinematic powerhouses with enough variety to fit most filmmakers’ needs and intended applications. Some of these may be pricier than others, and may not be within a beginner’s budget, but know that there are always alternatives that could easily fill in for the more premium lens’ place.