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I've heard a lot about this lens, but after testing (this copy) I'm not too impressed. It looks "dreamy" (wide open of course) but even stopped down, it doesn't render a realistic-looking image, something that is central to my goal of Realism. Any links below are affiliate links. [UNFILTERED] Canon FD 50 1.4 + ADAPTER (Non-Optical, NO BOOST) Panasonic GH4 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" -3 CONTRAST +1 SHARPNESS +4 NOISE -1 COLOR -0 -0 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW OFF iDYNAMIC OFF iRESOLUTION LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST NO IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS NO IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR NO IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: I've heard a lot about this lens, but after testing (this copy) I'm not too impressed. It looks "dreamy" (wide open of course) but even stopped down, it doesn't render a realistic-looking image, something that is central to my goal of Realism. My goal for these camera settings is to improve the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color with the result that it produces an image that looks less "digital" and more "organic" (more like film, etc). The first step is to apply these settings while shooting (produces an image that looks pretty good straight out of camera) but keep in mind there may need to be slight color grading (or a LUT) applied to finalize each shot.

[TESTING...] Any links below are affiliate links. [UNFILTERED] Panasonic 45-150 4-5.6 No Lens Adapter (Native Mount) Panasonic G85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" -5 CONTRAST -5 SHARPNESS +3 NOISE -0 COLOR Standard HIGHLIGHT SHADOW OFF iDYNAMIC OFF iRESOLUTION LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST ? IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: [TESTING...] My goal for these camera settings is to improve the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color with the result that it produces an image that looks less "digital" and more "organic" (more like film, etc). The first step is to apply these settings while shooting (produces an image that looks pretty good straight out of camera) but keep in mind there may need to be slight color grading (or a LUT) applied to finalize each shot.

[TESTING WITH Viltrox NF-M43x] Any links below are affiliate links. [UNFILTERED] Tokina 11-16 2.8 ii + BOOST (Viltrox NF-M43x .71x) Panasonic G85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" - 1 CONTRAST - 4 SHARPNESS +2 NOISE - 1 COLOR Standard HIGHLIGHT SHADOW OFF iDYNAMIC OFF iRESOLUTION LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST ? IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: [TESTING WITH Viltrox NF-M43x] My goal for these camera settings is to improve the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color with the result that it produces an image that looks less "digital" and more "organic" (more like film, etc). The first step is to apply these settings while shooting (produces an image that looks pretty good straight out of camera) but keep in mind there may need to be slight color grading (or a LUT) applied to finalize each shot.

I know I say this a lot (when I test lenses on a second camera) but I was really surprised by how different the results are on this camera (GH5) compared to the last camera I had tested (the Panasonic G85). The main thing is while the SHARPNESS of this lens so great that it was difficult to get the Panasonic G85 to look good with it without using a diffusion filter (the Tiffen BPM14 worked the best on the G85) I was able to get this image to look good on the Panasonic GH5 without the diffusion filter! The reason I am surprised is the GH5 sensor renders more SHARPNESS than the G85, but what it came down to was the fact that the GH5 could handle turning the SHARPNESS all of the way down to -5 and still hold up. In fact, it still had so much SHARPNESS left I had to turn up the NOISE reduction to +5, to reduce the SHARPNESS even more. Any links below are affiliate links. [UNFILTERED] Sigma 30 1.4 ADAPTER: None (Native Mount) Panasonic GH5 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" -2 CONTRAST -5 SHARPNESS +5 NOISE -0 COLOR -3+3 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW OFF iDYNAMIC OFF iRESOLUTION 0-255 LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT NONE RADIUS NONE THRESHOLD NONE Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST B IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS A IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE B IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR C IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: I know I say this a lot (when I test lenses on a second camera) but I was really surprised by how different the results are on this camera (GH5) compared to the last camera I had tested (the Panasonic G85). The main thing is while the SHARPNESS of this lens so great that it was difficult to get the Panasonic G85 to look good with it without using a diffusion filter (the Tiffen BPM14 worked the best on the G85) I was able to get this image to look good on the Panasonic GH5 without the diffusion filter! The reason I am surprised is the GH5 sensor renders more SHARPNESS than the G85, but what it came down to was the fact that the GH5 could handle turning the SHARPNESS all of the way down to -5 and still hold up. In fact, it still had so much SHARPNESS left I had to turn up the NOISE reduction to +5, to reduce the SHARPNESS even more. My goal for these camera settings is to improve the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color with the result that it produces an image that looks less "digital" and more "organic" (more like film, etc). The first step is to apply these settings while shooting (produces an image that looks pretty good straight out of camera) but keep in mind there may need to be slight color grading (or a LUT) applied to finalize each shot.

Not sure if test for v2 was done. Any links below are affiliate links. [UNFILTERED] Minolta AF 50 1.7 ii + ADAPTER (Non-Optical, NO BOOST) Panasonic GX85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" -5 CONTRAST -4 SHARPNESS +5 NOISE -0 COLOR -0-0 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW OFF iDYNAMIC OFF iRESOLUTION LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST ? IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: Not sure if test for v2 was done. My goal for these camera settings is to improve the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color with the result that it produces an image that looks less "digital" and more "organic" (more like film, etc). The first step is to apply these settings while shooting (produces an image that looks pretty good straight out of camera) but keep in mind there may need to be slight color grading (or a LUT) applied to finalize each shot.

[TESTING...] Any links below are affiliate links. [UNFILTERED] Tamron 75-300 4-5.6 LD + BOOST (Viltrox NF-M43x .71x) Panasonic G85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" - 4 CONTRAST +4 SHARPNESS -0 NOISE - 2 COLOR Standard HIGHLIGHT SHADOW OFF iDYNAMIC OFF iRESOLUTION LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST ? IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: [TESTING...] My goal for these camera settings is to improve the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color with the result that it produces an image that looks less "digital" and more "organic" (more like film, etc). The first step is to apply these settings while shooting (produces an image that looks pretty good straight out of camera) but keep in mind there may need to be slight color grading (or a LUT) applied to finalize each shot.

This lens has so much SHARPNESS and CONTRAST and it creates shadows that are so deep, it is difficult to get this to look realistic (with this sensor)! In some ways this is amazing, but in other ways it makes it a challenge to work with. To get the image to look realistic I am using the maximum HIGHLIGHT SHADOW compensation you can (bringing the HIGHLIGHTS down to -5 and the SHADOWS up to +5) and then I'm having to leave the CONTRAST at -0 (which I normally bring down a bit). I do think there is another good thing about the amount of SHARPNESS and CONTRAST this lens has, and that is it should work well with the Vivitar 2x MACRO teleconverter which will reduce those attributes a bit. Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Minolta MD 50 1.7 ADAPTER: Minolta MD to M43 Panasonic G85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" -0 CONTRAST -3 SHARPNESS +4 NOISE +2 COLOR -5+5 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW OFF iDYNAMIC OFF iRESOLUTION 16-255 LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT NONE RADIUS NONE THRESHOLD NONE Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST C IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS A IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE C IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR B IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: This lens has so much SHARPNESS and CONTRAST and it creates shadows that are so deep, it is difficult to get this to look realistic (with this sensor)! In some ways this is amazing, but in other ways it makes it a challenge to work with. To get the image to look realistic I am using the maximum HIGHLIGHT SHADOW compensation you can (bringing the HIGHLIGHTS down to -5 and the SHADOWS up to +5) and then I'm having to leave the CONTRAST at -0 (which I normally bring down a bit). I do think there is another good thing about the amount of SHARPNESS and CONTRAST this lens has, and that is it should work well with the Vivitar 2x MACRO teleconverter which will reduce those attributes a bit. My goal for these camera settings is to improve the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color with the result that it produces an image that looks less "digital" and more "organic" (more like film, etc). The first step is to apply these settings while shooting (produces an image that looks pretty good straight out of camera) but keep in mind there may need to be slight color grading (or a LUT) applied to finalize each shot.

I'm really enjoying using this lens on a SHIFT adapter (on the Panasonic GX85. The shift adapter doesn't work on the G85 (because of the obstruction of the popup flash over the lens mount) so that's something to keep in mind. I had never heard of this lens until recently when I saw it at a local camera store (for a good deal). I've tested the Sigma 17-50 2.8 EX and the Sigma 18-35 1.8 ART, but I didn't know this one even existed! It isn't as "good" as the 18-35 1.8 ART (in a technical sense) but WITH THE CUSTOM SETTINGS I think it's doing a good job (and that's WITH a CPL/circular polarizer attached!!) FILTER NOTE: This test was with a Neewer CPL (Circular Polarizer) and while I think the filter is pretty good, Neewer has so many versions of their CPL that it's hard to say which one it is in writing. For this reason, I'm going to try to stick to filter brands that make it easy to identify exactly which filter it is. Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: CPL (Neewer) Sigma 18-50 2.8 EX + SHIFT (Perspective Control Adapter) Panasonic GX85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" -4 CONTRAST +2 SHARPNESS +3 NOISE -0 COLOR -3+3 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW OFF iDYNAMIC OFF iRESOLUTION 16-255 LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE DEFAULT Sigma 18-50 2.8 EX MACRO Panasonic GX85 NATURAL -0-0-0-0 HS -0-0 FILTER CPL Neewer CUSTOM Sigma 18-50 2.8 EX MACRO Panasonic GX85 NATURAL -4+2+3-0 HS -3+3 FILTER CPL Neewer REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST B IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS A IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE A IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR B IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: I'm really enjoying using this lens on a SHIFT adapter (on the Panasonic GX85. The shift adapter doesn't work on the G85 (because of the obstruction of the popup flash over the lens mount) so that's something to keep in mind. I had never heard of this lens until recently when I saw it at a local camera store (for a good deal). I've tested the Sigma 17-50 2.8 EX and the Sigma 18-35 1.8 ART, but I didn't know this one even existed! It isn't as "good" as the 18-35 1.8 ART (in a technical sense) but WITH THE CUSTOM SETTINGS I think it's doing a good job (and that's WITH a CPL/circular polarizer attached!!) FILTER NOTE: This test was with a Neewer CPL (Circular Polarizer) and while I think the filter is pretty good, Neewer has so many versions of their CPL that it's hard to say which one it is in writing. For this reason, I'm going to try to stick to filter brands that make it easy to identify exactly which filter it is. My goal for these camera settings is to improve the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color with the result that it produces an image that looks less "digital" and more "organic" (more like film, etc). The first step is to apply these settings while shooting (produces an image that looks pretty good straight out of camera) but keep in mind there may need to be slight color grading (or a LUT) applied to finalize each shot.

LOOKS GOOD but need more sample footage to create and test the LUT. Any links below are affiliate links. [UNFILTERED] Nikon 55-200 VR + HELICOID (Macro Helicoid Adapter) Panasonic G7 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" -3 CONTRAST -1 SHARPNESS +5 NOISE -2 COLOR Standard HIGHLIGHT SHADOW OFF iDYNAMIC OFF iRESOLUTION LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST ? IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS ? IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR ? IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: LOOKS GOOD but need more sample footage to create and test the LUT. My goal for these camera settings is to improve the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color with the result that it produces an image that looks less "digital" and more "organic" (more like film, etc). The first step is to apply these settings while shooting (produces an image that looks pretty good straight out of camera) but keep in mind there may need to be slight color grading (or a LUT) applied to finalize each shot.

Still testing...but I'm learning that, specifically with the GH5, a lot of the OEM Panasonic lenses still have too much SHARPNESS and too much CONTRAST so to correct for this (while using the NATURAL profile) I'm not only tuning those settings but also need pretty extreme HIGHLIGHT SHADOW compensation...and that ends up adding more MAGENTA to the color cast (and adds other color noise too, but the overall color cast leans towards MAGENTA). Therefore, this is going to need a LUT to correct for this, for sure! Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None (BARE) Panasonic 25 1.7 ADAPTER: None (Native) Panasonic GH5 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" -5 CONTRAST -5 SHARPNESS +5 NOISE +2 COLOR -5+4 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW OFF iDYNAMIC OFF iRESOLUTION 0-255 LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT NONE RADIUS NONE THRESHOLD NONE Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST C IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS A IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE C IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR F IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: Still testing...but I'm learning that, specifically with the GH5, a lot of the OEM Panasonic lenses still have too much SHARPNESS and too much CONTRAST so to correct for this (while using the NATURAL profile) I'm not only tuning those settings but also need pretty extreme HIGHLIGHT SHADOW compensation...and that ends up adding more MAGENTA to the color cast (and adds other color noise too, but the overall color cast leans towards MAGENTA). Therefore, this is going to need a LUT to correct for this, for sure! My goal for these camera settings is to improve the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color with the result that it produces an image that looks less "digital" and more "organic" (more like film, etc). The first step is to apply these settings while shooting (produces an image that looks pretty good straight out of camera) but keep in mind there may need to be slight color grading (or a LUT) applied to finalize each shot.

I'm starting out testing this Raynox DCR-150 MACRO adapter (on the Panasonic FZ1000) using the same CUSTOM SETTINGS as I do for just the (built-in) lens on the camera. So far, it looks really good (though it could use some adjustments to be closer to perfect SOOC). The good thing about keeping the settings the same, is you don't have to switch between 2 sets of settings (when removing the Raynox macro adapter)... IMPORTANT: If you publish your videos to YouTube, use the below settings (for Davinci Resolve) to make it look REAL (YouTube strips out CONTRAST AND COLOR as of the date of this note). YouTube SHADOW DIP (for Davinci Resolve): This helps make SHADOWS more accurate on YouTube: 1. Create a new node 2. Go to Primaries 3. Enter -12.30 for Shad (Shadow) YouTube COLOR BUMP (for Davinci Resolve): This helps make COLOR more accurate on YouTube: 1. Create a new node 2. Go to Sat vs. Sat. (In Curves) 3. Drag shadows (left) dot to 1.23 4. Drag highlights (right) dot to 1.23 NOTES: I’ve been working on getting my FZ1000 to look realistic, using SOOC (Straight Out of Camera) settings, and I’m pretty happy with what these settings now (and it’s REALLY EASY TO REMEMBER). These settings are mostly for 4K PHOTO mode use, so I'm also doing this so I can either use 4K PHOTO mode to grab stills, or to shoot video and be able to use it without doing color grading (though it may need a little sharpness adding in Davinci Resolve, my video editing software of choice…also super good for color grading). Note that the smaller sensor on this camera produces a little bit more NOISE than I would consider perfect, but it's not bad if you look at it as kind of an organic "film look". IMPORTANT NOTE: One setting that you have to be careful to not forget, is to set the "Luminance Level" to 0-255 (not the default setting of 16-255). The easy way to set it to 0-255, is simply to switch to 4K PHOTO mode (which will default to 0-255). You can set it without doing that, but it's a lot more difficult (I don't remember the exact sequence). SHARPENING SETTINGS (Davinci Resolve): @Full "WIDE" = .47 @Mid "TIGHT" = .46 @Full "TELE" = .43 I should also note that I've found ISO 200 to create the most real-looking image (maybe it's the "native ISO"?) So, if you can use ISO 200, I do recommend it (even over 125 and 160, even though they're lower, etc.) Also, the image degrades noticeably above ISO 400, though I sometimes go up to ISO 800 when needed but be aware that it's going to look like it has more "film grain" (which isn't always bad, but it won't match your other footage, if the other footage was shot at a lower ISO). Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Raynox DCR-150 MACRO No Adapter (Integrated Lens) Panasonic FZ1000 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" -3 CONTRAST -3 SHARPNESS +3 NOISE -3 COLOR -3+3 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW OFF iDYNAMIC OFF iRESOLUTION 0-255 LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT ? RADIUS ? THRESHOLD ? Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE ? LENS @MID-ZOOM ? LENS @FULL TELE ? DEFAULT Panasonic FZ1000 NATURAL -0-0-0-0 HS -0-0 UNFILTERED P1250598 CUSTOM Panasonic FZ1000 NATURAL -3-3+3-3 HS -3+3 UNFILTERED P1250597 CLICK FOR MORE SHOTS REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST A IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS B IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE B IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR A IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: I'm starting out testing this Raynox DCR-150 MACRO adapter (on the Panasonic FZ1000) using the same CUSTOM SETTINGS as I do for just the (built-in) lens on the camera. So far, it looks really good (though it could use some adjustments to be closer to perfect SOOC). The good thing about keeping the settings the same, is you don't have to switch between 2 sets of settings (when removing the Raynox macro adapter)... IMPORTANT: If you publish your videos to YouTube, use the below settings (for Davinci Resolve) to make it look REAL (YouTube strips out CONTRAST AND COLOR as of the date of this note). YouTube SHADOW DIP (for Davinci Resolve): This helps make SHADOWS more accurate on YouTube: 1. Create a new node 2. Go to Primaries 3. Enter -12.30 for Shad (Shadow) YouTube COLOR BUMP (for Davinci Resolve): This helps make COLOR more accurate on YouTube: 1. Create a new node 2. Go to Sat vs. Sat. (In Curves) 3. Drag shadows (left) dot to 1.23 4. Drag highlights (right) dot to 1.23 NOTES: I’ve been working on getting my FZ1000 to look realistic, using SOOC (Straight Out of Camera) settings, and I’m pretty happy with what these settings now (and it’s REALLY EASY TO REMEMBER). These settings are mostly for 4K PHOTO mode use, so I'm also doing this so I can either use 4K PHOTO mode to grab stills, or to shoot video and be able to use it without doing color grading (though it may need a little sharpness adding in Davinci Resolve, my video editing software of choice…also super good for color grading). Note that the smaller sensor on this camera produces a little bit more NOISE than I would consider perfect, but it's not bad if you look at it as kind of an organic "film look". IMPORTANT NOTE: One setting that you have to be careful to not forget, is to set the "Luminance Level" to 0-255 (not the default setting of 16-255). The easy way to set it to 0-255, is simply to switch to 4K PHOTO mode (which will default to 0-255). You can set it without doing that, but it's a lot more difficult (I don't remember the exact sequence). SHARPENING SETTINGS (Davinci Resolve): @Full "WIDE" = .47 @Mid "TIGHT" = .46 @Full "TELE" = .43 I should also note that I've found ISO 200 to create the most real-looking image (maybe it's the "native ISO"?) So, if you can use ISO 200, I do recommend it (even over 125 and 160, even though they're lower, etc.) Also, the image degrades noticeably above ISO 400, though I sometimes go up to ISO 800 when needed but be aware that it's going to look like it has more "film grain" (which isn't always bad, but it won't match your other footage, if the other footage was shot at a lower ISO). My goal for these camera settings is to improve the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color with the result that it produces an image that looks less "digital" and more "organic" (more like film, etc). The first step is to apply these settings while shooting (produces an image that looks pretty good straight out of camera) but keep in mind there may need to be slight color grading (or a LUT) applied to finalize each shot.

I'm not really liking the results of these settings yet, but what's funny is I tried these settings (as of 2022-05-25) on the Panasonic G7 and they LOOK GREAT. On the GH4 there's still a little bit too much contrast, and it's difficult to maintain highlight detail in sunlit conditions. Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: Promaster HGX UV Canon 70-200 2.8 + BOOST (Metabones XL .64x) Panasonic GH4 CineLike D "PHOTO STYLE" -0 CONTRAST -5 SHARPNESS +5 NOISE +1 COLOR -2, +2 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW OFF iDYNAMIC OFF iRESOLUTION 16-255 LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST ? IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS ? IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR ? IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: I'm not really liking the results of these settings yet, but what's funny is I tried these settings (as of 2022-05-25) on the Panasonic G7 and they LOOK GREAT. On the GH4 there's still a little bit too much contrast, and it's difficult to maintain highlight detail in sunlit conditions. My goal for these camera settings is to improve the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color with the result that it produces an image that looks less "digital" and more "organic" (more like film, etc). The first step is to apply these settings while shooting (produces an image that looks pretty good straight out of camera) but keep in mind there may need to be slight color grading (or a LUT) applied to finalize each shot.