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. FILTER: None Sigma 30 1.4 ADAPTER: None (Native Mount) Panasonic GH5 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -2 SHARPNESS -5 NOISE +5 SATURATION -0 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -3+3 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 0-255 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. The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

This test, with the Tiffen BPM18 (Black Pro Mist 1/8) has the best results (for this lens-sensor combination) and it's the only one I would use (if you have or can get this filter). Notice these custom settings have the SHARPNESS turned down all of the way, and it still has a good amount of SHARPNESS to it (enough to boost in post-production to the perfect level, which I hope to figure out, and publish with these settings). Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/8 Panasonic 45-200 4-5.6 ADAPTER: None (Native Mount) Panasonic GH5 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -1 SHARPNESS -5 NOISE +5 SATURATION -1 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -4+3 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 0-255 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 B IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS A IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE A 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: This test, with the Tiffen BPM18 (Black Pro Mist 1/8) has the best results (for this lens-sensor combination) and it's the only one I would use (if you have or can get this filter). Notice these custom settings have the SHARPNESS turned down all of the way, and it still has a good amount of SHARPNESS to it (enough to boost in post-production to the perfect level, which I hope to figure out, and publish with these settings). The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

This is going to need a LUT (does not look REAL SOOC) but these CUSTOM SETTINGS bring it to a good starting point (without these settings, this lens-sensor combination isn't rendering a realistic image). I just finished testing this lens on the LUMIX G85 (and the settings for SOOC were GREAT) so it is always interesting to realize it is the COMBINATION of BOTH the LENS AND SENSOR! Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Vivitar Series 1 70-300 4.5-5.6 ADAPTER: Nikon F/G-M43 Panasonic GH5 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -3 SHARPNESS -5 NOISE +5 SATURATION +1 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -2+2 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 0-255 Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT 44 RADIUS 0.1 THRESHOLD 78 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 B 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: This is going to need a LUT (does not look REAL SOOC) but these CUSTOM SETTINGS bring it to a good starting point (without these settings, this lens-sensor combination isn't rendering a realistic image). I just finished testing this lens on the LUMIX G85 (and the settings for SOOC were GREAT) so it is always interesting to realize it is the COMBINATION of BOTH the LENS AND SENSOR! The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

I wanted the Sigma 18-35 1.8 for quite a long time, but after testing it (this time with a speed booster, instead using the shift adapter). Even with the .71x speed booster/focal reducer, it isn't wide enough for a lot of situations, and because it doesn't need the 1.8 max. aperture OUTDOORS, I'm not sure I recommend this. It's also too big and heavy for my DUAL-CAMERA RIGS. Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Sigma 18-35 1.8 ADAPTER: Viltrox NF-M43x (.71x) Panasonic G85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST - 2 SHARPNESS - 3 NOISE +3 SATURATION +1 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -0+3 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 16-255 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 18-35 1.8 VILTROX Panasonic G85 NATURAL -0-0-0-0 HS -0-0 CUSTOM Sigma 18-35 1.8 VILTROX Panasonic G85 NATURAL -2-3+3+1 HS -0+3 CLICK FOR ADDITIONAL 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 C IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS B IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE C 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 wanted the Sigma 18-35 1.8 for quite a long time, but after testing it (this time with a speed booster, instead using the shift adapter). Even with the .71x speed booster/focal reducer, it isn't wide enough for a lot of situations, and because it doesn't need the 1.8 max. aperture OUTDOORS, I'm not sure I recommend this. It's also too big and heavy for my DUAL-CAMERA RIGS. The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

This was a test of the Takstar SGC-600 microphone at +10 MIC. BOOST, plugged directly into the Zoom F1 using a REC. LEVEL of HIGH- and the MIC. LOWCUT filter is ON. "VLOG" Proximity [ 22 inches / 55.5 cm] Zoom F1 (NO AUX. Amplifier) Takstar SGC-600 + Foam (Stock) WAV 24-bit/96kHz REC. SETTINGS OFF REC. LOWCUT OFF REC. LIMITER "HI-" REC. LEVEL AUX. SETTINGS AUX. BASS AUX. HIGH-LOW AUX. OUTPUT MIC. SETTINGS ON MIC. LOWCUT N/A MIC. HIGH PASS +10 MIC. BOOST (RFI) RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE LESS THAN 1.1ft / 0.34m BETWEEN 1.1ft / 0.34m -2.2ft / 0.67m BETWEEN 2.2ft / 0.67m -3.3ft / 1m BETWEEN 3.3ft / 1m -4.4ft / 1.34m Published: May 3, 2022 at 5:54:06 PM REAL RATINGS After testing each microphone, I like to know if it sounds realistic (accurate lows/bass, mids, highs/treble) in combination with the recorder and/or AUX. amplifier, to see if it needs EQ. LOWS/BASS DO THE "LOWS" SOUND REAL? MIDS DO THE "MIDS" SOUND REAL? HIGHS/TREBLE DO THE "HIGHS" SOUND REAL? NOTES: This was a test of the Takstar SGC-600 microphone at +10 MIC. BOOST, plugged directly into the Zoom F1 using a REC. LEVEL of HIGH- and the MIC. LOWCUT filter is ON. Remember to always monitor your audio while you're recording (using accurate headphones) because good settings can't fix bad audio. Also, these settings will not establish the exact level you'll need for every scene, but the goal is to provide a good starting point that will become clean, after adjusting in post. Additionally, these "custom settings" are used to make the Microphone-Specific EQ files work (as they won't work as intended if any of they aren't used). The EQ files were created to correct any imperfections of the microphone and/or wind protection (FOAM and/or FURRY) and were made in Audacity (the free audio editor) to make them as affordable & universal as possible.

REAL REVIEWS Long-term reviews of budget photo & video gear. KIT PLAN RECOMMENDATION: BASIC KIT ULANZI MT-44 This image is 100% REAL, and no A.I. (or Photoshop compositing) were used to make it, and I know because I took it myself. Quality? LIGHT USE OK Yes MEDIUM USE OK Yes HEAVY USE OK ? Portable? POCKET No CAMERA BAG No BACKPACK Yes Affordable? AVERAGE NEW PRICE $ 24.65 *Indicates SALE price. Amazon AFFILIATE LINK AVERAGE USED PRICE N/A **Indicates BUY NOW price. Ebay AFFILIATE LINK Common? ON AMAZON Yes ON EBAY No Easy To Use? SKILL LEVEL EASY These reviews are just my opinion and are focused on my Q.P.A.C.E. packing method, so they're not comprehensive. I wrote these mostly to help me remember what items worked for my KIT PLANS (and which didn't). If I said anything negative I apologize, as these products still may work well for you in your situation, but they were not Q.P.A.C.E (Quality, Portable, Affordable, Common, Easy-to-Use) enough for my budget filmmaking KIT PLANS .

It works pretty well to just set the "Highlight Shadow" to -2, +2 and call it good, but I added NOISE REDUCTION to keep the sharpness (and contrast) looking more "REAL". As I mentioned in the other reviews of this lens, it has a pretty decent close focus distance, and while the manual focusing ring is very thin (probably too narrow for focus gears to be added) it's easy for me to use by hand. Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Canon 50 1.8 ii ADAPTER: Metabones XL (.64x) Panasonic G85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -0 SHARPNESS -0 NOISE +4 SATURATION -0 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -2, +2 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 16-255 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: It works pretty well to just set the "Highlight Shadow" to -2, +2 and call it good, but I added NOISE REDUCTION to keep the sharpness (and contrast) looking more "REAL". As I mentioned in the other reviews of this lens, it has a pretty decent close focus distance, and while the manual focusing ring is very thin (probably too narrow for focus gears to be added) it's easy for me to use by hand. The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

Still testing, and on this camera (GH5) it has way too much SHARPNESS, CONTRAST and NOISE (and the COLOR is bad in part due to the extreme HIGHLIGHT SHADOW curves applied). Any links below are affiliate links. Nikon 17-35 2.8 D ADAPTER: Nikon F/G-M43 Panasonic GH5 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -3 SHARPNESS -5 NOISE +5 SATURATION -0 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -3+4 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 0-255 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: Still testing, and on this camera (GH5) it has way too much SHARPNESS, CONTRAST and NOISE (and the COLOR is bad in part due to the extreme HIGHLIGHT SHADOW curves applied). The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

The final settings here work pretty good, but this lens-sensor combination still has some issues...These include maybe the strangest Highlight Shadow settings I've ever used...and it still has too much contrast. When I started this test, I was surprised, as I had heard so many people say good things about this lens, but when compared with a lot of the vintage lenses I've been testing, this thing isn't very good...so let me explain. When I started this test (at -0-0-0-0 using the Natural profile) what immediately jumped out at me were the outlines on the edges of objects, which I'm pretty sure is due to over-sharpening...yet at the same time, the image was soft and needed sharpening! This is a problem, because to remove the outlines on the edges of things, you have to REDUCE the SHARPENING...but doing that will mean the image needs even MORE sharpening during post production, so I may have to see how far I can take the sharpening in post production (using Davinci Resolve). Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Panasonic 12-60 3.5-5.6 ADAPTER: None (Native Mount) Panasonic GX85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -1 SHARPNESS -5 NOISE +1 SATURATION -0 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -3+4 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 16-255 Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT 44 RADIUS 4.4 THRESHOLD 44 Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE DEFAULT Panasonic 12-60 3.5-5.6 Panasonic GX85 NATURAL -0-0-0-0 HS -0-0 Places WIDE CUSTOM Panasonic 12-60 3.5-5.6 Panasonic GX85 NATURAL -1-5+1-0 HS -3+4 Places WIDE CLICK FOR ADDITIONAL 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 C IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE B 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: The final settings here work pretty good, but this lens-sensor combination still has some issues...These include maybe the strangest Highlight Shadow settings I've ever used...and it still has too much contrast. When I started this test, I was surprised, as I had heard so many people say good things about this lens, but when compared with a lot of the vintage lenses I've been testing, this thing isn't very good...so let me explain. When I started this test (at -0-0-0-0 using the Natural profile) what immediately jumped out at me were the outlines on the edges of objects, which I'm pretty sure is due to over-sharpening...yet at the same time, the image was soft and needed sharpening! This is a problem, because to remove the outlines on the edges of things, you have to REDUCE the SHARPENING...but doing that will mean the image needs even MORE sharpening during post production, so I may have to see how far I can take the sharpening in post production (using Davinci Resolve). The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

Overall, this microphone sounds pretty good (i.e. it sounds natural and "REAL") and this is with the included (stock) FOAM windscreen. However, what is really interesting is that this microphone does not sound good with the Comica...(furry lavalier windscreen). That's interesting because most of the lav microphones I've tested sound BETTER with that furry windscreen. (This microphone doesn't seem to benefit from a reduction of reverb when used INDOORS, as a lot of the other microphones seemed to. This means both that this microphone is not a good choice for me to use OUTDOORS (with the Comica furry). Also, it means, even if I did find another lavalier furry windscreen, this one will be slower to use because I can't just leave a furry windscreen on all the time (I prefer to use lav mics that sound better with a furry windscreen (both indoors and out). The good news is that they did a really good job making this microphone sound natural with the included (stock) FOAM windscreen, which I can't say is the case for a lot of other lavalier mics (the ones I've tested of course). "LAV" Proximity [7 inches / 17.78 cm] Zoom F1 [NO AUX. BOOST] 7RYMS Lavalier (for iRAY DW30) WINDSCREEN: Foam (Stock) 96k 24bit REC. SETTINGS OFF REC. LOWCUT OFF REC. LIMITER ? REC. LEVEL AUX. SETTINGS N/A AUX. BASS N/A AUX. HIGH-LOW N/A AUX. OUTPUT MIC. SETTINGS N/A MIC. LOWCUT N/A MIC. HIGH PASS N/A MIC. BOOST (RFI) RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE LESS THAN 1.1ft / 0.34m BETWEEN 1.1ft / 0.34m -2.2ft / 0.67m BETWEEN 2.2ft / 0.67m -3.3ft / 1m BETWEEN 3.3ft / 1m -4.4ft / 1.34m Published: January 4, 2023 at 5:56:47 PM REAL RATINGS After testing each microphone, I like to know if it sounds realistic (accurate lows/bass, mids, highs/treble) in combination with the recorder and/or AUX. amplifier, to see if it needs EQ. LOWS/BASS DO THE "LOWS" SOUND REAL? MIDS DO THE "MIDS" SOUND REAL? HIGHS/TREBLE DO THE "HIGHS" SOUND REAL? NOTES: Overall, this microphone sounds pretty good (i.e. it sounds natural and "REAL") and this is with the included (stock) FOAM windscreen. However, what is really interesting is that this microphone does not sound good with the Comica...(furry lavalier windscreen). That's interesting because most of the lav microphones I've tested sound BETTER with that furry windscreen. (This microphone doesn't seem to benefit from a reduction of reverb when used INDOORS, as a lot of the other microphones seemed to. This means both that this microphone is not a good choice for me to use OUTDOORS (with the Comica furry). Also, it means, even if I did find another lavalier furry windscreen, this one will be slower to use because I can't just leave a furry windscreen on all the time (I prefer to use lav mics that sound better with a furry windscreen (both indoors and out). The good news is that they did a really good job making this microphone sound natural with the included (stock) FOAM windscreen, which I can't say is the case for a lot of other lavalier mics (the ones I've tested of course). Remember to always monitor your audio while you're recording (using accurate headphones) because good settings can't fix bad audio. Also, these settings will not establish the exact level you'll need for every scene, but the goal is to provide a good starting point that will become clean, after adjusting in post. Additionally, these "custom settings" are used to make the Microphone-Specific EQ files work (as they won't work as intended if any of they aren't used). The EQ files were created to correct any imperfections of the microphone and/or wind protection (FOAM and/or FURRY) and were made in Audacity (the free audio editor) to make them as affordable & universal as possible.

This lens-sensor combination was difficult to work with because the contrast and sharpness of the lens is so strong (and the sharpness isn't very even in terms of smooth gradation from highlight to shadow noticeable in detailed areas). So, I had to be quite dramatic with the settings I chose, and resorted to using a +3 SHADOW (under Highlight Shadow) which I don't normally like doing. Overall, I don't really like the result because my goal is almost always to render a real-looking image, and I think this lens-sensor combination falls short in this area. P.S. The Canon mount Viltrox EF-M2ii froze the camera several times, and I like it even less than I did before (but I highly recommend the Nikon mount version of the Viltrox focal reducer for this camera (the Viltrox NF-M43x). Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Sigma 17-50 2.8 ADAPTER: Viltrox NF-M43x (.71x) Panasonic G7 CineLike D "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -4 SHARPNESS -5 NOISE +5 SATURATION +1 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -0+3 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 16-255 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 17-50 2.8 VILTROX Panasonic G7 CINELIKE D -0-0-0-0 HS -0-0 CUSTOM Sigma 17-50 2.8 VILTROX Panasonic G7 CINELIKE D -4-5+5+1 HS -0+3 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 C 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: This lens-sensor combination was difficult to work with because the contrast and sharpness of the lens is so strong (and the sharpness isn't very even in terms of smooth gradation from highlight to shadow noticeable in detailed areas). So, I had to be quite dramatic with the settings I chose, and resorted to using a +3 SHADOW (under Highlight Shadow) which I don't normally like doing. Overall, I don't really like the result because my goal is almost always to render a real-looking image, and I think this lens-sensor combination falls short in this area. P.S. The Canon mount Viltrox EF-M2ii froze the camera several times, and I like it even less than I did before (but I highly recommend the Nikon mount version of the Viltrox focal reducer for this camera (the Viltrox NF-M43x). The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.