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Sigma 30 1.4

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.

BPM18

Panasonic 45-200 4-5.6

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).

BPM14

Panasonic 45-200 4-5.6

It is going to need a LUT, but these custom settings are making it look pretty realistic in a lot of ways (it has potential). This test is with a Tiffen BPM14 (Black Pro Mist 1/4) which I am trying because the SHARPNESS of this lens is more of an issue on the GH5 than it was on the G85 (which has a lower-megapixel sensor). So now, even with the diffusion, there is still too much SHARPNESS, but I am leaving the settings where they are, because the overall rendering is as realistic as I can get it SOOC (then the LUT will need to darken the shadows and add COLOR back in).

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Panasonic 45-200 4-5.6

This lens-sensor combination is going to need a LUT to finish it, for sure. It's interesting, because I just finished a test of this same lens on the Panasonic G85, and it is so amazing how different these two sensors are! The GH5 has more SHARPNESS for sure and on the Panasonic GH5 this lens could use a diffusion filter (such as the Tiffen BPM or GG) not only to reduce the SHARPNESS, but also to preserve the highlight detail. I hope to publish more tests (with those FILTERS) when I can get to it.

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Panasonic 45-200 4-5.6

These final settings actually have a little bit more SHARPNESS than you many want if you normally add that in post-production, but when I reduced the SHARPNESS, it lifted the shadows too much (reduces the CONTRAST, etc.) Then, I put the SHARPNESS back (where it was) and tried to add a bit of NOISE REDUCTION (to reduce the sharpness, and the NOISE) in a more subtle way...but it messed up the image (reduced the CONTRAST and COLOR too much, making it look less realistic). So, It's always fun to see how little changes can sometimes do big things. I'm pretty happy with these final custom settings now.

Minolta AF 35-70 4 MACRO

The first thing you will see (when you zoom in on the images this combination creates) is the image has a lot of NOISE...and you may be wondering how NOISE is a result of a lens-sensor combination, but when you compare it to other lenses (with similar SETTINGS) you know what I mean. It's kind of like it's how the light hits the sensor, after going through a certain lens, that makes all of the difference. I was able to get this lens to work okay on a lower-megapixel sensor (the Panasonic G85) but on this denser sensor (no rhyme intended:-) it's not working...so I cannot recommend this lens (for the Panasonic GH5). There is a bit of a FILM LOOK to the noise though, so if you are going for that, this might be a lens to try. One quick word about the MACRO feature of this lens...it's not easy to use, because of the tiny manual focusing ring (they thought AF was they only thing that people would ever use). The image quality of the lens is pretty good at the MACRO setting though, but even on a Micro Four Thirds (2x crop sensor) the close focus is not close enough (to make small things like bugs look good...or gross, whichever applies).

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Minolta AF 35-70 4 MACRO

Still testing...so far this lens-sensor combination isn't too bad. It's not REAL-looking COLOR, but it has a sort of vintage film look, which reminds me of how the old Takumar 50 1.4 looked, which a lot of people like! The adapter I am using may not be allowing me to infinity focus at 70mm, but still testing...

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7artisans 35 1.4 ii

Difficult lens to get to render a scene accurately (my goal) but with these CUSTOM SETTINGS it looks decent enough. You'll have to increase the SHARPNESS in post-production though, and I will try to get those settings figured out as soon as I have time.

BPM14

Panasonic 25 1.7

Okay, I like this. Starting out, this was a lot different than figuring out the settings for this same combination with the BPM18 (Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/8) but after a few hours of work, I am liking the results. This will need a LUT for sure, but I think the settings are a good starting point.

BPM18

Panasonic 25 1.7

Almost done testing this one...I may need less COLOR (but that is because of the issue with VLC displaying more color on a MacBook Air, I sure wish companies would prioritize color ACCURACY. Same issue with Nvidia updating their display driver on my Dell XPS17).