Business is booming again for British photographer Ross Grieve. He’s doing a wide variety of assignments ranging from commercial shootings to portraits. ‘I love the versatility of my job,’ says Grieve, ‘I like to be challenged.’ He’s buzzing with energy, filming and photographing and being creative. On top of that, he recently had the opportunity to test the four new LUMIX prime lenses. The ‘family of four’, as he lovingly calls them, blew him away. ‘These lenses have excellent image quality and are fantastic to work with.’
He proudly shows us the new lenses during a video call. They look surprisingly alike. ‘LUMIX has four new prime lenses: 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm, all with F/1.8. I used them all in the past few days on assignments, and I’m amazed by the quality: the images are razor sharp.’ Not only are the four lenses the same size, but they also have the same weight. ‘They’re very light. That’s ideal when you’re travelling. It was really surprising to get such high quality from lenses as light as these.’ He tested the lenses with different cameras. ‘I used the LUMIX S1H, S1R and S5 for filming and stills. With these four lenses, you’ve got everything you need.
I even used the 35mm for portrait photography, something I normally wouldn’t do, but it worked perfectly. Having the same weight means these lenses are very easy to use. For example, if you’re using a gimbal, you don’t have to rebalance or change anything when you switch lenses, which saves a lot of time. It’s more efficient, and your clients or models don’t have to wait.’ With an aperture of F/1.8, the lenses have a stunning bokeh, so your subject really stands out against the background. ‘People tend to focus on the camera. Of course, a good camera really helps, but the lens is just as important. It’s the foundation of a great image.’
For Grieve it’s clear: these four lenses are all he needs. The 35mm is the latest addition to the family. ‘This lens offers fast, accurate autofocus and smooth aperture changes, critical for the modern content creator, allowing you to record beautiful 4K video and stills without disturbing your subject. Focus breathing inhibition and seamless exposure control contribute to the beautifully smooth video capture. Expressive power is aligned with the rest of the F/1.8 S series, so even if you change lenses, your sequence of images will have the same high-quality continuity.’
After the COVID-19 restrictions in the UK were lifted some months ago, work has really picked up again for Grieve. ‘I’m being asked for a lot of assignments, from commercial and fashion shoots to portrait photography. I’m doing video as well as stills, and I love the diversity and the challenge. It’s great to be working with other people and sharing ideas again.’
Ross Grieve
New Zealand born photographer Ross Grieve has been mastering his art for over 20 years. Ross now resides in the beautiful rolling countryside of Pembrokeshire in Wales. An accomplished photographer who has won many awards including UK Pet Photographer and Welsh Master Fashion & Portrait Photographer, he has travelled to far-flung parts of the world on assignment including Thailand, the Maldives, Ras Al Khaimah, Japan, Sweden and Australia. He is also a passionate Street Photographer.
Since becoming an Ambassador for Panasonic, he has won yet more awards and is leading the way in 4K and 6K photography. Ross’ fun-filled, action packed photograph of a water fight included his three children, who have since become the face of the GH4 campaign in Europe. Ross also was one of two photographers involved in the Lumix GH5 campaign, where Ross was able to show the advantages of 4K and 6K photography.
