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Yeah, these were almost exactly my comments there. C5D does far too often technical mistakes like this, it happens in basically every article. They look more knowledgeable than they actually are and I've seen this in so many articles, enough so I follow the news, but take any technical report with a grain of salt. They are confusing compression issues with color depth issues, two very distinctive things, propagating terrible misinformation for those that know even less than they do. To clear this up, they should have done an external recording to rule out compression and codec issues before jumping into 10-bit is no good. Plus, I'm not really into this level of pixel peeping anyway. They even missed some other observations about the other cameras artifacts or even other GH5's advantages too. In the end, they are spreading a lot of misinformation which will only confuse even more people that already don't eff understand what color depth and chroma subsampling is, this is already a complicated topic to discuss out there because there are already a lot of poorly done tests about this matter and this isn't doing it any favor at all.

Just look how close we are to continuous 5K RAW on this $2000 camera... Read the full post here

In those words lie maybe one of the biggest issues regarding the GH5 & 4, or really any other Hybrid/Dslr style camera for that matter.... "I've uploaded way more Panasonic videos than Fuji - not because the image quality of the G85 is better, but because it is so much easier to just pick up and start shooting video." Jonpais When you're shooting a feature or a commercial or any other narrative form, how the camera handles....the interfaces for selecting images...accessing menus....manually controlling the camera etc. is everything...and the GH5 comes in squarely, after purely dedicated cinema cameras...and when you're chasing beauty light with 20 min to go, that counts for more anything else does....and of course reliability...we are already into a ridiculous realm in terms of image even in sub $1000 cameras...the reality is it's no longer about the camera, but a lot more about the discussion of the camera!....of course I'm equally guilty of that....

I couldn't give a crap about scientific camera tests. It's 2017 and every new release is more than suitable to get a great result. Rent the camera, buy the camera. Take it out outside, inside, down the stairs, inside a cave, on a car, underwater, in space. Wherever. Keep, sell or return. Stroke it. Kiss it. Crush it. Burn it. Canon, Fuji, Sony, Panasonic, GoPro... whatever suits. Shoot shoot shoot. Learn, and shoot again. Again. Again. Again. Over and over.

Dynamic Range tests have become something of a joke nowadays. They remind me of the lovely shoet story titled Many Moons written by James Thurber, where every guy in the kingdom believes himself to be smarter than the other. Cinema5D rated the A7S at 12 stops of dynamic range, so rating the GH5 at 10-11 is actually pretty good. They probably remove 30% of the manufacturer's stated figures for the RED cameras. RED says 18 stops on the RED Weapon and Cinema5D will conveniently say12 stops. Or less. I feel, that they have a curious bias against Panasonic Cameras. I personally hate anything Panasonic right now, since my GX85 fiasco refuses to end. But, for the price, there isn't a better camera manufacturer for Indie Filmmakers out there. Panasonic gets way too many things right. Having 1 stop less of dynamic range doesn't even matter. Cinema5D praised the Sony RX100 to no end. And yet there was no mention of testing of great cameras like the G7, GX85, G85 etc. They definitely have a bias against Panasonic. And unlike me, they don't really gave against justifiable reason.

BTW, Street Shooting at f1.9 with this thing isn't exactly easy. But man is it creamy

Cinema5D have put the Panasonic GH5 on test, with a few charts and have some harsh words for the new 10bit mirrorless camera. I don't agree with much of their criticism. Here's an alternative opinion. Read the full blog post

Correct. Zero post. That was straight from camera. If I wanted to get some more analog looks I could always shoot in Slog3. The A lenses are still the best hybrid glass for the Sony FS7 imho, (which is my primary camera) since they have such great manual focus rings. And with AF they're good for stills work too. I just recently shot this in Spain with the A7S. So yeah, you're completely right. (Do your best to not look for the rolling shutter in this one.) I don't think there's a better high-megapixel, clean 4k hybrid camera than the A99II right now. (Giving it a tip of the hat since the A7RII doesn't have Slog3 and it's batteries are way too small.)

James Miller demonstrates that this is an codec problem that disappears when an external recorder is used, suggesting that the 400mps upgrade will help or elimaite this occasional problem. https://we.tl/wC2RIj8TjI

I never thought of it that way, I would say that they do tend to favor SONY quite a bit from what Ive seen.

The Pentax 645d has a bigger cropfactor than this speedbooster. Even the most expensive backs are not really fullframe 54mm vs 56

When you are naming as a reviewer some negative things (cons) about a camera, you are referring to things that should be there, considering the company's marketing, the product's price and the competition in this specific price range. HFR is softer than regular 1080p in all cameras since faster sensor readouts come with compromises, at least for now...But 180p imagery, slightly softer than Pana's tack sharp 1080p is not a "con", this is what I am saying. It is called "gift".

Not buying it for this reason would be the silliest thing I've read in a while. Most speed boosters don't boost back 100% to the optics original image circle, all are just shy of it usually.

If you set the 10 bit artifacts in Vlog aside and look at their cons list, this review seems quite subjective. "Dynamic range is limited". 10-11 stops is "fine" for such a camera, it's slightly worse than xt-2. "Lowlight is average". No it's not...This is an m43 camera that gives you a usable 3200 iso sensitivity, which is not average, it's "fine". "1080p 180fps gives you less resolution than actual 1080p". Really? Name a camera at this price range (or double the money if you want) that does better than this. Luke's HFR footage was terrific.. "Some canon lenses did not work with speed booster..." Cmon...what has this to do with the camera? In which universe these are cons?

You get less crop factor than without. Its closer to medium format than full frame. The Mamiya has x0.62 and the Sony + adapter x0.7. The Sony alone of course has x1.0.

Also, if i'm not wrong, they don't really tell how the lut and grading was applied. For example, if they just plaster it over the image in Premiere with Lumetri, there may be some problems like those if the sequence isn't at "Maximum Bit Depth". That is even seen if you're using a native ProRes file, with a h264 file should be even worst. You can see the difference in a fast example i made with a 10bit prores v-log file from a GH4 (recorded with Ninja Assassin), left without "Maximum Bit Depth", right with "Maximum Bit Depth" active. p.s: I just applied the native "Alexa_Default_LogC2Rec709" from Lumetri

I was expecting this and I think it is a major mistake to release the GH5 without the 400Mbps update. First impressions mean a lot and everyone is eager to read the early reviews. Once people see "10bit GH5 worth nothing" a few times it will be hard to make them forget it half a year later even if the new firmware brings a completely new experience. Think of the Ursa Mini 4.6K and how bad the first batch was. Rental houses even state it's not suitable for professional work even today..

Bravo! I like Cinema5D, among other websites like yours, but I appreciate your breakdown of this article. Also, I enjoy reading your articles in general! I plan to buy a GH5 when it comes out and these little criticisms... Don't really bother me. I have used the GH4 for two years, and I I have used previous GH models in the past, so I am looking forward to getting my hands on the GH5!

Kept expecting Larry David to walk into frame...

lomo 35mm fullframe )

Part of life using hacked cameras is dealing with bad or corrupted video files every-once and a while. I remember fixing some on my GH2 years ago. Anyway, I just got back from a trip and have a couple files that won't open or transcode. Can anyone recommend a good video file recovery tool that works for the Samsung NX1 and NX500? It doesn't have to be free... Yesterday I bought the Video Repair Tool from Stellar Data Recovery after the Demo seemed to work on my troubled file. After purchasing a software license, I quickly learned it didn't fix anything at all... and after a few emails to customer support, that company seems like a bunch of Con-Artists pushing fake repair software. Doubtful I'll ever get a refund from them and am pretty angry about it.

"Since the BMCC and Pocket Cinema Camera however they have only focussed on pros." Most of the amateurs will be happy with whatever Panasonic offers for 600euros while those Panasonic's are plug and play and the footage appears without much hassle on their brand new shiny 65" 4K TVs. Video companies are becoming more specialized because not a lot of people will be buying exotic video cameras with additional equipment to run, and not amateur friendly codecs; and the worst part is that they are NOT taking photos. How many are these specialized amateurs that will create a buying buzz (and absorb the R&D and marketing funds) for a completely new video camera? My impression was that pocket was good for a lot of indie people (I have seen a few around Europe) but never was the "pocket" camera its name promised. I am editing a project with the pocket right now, the whole rig was huge, the second -huge- battery didn't work and my friend lost the last 40 minutes of the performance we were recording and the video files were unnecessary big for such a low budgeted project (80GB for the pocket, and 60GB for the NX cameras with at least 40 minutes additional footage!) and the other cameras we had were around 40-50GB. Great image, but it was somehow out of place in my opinion. Great idea, poorly manufactured. If they can really make it a great portable pocket camera, then I will reconsider! This Ursa is the most interesting camera they ever produced, and the fact that it is available right now is a statement that this time they are really serious.

Well, now Blackmagic is doing exactly the same than everybody else, protecting their high end cameras, and what we want is a pocket version 2, probably for NAB, hope so, but they did it right this time, no shipping delays….this is a very welcomed improvement...

It'll do exactly the same as the Ursa Mini 4.6k, just more conveniently for one-man-band shooters. I love it, it's great upgrade. But it's still a big, heavy camera so I'm not a potential customer. Plus once you rig it with the evf, CFast cards, battery, etc. you're probably looking at nearly 10k.

Just gonna leave this here, I saw this video earlier today and it seems relevant: http://www.diyphotography.net/make-ultra-lightweight-giant-scrims-diffusion-gels/

I knew this was going to happen. They didn't announce a new camera last year because they didn't want to screw up the shipping this time. They waited another year so it would be ready on announcement. That said, the Ursa Mini Pro is a serious piece of kit. Fantastic image with new body features that even betters much more expensive cameras as an all-round package. Not going to get distracted, got the FS5 and Inferno. That mini panel does have my attention for Slog colour grading! I'd love to see an Ursa Micro with the 4.6k sensor (or thereabouts) made for pistol grip gimbals and action shooting.

Since they usually announce at NAB, they may have announced the Pro early, so the Pocket ii or BMCC ii doesn't steal any of its thunder. Or maybe they won't announce any camera at NAB and BM has given up on their original mission statement.

I noticed something else as well. What's with this DR graphic. In this picture they try to paint the Panasonic as having lower DR than the Fuji, but when you put them side by side that are almost exactly the same. I find this lame at best.

Apparently shipping now USD5995.

They may make a little more in profit, but the Pocket must be their best selling camera... without question. Hell they were probably still making money off the Pocket when it sold for $500.

A wise man once said, "The audience does not care about image quality, they care about composition and story" This is even more true for the fact that VHS even made such a success as it did despite Beta being the superior format with superior picture quality, Laserdisc even more so and VideoCD outselling DVD's until 2004

Yep. So much for a new pocket.

BRAINWAVE: Wouldn't it be great to have an option to bake in a lut internally? The GH5 can already do a view assist lut - it's not inconceivable that this could be sent to SD card, essentially making the picture profiles of the camera infinitely customisable. Does anyone have the number for Mr. Panasonic?

It's not the external recorder that fixes the problem but having an LUT baked in:

Oliver has a damn good point. No reason a person can't make a great video with a Samsung Note 4. We just need to go out and make it happen. Pretty simple. Come on, get those BMPCC cameras out and go for it.

I'll go one crazier, since we are just speculating. 4.6K sensor in a photo camera body for $3000

@Andrew Reid Totally agree with your points Andrew! And if I sum it up: They've disable the NR on the GH5 (at least that's what I understood) than complained they see noise in the shadows :)), so "the DR must be low". Heck I downloaded their test, brightened the shadows and applied a little bit of NR and whoops the DR is over 12 stops. They complain about bad color on Vlog but they edit the log profile with LUTS. :)) They complain about lack of detail but they've dialed the sharpness to a minimum cause it's to much...seriously? They see no advantage in 10 bits vs 8 bits but never show any example, like on a plain sky with a blue gradient + heavy grading. They complain about soft 180 fps on the GH5 but never complain about the utterly crap Canon 1080p in DLSM's, which is nowhere near at 30fps compare the the GH5 180 fps. Etc, etc.

With every new GH release Panasonic is now taking the camera to a whole new level...and then everybody else tries to play catch up....although for my needs, the competition never quite does...that leaves the only other alternative, of attacking the camera....spreading false rumors and doing tests and a review in a "lab" that's frankly ridiculous....The why does not concern me...all on a camera that is not officially out in the world yet....and the samples which were produced in the first footage release, were by people who only had the camera in their possession for a few days....and yet...already some lovely footage out there....will only fully be upgraded with the high bit-rate FW in the late Summer of 2017....most people who have used GH4's in the past, know how robust and reliable these cameras are and understand that if used properly they excel, have probably already made up their mind anyway!....Not sure why Panasonic passed up Andrew Reid with a pre-release model (a strategic mistake in my view, on their part) as even in spite of that, Andrew is maintaining an objective viewpoint of this camera's ability....I appreciate his integrity though, and as with all reviews, be it films, cameras or books....you find the resource you trust for information, and discard the crap....

Only 3h to go, then we will know. If I can dream, BMCC v2. And if I can really dream, BMD Lenses.

I'd pay $1500 for a 2+K pocket with better battery and 60+fps. Remember BMMCC + Monitor = at least 1500 for an okay set up.

The difference on this screenshot is dramatic. Thanks! (btw i quoted Clayton with no reason at all, lol, sorry)

Yes, that too. They could probably rate a Sony Smartphone Camera better than a Panasonic GH5.

awesome!!! looks great i love it!!

Nah, I'm really just a hobbyist too. I spend most of my free time writing screenplays, and then a couple years ago I got the great idea that making my own shorts could be another outlet to sell my scripts... and that's when I was bit by the filmmaking bug... other than a bunch of test shots and a short or two, I have mostly been on the search for the right camera for me. I am looking for a camera where I can get two good looks out of it... a modern look and a vintage look without too much post needed. So far I have found it with the XC10, the D5500 and of course the BMPCC. Although I loved the XC10, I didn't love how quickly it depreciated in value... 2 grand was a lot of money for me to spend at once and I kinda missed my lenses while shooting with it. I am pretty sure I would like a C100... but again, it's just a touch out of my price range. The Nikon is the most enjoyable and frustrating camera I've ever used but the image is undeniable... it's modest 1080p, but it's clean with great colors and when you lower those midtones, there's a nice weight to the image. And finally, the BMPCC... what a legendary camera that's image still holds up today... nearly 4 years after its release. It's a very versatile camera that can be rigged out for controlled shoots or fitted with a native lens with OIS. And it is so simple in its interface that it works nearly like a point and shoot cinema camera. Shoot prores or raw and even an untalented hack like myself cannot help but to capture cinematic looking footage. I do agree though that I really need to pick a camera and learn the ins and outs of it and start producing material instead of boring tests. You must have some cool stories from your ENG days? Did you end up with any spare lenses... Are they B4 lenses? I agree 4K is definitely the future, but at this point I'd rather have good 1080p than okay 4K... especially since I don't have the computing power to edit 4K without downscaling it to 1080p beforehand. I appreciate this article and I hope Andrew's lead will inspire other bloggers to test and write about the raw capabilities of this camera and Olympus and the other manufacturers will hear the call and start implementing raw in future cameras.

I might want to add that there was something 'fishy' going on. Turned out that the 422 10bit version I downloaded was in reality a 420 8 bit version. Emmanuel Pampuri replaced the file some what later and you can now download the correct version. It holds up way better. The "problem" remains, but doesn't jump in your face anymore.

Thanks on both counts. Kisaha, the advice is welcomed. I try to take all that I learn and better my work with it. I think this video was really just about getting out and shooting something. Lately I have not been using my camera as much as I should so this was really more about that than anything. As for the 1DXMk2 vs smartphone... well there are places the 1DXMk2 cannot go or is not really welcomed. Whereas the smartphone sneaks in unnoticed. Weight is another major concern, as is portability. I always have the smartphone on hand. The same cannot be said for my camera. FYI: You're right about the additional shots. But this video is really an improvised work. Dog cam, you are also right and to be honest I really would not have minded a tilting flip out screen for the Canon to help with those low shots.

Please give me a BMMCC with a 2.5K or 3K sensor. I don't need 4K, just more than 2K for some slight post work.

Samsung NX1 + Biotar 58mm F.2 Samsung NX1 + Biotar 58mm F.2 + NXL Samsung NX1 + Biotar 58mm F.2 + NXL + Anamorphot 1.33

So if we focus on the art, the emotion of the combined 'lens filter', we can categorize looks so others can replicate themselves* and quit arguing about sensor size. I think Mattias' pics look cool, and if a MF->FF focal reducer plus cheap MF lenses can be used to recreate those looks, that's pretty neat- gives new love to neglected unused MF lenses * this was not meant as a cloning comment

Hi, couple days ago just for fun i shot this awesome yamaha grizzly ATV, ursa mini 4.6K in raw 3:1, 4.6k 50/60fps and 2k 120fps. I used canon 16-35 f2.8 L II and canon 70-200 f2.8 II IS lenses. I recorded everything to ssd drive via cfast to sata breakout cable. 70-200 shots are handheld, for 16-35 i used glidecam devin graham signature series. Graded in resolve 12.5, edited in premiere CC.