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Panasonic didnt announce anything. Please close thread!

A year ago, I was contemplating picking one up when it hit the 12.5k mark. I priced it out at time, and looked at what I would need to get it in motion (all that I shoot), and decided to hold off. That decision ended up setting in motion the conversion idea for a somewhat smaller camera ;). I will still likely get one eventually, as I am a nutty fan, but it won't really be practical for personal shooting for me, because of the weight (the motion tools and crew needed for them etc.). It would still be nice to have one however, and I spoke to Roman Alaivi a while back about it (someone who ended up getting one when it hit 12k). Here are his thoughts: Hey man, yeah I did get a classic Alexa last December. I've loved it so far. Basically, in terms of functionality it is a beast and not quite as simple as the URSA logistically. It's big, uses lots of power and can be a bit of a pain in terms of getting up and running smoothly once you buy the camera. Here's what I had to get off the bat to make it just as useful / practical as the URSA. - 6 * 155WH Anton Bauer batteries. Each battery giving me approximately 1hr 15m. 6 batteries was the minimum to run a normal shoot for me. $1600 -O'Connor 2060HD head used $6k. O'Connor sticks, $1500. I suppose you could skimp out here and get another head... but man... this thing is no joke lol. You need a serious head. There's older versions of the O'Connor you could probably use though -4 * 64GB SxS media: $1k. This was the dumbest purchase, because I could have literally gotten a Gemini with an ARRI Raw licence for about that much, and multiple 512GB cards... so silly. Either way, look to spend about that much to make it useful media-wise -Hot swap battery plate, to run 2 batteries $300 -Good telescoping rosette arms. With other cameras, I could care less, but with how big the Alexa is, I pretty much needed exactly the right length of arm to make handheld feel as natural as URSA or other cameras. I got the shape handles for $1k. Might sound like overkill, but other rosette handles just don't hold up with how much weight you're bouncing around. The solid Tilta handles I had eventually wore-down and the rosettes didn't even lock into place properly because of the bumps and jolts they'd get tossing the camera around sometimes. There's a few more things for sure, but those were the main purchases. In the end, once I had everything I needed, it wasn't bad at all. Takes more time to setup for shoots, but less time in post. Footage looks so good, and just the ARRI REC709 LUT looks like a movie every time lol. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't worth it just for the look and how consistent it is no matter what I shoot. I've been loving it so far.

The GH3 is my longest standing camera to date. I had it for 3 years, as in that timeframe, I spent my gear budget on lighting. I now have a GH5, preferring this as my professional level A-cam to an FS5 with a Shogun Inferno. I've shot 5-6 music videos on the GH5 now, only 1 has been released. Please note, this video also has some A7S2 and A6500 shots in there.

This is my first time posting anything. So here goes. Shot it in November using said cinema camera and Cosmicar 25mm f1.8. Graded via Resolve 12/14 w/ Filmconvert and basic grade. Happy Holidays. https://youtu.be/j8VDB-xYKhs

Yeah, I agree... I’m going out today to do some comparison shots between 5D3 Raw and RX10ii sLog2 B&W. I’m pretty sure I already know the results but I’m still curious to see how the two will compare. Btw, love your B&W shots on instagram. I always try to guess which camera you used. I remember that video, and man it still holds up so nicely. If you get some time, I’d love to see a clip from the GH5 and the MonochromeL profile. The RX10 is such a fun little camera when I don’t have to try and figure out the color special sauce.

He has been suspiciously quiet in this thread?!

Thanks guys, it's really not my best work with this camera because it was done on a run and gun basis we didn't have enough time for filming but it's a combination of experience and really this forum what made me learn about this camera. I use Gamma DR with -4 con -4 sat and -10 sharpness and +7 master black level with 16-235 color space... I learned never to shoot when the sky is clear blue to avoid banding, so as you can see lots of clouds is good idea, I avoid plain walls in the background to avoid microblocking "even using higher bitrates" my ISO never goes beyond 250 this is my own tests shows skintones tend to become plastic and loss of details above that especially in 1080p so always 250 iso or under, if it's dark then you've got to add more lighting. also I have noise reduction turned off in camera, this is because I do my own noise reduction in post but it's up to you. white balance is very important, it's always custom mode or chose a preset, never chose auto because it'll keep shifting and changing and ruins your color grade. when it comes to color grading, I slap on an LUT built for rec-709 one of them is Aspen by Ricardo in this forum which I really but the M31 Lut for rec 709 works great. but some adjustments are needed, an LUT supose to just help you as a base, then you've got to build up on it by tweaking highlights and stuff depending on what you do. I find that in adobe premiere having to reduce the LUT to 80% when you start to see the grading too harsh and shows microblocking (yeah 8bit ) this camera is okay with under-exposed footage just not over-exposed, avoid blown skintones at all costs. I usually have two grades for a single shot, for example I want the singers face to be brighter than the background so I add a mask of grading just on her face this makes her stands out from the background and the back dancers. I shoot 1080P slow mo only in bright places or daylight, but always for close'ups because the quality of 1080p is degraded so in wide angle shot of a person the skintone becomes mushy and muddy so as you can see in the video it's almost always medium to close'up. I try to use as much 4k downgraded to 1080p as possible and use as little 1080p out of the camera as possible. if the nx1 had clean 1080P at 50fps I wouldn't need to upgrade it's an amazing camera...but now since slow-mo is what my clients always ask for I'm having to upgrade sadly to GH5 with 4k at 50fps PS: one trick you can do is, find your favourite video that you like their color grade, download it, put it on your timeline then just match their levels with histogram and color levels, this helps me find the right number for the luminance of the face and level of each color.

As anybody who reads my comments already know, I bought a 5D3 last Spring and instantly fell in love with the images I was getting. After almost two years of searching for the right camera for the stuff I was looking to shoot, I found it in the 5D3. But... I am the first person to admit that the post process of ML Raw can be a little tedious and requires a massive amount of storage. Since I am a hobbyist with narrative dreams, I’ve been searching for a second camera to shoot fun little vignettes in between shooting days with my 5D3. Shooting is a form of meditation for me and instantly calms me. After a couple of cameras, I ended buying an RX10ii on the cheap. Now I had the camera last year but struggled with getting good color from it. This time around, I’ve decided to mostly shoot in sLog2 and Cine2 with monochrome and I am pleasantly surprised by how good the images turned out on my first outing with it. I’ve always loved B&W photos and movies, but I’ve never really shot much with it, so I look forward to learning and experimenting more with it. Now, I have been posting around here for a few years and color science, correction and grading are all popular discussions but there is rarely mention of B&W. Does anyone shoot in B&W anymore? Does anyone have any video or screengrabs that were captured in B&W or turned to B&W in post that they’d like to share? Or even strong opinions for or against it? I’ll start off with a few screengrabs. The first two were shot in sLog2... And this one was shot in Cine2...

Of course the bulk of it was shot on an Arri Alexa, but I see the Panasonic GH2 got mentioned as being used for the film: https://shotonwhat.com/the-brothers-grimsby-2016

Hey all, I've just finished up a new grading tutorial especially for any of you shooting CinemaDNGs. It actually works with any CinemaDNG, not just limited to Blackmagic cameras. In the tutorial I show you how get access to the full dynamic range, richer colours throughout the full range, and all in a curve thats a lot nicer to grade than BMD Film. Feel free to leave any feedback or questions and I'll do my best to help you out!

But the funny thing is he specifically mentions dropping resolution 'n schtuff for better dynamic range and such. Which... I think the GH5s would be all about (and thusfar seems that way, going by the bits 'n pieces Luke shared (btw, Congrats!)). I thought the update was going to be all on the processing end, a complete disregard for the stills side, for better video performance in terms of detail, dynamic range, colors, nuances, etc. Not so much lowlight perhaps (perhaps what the GH5 has improved over the GH4, the GH5s would be able to improve over the GH5 itself). C-AF neither (they'd have to approach this differently... which I doubt they'll have done). So it's really all about 'thick' gradable footage with good dynamic range, making it more 'filmic' if you will. Which on the one hand would make sense for Casey to not care about. He's more about the convenience... so when he started looking into 4K, it was first Sony, but they just were terribly impractical... and so the GH5 made its way into his arsenal (and it still is with vloggers like Jon Olsson). Just apparently he's seen every other YT-er still rocking Canon gear... and again, dualpixel AF, straight out of camera colors that are done with perhaps a curve thrown on it alone... and breezy 1080p footage for quick cut, render and upload times, means faster turnarounds. And getting your content up quick and painless is what the YT game is all about. So I get it... I just find it interesting he would mention dynamic specifically with looking for something else.

He got fired from Pana ambassador program after he leaked the GH5S lol. I cannot believe GH5s is only a vlog update. Wait, wait. Remember @Neumann Films video's title "the best vlog ever" .... What a surprise. Casey wants a good AF. He spoke about that in this video and all the time before. So that tells me 95% sure GH5s won't change AF anyway.

Well, and if it has full V Log curve. That way it would be a mini eva. And here I am again in this thread. Thank you Oliver! @Oliver Daniel, any musicvid you shot with the gh5 in the tradition of your super cool gh3 stuff? That would be something to come back to this thread for. Or a new Neumann shortfilm production.

And quick! Before we might go off topic... ;-) Zoom is promising a big announcement two days later. Is it related? #ConspiracyTheoriesTime

The Tiffen Variable ND is good. One of the drawbacks of the cheaper ones is the depth and placement of the rotating part of the filter. In my experience, they are usually too slim and awkwardly placed. The Tiffen one is relatively chunky and placed well. The "X" effect mentioned by others is inevitable of an 8-stop variable ND. Others that don't have the X effect only go up to 6 stops. Of course you can go a step higher to the SLR Magic VariND, which has hard stops, a nice handle and better optics. But you really don't need to unless you have the money or are being paid good money. You can also go to fixed stop filters like JonPais suggests, but they're a pain in the ass in the field.

The Z Cam E1 has a better sensor - the one in the GH4 - that has less pixels, for low light. The Z is easier to use because it has multiple buttons (2 or 3 programmable), so no digging onto touch screen menus for simple changes. The Z is smaller. And reviewers indicate the image quality is better. You are effectively paying $150 when buying the Yi for two very mediocre lenses. I went for the SLR Magic 8mm - the Z Cam E1 + this lens + a gimbal are perfect.

I have the tiffen vari nd 82 and as other have mentioned it suffer from the x effect at maximum stop and it does not have hard stops that is a real pain. You simply bump the lens and it rotates so there is no way to fix the ND value. I would buy the Heliopan... buy the largest one that you need and some step down rings... it will not fit inside the hood of the smallest lenses...

Jay, nice test! This briefly shows exactly why the Pocket cam is so special. Beautiful color!!!

The Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED is a fine tele zoom (obviously it's not 600mm, yet, crop factor and ex-tele...). It's one of the 'Bourne' lenses. Believe they run around 700 bucks in top notch 2nd hand condition. Should be an older one, that instead of a zoom ring has a 'pump' type mechanism, that runs quite a bit cheaper. Pretty big 'n heavy though, definitely want to use a tripod or shoulder rig. Tokina has the Cinema AT-X series. They have the 50-135mm T3 (yeah, 135 is not super Tele or anything, but still (same for the Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8)). This is actually their converted stills 50-135mm f/2.8 (APO) lens, which of course runs way cheaper than the cinema model (the latter being $3299 on B&H in EF mount). Yet it stopped production a long time ago and is a little rarer than most lenses to find. Otherwise... native MFT? The Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 with 1.4x teleconverter is still something on my own personal wishlist. It's pricey though. So is the Leica 100-400mm. Myself, I have the Lumix 100-300mm, which I have liked quite a bit for zoo type schtuff, e.g.: Bence Máté, a Panasonic ambassador uses a lot of tele. He has a special gallery on the Panasonic website, where I think the 100-300mm images really stand out as well: https://www.panasonic.com/my/consumer/cameras-camcorders/lumix-g-mirrorless-dslm-cameras-learn/photo-gallery-by-photographers/lumix-gh4-special-gallery-bence-mate-ice-cold-wings.html . Otherwise... don't really know. Most of the time I don't go beyond 85mm.

Super cool topic, Mercer - thanks for bringing it up! Whenever I went down the Sony path (already twice) I had exactly the same thoughts as you do: just forget about all of this color crap und go B&W. In fact I shot a b&w video several years ago on my beloved GM1, which is one of my own favorites up until today, although it is only 720p. Whenever I watch it, it is able to pull me back into those times as no other shot I have taken...

I have several Tiffen NDs. The optical quality is OK but (as with most 8-stop variable NDs) they have polarization artifacts at high attenuation. Another problem is Tiffen filters have no hard stops at each end, so you can't tell by feel where you are. I have some NiSi variable NDs and I like them much better. They have hard stops plus don't have the "X" effect at high attenuation, OTOH they are limited to six stops: https://***URL removed***/news/8909959108/nisi-launches-variable-nd-filter-with-the-dreaded-x-effect My favorite filter is the Heliopan 77mm, which also has hard stops and also avoids the "X" effect. It's minimum attenuation is only 1 stop and max is 6 stops. It is expensive but it's an excellent filter. IMO it doesn't make sense to put a cheap filter on a $2500 lens, but if you test a cheaper filter and it works for you, go ahead and use it. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/829300-REG/Heliopan_708290_82mm_Variable_Gray_ND.html Although not commonly discussed, a major factor with variable NDs is whether they fit inside the lens hood. You typically use them when shooting outside which often means the sun is out and you need a lens hood for best results if shooting within 180 degrees of the sun angle. There are various strap-on hoods, french flags, etc. but they can be cumbersome. Ironically even some very expensive cameras like the RED Raven have no built-in ND so you can end up using the same screw-on variable ND as somebody with with a GH5. This is a very difficult area because neither lens manufacturers nor filter manufacturers have specs on filter/lens hood fitment. A big place like B&H can sometimes give advice but not always. You basically need to take all your lenses to some place with a huge in-stock supply that would let you try them all; maybe B&H or the NAB show? If people would methodically post (maybe on a sticky thread) what filter fits inside the hood of what lens, that would help. I know from personal testing the Heliopan 77mm variable ND fits inside the lens hood of my Canon 70-200 2.8 IS II, and I can easily reach inside (with lens hood attached) and turn the filter. It will not fit inside the hood of the Sony 70-200 2.8 G-Master, and none of the NiSi, Tiffen or GenusTech 77mm variable NDs I've tried will fit. I have this 95mm filter which NiSi makes for Hasselblad, and it fits inside the lens hood of my Sony 28-135 f/4 cinema lens: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/NiSi-95-mm-Slim-Fader-Variable-ND-Filter-ND4-to-ND500-Adjustable-Neutral-Density-for-Hasselblad/32311172283.html Some of the longer Sony A-mount and FE-mount lenses actually have a cutout in the bottom of the lens hood where you can turn a variable filter -- provided it fits. Dave Dugdale did a variable ND test here:

https://www.amazon.com/YI-Mirrorless-Digital-Interchangeable-F3-5-5-6/dp/B01CW4CKHW/ When you can get the Yi M1 with *both* lenses for US$350, does the Z Cam E1 still make sense, even at US$199?? Oh dear, I see you ignored my warning.

The GM1 is an odd comparison, its a dead model, it doesn't shoot 4k and you're not buying it new from a retailer with a great return policy. At least with the Zcam they're improving it and judging by the videos posted, it's capable of shooting pretty nice footage. It looks like some the best IQ you can find for under $200. I would much rather use it for BTS type stuff than my current setup - usually a GoPro. I'm intrigued.

To sum it up: "risk minimization". When you're spending millions on a movie (or tens and tens of thousands on a 30 second ad spot), then you don't want to take unnecessary risks. You go with the tried and proven.

It looks like they've brought back all of their December deals for 2 days...Tascam, Z Cam, SmallHD, X-T1, etc. I grabbed two of the DR10Ls the first go around but still haven't used them.

Great tips! I can see the logic behind all of them. I actually have the same settings, except Ive enable Smart Range + (in the movie tab) which gives you a little more DR. Are you using the birate hack by chance? Also, I'm curious, how do your clients perceive the quality of the work you're giving them? Are they mentioning the flaws you address personally here? What's driving you to feel the need to move on to other systems? I'm very curious. I'm going through similar thoughts myself. Although, I won't be getting a GH5. But I'm interested to hear your experience with it coming from an NX1. I feel like 8bit is suddenly becoming demonized now that manufactures are promising 10bit under $3000. All major distribution channels are still 8bit so it will be interesting to weigh the perceived value of having a 10bit system against real world application. Just looking at the thumbnail of the video you posted, I seriously doubt any general audience is going to perceive that as anything but professional quality, or what we're all used to seeing on screen. When I was watching your video I got into the woman and her raping and started to identify and relate to her, forgetting about the technicalities. THAT is exactly what you want.

Should be a thunderbolt to hdmi dongle for a few bucks.

Andrew deserves to be GH5s Tester

What I meant is that the BMPCC is of course primarily meant for an external battery. The one inside is merely an emergency hot swap that one also can use for a quick run-n-gun. But its not "the" battery to use for serious work. Either way, its of topic so we can let the matter rest.

Image quality is only half the story at most, surely. My understanding is that high end productions use Alexas because they rarely go wrong, but when they do there's an unrivalled international network of companies that can repair or replace them at extremely short notice. Also they are an integral part of an established professional workflow, from support and grip through to edit and grading, that's entirely familiar to industry professionals in every corner of the world.

Adam Montville had a reply that to me makes sense. "my feelings on it: For a 1080p (or 2.8k RAW external recorder) for 10k +recorder, when the Blackmagic 2.5k is only $500-1500 on Ebay. I don't think the Alexa Classic is worth 10x the price, when you can rig up the Blackmagic for way less than the Alexa Classic. (Purely talking Classic Alexa, and not the newer models) The 2.5k Blackmagic has RAW, ProRes, and pretty good color and dynamic range, that I thought about going back to it, for how cheap they are now. Neither option is great for future proofing, but for Internet work, I doubt anyone could tell the difference." This is my part. There is some damn killer ass video in this short. Hell of a lot better than a lot of High end stuff if you ask me. And I Like this kind of look! Not every second of it is great but a hell of a lot of it is. And this is from a 800 dollar camera on ebay at lot of the time. And a hell of a lot of us have lenses that fit it. A BMCC is a hell of a camera for the money.

I do not like, at all, being called "crazy," LoL or not (I am not really offended, of course). But this seems to reflect lack of knowledge. I do not understand what "Real" camera means. What features exactly are missing from the Z E1 that disqualify it as a "Real" camera? Is it not having a dial with "Intelligent Auto (iA) mode" and "Scene Detection" as choices? Have you tried either camera? Got some videos to show from either? And, the GM1 does not shoot 4K (let alone DCI 4K), nor does it have a mic input. The E1 also has the better GH4 sensor (but better color than the GH4) compared to the GM1. And the E1 is smaller. It lacks no manual control features; it even has auto ISO with aperture and shutter set manually, a most useful mode. On the BHPhoto site it says that the E1 is a "#1 Seller." I guess there are a lot of crazies out there. Or, informed videographers.

Well those are good points for sure. But it seems like markr041 is the only person in the world that has one, and has shot videos with one LoL.

True, but you aren’t getting a DCI 4K Camera with a Log profile and mic input with the GM1. Plus, the tiny, box form factor is appealing. Plus-plus, I think I like the Z Camera’s color science better than I like the Panasonic color science. JMO.

Click to expand the 100% crops X-Pro 2 4K: X-T20 4K: As you can see the X-Pro 2 4K has far more detail in the shadows, more dynamic range and a crisper, sharper image. The film simulation modes are so nice on their default settings you don't need to fiddle... Which is just as well because unlike the X-T2, the parameters don't make a difference, even sharpness. Regardless I would put this image quality in the top bunch of all the 4K mirrorless cameras... It's bloody lovely. And the form factor is Fuji's best... More like a Leica than a fiddly X-T2 The drawbacks are rolling shutter and lack of articulated screen. There's also a slight screen blank-out when the recording kicks in (only half a second). The screen quality is crisper and nicer in general than the X-T20, both in live-view and during recording 4K. Yes there is a 10 min clip length limit, but right tool for right job and all that... If you look at the price of the X-Pro 2, put a Speed Booster on there to make it full frame, you are getting basically a mini A7S II with the colour and ergonomics fixed , for half the price! That is unless you need IBIS and S-LOG of course. It has some of the best dynamic range and colour in a punchy Rec.709 format I've ever seen, thrashes the Sonys. You have to shoot LOG on most other cameras to get the dynamic range the X-Pro 2 4K will give you straight off the card in PRO Neg. Std. film mode. It's a really good codec, with a fine noise grain. I am getting steadily over the 100Mbit/s mark even on a shot that shouldn't really need it. It's variable bit rate. I saw it peak at 180Mbit/s. Impressive. And it's really good in low light too.

Can't afford wireless? (as anything below a G3/UWP-D11 is junk) Don't care if you can't monitor your audio??? :-o (straight to audio hell you go!) Then boy oh boy does B&H have an end of year deal for you, the Tascam DR10L is once again going for only US$139: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1331924-REG/tascam_dr_10lw_dr_10l_mini_portabl_recorder.html

YES!!! what a good topic i LOVE b&w photography, thats how i started, shooting 35mm black and white film ive made many b&w darkrooms in closets and bathrooms lol frankly, dealing with color is WAY harder than shooting b&w (so many variables!) – b&w should be really freeing~! i think most ppl will find a HUGE amount of room to play in post, since you can fuck with hues and exposure like crazy to get a cool b&w image. although id love a dedicated b&w camera, having the color data to play with in post can be quite interesting i would love to make a b&w feature! anyway heres a few shots i took the other day that i ~chose~ to treat as b&w bc the color was so meh... much better! *i would recommend listening to the song low desert by r.e.m. while viewing these pics

I think the tools are fine. It's more a question of what one can craft using them.

Which reminds me.... Updated html attached that will now let you have ISO100 in video mode. Unfortunately, this setting does not persist on power cycle and can't be saved in the C settings so if you need it then you will have to deploy it through a browser each time. For now at least.... ///// EDIT /////// The GX80 accepts but does not action these extended ISO modes in video so it is ISO200 to ISO6400 only for that. Thanks to @Rizky Ramadhan for the update ISO50000 works for stills on GX80 The extended ISOs are working for me on a G7 so please feel free to chime in with results from other models /////////////////////// DEPLOY CINELIKE D V HUE EXTENDED ISO V2.html