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Can we talk about the GH7 in this thread?

I am currently writing a guide to all the classic digicams from Y2k. And it has made me realise that I am getting a bit bored of full frame at F1.2. I think a similar thing has happened with anamorphic. The look has been held hostage by the ad world and cheapened, overused. So in a way it is quite refreshing to spend time with a Canon G2 from 2002 with (decent for the time) 2/3" sensor, or if you want a modern 2/3" sensor, the Fuji X-30. Also fun are the tiny Canon IXUS models with CHDK for raw, and some of the older smartphones like the iPhone 4S. It has made me think that if the light isn't right and the subject isn't interesting no amount of shallow DOF can make it worthwhile so why bother? And if the light IS right and the subject IS fantastic then a deep DOF can sometimes make it look even better, sometimes not - but it's definitely a valid creative choice. I also think the modern cameras are just getting too good... too clean, too clinical, too sharp, especially the modern lenses (be it anamorphic or otherwise). And we have had this discussion for about 15 years now and not a single manufacturer has listened. There is nobody in the modern camera industry fulfilling the niche of analogue / film compact replacement camera other than the y2k CCD digicams. And don't get me started on the desire for a Digital Bolex sequel!

I've managed to obtain the full breakdown of this hidden socialist import duty racket that makes cameras so expensive here. Its an absolute disgrace.

Thank you for sharing! @kye That 45 - 150 is very intriguing and tiny! I've been owning one for years now when it came with my Lumix G7 and I still haven't ever used it. It is time to change that! As two of my friends here on Eoshd already know, I have been out filming with my Bmpcc lately. I could write a longer paragrsph about it. No ibis, coupled with a 25mm lens felt challenging but also very freeing from perfectionism and especially rewarding. Four internal batteries lasted for 30min of material so I came to appreciate every time I pressed the recording button. In the edit I was grateful for every stable shot that DID get recorded and not screwed up by an empty battery. I got "full" four batteries waiting to fool me again. Maybe tonight. Last weeks magical night during blue hour with the Bmpcc and a Zeiss Tevidon 25mm:

The key to this approach is to maximise the savings to offset the cost of the trip to Japan so you get together a massive and definitive list of everything camera and lens wise that you will ever, ever, ever need and buy it in one go. It has to be all the stuff you'll ever need though so you won't ever have to buy anything else ever again in your photographic career. I've done that on fourteen different occasions now.

The decision has been made and the deed has been done, - I am once again fully L Mount. My return to Nikon for stills, was brief but hey ho. What have I just done? Put my Nikon Zf, Z6ii and 3x adapted E Mount Tamron lenses to one side for the moment and after I get back from my next trip, both of the Nikon bodies will be sold. The S1H has moved (once again) and back into the stills role, losing the battery grip as part of that process. This thing is supposed to be 'The Video One', and it is, but also a highly underrated stills camera that benefits (IMO) from having that OLPF. I've just ordered another (used S5ii) so will now be operating a pair of them, statically, for video usage, both paired with the 'cheapie' 20-60mm 'kit' lens and each with a Rode WG2. The final component for this year will be an S9. The S9 will be my run & gun lightweight unit paired up with the S1H for stills as my 'on me at all times' pairing. My only slight issue with this set up is that it remains a 4 unit scenario and I was determined to go to 3 units, but I can live with it as 2 of the units are identical static units. My previous issue had been 1 static and 3x units on me which was too much. Resolved that. Future? I'm waiting on any S1H/S1R replacement, expected towards the end of this year and for 2025 season. That will determine whether I retire the S1H and replace it with something more up to date, or I flip it for a Sony A7RV and use my 3x Tamron lenses. This Sony + Tamron is actually the dark horse in all this and currently is the best set up for stills and the more likely scenario because L Mount still does not have the glass for me. If within L Mount they do bring out a sibling to the new Sigma 28-45mm f1.8 such as a 45-90mm f1.8 or an f2.8 compact rival to the Tamron/Samyang 35-150, it will swing back in favour of keeping an all L Mount set up. But S9, preordered. Didn't see that coming but it actually makes huge sense.

OG BMPCC and 45-150mm f4-5.6 zoom... The cinema flows from the people through the equipment into the edit. No excuses.

Yep, and this is why I said to go and watch latitude test on CineD. Before the CineD lab test I did not understand why people were saying Canon was faking its DR by using NR on its RAW files, now I know. Imatest is a synthetic test, you just have to apply a little NR on your footage and it might think the shadows are super clean. Look at Gerald's test of the Z8 h265 test, the thing is he got like an extraordinary number that he found out was due to extra NR on the z8 h265 footage and at the start of the file, that the imatest was fooled. Now look at the lab test at CineD. You will see above that the Xyla/Imatest result aren't that good compared to most other cameras, but watch the latitude test below. While most Sony sensors even the Venice 2 are at best 8 stops of latitude the Z9 is a solid eight and room for nine!!! https://www.cined.com/nikon-z-9-n-raw-lab-test-fw-3-00-rolling-shutter-dynamic-range-and-latitude/ Same for the Sony Burano, Which is even better as it reaches 10 stops of DR, the first camera to reach the Alexa Alev classic DR. https://www.cined.com/sony-burano-8k-lab-test-rolling-shutter-dynamic-range-and-exposure-latitude/ You can see clearly when you analyze the different camera test, that the latitude test is much more real life DR of a sensor than the synthetic Xyla/imatest measurement.

In the UK you could use the cameras to make a feature length documentary about the stage managed decline of the NHS to while away the time it takes for the ambulance to actually arrive.

Because in the digital age, video is still the poor cousin of photography. Mirrorless cameras did not end up in the hands of filmmakers but rather the opposite: legions of photographers found themselves holding cameras that also did video. So we carry with us for eternity this bias inherited from photography that FF is the reference. A small dick complex destined to last.

I've been over "shallowest DOF" for a while now. For quite a while, I've been more interested in "proper DOF." The right DOF is the one that fits the story that you're trying to tell with the right amount of detail in background areas. Want to express the subject's extreme isolation? You might actually be wide open with a very fast lens. Want to draw attention to the subject? Probably better to stop down a little bit so that the background is identifiable, but still oof. Want to present the subject occupying a place, such as in a wide establishing shot? Stop down a bit more. Similarly, lens choice should be driven by desired look/impact. Shooting futuristic sci-fi? Maybe you want some really sharp glass. Shooting something a bit more romantic with lots of high-key lighting and close-ups? Probably better to choose something a little softer. Making a short film starring a can of beans? Maybe don't overthink it.

gh2 can do unlimited video recording due to the hack. it was a big thing at the time. gh3 although has a little bit better 1080p than hacked gh2 1080p (actually very little), but limited to 30 min. gh5 is a refinement of gh4, worthy of mentioning. gh7 is really mature. I think hacked gh2 still is the most famous, iconic one. hack is the key here.

hey we’re actually posting our work on here again, finally! some nice looking stuff there marty! while it looks decent, i do think this is incredibly vapid

3 things I am bored with either in principal or because I’ve been doing it myself and am tired of it. 1. Anamorphic. Never tried it but despise those blue light streaks and those curved edges. In the words of the great sage Gollum, go away and don’t ever come back. Unless it’s without those stoopid light streaks and the edges are straight. 2. Slow motion everywhere, all the time, for the sake of slow motion. Guilty 🤷‍♂️ However, it can have it’s place and I will not totally desist, but it’s much more sporadic these days. 3. Shallow DOF for the sake of shallow DOF, everywhere, all the time. Not guilty but still partial to some shallow DOF for specific reasons at specific times as I feel fit. But those folks who say shoot an entire wedding at f1.4 from start to finish? Well they belong with those monkeys who think shooting the entire thing with just a 24mm lens is ‘artistic’. I call it muppetry.

Which was the greatest ever GH series camera? The GH1 that started it all? The GH2 that was the most famous of them all with the hack? The GH3 that was the ultimate refinement of the 1080 era? The GH4 that was revolutionary in being the first to deliver us 4K video and epic 96fps slow motion? (first ever with timecode too... but only with the YAGH!) The GH5 that gave us 4K 10bit internal, waveforms, and IBIS? The GH5S that was the low light monster? (and gave us timecode too! Without the need of that quirky YAGH) The GH6 which pushed beyond 4K resolution, and in 4K gave as an astonishing 240fps? The GH5mk2, the quiet refinement of the GH5? (I'd be surprised if anybody votes for this model as being "the greatest ever") The GH7 which finally brought us top notch autofocus performance on par with the competition, internal raw, 32bit audio, and ARRI LogC3?

And this is why one shouldn't get hung up on imatest The whole point of RAW for me is that the RAW sensor data is exposed in the final image, including grain texture and shadow noise. Also this seemingly standard method in tests of exposing CMOS sensors for highlights, then ramping up the blacks - think about the impact that has on colour in the mids and tonality in the shadows. Yes you are showing what kind of dynamic range is possible but in creative terms it is a step back. And when you start applying NR to the shadows in some misguided uncreative attempt to squeeze out that last 0.5 stops of dynamic range, you may as well shoot H.265 It would be interesting to take the uncompressed Cinema DNG cameras... Blackmagic Pocket 4K original firmware, Sigma Fp-L, 5D Mark III Magic Lantern, Digital Bolex and compare the image aesthetically to N-RAW and ProRes RAW, in terms of how close one or the other looks to film. And film remains the gold standard for atmosphere, warts and all. I always look at images and not so much the numbers especially when we are talking less than 1 stop differences between cameras. Unless it is a case of Alexa 35 which is far ahead of everything else.

Sharpness and resolution are misleading measures if you care about aesthetics. The things to pay attention to are the MTF curve of the final images. Both film and classic lenses all had a natural fall-off where finer details were present but became lower contrast - a low pass filter essentially. Digital has no low pass filter (except nearing nyquist), and with most processing, it actually exhibits a high-pass pattern, where the contrast of fine detail is higher than that of larger details.

This is a subject I've long wanted to discuss. Sure, it's great to have shallow DOF sometimes, but what are you really doing? Hiding? Why hide something if your subject and story great, the framing and deep focus could enhance that as long as the quality is there.

That's pure awesomeness! I will sit there with scrambled eggs and coffee and read and read and reread your article! I have been thinking about the 10bit Panny HPX 250 once every couple months. For me it is coming closest to the mysterious DVX100 Andromeda, with its 720p uncompressed hack. The DVX100 has an older 4 to 3 cousine, the Panny DX1, which has lotta mojo too. Love the body and the huge eye cup and the 3CCD magic, not the interlacing and tape workflow though. Here is a video I did with some friends. I had 70min material of sun flooded autumn leaves, benches, a compelling actress and four friends running into eachothers shots. I still enjoy how the edit turned out. Happy times. Oh, Canon XL1, Panny DX1, G6 and Canon 700D in the mix:)

Well I go through phases of different combos and actually mostly use a Spider Holster belt AND a twin harness. The beauty of the hip set up is the weight is off your neck & upper back and on your hips, but with the added bonus that if you miss the Spider holster slot, the camera does not drop and smash into 62 bazillion pieces on the concrete floor, but dangles at the end of the strap instead. Plus you can push the camera against the strap for added stability. But…I don’t really like the harness system because it’s not great with a white linen shirt. Sooooo I have been using a 2 camera system on non-wedding days and my white linen shirts and then on wedding days, adding the harness over a navy blue shirt for that third camera. But going forward, that harness is now going into retirement as it’s strictly 2 cameras on me; one video and one stills with those other 2, strictly static. This allows me the illusion of being George Clooney at a wedding rather than a photographer at George Clooney’s wedding. And yes, I have also operated more than 4 cameras on a job… One ceremony, I had 7 🤪 Pair of GH5ii’s on a single tripod at the rear, one wide, one long. 3x Go Pros, one front left, one front right, one high up rear to one side in a tree. 2x stills cameras. Utter madness and never repeated, but you try shit and it seemed like a good idea right up until the point where it became a reality shit show 😂

This one is just gorgeous.

Just wait and see how much it cost to use an ambulance in the US, you get 4 Z6iii for one trip. LOL

This is what I keep finding in France: The pricing is also consistent with the Nikon ZF, which is also $700 more expensive (after conversion). There's no doubt about it- Nikon asks a lot more from Europeans and seems to be far more competitive in the USA. It's not unheard of though. You can get an iMac for $1200 at B&H or the same one for about $450 more in Europe. The Sony A7iv is $2500 at B&H but not much more in Europe (2500 euros). I think it's really about company policy. What confuses me about pricing is that the Z6ii was launched at 2200 euros and $2000 respectively. With the Z6iii, Nikon is really going out of the "low-end full frame" market by bumping up the MSRP to 3000 euros. I'd always thought Nikon was more of a value brand, bang for the buck over Canon. I don't know what to think. Maybe there will be another low-end FF camera from Nikon?

If you want unlimited recording in any temp, and at this price point or even a bit higher, you have to give up something, either Full frame sensor (GH7) or EVF and higher than 4k resolution (FX3), or internal raw (S5ii). There is no conspiracy to not giving customers a perfect camera. The reality is that making everything right is becoming more and more expensive.

I like the look and Fov of the 42mm lens on my Oly 35 RC photofilm camera. I wanted that look on my G6 back then when I started my journey with larger sensor cameras. I already had a handful of vintage photo lenses besides some fixed lens cameras. But my first manual lens for video was a Canon nFD 28mm F2.8. My essential lens purchase, which started it all. A year later I coupled it with a focal reducer and since then I began to think in S35 terms quiet often. F2.8 on S35 is shallow enough for me. I also enjoyed F8 a good deal when doing 3min micro shorts very quickly. I could replicate and came to love that look on my LX10 when in 4K crop at F2.8 throughout its zoom range. I have used a Canon nFD 28mm F2 wide open on my S1 on wide shots. I enjoyed that look as well. But I enjoy the image as a whole, not just the shallow Dof by itself. A vintage 3 CCD 1/3" with F1.4 at the wider end and 720p would do the job. I'm not a fan of the HVX200 though.

As to the original topic, many of the people I know who insist on FF for video will say that they like it because they want "shallow DOF." For me, the most recent video-centric cameras that I've purchased were both S35. F2 or F2.8 on S35 is, for me, usually shallow enough. And unlike the other person, I don't think focal reducers are garbage so I am happy enough to use them in lower light or for a shallower DOF look.

I saw a used S5 for 650EU. Now, that is tons of camera for the buck. It's like a mini Varicam and a Nikon 750D in one solid and ergonomic body. The 150mbit codec is amazing. My suggestion for serious video and photo starters, if much cheaper is needed, a used G85. I experienced the exitement of an enthusiastic starter doing his first shortfilm three months ago. He felt blown away by the image quality of a G85. It reminded me of my first shots with my G6. I didnt care too much for other cameras for a while. Unfortunately that started to change two years later. The Nikon Z6III is indeed not a beginners camera but very compelling nevertheless for full frame 4k60 raw and prores fans. The skating video which kye posted looks fantastic in the outside parts, high end cine cam look. Interviews looked ok with dubious quality of the highlights imo.

and if you’ve ever worked with arriraw you would know how stupid and useless uncompressed raw is if if the camera also has a good codec built in.

I'm sure on the 15th time @BTM_Pixyou'll finally get it done right.

7 easily. For me. Never personally owned any of them though!

The GH7 thread turned into a ‘discussion’ about sensor sizes, magic and all kinds of stuff, so I thought maybe we could derail this one with some boring old M4/3 GH7 talk? I’m joking 🙃 Everything else being equal, I think there’s a certain ‘look’ the larger the sensor. I can never quite put my finger on it and nor can I always spot it, but I believe it’s ‘a thing’.

Skateboarders don't care about helmets, or safety of any kind whatsoever. See the below video, which they spiced up with slow-motion........ and explosives.

@PannySVHS as we all know it's the man behind, not the pen who makes the poetry and you're one of those, kudos buddy! : ) With 4x units G7 still is today one of my fav cams ever...

Nice shots. Colors look nice too. The whole time I was watching scared that she'd fall. I genuinely surprised she never wore a helmet. She wiped out pretty good a couple of times (of the times that made it into the final edit).

N-RAW isn't unprocessed really. https://www.eoshd.com/news/is-n-raw-real-raw-nikon-z9-under-the-spotlight-at-eoshd/ I found it a bit underwhelming vs the best H.265 10bit. Given the fact the file sizes are so enormous you would think the benefits would be much larger, especially when pushing the image around as much as I did in resolve.

There we go then... a £300+ rip off Britain surcharge. The hard of thinking are currently out in force, seeking solutions from the very liars who sold them the current malaise... i.e. the Reform Party Brexiteers. It'll be interesting to see what their Liz Truss school of economics does to prices if they ever get a sniff of real power. By comparison how much is the Z8 in Japan and how much is a flight?

I think the hard of thinking voted for the UK to leave the union rather than the actual continent, although they might actually think both things happened. The UK price is £2699.00 including VAT. The import duty for digital cameras is 0% and the VAT is 20%. So the price is £2249.16 excluding VAT. Dollar converted price for buying one in the US at $2599 is £1970.00. So to legally import the camera into the UK after buying it in a shop in the US would be £1970.00 + 0% import duty + 20% VAT. Which is £2364.00

Not just taxes, but lots of other hidden socialist/European regulatory costs. Maybe for instance consumer guarantees are higher in europe, that's a cost which has to thus be recouped somehow somewhere. Was rather annoyed by the 10% California tax I had to swallow today. Very strictly honest people? Sure, most people won't do it! But you're technically a criminal. Maybe different cost structures they have to tackle the additional regulatory burdens? Or a different appetite for risk / minimizing margins. The Fujifim XH2s as well, I just found out. Still, that's a very short list! XH2s + S5II + Z6III, only three cameras, does make them quite unique indeed. Indeed Andrew! If I was starting out in photography (with no interest in video) I'd be hard pressed to justify spending more than the sub $400 it costs for a used Nikon D750 or D800 or the $500ish for a Nikon D500 (or if going even cheaper, the D600 for sub $300 or a D7100 for sub $200!!!) vs buying any modern Z Mount camera, not even the OG Nikon Z6 secondhand, as if a person only cares about photography, why not get a D750 for $300 less?? Plus there is the glorious range of cheap Nikon F Mount lenses! Maybe by 2030, by that point in time we'll probably have a tonne of dirt cheap bargain priced secondhand chinese Z Mount lenses to choose from (for instance you couldn't today easily find a half priced secondhand Meike 50mm f/1.8 AF Z Lens, but a secondhand Nikon 50mm f1.8D lens? Easy! Found one in second on eBay for under $60), and Z6 will have fallen so low in price they'll be within a whisker of D750/D800/D500 pricing.

....and far more friendly than the HK416.

I wonder if the partially-stacked design will give inconsistent rolling shutter performance across the sensor? Meaning the top and bottom have significantly less than the middle. 10ms overall is great of course but when RS does show up it might be even worse/weirder-looking than a slower sensor with a consistent scan rate.

I was waiting on this release to see if I'd go for it over the Z8/Z9. At the euro price its just not worth it to me. Very solid release nonetheless. ProRes HQ really seals the deal for me on the Nikon platform. My iMac Pro just can't deal with h265 in +4K resolution. That and the fact that I can smart adapt all my EF, E-mount, Nikon F/AIS & Leica lenses. Probably going to pull the trigger on a used Z8/Z9. Z6iii would be a dope B-cam body down the line when price comes down a bit.

The guy in this video did a brutal test in direct sun from Texas and the camera came out surprisingly good. It is as from 9min 50. As for DR, I will wait for CineD lattitude test, Nikon implementation of their Nlog is so contrasty that it gives very bad result. In CineD lattitude test the z9 scored a solid 8 going to 8.5- 9 stop latitude. While most Sony's prior to the Burano where around 8 stops. Which scored a good 10!!! The only camera to equal the original Arri Alexa sensor.

Gerald Undone did test dynamic range in his video review; he didn't experience any overheating but hey, he's in Canada and he admitted that his testing environment wasn't very warm. It does seem like a great camera; wish the IBIS was better....I think Panasonic still has the lead there.

In the first shot, not the 2nd one though. It's some encoding trouble I believe. I don't think it's anything coming from the acquistion, I'd dare to guess... But there are people here more from the technician side than a producer/shooter so let them to speak out... ;- )

VAT... but U.S. in the most part of States also has sales tax, although much lighter...

Now this is marketing... clicked on an S9 thread? Here's a product you might also be interested in... the ARRI 416!

The tools we have at our disposal are quite frankly ridiculously good. The weakest link in the entire chain is the human one. By far.

Just "something" to get audio into the camera. Yes, perhaps it might need a little strip of rubber if it is very lose, but probably not. No, they are supercardioid

Yes, I use lens support for the Sigma always; it's a long, heavy lens and the MFT mount on the Blackmagic cameras is weak. So I use a baseplate with rails, and a lens support on the rails for the lens. I have occasionally used that lens on the Pocket, supporting it with my hand, but when I'm handholding the Pocket I usually use lighter lenses (my favourite is the SLR Magic 10mm Hyperprime cine lens) and my Zacuto Marauder Mini. I do think just a pistol grip plus another point of stabilization would work; I also have the Zacuto viewfinder that clips onto the LCD and I use that as my second point of stabilization. The concert was an interesting challenge to film; the room was smaller than I expected and the music started before sunset; there was a bright shaft of sunlight coming in. I had my expensive Sekonic colour-temperature meter with me and took readings on the lead singer's face before the concert, but of course all that went out the window as the evening progressed and the sun went down; at that point they were lit by two colored stage lights on the floor beaming up toward them plus the two lamps that they placed to their right and left. I am glad I shot raw (3:1 CDNG) for the maximum flexibility in exposure and white balance, although I'm sure ProRes could have handled even the huge adjustments in white balance I had to make.