jonpais

Agree with most of what you said, but I'm not going to shy away from pointing out the limitations of the camera either. I've never used Sony, but coming from the GH4, or compared to the battery life of the Lumix G85, ten minutes of continuous shooting at 4K is abysmal.

@Cinegain This is pure fantasy, isn't it? And isn't the G-line notoriously expensive? If I owned a Sony APS-C camera, I'd rather wish for Sigma to continue what they began with the 30mm f/1.4 - affordable lenses with superior optical quality. Also, is there really a need for such fast, heavy instruments, especially since Sony cameras are famous for their low light performance? These would be huge on an a6500. Wouldn't a full lineup of compact f/2 primes and a couple of f/2.8 zooms be more than sufficient?

Your list is incomplete, Bui. If initiating recording while looking through the EVF, the LCD turns off, and vice versa. There are no histogram or zebras in movie mode. When using the battery grip, the camera will stop recording when one of the batteries dies. The camera remote app won't capture 4K, only 720p. Battery life is abysmal. There is no articulating LCD screen. Log must be recorded externally. And on and on. Are any of these limitations insurmountable? I'd say if you're a vlogger, this camera may not be for you. Nor would it be the ideal camera for long interviews or for capturing live performances because of the battery issue. But I think there is a place for it in documentary filmmaking, portraiture, weddings, narrative work, fashion, in a studio environment, nature and anywhere else where image quality is of paramount importance.

Sorry, Bui, maybe my English is poor, but I understand this comment to mean that Fuji cameras are not good for video.

My ideal camera would be a Panasonic body, X Trans sensor. ?

All I know is that when I mount the Nokton 17.5mm, the camera asks which focal length I'm using; with the Metabones, the stabilizer icon just turns on, it's just like using a Panasonic lens. Whatever focal length the camera is sensing seems to work great with the Sigma 50mm f/1.4, and I could see no difference between dual IS and just IBIS. So, in answer to your question, no I don't. ?

For those considering purchasing a Canon mount Speed Booster, the Metabones communicates the focal length to the camera, no need to set anything in the menus.

Fuji cameras are unusable for video. Exhibit A Exhibit B Exhibit C

I guess Brian Caldwell would be the one to ask, or maybe one of our readers has the answer. I'm half-expecting to have to buy another adapter when the GH5 is released anyhow. I tried using 'match' in the modify tab in FCP, but I didn't like the results - the one shot I tried turned yellow or something. I lug around a 3.5Kg tripod with me practically every day, so maybe a color chart wouldn't be so bad.

This was the Metabones Speed Booster XL for Canon. I left early this morning to go out shooting; had my obligatory two cups of coffee; and while I was at the coffee shop, I realized that with the Speed Booster, the camera was flashing a big red 'no stabilization'. I had to go back home and download the update, and all was good. I was thinking of getting the X-Rite Color Checker, but it's going to cost me almost $150.00 USD in Vietnam, so I have to dwell on it a bit.

Thanks so much, Arikhan, but I feel a bit like Chance in 'Being There': I really know very little about filmmaking. I'm hoping to take some classes soon so I can learn about scriptwriting, editing, lighting and directing.

The G85 will work with non-stabilized lenses as well as with Metabones plus lens. I'm not familiar with passive adapters. Stabilization works fine with my Nokton 17.5mm f/0.95 and the Sigma 50mm f/1.4. Before buying the G85, I tried using a shoulder mount with the Sigma, but my results were too shaky, and I had all but given up on ever using it again, save on a tripod. IBIS is simply incredible. And as far as I can tell, it matters not whether you have Dual IS or just IBIS. I went ahead and shot a food vendor with the G85 this morning, with both the Leica Nocticron and the Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4. Apologies for the colors: the two lenses both have great color, but I still don't know how to color correct, and I didn't want to spend the next three days trying to match the shots. Music by Eric Matyas www.soundimage.org

Don't know if this has already been posted or not, but V-Log L for the GH5 is already up for pre-order. Better get yours in now; remember the last time, they were on backorder. Backorder - for a slip of paper with a number on it!

I should add that the reason I never used the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 is that no matter what I tried, I couldn't hold it steady with the GH4. Now that I've got the G85, it's ready for prime time.

I'm speechless.

Hi Sebastian. Here's the test I promised. Sorry, I feel really awkward just whipping the camera around, I'm not used to doing that. I guess I even frightened a couple of people on the street. I have no idea whether these results will be useful or not. I just glanced at them briefly and don't see any difference. Of course, it's not scientific, because I can't be moving at the same speed each time.

Don't worry - you'll still see exposure information in the camera. Be sure to enable 'shoot without lens' in the menu.

Yes, I've seen it, and it's given me a whole lot of heartache. Not the comparison itself, which is enlightening, but with a couple of forum members who seemed to be using the test to show what a horrible camera the G85 is. At least, that's how I felt at the time. The takeaway for me is that Tom Antos feels that all the cameras tested can be used successfully by serious filmmakers. I shied away from CineLike D in the past because when the GH4 was released, Dave Dugdale made a video (to the best of my recollection) that showed that it produced an orange cast, so I stuck with Natural because that was what people like Denver Riddle of Color Grading Central recommended for use with their LUTs. Now Dan Watson over at LearningCameras.com is encouraging me to try CineLike again, saying that perhaps it doesn't have the orange cast of the GH4. One advantage of CineLike with the GH4 is that it doesn't necessarily require an external recorder to get good results (to the best of my understanding, 8-bit produced some splotchiness with V-Log). Actually, some of the best colors I've seen yet from the GH4 were with V-Log, for example, one of the camera reviews over at TCSTV was shot in V-Log, and I thought it was one of the best-looking episodes they'd ever done. Anyhow, now that I'm trying to get an image that requires little knowledge of all the intricacies of color grading, going back to a flat profile would mean opening Pandora's box again (not sure if that's the right analogy). But I think I did promise to test it out, so...

I think Arikhan is just referring to my settings in Photo Style. When I shot with the GH4, I always used Natural, with Shadows at +1 or +2, Contrast and Sharpening dialed way down, and Saturation turned down just a touch. With the G85, I shoot Standard, with NR and Sharpening dialed all the way down, Saturation at default and contrast at -2. It's not that there's a huge difference in the files (to be honest, I've never done an A/B comparison), it's just that now I'm after something I can color correct quickly and upload to YouTube without having to do a lot of grading and using LUTs.

Okay.

Okay, I'm not promising anything, but I'll try to do a comparison between the Nocticron and the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 and post it by sometime next week. I'm curious myself, and have to somehow justify having spent so much on a lens that just sits in my dry cabinet.

Thanks, Axel, but that video wasn't even graded. I've got the Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4, but I haven't even shot with it yet! (just a couple clips I never even used). Maybe I could shoot a comparison between the two sometime next week, if anyone's interested.

I hear you about MFT lenses screaming 'sterile video', but I've seen some nice stuff with them, even the f/2.8 lenses, so it's probably more about lighting and stuff than the lenses themselves. I think the Leica Nocticron is worth every penny, but I did get a hefty discount, or I would never have considered buying one.

Here's a test I just did. Hope it helps.

With or without NR, the GX80/85 is simply not an extreme low light camera. If you regularly shoot at ISO 6400 and above, one of the Sonys is probably a better option.