jonpais

Glad to hear, Pablo! I've been corresponding with Rose since forever, and she's always replied the same day, sometimes even when she's no longer at work. I see she even subscribed to my YouTube channel, which shows that Zhiyun is really interested in customer feedback. Great company!

Michael, Did you try using the little gizmo that comes with the Crane that screws into the baseplate and fits under the lens to hold it steady?

Rose over at Zhiyun Tech sent me an email this afternoon, telling me about a new feature in firmware update v1.52 I wasn't aware of.

I'd return it for a replacement right away. That's definitely not normal.

@Trek of Joy Thanks for the reply. I think I was mistaken about the Sigma. They don't make an X mount lens yet I guess. I might go to the store and see if I can handle the camera tomorrow afternoon before deciding. I'm pretty heavily invested in micro four thirds right now, with the GH4, GM1 and a dozen or so lenses, and I'm sure the GH5 will be killer, but - I'm pretty certain it won't have the amazing color I've seen in just about every video posted here and elsewhere shot with the XT2.

@Trek of Joy Have you shot with the Lumix GH4? If so, any thoughts in comparison to the Fuji (esp. image quality, not features or build quality)? Also, do you have any experience with either the Fujinon 16-55mm f/2.8 or Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN? Those are two lenses I'm considering getting if I end up buying the XT2. Although many are complaining about the lack of touch screen and articulating LCD (myself included!), I'm finding myself using manual focus more and more, and with camera either on a tripod or a gimbal, I find I'm not using either of those features as much on my Panasonic, though certainly if I start vlogging, it means I'll have to pick up a monitor at some point. BTW, Max Yuryev is at work on his full-length review right now, should be up very soon.

Are you talking about inverted mode? Also, the screws that came with my gimbal are all metal...

What do you recommend?

Thanks, Michael. So, you're saying your footage also exhibits some jitter when trying to hold the gimbal absolutely still. If that's the case, best not to use the gimbal for static shots. Actually, I only just started to use sticks again for video work, since I recently purchased an amazing carbon fiber tripod, and believe it or not, I love working with it. I also shake quite a bit, but I did try to hold as steady as possible for the video clip above. Did you send your 42.5mm in for repair, or are you holding off? Also, I'm curious how you ever managed to balance the Nocticron on the Crane - first of all, it is heavy as hell, secondly, the barrel of the lens is so large, I couldn't even mount it on my Crane.

I didn't realize until going on a trip to George Town, Penang, Malaysia, that, when shooting static videos of architecture, my gimbal has a shake problem. Prior to that, I'd always shot people, often moving around, and I didn't notice any unsteadiness. When examining the videos I'd shot of some of the colonial buildings in Penang, I realized my gimbal has a bad case of the jitters. Examining footage I'd shot of people before my trip, I realized I've had this issue all along. I thought it was because I'd downloaded the firmware update for Canon cameras, so I installed firmware v1.51. That didn't help either. This afternoon, I saw Zhiyun had already released yet another update, v1.52, but still no improvement. Can anyone please share some static clips of buildings, windows or anything with horizontal and vertical lines and mention which firmware you are using? I would much appreciate it.

Seriously good review, Sebastian. I hope to see many more from you. Like one other viewer already said, very engaging.

I tried replicating both of your tests, using a Lumix GH4 and Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN for MFT, a very small, lightweight lens. Using the toggle switch, I tilted the camera downward as far as it would go, like in your first video. The camera does not suddenly swing back up. I tried this several times and could not get the gimbal to behave like yours. However, when switching from upright position to inverted mode, the movement is not smooth, the motors are working too hard, and the arm gives some resistance, so I think that is normal. You aren't supposed to hold the gimbal by the motor, that's what the handle is for. Inverted mode doesn't mean holding the stabilizer by the pan motor.

The Panasonic 35-100 f/2.8 is a beautiful piece of glass, absolutely wonderful for portraiture, but not really suited to group or table shots. The OIS suffers from jitter, though, since even Panasonic's firmware update did not completely fix the problem. I understand that with the recently released Panasonics with IBIS, the jitter is not noticeable. The two variable-aperture Panasonic lenses are too slow and are not of the same caliber as the two fixed-aperture lenses you mention. I would avoid them if you don't want to compromise on quality. Panasonic also offers a number of fine, relatively fast primes (from what I've read), including the 25mm f/1.7, the 42.5mm f/1.7, and the 20mm f/1.7, three of which would cost little more than one fixed aperture Vario zoom lens. However, as I'm not a wedding photographer, I don't know whether most photographers prefer to use zooms or primes. Here in Vietnam, though, they all use zoom lenses, from what I've seen.

Not bashing the GH4, I'm liking the images I'm getting with it; it's just that it appears the OP is on a budget, so a G7, GX85 or G85 would fit the bill, and he could use non-stabilized lenses with the latter two, giving more options for glass. The G Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 wouldn't be suited for weddings if that was your only lens, since it is not ideal for portraiture. I don't shoot weddings, but from what I've read, you might want faster glass for interior shots, and when you want to throw the background out of focus.

Looks like the stabilization works quite well with the Nokton, very encouraging.

Why are you buying GH4? ? Also, the Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 is not only better quality, it is significantly less expensive than the Tamron as well.

TCSTV has just begun by adding a segment called Wooden Niccolls to their reviews, which should give viewers a chance to see how cameras hold up in real world shooting, for lack of a better world.

Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app?

If you're just placing the camera on the gimbal so it does't 'flop over' or something, it isn't balanced at all. It must be balanced on all axes, otherwise the motors are working harder, battery life will suffer. May I ask why you prefer not to balance the camera, when all it takes is just a couple minutes? If you want to check balance, just open the Zhiyun Assistant app, connect your gimbal via Bluetooth, and you will see if pan, pitch and roll are balanced. The Zhiyun Assistant app has gotten a new look, more features.

Could you share a video showing the problem? Here's mine, in inverted mode. IMG_2074.MOV

Here's an interesting test of overheating and battery life, with and without grip.

If you're shooting under a variety of lighting condions, I actually prefer stuff shot under fluorescent to look greenish, early morning or late evening bluish and indoor tungsten to appear orange. Sorry if that's not much help...

I have only just begun delivering 4K to YouTube from my GH4, but if Panasonic offered 1080p with no aliasing, moire or digital artifacts, I'd probably choose to shoot HD as well. In fact, back in February, I was standing in front of a large screen TV in a showroom at Best Buy when I told a salesman how gorgeous the 4K image was, and he told me it wasn't 4K, it was an HD screen. At the same time, I'm not going nuts that camera manufacturers aren't offering genuine HD - the 4K files are manageable enough, I can edit them on my Mac, and they don't require all that much extra storage. And when h.265 is the industry standard, the file sizes will be that much smaller still. DVDs? Sorry, but you lost me... what country are you talking about? Because DVDs are shiite. And we are not 'most people'. Who gives a donkey's ass what 'most people' prefer?

Funny, because no one accused sites of click bait when just a couple of years ago, online reviewers were comparing the lowly Lumix GH4 to the venerable Canon 5D or even to industry staples like Arri and Red.

Yeah, Andrew and others have compared the Nocticron to the $11,000 Noctilux, and if you check out images online, they bear an uncanny physical resemblance.