jonpais

@NickSim The cheapest HDR monitor on the market runs no less than $12,000. Which one are you actually using?

The a7 III and X-T* bodies are both smaller than GH5 the last time I checked. Coupled with the best lenses in the system - think the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 or Olympus Pro 45mm f/1.2 (two of my preferred focal lengths) - the Panasonic is a beast. In fact, for whatever reason (weight distribution?) it’s easier for me to balance the Sony on the original payload-challenged Zhiyun Crane v.1. And don’t even get me started on adapters for micro four thirds. After visiting the chiropractor, I swore I’d never shoot with the Sigma 18-35/Metabones again! ? The G85 was ideal size-wise. I loved that camera. Ergonomically, just about perfect. However, its size advantage became a liability when mounted on a tripod or gimbal with any but the smallest (slowest) lenses. The 23mm, 35mm and 50mm f/2 Fujinons (f/1.4 m43 equiv.) are not only tiny and optically superb, but also exquisitely built. Paired with the X-T2 or or X-T20, it doesn’t get much stealthier than that. I’ve said several times it’s time for Sony to stop concentrating on f/1.4 and bring out a bunch of affordable compact FE f/2.8 primes. Many photographers no longer even feel that f/4 is just for novices (thinking backwards, f/2 m43 equiv.). While small is nice and all, aside from sports and nature shooters, who require ultra-long telephoto lenses, not everyone agrees that compactness is the distinguishing virtue of mirrorless. For one thing, manufacturers have all been beefing up their pro/enthusiast lineup. The shallow flange distance to the sensor is perhaps its chief advantage, particularly when it comes to lens design. That’s an oversimplification, but I’m already out of my depth here! (reason being, I’ve never shot with a DSLR!) ? I held off purchasing Sony for years because of overheating, record time limits, weak codecs, screen dimming, overheating, convoluted menus, lack of touch screen, poor battery life and crazy color science, not to mention the paucity of lenses. Most of those issues are now thankfully things of the past. Nevertheless, there remains no doubt Panasonic is still leagues ahead of Sony in terms of videocentric features and Sony would do well to take a few pages out of the household appliance juggernaut’s book. ? In the end, I suppose it’s all about the sensor: and I’m still astounded each and every time I throw those luscious XAVC clips on the timeline.

I don’t recall which camera it was either. I believe Matthew Scott collaborated with him on that too, and he’s a wiz with DaVinci and Edius. The savings on storage and how my iMac cuts through the XAVC files like butter are definite plusses.

I don’t really find myself missing 10-bit anymore. But I don’t do chroma keying, power windows or any of that kind of stuff. Electronic ND filters? ProRes RAW?

Really? Look again...

Apples to apples, Sony’s 400mm f/2.8 weighs 25% less than Nikon’s. Which I imagine would mean a lot to sports and nature shooters.

The X-T2 is still something of a bargain at $1,099...

???

Since all I shoot is 4K video, I would call it 1.7x, just as the GH5 is 2x. I can’t be bothered with doing mental gymnastics.

$2,000 does not sound dirt cheap to me either considering what that money buys today.

Having shot with the DVX200 yourself, what are your own impressions of the sensor size, autofocus and codec as it concerns your working style?

Not interested either, but at least they’ve finally added zebras. Wondering whether it’ll still have 1.7x 4K crop...

Huawei tries to pass off DSLR shots as its own. Again! https://***URL removed***/news/7660321303/huawei-caught-trying-to-pass-off-dslr-photos-as-smartphone-images-again

Or just a peek at the full HDMI out.

BUT HE NEVER SAID ‘all the time’. Those are your words. Just like if I said I was going to start skateboarding to work in order to reduce my carbon footprint. It doesn’t mean I’m going to skateboard in a thunderstorm. Adding the words ‘all the time’ to practically any statement can make it sound absurd. Little different from adding ‘just on Wednesday mornings from 10:00 am till noon’. ?

He is not mistaken because he never said that. Experienced shooters know when to override AF and switch to manual focus. Alternatively, in AF mode, it is also possible to select the area in which you want tracking.

I’ve only used PP1, Cinema2. Unlike the GH5, which I try to shoot to the right, the Sony seems to do best protecting those highlights, at least in the profile I’m currently using.

I shared my latest video and some screengrabs with a filmmaker friend who shoots with the GH5s, asking for his opinion about the tonal transitions, color, noise, detail and highlight roll off. I did not ask him to evaluate nonsense like ISO 100,000, or any other such pointless rubbish cluttering the Internet. He said the shots felt like they needed some shadow adjustment, not the extreme shadows, but around the 20-25% luma mark or so; that colour felt a bit magenta overall; and that noise and detail looked good, as did highlight rolloff. In other words, his evaluation of the image quality aligned perfectly with my own. He guessed I was using the HLG profile, perhaps because he knows that’s what I shoot on the GH5, perhaps because the results looked so good - I can’t be sure. In fact, I was shooting PP1, Cinema2! Anyhow, that’s coming from a person known for being extremely finnicky about image quality. And he was evaluating images straight out of the camera, with no adjustment in post aside from dragging down the shadow wheel! Discussions about the film look are a rabbit hole. In many ways, the sensor in the a7 III itself outperforms those of many cinema cameras out on the market today, and the meagre 8-bit files look much better than some more robust ones - one downside being that they can’t withstand extreme grading. The point being, the a7 III would make a great camera for budget filmmaking or as a B camera - just as filmmakers have been doing with earlier a7* cameras for years.

@Django He must've gotten a defective camera, because the image looks like it was shot with a ten year-old camcorder.

@BTM_Pix ? ?

Both the GH5 and GH5s have a focus transition feature which works well with straightforward repeatable shots. Start video at 5”27’

My own experience has been that achieving and maintaining correct focus is much easier with the a7 III than the GH5. (I realize this sounds counter-intuitive, but focus peaking is better on the Sony). If the artistic intent is to keep identical separation between subject and background, you would either close the iris down some two stops on the Sony or open it up by the same amount on the Panasonic. The trend in cinema cameras is toward large format. Nearly every major manufacturer has released or is about to release a large format sensor camera. Nevertheless, it’s still possible to shoot s35mm with the a7 III.

Apart from skin tones, tonal transitions were one of my greatest concerns when switching over to Sony. Would they be blotchy or smooth? It was really difficult to tell from the YT videos I'd studied. The GH5's ALL-I 400Mbps 10-bit 4:2:2 files not only consume a ridiculous amount of hard drive space, but surprisingly, they don't necessarily have better tonal transitions than Sony's tiny 8-bit 100Mbps files. In fact, I find quite the opposite. The Sony has better dynamic range, cleaner shadows and less noise overall. Color is subjective, but I prefer Sony's straight out of the camera. Here's an outtake from my last video when the AF went momentarily bonkers and focused on a man in the distance. It's underexposed, but still retains nice color and detail without unsightly smudging. more images

. .

@Mattias Burling You are one sick, malicious, petty wretch and need urgent help man. Cognitive dissonance disorder. “Sony sucks balls, it’s my top favorite video camera...” ?