Fritz Pierre

I agree completely with Mercer on this....if the image out of the Canon is what you love, then the workaround to push a GH 5 to look like one, would prove laborious and unnecessary ...I'm of course on the Panasonic side of the spectrum in taste, but that's really irrelevant to your question...there's really no right or wrong...nothing more complicated than subjectivity at work here....the answer always lies in what you're trying to say/do/express with the camera, that's really nothing more than a tool...the more the camera gets out of your way, the better your project will turn out...I would never dream of buying a Canon or a Sony, which I would then grade to get it to look like an image from a GH5....

Exactly Ken!...and what I'm really liking about Panasonic's approach, is how they are treating the GH5 more as one of their pro range cameras...the camera came full of features, but even more importantly, full of yet untapped potential as more advanced FW is being developed for it....as is ongoing with the Varicam LT and actually also years ago in the private community on the GH2...and as Panasonic's releases are far less frequent (a philosophy I find far more sustainable than the "I need a new IPhone every 4 months" insanity) that we are now seeing. This model of constantly upgrading the Flagship camera, while at the same time trickling some of the pro features in the GH cams down to the less expensive later cameras that follows, gets my loyalty to Panasonic.

Agreed...but this is of course huge for them as a business and it's almost impossibly hard to satisfy everyone....if not AF it would be the "videoy" look (will Webster adopt this word into it's dictionary) or lack of DR or poor low light ability...as a business one has to pick your battles...personally I strongly doubt that they can beat Canon's AF system with a FW update, but again personally I prefer what they put in the camera as is...but then...many others disagree...well, we will know soon enough how well the FW update does. our friend on 3 men and an elephant just did a quick review of AF on his GH5 and seemed to find it quite acceptable for his use.

Did my frown really shine through as I was tapping out that line??...I thought I made it quite obvious that I actually enjoy these discussions...anyway....more of a smile than a frown...and to be very literal here, no condescension intended...

Just curious as to how many everybodies you are referring to with this quote???

Amazingly detailed!...is this in 8bit or 10 bit internal?

Is it the pro mist 1/8 or 1/4?...lovely footage!

Your test looks good Fredrick...I notice at 3200 the wall color behind you than 400....which is the true color of the wall?

I'm speaking under correction here, but I don't believe the Varicam LT shoots RAW without an external recorder....if I'm correct about this, and can't see how there would be any business incentive for them to put it in their next down the line Cine cam.

Yes!....agreed...I don't have mine yet, but I have the 8z and an old 50 mm canon FD to pair with it when it arrives...simply hard to beat the Anamorphic look, if you want to get closer to the look of film!...really curious about whether the IBIS will work for handheld with the Kowa 8z or whether it has to be on a gimbal or sticks?

Agreed...and well put....a series of beautifully shots and even acted scenes, and yet no chemistry (for want of a better word) between the actual film and the scenes it consists of....I thought Arrival was the far better film (Amy Adams is a powerful actor) but I felt the creative reasons behind shooting the film practically with no light escaped me....it was a strain to actually see the film....like a DR 101 for the Alexa or whatever they shot on....and I'm not trying to be a cruel critic...and he has to make his own creative choices....I know that making the shittiest film in the world is still a Herculan effort....but he is now at the top of the game!...so back to topic....maybe my low expectations for Blade Runner will turn out to be a surprise....still regret Ridley Scott not being at the helm....even in his seventies few directors can touch his skill!

Yes me too...I never finished watching the film..and it's rare that I do that...the direction felt clunky...none of the characters felt convincing....I found the firefight scene with all the cars parked in line at the border crossing ridiculous...although all the actors were first rate...so I think the blame has to fall on him....of course a lot of people liked Sicario...just did not work for me.

Yes!!...a stunning stills camera!... I bought one for both my wife and my then 17 year old daughter after reading this??...looking forward to what you come up with from Nepal...I live in Quito now...and as you know from Peru, the quality of light changes drastically at altitude....now you're heading for the "Top of the World"!

Years ago there was a review by a still photographer with the GF1 shooting stills on the 20mm f1.7 Panny...its worth finding online...his shots are stunning and I think that like Peru, you will find Nepal a place of such beauty and production value as a filmmaker...exciting times ahead for you!

It's not an either or situation...if you're shooting a commercial or a film, you would have a focus puller....you would, whether shooting on a GH5 or C100 or RED or Alexa have at least 3 in the camera dept not including the DP....when the crew cost is 100,000+ per day, telling me that AF missed my best take, is not an option...not snobbery or being pedantic....simply what is economically involved on some shoots compared to others...shooting corporate videos or documentaries or weddings are no less professional as people still get paid....perhaps the biggest difference is that now you're working with a crew of possibly 2 or 3 people (in the case of a documentary I may be short)...you control the edit and if AF misses in a few shots, you're not going to use everything you shot anyway...so a few misses can be worked with...to shoot a 30 second commercial with say half the day on a sound stage and 2 other locations, takes between 3 to 4 prep days...a shoot day between 12 to 16 hours (not flat!) and a wrap day....so...the AC needs a focus puller....the director wants his stuff in focus and the producer does not try to save $350 on the shoot day because it's ridiculous...the one scenario is no more or less professional than the other...what is different are the scales of economy...and of course there is one important factor not being mentioned so far (maybe I missed it)...as with all artistic positions nothing is cooky cutter...and pulling focus and developing a rhythm that works for the scene and making decisions as to when to blur the image, when to rack and when to stay sharp throughout the shot happens in real time...decisions being made between the DP, director and camera department...something AF simply can't do...and make no mistake...pulling good focus is a difficult job at the level of narrative...it requires an instinct for the speed the actors move through their marks and how you follow them on the follow focus and excellent eyesight...it is a precise and demanding job....especially shooting in unforgiving resolution...and lastly....if we're shooting in 24p, because that is the frame rate we are accustomed to in movie theatres...the motion blur we want to see, and yet we use AF which is always obvious to the eye...why not just shoot in 60p as it handles movement better and gives you more than twice the frames per second...so much better image...EXCEPT we want our stuff to look like what we saw in movie theatres when we were kids!...well, to some, the same applies with AF/MF...it's a question of creative choices, economic choices and finally practical choices (the delivery of the final product to client)...neither is superior to the other and nor are they replaceable....the one works where the other would not and vice versa.

Yes...A friend's brother bought the GH5 in Germany as a kit with the 12-60 which came in at around 600 where I paid 1000 for mine...in the US where my GH5 is from. no kits are offered...having seen your film on Peru though, these were made for you!

Yes...I never use my GHx cameras without a robust HDMI clamp...one of the ways of turning the camera into a more pro version of itself... Still waiting for the Lockcircle to release so I get an idea of the price....it ships with it's own hdmi clamp that brings the cable out oriented towards the back of the cam instead of the side...a bit better for shoulder mount I suppose

If the 8-18 looks anything like the 12-60 you will not be disappointed...no mistaking that it's made by Leica both image and build quality wise...how light it is for a metal lens (at least on the 12-60) will surprise...not sure whether that's possible in such a wide zoom...but the idea of a zoom of this optical quality at 8mm on the wide end for 1100 is enticing...as you already shoot M4/3 this is an amazing price...a company called Laowa makes a 7.5 f2.0 prime....not a bad looking lens, but still 500...for another 600 this lens gives you a nice range and in Leica glass! Edit: specs say 8-18 is 315 grams....the 12-60 is 320 grams P

Have you used Cartoni?...it's all the local lighting gear supply guy carry where I live, here me leaning in that direction...

That's curious...I have a Miller D20 head and it works flawlessly....I'm not on Miller legs though... and at around 19lbs with a big lens which starts to push the 22lb limit...there's some flex in the head just above where the head goes into the bowl, but for how I shoot it's not noticable at all...I did decide that if I ever got the Varicam LT though, I'd have to add a Crtoni with 100mm bowl...fully rigged with heavy glass it could easily get to the 25 lb+ level...my VCT-14 plate alone weighs 2lbs...

Adapter or legs? I find the give is in the head....I could squeak by with the Varicam LT rigged lightly....don't move the camera a lot...but definitely at the end of the stretch

You and I both just brought it up...it's the whole reason in my mind for having a zoom...I never zoom while shooting....that would be a dolly or a slider for me....but the freedom of that lens on your camera...

Agreed...I actually much prefer the look of a handheld heavy camera over a gimbal...or of course a skilled steady cam operator...when I fantasize about the LT, I think more about the rest....the support gear...like my 22lb Miller head on a 75 mm bowl will probably not cut it??....so in addition to the 20,000 ++ Varicam package I'd have to also factor in a $5000 Cartoni or something...but what a joy this camera would be....and everyone says if you get the Panny sliding shoulder pad, the camera balances so well that you can practically let go of it???ahhh....desire will be the death of me!

Yes...but I found a couple of choices misleading...like when she comes into her house and hangs out in the semidark...I thought at first as the result of the loss of her daughter, but later you learn it's still in the future....felt like a cheap shot for me as a directorial choice....and yet his interpretation of the environment the aliens inhabited I loved!...anyway...easy for me to Monday quarterback!...all in all the film worked well for me, except the overall physical darkness...

I know!...lots of talk about the new mystery camera....but the LT is what I really want....IMO simply nothing to touch this exept the F35.... which was over a $200,000 more than in 2008 and shoots in 1080P only....but this dual ISO feature is saving producers a lot of money as the Varicams are being used more and DP's love it....but the color and the image!...it's all there!...even the LTis a brute in size though....you hit the 20lb mark with it pretty quickly!