sgreszcz

Actually, that is a good question... I've always preferred the Olympus colours and look over Panasonic, and I started shooting video with my original E-M5. I think I switched away from the E-M5ii for a couple of reasons: the GX80 came out with IBIS and dual-IS with improved colour and 4k in a small body with a tilt LCD which I prefer over the flip-out ones. Come to think of it (which I really haven't before you mentioned it), I probably could shoot with a E-M1ii (a-cam) and E-M10iii (b-cam) combo to get the better IBIS, 4k and the killer dual-IS with the 12-100/f4 for events (as well as better EVF than the GX80). I guess I was lured by the GH5 2.0 firmware update, 4k/60 as well as 1080p/180, and 1.4 4k ETC zoom. I mostly have Lumix lenses now which work better with the Panasonic bodies for IS (especially the long 100-400 zoom). I don't think that the E-M1ii is much less expensive than the GH-5 with PL12-60 after I trade in one of my GX80. I've already sold my two Panasonic 2.8 zooms so I hope that the ETC mode on the GH5 can help me rely on the one main 12-60 zoom and less primes too. Other than the Olympus look and the better IBIS, any other reasons to go with the E-M1ii over the GH5? Just curious if anyone has any experience as I've not seen much recently about the E-M1ii.

For the Tiffen, do you just use that filter and no ND? I think I'm going to experiment with no ND and motion blur in post processing... According to the Dave Dugdale test, the Shure is better in build quality and RF shielding than the original Rode VideoMicPro and better at off-axis (side) sound isolation. However, the overall sound quality was better on the Rode. Always the best to get a mic as close as possible and sync even if you have to hide it somewhere. Doesn't help with people moving around though. Yes, sync is a pain. I haven't figured out a good workflow or habit for run-and-gun that makes it easy to remember to start/stop record on the Shure or to deal with the hassle of one long audio track on the Shure and syncing with multiple little video clips. I did use the Rode VideoMicro when I had my Olympus OM-D EM-5ii (with not so great input preamps) and it worked better than the built-in mics with excellent wind muff. I'll try to bribe my son to sit in and model for me tonight to test my audio. I'm actually pretty rubbish at audio (especially post-processing) but it is something I want to improve in. Here is a BTS from a Rode Reel short I did showing my minimal audio setup from when I had the Olympus (I still can't believe how great the IBIS in that camera was!). I also plan on doing a colour swatch / skintone comparison with my lens collection and GH5 (when it arrives). Man, that really sucks. I think the only reason I got a couple of mics from the first batch is that I had a couple of projects planned and they wanted me to try them out. The original firmware was flaky (bluetooth connect), but after upgrading them they work much better. I've supported a few video/photo kickstarters myself (PeakDesign - excellent, Instamic, Breakthrough NDs - great, Rolocam - haven't used it, SteadXP - refunded, PlexiDrone - refunded, Aetho gimabl - refunded, several documentaries) but have been lucky with most having shipped and being useful to me. I try to keep my gear as minimal as possible, which is why I love micro4/3 and cameras like the GX80. The Instamic is just so good for getting better (but not the best) audio quickly and unobtrusively.

Also check out something like speed scriber if you are in a Mac as it uses AI voice recognition to transcribe to text with markers. It can also import into most NLE and with FCPX you can search for words and find the clips when the people said those words. Also you can export to PDF or SRT for subtitles. the latest FCPX grill podcast talks with the guy who made speed scriber.

Hey @jase, First of all, I really liked the wedding video, and I actually like it a bit more raw than some of the overproduced wedding videos that I see. Yes, you can see the judder in the beginning, but I don't think it takes away from the images. I had the same problem with the IBIS during my documentary when I tried some pans and camera movement (see the shot of the costumes in the museum) or when someone might have bumped me. Overall though the GX80 IBIS really helped me be able to move fast, and unobtrusively compared to having to use a monopod or tripod. For shorter static shots you probably cannot tell that it was handheld. I like the look of your movie too. Was that due to a filter that you are using or done in post? As for the audio and microphones - I think you are in Europe. I own the Shure VP83F (I got it second hand) so if you want to try it out PM me and I can see if I can loan it to you. Since I mostly have had cameras without audio input (LX100, GX7, Olympus, GX80) I decided to get this one with built-in recorder. The microphone works well and is very sensitive it picks up great ambient sound. I have had troubles with wind noise as the deadcat I have isn't the greatest, but the low-pass filter helps a bit with that. The mic has a shockmount and which isolates it quite well from the camera body. Dave Dougdale did a comparison with the Shure VP83 (the one without the recorder): I my last documentary, I used a combination of the Shure VP83f, the Rode SmartLav+ and Tascam DR-10, the Instamic Pro, and a Sony ICD-SX1000 hand recorder (small and way better than a Zoom H1, but unfortunately discontinued). If I had some time, I should put a few clips together from the documentary comparing the raw audio. The Instamic was a bit of a godsend. It doesn't have as good sound as the SmartLav+ but it can be controlled remotely with a mobile phone and can record a safety track at a lower dB (configurable). (The DR-10 also has a safety track but only records in mono). Also it has magnetic attachments so I hid it out of sight on walls, chair legs, overhead lights. The magnet also made it easy for kids and other on-mic talent to put on their own mics. The instamic has a mic muff which helps with the wind. It is a bit uglier than a Lav mic, but I don't think that it was too bad. If I can get my son on-camera I will set up a test comparing the Instamic, my SmartLav+ into my phone, the Shure on-camera, the camera mics, and the Sony hand recorder close but out of camera on the floor. Hi there, I really liked the shots. Was everything there handheld or did you use a gimbal at all? How did you match up both cameras? What profile did you use for both cameras? How do you like the 42.5/1.7? It seems to almost double as a macro lens. I'm really curious about this combination as trading in one of my GX80 and have sold my 12-35 and 35-100 2.8 lenses to upgrade to a GH5. I was thinking of using the 12-60/2.8-4 on the GH5 and the 42.5/1.7 with dual-IS on the GX80.

Thanks @PannySVHS! The interview with my Grandpa was the first edited video that I did and when I shot it, I did use two EP-5 (which I loved at the time due to the tilting EVF-4). However, I found out about the Rode Reel competition and realised I needed to do a behind the scenes and by then had already sold the Olympus cameras for the Pannys so needed some creative B-roll for the BTS. It takes a sharp eye and a camera nerd from this forum to pick up the continuity errors I did a longer 10-minute doc on my Grandpa's life which screened at his 100th birthday in front of 200 people, and unfortunately his funeral at 101 this past spring in front of about the same amount of people. I'm also working on a doc of my brother who is preparing for the 2018 Olympics in Skeleton. Still need to do the interview though, although I'm a bit scared to throw him off his game by going too deep with questions and his 10-year struggle! Maybe a retrospective doc instead... Loved the LX100 (wish the colour was better, would buy a LX200 in a heartbeat with better IBIS). Liked the tilt-EVF on the GX7. Love the GX80, but wish it had a mic-in and a better EVF. Going to sell one of them now (and some lenses) for the GH5. I don't think I'll ever get to the aesthetic quality of the images that I see from people on this forum, but I'm going to do my best to continue to find interesting stories in my community to document. Thanks for the feedback and for all that I've learned from people who post on EOSHD!

Just linking to the post I made in the "shooting" forum of a 9-month documentary project I just completed with 2 GX80. The shooting details, etc. are in that post. Thanks to everyone who freely share information on this site as I probably wouldn't have attempted something like this without EOSHD as a resource!

Hi all, I've been a long-time reader of this blog/forum and wanted to report back on my first paid documentary commission that I just delivered. The project was for a local community outreach project that links in education and culture with Carnival arts (http://www.thenewcarnivalcompany.com/). I spent since last January (on and off) filming 4 schools and community groups as they learned about the theme (70 years of India's independence) and how that learning influenced the making of thier Carnival costumes. The last 3 minutes of the documentary is essentially a music video of the final parade through the town of Ryde, Isle of Wight. I filmed everything with 2 Panasonic GX80 cameras in 4k using primes indoors (mostly native Panasonic lenses with some Voigtlander 17/42.5). For the Carnival itself I used the 12-35 and 35-100 2.8 zooms. Everything was handheld except some of the multicam wides and the interviews. The cameras were great as it was easy to be incognito, film in the historical sites, and the cameras were not intimidating to those I filmed. I shot in standard 0, -5, 0, -5 and only focused on exposure and skintones when colour correcting. The auto WB actually worked very good. The audio was a mix of built-in camera mic, Shure VP83f, Rode SmartLav+/TascamDR10, and Instamics. I also tried to use the http://www.ohrwurmaudio.eu/ binaural microphone to better capture the ambiance of the carnival, but in the end I didn't get around to syncing it or using it. The Instamics (although quite visible in the interviews) were so useful as I could get the kids to put them on themselves and didn't have to worry about touching, and wiring up lavs. Some lessons learned: I had to move really, really fast as it involved kids and the teachers and leaders were busy - it was really run-and-gun. I missed having the audio input as I could have got better ambiance audio without having to sync - syncing is a pain. I wish the GX80 EVF was better as manual focus is hard enough. S-AF on the native lenses was key as I could ensure focus and cut out the hunting. I need to learn more about and practice audio post production and improve my editing. There are some obvious faults (interview eyelines, cluttered backgrounds, slight focus issues, IBIS panning judder, under/overexposure on unmanned b-cam) but overall the client and the organisations that funded the project were very happy with the film. It took me about 70 hours of editing with 15 hours / 700GB (including multicam) of footage.

check Jon's video on the Venus Laowa 7.5mm/f2.0. With ETC you get 7.5mm + 10.5mm-ish and the lens is pocketable. I have the Olympus 9-18 zoom that I use for travel and probably will sell (already sold the Olympus 7-14/2.8). I think I'll just go with the Loawa for Ultra-wide. The 4k ETC mode seems pretty useful, and then you can crop more if outputting to 1080p. This will let me reduce the amount of lenses I have.

Thanks for the feedback on the PL12-60. I'm still going to get it this week with my GH5 as I'm trading in one GX80 and selling my 12-35/2.8 and 35-100/2.8. With the ETC that should get me from 12-90mm which is almost as good as the Olympus. Wish the Olympus/Panasonic cooperated on dual-IS technology or I probably would have bought the Olympus 12-100 for event work. Not sure the Panasonic IBIS is good enough to use with the Olympus.

I've have the 17.5/25/42.5 Voigtlanders (got the set at a good price second hand). I was considering selling them on to replace with the PL12/1.4 and PL42.5/1.2 (as I already have the 15mm and 25mm PL lenses) to keep everything the same plus auto focus. The Voightlanders were not much use for me when I was doing event work (my manual focus skills aren't fast enough and I am using the GX80 which has a limited EVF) but they really came in handy when I was shooting some stuff inside a museum recently - and I like the dreamy look. I'm trying to reduce/consolidate lenses, so maybe I will unload them... although using them and reading posts like your makes it hard to do so...

@AaronChicago what do you do when you use the Tiffen Digital Diffusion outside? Stack them with an ND?

Thanks for this info. I was quoted £260 trade-in value for one of my GX80 from Wex (about the same as selling it on Ebay after commission/paypal). With the trade-in bonus of £200 that makes my GX80 worth £460 which gets me the GH5+Leica 12-60 for £1739 with 5 year warranty. I can likely get about £800-£900 for my P12-35/2.8 and P35-100/2.8 lenses which I will then sell, and keep my other GX80 for b-cam, gimbal and travel duty. Finishing up a long-term event-based documentary and realising how much of a pain sync sound is and how weak the GX80 mics are so looking forward to the GH5. Also having one main camera will be easier than juggling the two GX80s.

I probably should start another thread for this, but how is the syrp? I've had the genus and heliopan variables and they are quite good for colour, but now I just keep things simple with either no nd, or 3/6 stops depending on the light and just go with whatever aperture for the right exposure. I might also experiment with breaking the shutter rule as I know there are some that don't bother with nd or add motion blur in post. Also shooting with the 60 or 180 fps modes in the gh5 there is less need for nd to get close to the 180o shutter. That would be 1/120s or 1/360s shutter to get the same perceived motion blur?

That's what I'm thinking, thanks for the feedback - especially since I remember you weren't keen on the PL12-60 zoom when it was released. I use the breakthrough photography NDs 3/6 stop (sometimes 10 for timelapse) and until now I've been keeping all my lenses under 58mm using step ups and the xume magnetic adaptors to pop on/off filters. With the faster PL12/1.4 and 42.5/1.2 available I've been back and forth about selling my Voigtlander 17.5 and 42.5 lenses and just going with the PL12/1.4 and PL42.5/1.2 for indoor/low light, PL15/1.7 (and maybe 42.5/1.7) for travel and the PL12-60 for events. It might be easier to go all PL and autofocus but when I look at the museum shots I got with the V17.5 in the documentary I'm completing, it is hard to let them go. WEX in the UK has a trade in/up to the GH5 going on so I'm not sure what they'll give me for one of my GX80. I'll keep one gx80 for my bcam to gimbal cam.

Too bad they never really fixed the same on the 35-100/2.8. The only thing that made it better was the IBIS starting with the GX80. Was looking for some feedback on this lens as I'm considering selling a gx80 and my p12-35 and 35-100 lenses for the gh5+Leica 12-60 combo. For events it would make things easier than juggling two gx80 bodies. Downside is that I will need a bigger ND size for the 12-60.

For me the GH5 is more camera than I need, or know how to use - also too big for what I like too. I just would like some features like the 4k/60p, 180fps, and extra ETC options (no need for longer zoom). I only own the two 2.8 zooms and the 15/1.7 and 75/1.8 right now. The others are wishful thinking and only if I sell the Voigtlanders.

Yeah, that's how I use my GX80s. I love my Voigtlanders, but miss the AF-S insurance when I use them. Still really thinking of consolidating my lenses to a few Panasonic primes and a couple of zooms. 12-35/2.8 + 35-100/2.8 for outdoor events 12/1.4 + 42.5/1.2 for low-light/indoors (will keep Olympus 75/1.8 for range) 15/1.7 + 42.5/1.7 for travel.

I'll try to get to it next week. I recorded a bunch of things with the instamic over the Easter weekend. I clipped it to my kids as they ran around with/without the windmuff and planted it in and out of sight around where the action was.

Hey Jase, I'm in the same situation as you. Love the GX80 and it goes everywhere with me and the 15/1.7 mounted. Prefer the tilt screen too. I'm doing a small documentary with a lot of kids in educational settings. The client loves the fact that I just disappear and the kids forget that I'm there. I would love the extra slow motion and Tele-converter features of the GH5, but the tradeoffs in size, extra battery type, etc. are a pain. For sound I've been relying on a lav + small Tascam DR-10 recorder, but I've just received my instamic pro which is great and should make it so easy to quickly clip to someone when needed and record excellent audio without wires, especially kids. There is a unofficial facebook group about the instamic. I haven't had a chance to really test the mic yet, but when I'm on Easter Holiday this weekend, I'll clip it to my kids and see what I can put together.

I agree here. I'm paring the PL15/1.7 with the P42.5/1.7 or O75/1.8 for indoor use and the P2.8 zooms for outdoor day events where I can't really open up past 2.8 with NDs anyway. I also use the Voigtlander 17.5 and 42.5 f/0.95 pair if the venue is really dim and I cannot use lights and I have time for manual focus. Otherwise it is M+AF-S with the auto-focus lenses which I find quite handy to get around the lower-resolution GX80 EVF. (Still debating trading in the Voigtlanders for the PL12/1.4 and PL42.5/1.2 for lower light). The other day I went to shoot some sports and filled a peak design backpack with two GX80, P35-100/2.8, O9-18 wide zoom, PL15/1.7, PL100-400 (that didn't really need), plus audio equipment, chargers, laptop, external drives, tripod, monopod, clothes, etc. Just amazed that all that including two decent 4k cameras and lenses that can cover 18-800mm (in full frame terms) could fit in a carry on. Despite the siren songs from Sony or Fuji, the small bodies, lenses, and IBIS are what keep me with micro 4/3. Also, using 4k cropping or the 1080p ETC modes, you can get away with a much lesser zoom. I didn't need the 100-400 as I could rely on the 35-100 to get me to 200mm @ f/2.8.

Thanks for pointing out this review. I cancelled my GH5+PL12-60 preorder earlier when you were suggesting to wait for the lens reviews. I hope that the PL 8-18 zoom turns out better as a potential replacement for my Olympus 9-18 zoom that I travel with when I want standard filters and don't want to pack my Olympus 7-14/2.8. I still have the two Panasonic 2.8 zooms which are really handy for events and use 58mm filters (which I've standardised upon). They produce a nice image, the dual-IS with those lenses is pretty good for video, and they are jacket pocketable when mounted on my GX80s. Does anyone know of any reviews or comparisons between the old and new versions of the Panasonic 2.8 zooms?

I'm shooting a documentary right now with 2 GX80 (mostly school-type events), and other than the EVF being difficult to focus with and no punch-in magnification during recording, they are great, small, unobtrusive tools and I like the image quality. The clients and teachers have commented on how they forget that I'm there most of the time and I can fit an entire mobile recording studio including two tripods, a monopod and audio stuff in a backpack with lots of room to spare. The Olympus does have better IBIS, but the GX80 is pretty good too unless you are using a wide lens (distortion wobble) or move jerkily. I switch between the Voigtlander 17.5/42.5 combo, the PL15/1.7 + Olympus 75.1.8, or the Panasonic 2.8 zooms depending on how much space I have, light, or how fast things are moving. I've been really considering replacing the Voigtlanders with the PL12/1.4 and PL42.5/1.2 as it is so much easier to ensure focus with the back button... but then I look at the images.

100% agree, my favourite lens right now (above my previous favourite pl25/1.4). The size, field of view, rendering, aperture dial, autofocus and manual focus control is fantastic. It is always on one of my gx80s.

I did think about it, sorry my question wasn't clear. I recorded separate sound in realtime with the binaural mics and I want to play with the speed of the sleds since I shot at 50fps and they go by so fast. The ambient sound is cool, so I'll google for any examples where people have tied in the audio while altering the video playback timing. I'm way off topic, sorry. On topic: After using my gx80 and dualIS for almost a year now I still think that my former E-M5ii was more solid and less wobbly in the Stabilisation department...

I just bought the ohrwurm and walked around with them and the little dead cats on my ears shooting bobsled and skeleton this past weekend. I was using my gx80 which doesn't have mic in so I need to sync. Despite looking like an idiot, the sound is really amazing and quite spooky when listening with headphones on. I listened to the audio of some of the bobsleds rumbling by and it sounds quite good except on day 1 I stupidly left the limiter on the Sony recorder (which is awesome, and much smaller than the zoom h1 - too bad it has been discontinued!). I'll put something together if I can. Offtopic but any tips on how to manage audio with slowing down and playing with the speed of 50fps video?