Derek Weston

Question: does the a7r II have variable frame rate -- as in: below 24fps -- like the GH4 did? Also: has anyone seen the limit for exposure time where shutterless exposure is concerned? (electronic shutter) I'd love to see it up near 30 seconds for night shooting. Also II: any chance at that we get lossless compressed raw? It really bugs me that the 11bit raw is lossy.

Two questions: - Can you take photos in video mode without having to restart the video? - Is there any reason to think this video is any different than what is offered in the d810?

Interesting... so essentially this just means we won't be downscaling the image.

Very interesting. I may splurge for this if their in camera stabilization works extremely well on 4k too.

This. It's an absolute beast of a camera and I enjoy it quite a bit more than the gh4 as an all around tool. (note that I'm still a pretty heavy stills guy) I mean, if you were going equal on stills and video... this would have to be right near, if not at the top of the list.

Beats not having those features. Definitely trying to grab some of the dslr video market. Using a product that was engineered for stills first, though. Is what it is.

This. Lens lineup is a big drawback for sony right now. You can use an adapter, but that's a compromised solution. Light weight with the Sony is a plus and minus depending on usage. Outside of medium format sensors, the Nikon offering is the out there for static type shooting where detail and dynamic range are at a premium. You can practically shoot one shot HDR with the d800... I've processed thousands of files. Used to be with Canon. D800 easily wins here.

D800 video can look awesome. Engineering effort was definitely a photo first effort though. Same here. Maybe in the future they'll make a video focused product. This is only marketing we're reading.

Destroys 5D Mark III DR wise and 36mp flat out kills. At least for static type shooting... I shoot landscapes and easily the best tool in its price range. If you're into people photography moreso, run and gun, then I see the 5D Mark III being more competition. (but no way I'm going back from 36mp... much more flexible files for post processing)

Killer stills camera, but at 36mp it's sort of a lost cause for high end video.

It won't have that DR unless the video is raw. It'll be really good though, it seems.

Hey, this is pretty significant. I haven't seen anything that touches this ability to pull shadows and adjust highlights. The work flow will be a little funky... but this is a big deal.

Dynamic range with 10bit pro-res data (via external recording) ought to be just about even with blackmagic pro-res.

Just ordered a 8-16mm Sigma to work with my metabones adapter. Will review.

So I've decided I need a cage or something to simply add weight to help balance it out -- to kill micro-jitters. My fullframe body/lens doesn't have this sort of jitter and I'm fairly certain the reason why is mass and weight. With that said. . . any good recommendations on a good handheld cage for under 200 dollars? I figure one of the GH3 offerings would do fine. . . I've just now started researching, though. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Those look awesome, but, man, not cheap. Wonder if a cheap gyro exists.

Interesting. Having a hard time visualizing how you see the bungie cord working, though.

Hi. I am having trouble getting good stable shots in car (and handheld in general) with the GH4. I've been shooting 4k 24P widescreen mode. (want as wide an image as I can get) Would going to 30p make a noticeable difference? My lens is the 12-35 2.8 . . . has stabilization, but am not that impressed by its stabilizing capabilities. Is there any reason to think the 14-140 3.5-5.6 may have better stabilization? I think it's basically a combo of the camera being physically rather small and lightweight, and the rolling shutter at 4k. Is there a very small easy to use tool that would greatly help my situation? Weight it down and dampen movements? Shoulder harness is too big and bulky for my situation. FWIW, I feel its easier to get steady footage with my D800 24-120 VR combo, if that's a useful frame of reference. (some combination of better weight, less rolling shutter, and or better vibration reduction)

Did you test maximum exposure time for an electronic shutter still? It was 1 second with the gh3. To have long exposure possible electronically would be a big deal for timelapse people. I've asked a few places and it seems nobody has looked into this yet. Thanks.

Arrrghh. Sad pirate. Really wish this was available A) now and B ) had a really good external recorder available. (also now)

Could be a beast. Biggest worry is jello lens. Really like the fact that it's a full frame sensor... matches my nikon lens lineup. Agree that the quality could be hard to beat.

No internal 4k is pretty much a deal breaker for me. (especially with needing something ready-to-go in my hands by May) Wonder if there are any other bit rate options. Still could be very good.

Having downloaded and watched file. . . To me the noise grain looks a little better on 5D III past 3200... but it's not significant and I like the GH4 image better overall. If this is 5D raw, then I'm quite impressed. We're comparing raw to compressed. Remember that we (should) see an appreciable improvement yet on the GH4 image once we're looking at 4k 10bit output. Dynamic range and noise should surely improve. We lose something in compression. (though I'm still loving the image) Also. . . While the base DR on the sensor for the GH4 is better than the 5D III (per dxomark if you look at gh3 vs 5D III) it should definitely start losing that battle once you get above iso 400. That's when canon -- even pitted against Nikon, low ISO DR kings among still cameras -- really shines. In general that's where full frame cameras leave behind lesser sensors. (crops and 4:3 etc) So that it does this well at all is impressive.

With a comparison like this you can't count on the in camera ISOs behave the same way. You have to go for same exposure, not same settings. Had the same issue when comparing canon to nikon in video iso test.

Cool. I expected this to be the case. I know this from working with 36mp files from my D800. Down rezzed they clean up very well at high isos. That's the whole reason I moved to 36mp full frame -- resolution kills, period. I figured the same would be true for video, and it is.