Jimbo

Hi Neumann, Thanks for sharing your experience with the X5. It would be fantastic if you have some examples of the poor motion blur of the X5. I currently use a Glidecam and GH4 for my work and there is massive appeal to the X5 + Osmo combo due to speed of set up, ease of use (controlled tilts especially) and size. However, that appeal would diminish if the image doesn't cut it. The X5R would produce too large files for my type of work. I would also love to know the following about the X5: - Can it shoot 1080p at 25fps? - Is there a maximum recording limit? - Are there colour profile options? - How easy is it to configure for a longer lens (say a light Panasonic 20mm or 42.5mm) and switch between lens configs? - And yes, most of all... lowlight... I'd only be interested in buying it if it could keep pace with the GH4 - Oh... and how long does the battery last!? =) Thanks in advance for any information you can share on this.

You're not wrong! Although I think these are the best pistol grip gimbal shots I have seen. It's a neatly small device too and I imagine very quick to setup with the officially supported lenses.

My god. There's a hefty price tag for both grip and X5 for sure, but 13 stops m43 sensor with 1080p at 60fps... wow. I was never convinced with, what seemed to me, the robotic movement of the nebula but this looks smoother and will undoubtedly be faster to set up. Would be a nice combo with my Leica 15mm.

Great work, Ricardo! Thanks for sharing. You have skills

Wow, a special look for sure. HD resolution looks very good to me, I don't think it's a problem with HD being the ceiling. DR looks impressive too. As mentioned previously, there is something going on in the red channel, too much in the mids? I always noticed some black flashes in the sky at 25 seconds but guess you are aware of those. I think medium format definitely has its place, especially with the unique looks possible at the wide end.

Brutally poetic and funny, Andrew! I'm not sure my brain can take this heady mix of useful information and art! I know your passion and strong views aren't to everyone's taste, but I love this unique place you have created more each week. Thanks =)

You've got those moves down to a fine art there @fuzzynormal! Have been very close to buying this camera several times as I could shed about 3 items of support gear when filming weddings. I just can't quite sign off on the image quality. Looking forward to Oly's evolution, but for now I guess I'll stick to my trusty old Glidecam HD1000 and GH4.

Thanks for the awesome information as always, Andrew. I do wholeheartedly disagree that the GH5 needs to be Super 35, though. Panasonic should stick to their guns and their strengths of a small hybrid with incredible video controls, features (like anamorphic mode that nobody else currently offers) and reliability. The smaller sensor and its better heat dissipation allows best-in-class battery life and limitless recording time which are paramount features for someone who uses the GH4 for their business like me. The GH line has matured beautifully over the years and I don't think "bigger is better" on the sensor front. I would say a Super 35 sensor (or m43 sensor with 8 or 12mp) would make sense in an AF100 successor though. Don't get me wrong, I'd love better lowlight capability and more DOF options in my GH camera, but not at the sacrifice of the aforementioned positives. This new Sony is a beast, no doubt, but it's probably still going to be quirky in places. However, I'm really watching Sony's progress with interest because on this trajectory the A7s II will probably be impossible to resist adding to the arsenal.

The field of view argument makes no sense to me. If I want the field of view a 24mm lens offers me on my 36×24 mm sensor, then I just use a 12mm lens on my 18 mm × 13.5 mm sensor. Done. The main benefits are that it is easier to obtain a shallower depth of field and the pixel size is general larger so the cameras are better in lowlight. I am a bit confused why Panasonic & co haven't released an 8mp or 12mp sensor yet to negate the lowlight advantage, but my guess is that all investment goes into making the very best single 16mp sensor each cycle that can be used across their entire range of hybrid cameras. Personally, getting back to OP, I would hang on to your money for now. The GH3 produces a beautiful image and Panasonic have made a camera that handles well in video mode. I would wait to see what the A7s II and Panasonic's next offering bring (and what lenses come in the next year) to see where both companies are heading longer term. Otherwise you'll be selling your lens collection each time you want the "better" camera, losing money and more importantly losing focus on making films =)

​Apparently already here, and with accurate stops! (woop!): http://metabones.com/products/details/MB_SPNFG-m43-BM2

Genius.

I hope he's enjoying a well deserved break from us demanding cretins =)

Nice images for sure =) Alas the 17-55mm cannot take advantage of the face detection, and apparently not very good focus ring =(

From what I have read from multiple sources the 40mm STM and this new 50mm STM do not enable face-detection AF on the C-line cameras. A real pity =( I'm currently invested in the m43 system for my business but have been researching the C100 Mark 2 for a potential new A Cam. It looks like a fantastic machine. However... the one thing that I currently see as a weakness for the Canon C-line cameras is... the lenses. I know you must think I'm crazy, people are always singing the praises over Canon's incredible lens line up, but I just don't see it for their Super 35mm sensors. I either have to buy very expensive L lenses that have focal lengths and image circles designed for full frame, or sharp EF-S lenses that have plastic build quality, un-cinema-friendly zoom/focus rings and very uninspiring aperture ranges. If I spend £4000 on a camera, I want an awesome standard zoom lens that uses all the features the camera is offering. I want f/2.8 throughout the range (so I can gain the advantage of the Super 35mm sensor!), I want 24mm full-frame equivalent at the wide end, I want a beautifully smooth zoom and focus ring so I can operate old school, and I also want OIS and all those sexy AF options at my fingertips so I can nail more shots on the fly. Maybe I want too much? =) Anyway, I love the image I can get from my GH4, and I love my Olympus 12-40mm lens. It's a real swiss army knife of a lens with its clutched hard-stopped focus ring, great zoom ring, constant f/2.8 and that wonderfully handy minimum focus distance, and the whole package weather-sealed. Okay, no OIS, but it does everything else perfectly and no problem sticking it on my small Glidecam HD1000 for stabilised shots. Anyway, sorry to jump on your thread Ebrahim. I do like your posts, I just worry you are too deeply in love with Canon sometimes and she blinds you with marketing ;-) Canon still have some work to do before they get my hard-earned money. Strangely at the moment it's the lenses that are the biggest sticking point for me.

I hear Peter Jackson is re-shooting the Hobbit with this new fancy LFR technology. Because he can.

Great little article, Andrew. Less is more, and your concise writing reflected your subject. Nice. For some reason I'm desperate not to mention any particular camera in this reply, but we kind of have all the specs we need in modern cameras. Just need to find the one that fits us now. Your writing has been stronger as of late from a flow / page-turning perspective btw. Nice work!

I think Panasonic are safe to boost the GH4 firmware without affecting sales of a rumoured AF200. My hunch is that they will release a firmware update with v-log etc. alongside the announcement of the AF200 so that the GH4 becomes the perfect B Cam for the AF200 with matching colour profiles. Maybe a hunch, maybe a hope ;-)

This is great, thanks for sharing. I would also be interested in some more details on your setup, particularly your rigging for the hand held work. Did you use the Nocticron's OIS? How did you find it?

​Me too! I'd be happy, and would promise not to contribute to wishlists ever again, okay, well at LEAST for 12 months. But seriously, I'm very tempted by the C100 Mark 2 as an all-in-one 1080p machine for the next 3 years, but I'm loath to buy into the Canon system due to their "just enough" approach. Come on Panasonic, you can do it. I'm hoping it's just slightly more compact than the AF100, and looks less like a shoebox with a toilet roll coming out the back. ​I agree, if they nail the ergonomics and it delivers beautiful images out of the box then they will have a winner on their hands. If designed right and priced right it could cover the C100 and C300 market segments like the FS7.

​I too am very tempted to add the Mark II to my bag for wedding work. Monopods and Zacuto rigs are great for the slower parts of the day, but I can think of so many occasions over the last few years when having the EM5 at hand rig free would have allowed be to get better shots more quickly, or get some shots I couldn't before. It would be worth the hit on DR, resolution and moire. Would love to hear how you get on with it for your wedding.

​I would be really interested in your thoughts on the Canon cameras after your 2nd shoot and when you've edited some of the footage. I currently use Panasonic cameras (GH3 and GX7 at the moment) to film weddings with most of my money invested in glass and support gear. I love them, for their discreet size and image quality for the money, and they've never let me down in over 50 weddings. However, I have been tempted by the new Canon C100 Mark II as it just does everything, including incredible lowlight which is the one thing I have to very careful of. Would be great to hear your thoughts after using them in anger and seeing the results. But yes... damned expensive.

Very interesting article, thanks Andrew! One question I had after reading it – is the EVF really not very good on the C300? In what order would you rate the C300, GH4, E-M1 and NX1 EVFs? ...$10 top handle, that video slayed me.

I think Canon know exactly what they are doing, unfortunately for all of us who'd like them to be more innovative. They have the most complete stills system, and the most complete video system, albeit over the last 3 years these systems have become separate bodies that share the same lens set. But how many times have you read a post where they say: "I would have changed system, but I'm heavily invested in L glass". The poster could sell the glass and not lose much money, but lenses are an emotional thing for us video and stills makers, they work like our eyes and capture what we see. And with the turbulence of the DSLR/DSLM video market over the last 5 years how many people are going to brave a decision that will see them lose money and take a hit emotionally, when just around the corner the camera they've been waiting for might be delivered. So yes, Canon are playing the game well, and have been spending their brand capital heavily to keep the competition at bay, and this is the year for them to make their move or lose a dangerous amount of ground in the £1-2K market. We all know that Panasonic and Sony currently have the best all round cameras in our price/size bracket, and as much as we all love using vintage glass etc., what we really want is a mature complete system like Canon have. Sensitivity, DR, Colour, usability, and... lenses. Lenses designed for our favourite system. With respect to the "Rebel" buyers, it only takes a critical mass of people to blow their friends away by showing them what their Olympus or Panasonic can do for Canon to start losing their critical "lead in" market. So for god's sake, show your friends, and keep the market competitive. It's going to be a very interesting year. We should be excited not angry. I don't think they will, but if Canon rest on their laurels then so be it, because we don't really need them any more.

I'm really impressed with Olympus's effort here. To my eyes the video quality (detail and colour) is somewhere between the GH2 and GH3 which is good. Add IBIS and it makes it an incredible tool for the box, one I hope to add this year. Like many the idea of zero rig is just so liberating and appealing creatively. John's video looks superb. The taxi video just has me a little worried because of the colours under tungsten/fluorescent light. They turn me off a bit so looking forward to more examples over the coming weeks.

GH3/GH4 quality 1080p @ 25fps in an Olympus body with that EVF and IBIS and I'm sold. Would be an incredibly useful little tool to have in the box! Fingers crossed for mic input.