Jimbo

No problem, Stab. You're right, definitely too loud at +20db for some circumstances, and with the GH3 at 1 stripe you've got no where to go. But for recording people talking it's great at +20db, and the VP83 really surprises me sometimes with the distance at which it picks up voices clearly. If I'm filming louder sounds then I switch to 0db and tweak the GH3 levels accordingly. It's a fantastic shotgun mic, for me better in every way than the Rode VMP (except the forehead rubby thing ;-)). I'm thinking of upgrading my GH3 to a GH4 and wondering of the larger eyecup would circumvent that problem. But for now the hotshoe extender is working great and I find it easier to find and keep balance on my Glidecam as the Shure is on the left and counterbalances the battery.

Hi Stab, I use the VP83 on a GH3. I keep the GH3 mic volume low and feed it the 0 or +20 signal depending on what I'm recording. Great combo.

I LOVE my Shure VP83. I was never happy with the Rode VMP audio quality (maybe I had a dud?) so sold it for the Shure. The audio is so much better, so much cleaner. Also the Shure only needs a single AA battery and the build quality makes the Rode seem toy-like. The only negative I found with the Shure is when it's on my GH3s hotshoe the back would stick into my forehead a bit when I look through the viewfinder. Annoying but so happy with the audio I just bought a Rycote hotshoe extender so it's off to one side.

I am always researching long and hard to see what equipment might improve my enjoyment of filming and the quality of my product (wedding films). I take my time over decisions as there is new gear coming out every month =) As I am running a business, whenever I get excited by new gear I ask myself the following questions: – Will it make my work flow more efficient and therefore save me time/money? – When will I see a return on my investment? – Will my clients notice the difference in quality, and therefore is it likely to secure me more/better jobs? Last year I filmed nearly 20 weddings with a GH3, GX7 and GH2. Unfortunately after 3 years my GH2 has died so I am in the market for a replacement as I find 3 cameras essential for certain parts of the day. I could get a GH4 as my new main camera, another GX7, the rumoured EM5 MkII for IBIS if Olympus can finally deliver a great 1080p codec, or I've even thought I could go for the Canon C100 MkII (partly so I could finally see for myself why so many people fuss over Canon!). From a technical perspective I'm not sure the speedbooster + sigma will improve your image quality much, unless of course you find yourself needing to use high ISOs in the studio and therefore the speedbooster + sigma at f/1.2 would help. Ultimately I would try and make the decision based on your business goals. You might decide your clients are happy with what you produce now and you can invest the money differently! Hope that helps =)

Good job, Fuji! Thanks for the low-down on the updates, Andrew. Tee hee, 'naughty button'. It will be very interesting to see what Fuji's next wave of hardware brings to the videography table. Like Olympus cameras with IBIS and EVF, these Fujis with all those handy dials and EVF make them potentially very useful tools. Both companies seem to be one step away from bringing valid alternatives to the 1080p game (with wicked stills to boot). I have my fingers crossed the rumoured Olympus EM5 Mark 2 delivers solid 1080p at 25p.

The Canon C100 Mark 2 is a highly user-friendly camera that's solid on all fronts with an apparently lovely image straight out of the box. That's its real attraction. But this review... and the GH4 one. Jeez louise. He lost all my confidence at "This [GH4] fails in every way except shooting bark on trees". Well, for $5500 I can buy me a whole lot of beautiful bark-shooting action!

Like most I would guess: - A is raw - B is video Mainly because of perceived detail and what appears to be CA in B. Unless video mode is sharpening and correcting the CA... hmm tricksy!

I'm in the same camp as Inazuma – I can't believe the GH4 can't match the GX7 at ISO 3200? My GH2 and GH3 produce dirty noise at 3200 (it's coloured), but the GX7 doesn't (in a custom standard profile, NR normally at 0). Is the GH4 worse in a particular profile or something? I sometimes wonder whether people are a little too adverse to noise – like every shot needs to be perfectly glossy clean or it's unusable? I never think the cinematographer is bad when I see noise in a film =)

I second the Heliopans! No discernable loss in sharpness and no colour shift. I had the Lightcraft Workshop ones before. They're... okay, but the Heliopans are worth every penny. I film weddings so need them on/off very quickly and also cannot recommend the Xume magnetic adapters enough too if you require speed. Although go for a larger ND and use step up rings to avoid vignetting. Cheers, James

Really useful to hear your experience, fuzzy. Thanks!

I agree, really freeing! I know the movements are small but love this video as a demo:

Good to hear your thoughts on this one, Andrew. I have been excited by this camera as a potential video tool ever since seeing your review on it. I film weddings for a living and that IBIS... wow, so many occasions over the last few years when I would have got better shots more quickly with that. A little fedup of the rigs and z-finders and plates... handheld would be so much more fun and unobtrusive when I'm not mounted on sticks. I don't believe 4K is possible either, but the rapidly turning mill makes me excited that 24/25p and a codec (that might deliver an image akin to what the GH3 does...) might be probable. Thanks for all your great work on the site.