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Matt, those look really nice... almost analog, with a cool indie vibe. A few months ago, I believe you posted a topic about going back to a hacked GH2 and to be honest I thought it was kinda crazy but the GH2 was never really on my radar, it was too expensive for me when I bought my first camera back in 2012, so I went with the t2i instead. But after watching your videos and others, I understand the temptation, the hacked GH1/GH2 does have a mojo that seems to be missing from more modern cameras. I wouldn't trade my 5D3 for one, but I think it's definitely a camera I may want to have in my tool box, for certain projects. I lost two auctions yesterday on a mint, hacked GH1 and a GH2. The GH1 went for $110. I'm still kicking myself that I didn't up my maximum bid to $125 or $150. Was the GH3 better than the hacked GH2?

Yeah, I get the mentality behind why Panasonic wouldn't release such a camera, however I doubt hardware/software limitations are that reason. So that leaves that Panasonic believes they would lose GH5 sales... but would they really? Most people, even most of the high end enthusiasts and low level pros, on this site, will spend the extra cash for the 10bit 4K, but I would assume there is enough of the market that will not. I'd happily spend +/- $1200 for quality 1080p, up to 60p, in 10bit, but I won't spend the extra $800 for the GH5. At that point I may as well save up a little more cash and get a 1DC or wait to see what Sony does with full frame. Panasonic disrupted the entire market by offering 10bit 4K, with all of these features, at a 2000 dollar price point. Now obviously they didn't do that out of the kindness of their hearts, they did it to have a competing, in camera, Log profile that didn't suffer from horrific artifacts. It was either no Log, really bad Log, or a 10bit codec... they chose the latter. Since Panasonic decided to offer so much for so little with the GH5, I don't think it is that unreasonable to WISH they offered higher quality 1080p at a cheaper price point. Obviously Panasonic went all in with 4K to help sell their 4K TVs, especially since they don't sell one interchangeable camera that doesn't have 4K. But they have 3-4 cameras in their line up between $500 and $1000 with questionable 1080p and okay 4K. After $1000, there is a huge market gap before the GH5. How should they fill that gap? Since it's unlikely they'll ever offer a 1080p only camera at this point, the next logical step would be to combine the 100mbps 8bit 4K from the G85 with the 10bit all-i 200mbps 1080p from the GH5. As far as beating a dead horse... every other thread in this forum beats a dead horse, so I don't believe discussing a hypothetical 1080p camera in a 4K vs 1080p discussion is all that ridiculous.

This topic gets brought up every once in a while but as I try to decide upon a camera to mess around with in between shooting days, I have found I really like a lot of the old videos I've been seeing from the GH1/GH2 hacks. With those cameras selling for peanuts now on the used market, I thought I may pick one up. So, after researching the hacks, it became a back and forth maze of personal view with so many discussions of different patches and possible updates that it became difficult to realize what was the final verdict, since I assume nobody is working on them any longer? So, if someone in the know could shed some light, I'd be very grateful. I have a couple questions I was hoping somebody here may know the answer to... 1. Did the GH1 mjpeg hack ever get 24p? And is it true the mjpeg is 4:22 on the GH1 but only 4:20 on the GH2? 2. With the GH2, which patch is the best and what settings or features do you guys find to be the most beneficial? Is avchd better than mjpeg on the GH2? Thanks in advance.

That reply could be its own post. Maybe these newer cameras just need some catching up to do and in 5 years I'll be saying why do the videos from the GH4/GH5 look so much better than the videos from the GH8/GH9... I don't think so but maybe. There was definitely some mojo with those sensors and hacks and so much time worked to figure out the best settings and configurations.

@kidzrevil the LX100 has some cool mojo. Seb Farges even has some anamorphic videos with it. You're right though. I don't understand why they don't release a $1200 1080p G85 with a lot of the features of the GH5 like 10bit, shutter angle, waveforms, etc... just in 1080p. Hell I'd even take their old mjpeg back. I had an FX150 back in the day and I loved the 720p in mjpeg. I really liked their all-i 200mbps 1080p on the FZ2500 as well, I just don't want to pay 2 grand for it on the GH5 when it will never replace my 5D3 with ML Raw.

Yeah, exactly. I don't know if you can use auto ISO in video mode with the GX80, but if you can, then yes if you want to shoot semi auto. The a6500 has a cool feature that you can use auto ISO and then set a minimum and maximum ISO, but the cool part is... when in this mode you can use exposure compensation in manual mode and it will ride the ISO. With sLog it's important to stay about +1.7 stops because of noise issues. There are a lot of little tricks around for most cameras.

I think I may have watched the same video. If you want to see some cool, surreal video from the GH1... I'm not even sure it's hacked check out this video... and others from him. And then there's Martin Wallgren's videos... he's great too but I love his old GH2 stuff...

Yeah, he was great. I never saw Little Caesar, but that clip was excellent. It's insane the amount of dialogue those classic actors had to memorize before a cut. It really allowed them to get into their character. Nowadays we have prima donnas complaining about line of sight instead of just playing their part.

Yeah all Nikkor lenses are pretty sweet. I recently bought the 35mm 1.4 and it is crazy good with ML Raw... I think I still have the pre ai 50mm f2... I think I have both the scalloped and the later K version. I'll have to give them a try on the 5D3. Right now I am in the middle of shooting a short with EF lenses, but my next project will be all Nikkor lenses, so your shots are a good reminder to be on the lookout for some good deals. I also used to have the 35-70mm f/3.5 and that was a really nice zoom. It would probably be great speedboosted on the G85. And do you have, or did you have, the ai-s 50mm 1.2? I know a lot of people don't like that lens because it's soft wide open, but I love that dreamy look.

It's funny, I spent a good portion of yesterday watching old hacked GH1/GH2 videos and it's amazing how close these manufacturers were to perfect FHD and then just abandoned it for 4K... some of which is still kind of thin and brittle. I agree the downscaling does help to create better 1080p, but I often wonder if that wouldn't be better done in camera like the C100. I'm no tech guru, so I'll leave the intricacies up to others, but I am curious why video from a GH1 looks better, to me, than the video from a modern 4K camera?

Yeah, use shutter priority at 1/50th and then adjust your exposure compensation down a notch or two.

Okay, horses for courses as they say. I'm not a great judge anyway because to be honest, I think I like GH1/GH2 videos better than a lot of the newer stuff I've been seeing, so I just like a different aesthetic than most people on here.

That's a nice setup. I really liked the pre-ai lenses but then when I bought the D5500, I could only use ai-s lenses with it and to be honest I preferred the shorter focus throw of the ai-s lenses. Btw, I did buy one of the 25mm f1.8 Cine Nikkor lenses from a seller in Japan and it had a small blotch of fungus, so I returned it. I think it is still listed on eBay, so just be careful when purchasing it from Japan. I briefly tested it on the GX85 and it has a really nice rendering. One thing to remember with c-mount lenses though... a lot of them have the aperture ring and focus ring switched, with the focus ring closer to the camera... unsure if that would be annoying to you.

Okay, you should have opened with that... LOL. Yeah, the GH5 is the smart choice then with its 10bit 4K. Maybe add on the XLR unit and get a Rode NTG for in camera audio, alongside a wireless set up or some small recorders and lavs. Also, just an idea, if you are interviewing some of the musicians, it could be cool to take the musician outdoors, and have them play something outside... a quick musical interlude could be an interesting, different way to introduce them. Sounds like an awesome project... good luck with it!

Hmm... curious why you chose the GH5? Except for a couple features, there's really nothing the GH5 can do that E-M1 Mark II cannot. And with your background with Olympus, it really seems like a no brainer. Not that the GH5 is a bad camera, but in your case, the GH5 almost seems like it should be a 3rd or 4th choice. Either way, good luck with it and your shoot.

Which pre ai lenses did you get? I have the 50mm f2 and man is that a sharp lens. Btw, Nikon made some Cine Nikkor c-mount lenses you may want to check out. They may give you the best of both worlds and would probably cut nicely with your pre ai lenses.

Welcome and congrats on the work... and new gear. Based on what you stated, I would say go with the Olympus, you're already familiar with it, it has better stabilization than the GH5 and unless you plan on doing some heavy grading in post, the 10bit video from the GH5 isn't going to help you all that much. Plus, the Olympus is a pro photography camera, which I assume you will use it for more in the future. Also, look into the Olympus LS100 field recorder, the newer Olly cameras have a cool feature that helps to sync the audio in post when it is connected to the camera through the line in port. Good luck! Also, I am thinking of buying the E-M5ii, as a second cam for casual video but also to get started with photography. Would be very interested in hearing about the pro work you do with version 1.

Actually rewallpapering rooms is a great tip for the no budget filmmaker, but maybe not what you're looking for right now. Also I wouldn't dismiss Fuzzy's recommendation of going out and shooting. Of course, read as much as you can, watch as many videos as you can, but most importantly go out and shoot. Take one lens, be it the kit, or the Panny 20mm or your Tak and go out and shoot stuff. If you're interested in narrative, write a one minute short film, think about how to tell the story visually with little to no dialogue. Or take a song you like and make a music video for it. Or if you're interested in street shooting, go out into the streets and shoot. It's no different than photography... find your subject and think about composition and story. You have a great little camera that can have CineLikeD now thanks to BTM's discovery, so upload it, go out with your lens and a variable ND and shoot something. If you want material to read and watch, go check out Noam Kroll's site and go back 50 or a hundred pages of this forum and read as much as you can. But then during the day, find the best locations around you, when there is good natural light, and go out and shoot.

If you don't mind vintage, Pentax and Minolta both made 24-50mm zoom that are pretty good, but they're slow at a constant f/4. I have an old Tokina 24-40mm f/2.8 I like a lot.

If you're looking for a cheap, but decent Variable ND, I highly recommend the Bower brand, they are very neutral with color casts and they have hard stops at both ends. Well worth 30 bucks for a beginner fader ND.

Idk, I think Mr. Netflix may tell me, "Hey Kid, if only your not horrible movie had pretty dames like Marty's movies, you may have something, see." Think bad Edward G. Robinson impression.

I am warming to the idea of a GH5, but I'm not ready to pull the trigger on one yet. There's definitely some better material popping up from it now. I still think the 5D3 with ML Raw looks more cinematic and filmic but as a run and gun cinema camera, the GH5 is a great tool. Now if it gets approved by Netflix, and I decided to make a feature, I guess it would make sense to shoot it on a GH5 as a sales tool for the film... I'll just have my people call Mr. Netflix and tell him I made a not horrible film but at least it meets his tech requirements... That's a pretty good pitch, right?

Right, a 2.8... Duh. That's even better actually. Pretty cool feature. That Azure lens has some funky flares. Real sharp too. If only the BMPCC had IBIS.

Whoa, why haven't I heard of this crop... Are you trying to spend my money for me, Marty? Does the crop work in 4K 60p as well? So it becomes a 3.4x crop? Man the Kern 10mm would be a wicked little lens.

The blackout doesn't happen with anything 25mm or over on the GX85 or the G85. And even on smaller focal lengths, it only happens if you pan fast. I haven't tried the G85 but I had the G7 and the GX85, with adapted lenses. With the G85, once I got lenses or a speedbooster I'll be well over a grand... at that point I wonder if it's just better to save for a GH5. I'm in the middle of shooting my film on the 5D3, so I'm in no rush. I found a good price on the e-m5 Mark ii so I'm considering it for a kick around camera. Or maybe I'll get a GH5 after the firmware update comes out, or if it goes on sale. I don't see myself selling the 5D3 ever but I may sell my Canon lenses after I'm done this short and put that money towards a GH5 this fall and then use my vintage lenses with the 5D3 and the GH5.