tomsemiterrific

Well, IMO, in the Panasonic S1/S1H cameras we're looking at a fantastic pair of offerings. The in-camera 10 bit 422, the stabilization--fantastic, the number of buttons and how they can be customized is just wonderful---I have my S1 set up with with the N/E/S/W and center push of the joy stick all programmed with my most used functions---and that gives me almost total control of the image I'm shooting, all located instantly below my right thumb and index finger. It makes me able to play the S1 like Heifitz played his Guarnerius. (For those culturally challenged, you can look it up.) If that weren't enough, the image is just beautiful, in both FF and APS-C. And to put the cherry on the top the XLR unit of the GH5 gives me great in-studio audio--in camera! The lens selection is endless--at least for someone like me who uses third party, non-electronic lenses 95% of the time. Yes, there are some codecs the BMPCC has the S1 doesn't have. But, by comparison, the usability and versatility of the S1 is over the top better. There are limited choices in the S1 compared to the S1H. But in my own shooting I never need many of those features---with the exception of C4k. I'd really like that added to the S1. But sanity should prevail, and when any of us consider all the features and benefits (FAB) a given camera provides, each of us has to ask ourselves---how beneficial TO US are many of those benefits we see on paper--how much will we use them--if at all? Personally, I have no interest in shooting anamorphic--or 6k, and seldom if ever need 400 MBPS. If I were to be honest, most of what I do is well provided by a high bit rate 422 1080p--4k is nice, but not always totally necessary. Again, being honest, when I consider 4k from a cost/benefit perspective, it doesn't always come out on the long end. IMO, I think it's wise when we find ourselves being dazzled by specs on paper to take a step back and remind ourselves that there is often not a small amount of cognitive dissonance between what we see on paper and the actual performance and results we get in reality. It's not always easy to quantify how valuable usability in performance is---but we know it when we see and experience it. And it's worth its weight in gold. If that were not true, if paper and performance always corresponded, I would never have purchased the EOS R. But within its not-so-obvious limitations it's killer good, with beautiful IQ and color. This seems to be Canon's consistent MO: unimpressive on paper, but incomparable in ease of use, and dependably delivering a great end result.--I say this having no love for that company and how they mistreat their loyal customer base.

Free society--England!?! What a joke. They know NOTHING of Trump and what he's done to fix the mess the communist left him--in society and in government. Take the log out of your own eye before you point to the splinter in ours.

Well, I'm kind of knocked out at how great the SH1 is. Image, and features are nothing short of awesome. But it has a unique feature I've never seen on any other camera I've ever owned..., and I've owned some good ones. But as good as they are they were never good enough to know when to begin shooting before it ever occurs to me. This camera is so good that, while I was shooting some 6k footage today, it actually started three or four shots without me even touching it. Amazing. The only thing I had to do was stop it---stop it three or four times, all the while it to kept insisting I ought to be shooting. Look Ma! No hands. What next?? Will we have computers so fast they actually look up sites on the net before we even know they exist or know we need the information there? Wow! What a time to be living! Is this a new feature for future cameras, or is my SH1 possessed, or is this some sort of remote subversive attack by Sony or Canon?!? If all this isn't cryptic enough I've looked for some messaging about ransom money tied to information I will need to block this nefarious activity. But, so far, I've found nothing. Which leads me to suspect it's yet again another attack by my life-long arch Nemeses, The Atomic Mole People. What do you think?!? Anyone else have this same thing happen on your SH1?!? Enquiring minds want to know! Anyone been contacted by the Atomic Mole People?

Pedro, thanks so much for weighing in. But I'm afraid I may have left the wrong impression. Let me clarify: Many of the greatest movies in the past were shot in Super 35. Full frame is a photographic, not a cinematic mode of shooting. Therefore, the full frame, is, IMO, not a requirement---a nicety, perhaps, but not a necessity--not by any means. Besides, if you must have the ff angle of view a Metabones .65 speed booster will give it to you. With or without it I can get great cinematic images with my X-H1. To the point I really am inclined to believe Super 35 IS the better video mode. So, we differ here. Bigger isn't always better. Second, I don't have the slightest problem using MF--that's all I shoot in for video. No AF, no problem. The problem I have is when the manufacturer STUPIDLY and inexplicably takes away the features (peaking and focus check punch-in) that facilitates the use of MF and makes it secure and possible. The S1 is a wonderful camera. In-studio, on a tripod, with a good monitor shooting is a joy and the results are uniformly beautiful. I have no complaints whatsoever. The insanity of it all is what Panasonic decided to do to the focus peaking on the S1. But being forced to shoot run and gun hand held while schlepping around an external monitor is totally unacceptable. A Zacuto LCD viewfinder can work without much issue, but a monitor stuck on the top of my camera---nope. I ain't going t do that and totally blow all my stealth shooting run and gun. This is the bottom line: shooting with the S1 with the focus peaking fixed and functioning well would be fantastic---I wouldn't be looking into the SH1 if that happened, because, even though the peaking is okay on the SH1 and it has wonderful features, most are features I would seldom if ever use in my way of shooting.

Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear. I was saying the X-H1 needs waveforms: "My X-H1 is fantastic with peaking and punch in while rolling to do a focus check mid-shot. They (Fuji) have their video shooter's act together--good stabilization. They just need to offer waveforms."

Nothing like a sober reality check. I repeatedly have to convince myself I'm not crazy or mistaken on a number of issues. I look forward to hearing what you say. The dimming in the S1 makes me absolutely crazy. Who ever thought releasing a camera with unreliable AF and vanishing MF peaking was acceptable? My X-H1 is fantastic with peaking and punch in while rolling to do a focus check mid-shot. They have their video shooter's act together--good stabilization. They just need to offer waveforms. False color would be nice, but I can live without it.

Crevice, thanks so much for your response. I'm assuming you are familiar with the MF problems on the S1?!? I find it unacceptable and incredibly difficult to use when rolling.

Sheldon, thanks for your prompt response. This peaking issue, for fully manual shooters like me, is a BIG deal. So, just to make sure I'm asking are you absolutely sure the peaking issue is fixed in the S1H? I'm asking for certitude because the S1, as it is, is unusable for me in run and gun video; poor, undependable AF (which I never use anyway), and the Amazing Vanishing peaking---it is, IMO, unacceptable in a Camera of this status.

Curren, I have an S1 and is, to my knowledge, fully updated in firmware. And the focus peaking is FAR from "fixed." In fact, I can't find anywhere in the S1 firmware updates the peaking problem is even mentioned by Panasonic. I love the S1, but for run and gun hand held video the peaking, as it is, is absolutely unusable to track focus during a shot because of the all-but vanishing focus peaking. (I am told, by the way, that the peaking does not diminish when shooting in 1080p---only when shooting in 4k). Can you tell me where you got the news the focus peaking is fixed and where is the firmware fix available---I sure can't find it in my searches.

24p might be a big thing for television and the internet, but there is an elephant in the room I hear seldom mentioned: the extreme differences in how the same video looks by different search engines. Look at a video on Safari that some one has worked hard on color grading and getting just the right tone. Now look at it on Google Chrome, now Fire Fox, etc. There are wide and wild disparities. It's discouraging to see what a mess things look like after you've taken care to get things right. And we're talking about a video you know looks good looking terrible, with outrageous hue and saturation differences, etc. You should expect some differences, but what I've seen is outrageous.

Speaking of Cinema EOS---Carlos Quintero has an extensive commentary on image comparison between the Pocket 4k, 6k, one of the Red cameras, and the C200. He mentions he's always been a fan of the C200----but, he says, when he compares the image to the pocket 4 and 6ks, the image of the C200 looks like a video camera. As he is speaking he's showing the images---and he's absolutely right. The Blackmagic pockets are much better---obvious. So, where's the Cinema EOS advantage?

This is what you get when you treat your customers like crap, severely cripple your cameras, and don't give the buyer good value for $$$. They've been living on their laurels for some time now, and have failed to see the hand writing on the wall. They can't say the weren't warned. STOP RIPPING YOUR CUSTOMERS OFF, OVER CHARGING THEM, AND THEN STABBING THEM IN THE BACK! BAD COMPANY

Does anyone have any information on the amount of dynamic range the Flat profile has? I can't find any good source.

I find peaking a terrific value in manual shooting. The best I know of to date is Fuji cams. Peaking, focus check while rolling, and level---all superior on Fuji X-H1 and X-T3! The S1 is a close second in many respects. The Peaking works well....UNTIL you start rolling footage. Then is dramatically reduces---to the point of all but disappearing in some cases--making focus pulling DURING the clip very difficult in many cases. This reduction of peaking does not happen with the GH5, or the G85---it works great--not as good as Fuji, but very good. Also, I note there's no focus check while rolling. This is the same with the Nikon 6. This makes me think neither Panasonic nor Nikon care about what is actually needed for video---or they don't think it makes any difference to have these and other important focus and exposure functions basically become disabled once you press the shutter button. Is that fixable???

One more short video demonstrating the result of simple grading of EOSHD Cinema Z-Log consisting of exposure correction and contrast adjustments when needed, staring Mel, the dog.

New 3rd party Picture Profiles for Nikon Z cameras. Both Sareesh Sudhakaran and Andrew Reid have created picture profiles that can be easily loaded into the Z6/Z7. Sudhakaran's are free and include 6 cinematic profiles that require minimal (if any) correction and then published. Reid's profiles are in-camera Log profiles. I've included only two of them. You can read about them by going to EOSHD.com. Sudhakaran's profiles can be found on youtube at Wolfcrow. Repeat--they are excellent and free. The footage in my video is minimally corrected. In the demonstration I included the exposure scope so you can see the changes from what comes out of the camera and the exposure grade. Hope y'all find it helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAIExeWUtSM&feature=youtu.be

Did you hear the end where he says he would choose it over the A7III? By the way, I tested the Canon FD 20mm 2.8 again, and it's very good, with very little end distortion. It would probably be perfect for a gimbal. If you were familiar with Sareesh's presentations and reviews you'd know he is very, very blunt. Note how much he praised the color and image, and said the IBIS is better than the Sony? You're not going to get a perfect review from this guy. He routinely shoots on Alexas and top end movie cams.

Menus are simpler, color is BETTER---MUCH better, pic profile presets are great, great looks out of the camera from many pic profiles, better stabilization, great native lenses, buttons are placed better, MUCH better EVF and LCD, better feel--better construction, no over heating issues in normal use. The Nikon equals the remarkable dynamic range and low light performance of the Sony. Hands down, the Nikon is a much more lovely and satisfying shooting experience. You don't have to spend forever tweaking those cursed endless list of image tweaks in the pic profiles---you've got great looks you can easily customize to your needs and/or tastes, and then GO SHOOT. But the real thing is the IQ. It's far better than the Z7III, and skin tones are a quantum leap better. Without that nothing else would matter. I have a review of the Nikon Z6---it's critical insofar as I'm asking Nikon to make some firmware changes to give video shooters a better shooting experience, but even without those changes the Nikon is superior. Besides my reviews, a more complete and fair look at the camera is given by Sareesh Sudhakaran. Here is his latest review: He also has just published a guide for the Z6, and has 6 EXCELLENT cinematic picture profiles you can download for free in place them into the camera's selection of profiles. that's about all I've got. If you get it I think you'll fall in love with shooting it. In fact, I have two---one I just purchased about a month ago and have used very little. If you want to purchase it I'll give you a good price. I'm having to also sell my X-H1---we just discovered a bad leak UNDER our house that must be repaired--which means creating a hole in MY closet near where the leak is located and digging until the leaking pipe is reached, silvery soldering it and closing it up. Total cost: $2000.00---and I'm not sure that includes the repair of the hole they have to put in our foundation. SUCKS. Whoever buys it I'm going to have to sell it. It's really new, since all I've done it test it in studio on the tripod---I do have Sudehakaran's picture profiles loaded into it, and I think my settings for video are better than his. Anyway, I hope you enjoy his presentation.

Mark, I looked closely at your video. I think EOSHD Z-Log L would give you a better result at getting a nice interior image without blowing out the highs. These profiles and the instruction are inexpensive. I'll try to do some shots tomorrow, but it's supposed to be cloudy. Not sure how effective it will be.

Here are some exposure grading. 1 is as shot in-camera, 2. exposure pulled down, 3. low lifted to reveal lower dynamic range.

EOSHD Z-Log will do MUCH better than the video I saw. Here's a 3 minutes video I just did with the cinema version of Z-log. But z-log version L is much flatter and has much more dynamic range. Reid states the Z-log has LOTS of dynamic range in the lower range. He says just protect the highlights and you can lift up the lows and they look great. The place you might find interesting is at 1:58--2:00--but the L-Log is much better, and I could have lifted the lows a LOT more and still have it look good. It was flat out dark there under the falls. At 1:54 the falls and the wall were in complete shadow---and all lifted up. I kept my highlights below 85 IRE. At 1:27 the stone wall was very dark. I lifted the gamma light cure and I think it looks find. Reid isn't BSing that there's lots of dynamic range in the lows you can pull out. And you'll notice none of the highlight are blow at all. Also, check at 10 seconds in, all the lows were lifted and they look clean and, IMO, very good. As long as you're on my youtube site you might check out a video called Twilight Fishing. The Nikon has butt kicking dynamic range. I'll tell you what I'll do. I have a LOT of clips from that shoot at Clark Gardens that show the dynamic range better than the clips I used. I'll try to put some of them together before tomorrow. Okay?

The three flavors of Reid's Z-log has decidedly more dynamic range than Nikon's internal flat profile...a lot more. And they're easy to grade, with lovely LUTS. When you can't shoot N-Log and need the dynamic range I think this is the way to go. I really love the Z6--fun to shoot with great stabilization, lovely image, kick-butt dynamic range.

That's super. Thanks so much for taking the trouble. I'll share this on the Panasonic FB site.

I'm having difficulty finding adapters for the L mount. Any suggestions. I'm hoping to mount FD lenses, Rokinon cinema lenses, and Nikon Fs. Never owned an L mount before. Andrew, you're the king of adapting lenses---any helpful information? Will this camera also accept M mount?