Interview with Yoshiyuki Inoue, Senior Engineering Planner for the Panasonic GH3

[Andrew Reid]

[url="http://www.eoshd.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/eoshd-gh3-inoue-interview.jpg"][img]http://www.eoshd.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/eoshd-gh3-inoue-interview.jpg[/img][/url]

Above: Inoue helped conceive the GH3 and was a mechanical designer on the well regarded Panasonic L1 (inset)

Yoshiyuki Inoue is the senior engineering planner at Panasonic. A mechanical designer on the Panasonic L1 back in the Four Thirds days, that camera is now fondly rememberd for a beautiful optical viewfinder, Leica M style build and cutting edge design. Inoue also worked at Minolta before joining Team Lumix.

I caught up with Inoue yesterday at Photokina to ask him about the design and technical workings of the new Panasonic GH3 at Photokina in Germany.

[CINEMATICZ]

Hi Andrew,

thank You for your effort in doing this interview. In regard of the person you interviewed, I really wonder, why you didn´t ask about the picture-profiles nor about higher framerates such as the ones used in the new LX and FZ200 - I mean 120/100fps.

Were these point out of your interest or do You already have answers on these?

I was simply burning to get an answer from a Panasonic-Insider - THAT was a real bummer :(

Never less - thank you for you contribution!

With best regards from Ulm.

[Andrew Reid]

I wanted to ask him about electronic ND filters too but I only had 30 minutes notice of the interview, so wasn't be to prepare much. Will seek him out again today and present him with the L1 I just found in Cologne :) He designed it!

[Orangenz]

[quote]
[b]EOSHD:[/b] Because I noticed this is a standard four thirds sensor, because the GH2 had a multi-aspect ratio sensor. The GH3, does that have multi-aspect ratio sensor?
[b]Inoue: [/b]This is a priority for imaging quality, our big priority is keeping that image sensor quality.
[/quote]

So that means...? I guess it means he wants to prioritize quality over functionality, ie. no multi-aspect sensor?

[quote]
[b]EOSHD:[/b] Regarding the audio, is there an XLR accessory? Is this available now or coming later?
[b]Inoue: [/b]No XLR. [But] the GH3 has a 3.5″ jack.
[/quote]

That's huge! Way bigger than 3.5mm. :D

Great interview. Cool to talk to someone who doesn't speak your language but is clearly a very brainy person.

[haarec]

I asked about it on another topic - is there any chance to have all the framerates (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps) not just PAL or NTSC in final version of firmware?

[Orangenz]

[quote name='haarec' timestamp='1348140978' post='18676']
I asked about it on another topic - is there any chance to have all the framerates (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps) not just PAL or NTSC in final version of firmware?
[/quote]

Wouldn't that be a political problem more than anything? They would have to limit the recording time for the whole camera to be sold in Europe to get the cheaper tax rate but if it was the same camera then everyone would buy the USA model and import. It does my head in, too complicated. Silly tax imho.

[MattH]

Thanks for the interview Andrew, this must have taken ages to transcribe.


Things I infer from this interview:

How do you come to prioritise what’s most important, because you must have a huge list of feature requests?

We had interlaced to make progressive – not so good.

Translation:
You thought you were getting progressive video from the GH2. but you weren’t. It was interlaced that was converted to progressive. This is one of the reasons the GH2 had such a strong video look. Plus we spent so long doing that, we forgot to add peaking

Is the HDMI output 4-2-2?

No its 4-2-0. Why would we spend so long designing and optimising a stable high bit codec in camera if we wanted you to use a fucking ninja?
The output is perfectly suitable for a field monitor, but you won’t be recording shit out of it.


Is it a Sony sensor? No comment.

Translation: Yes it is it’s the same sensor from the EM5. We saw Olympus taking all the glory for having better quality so we decided to sacrifice the multi aspect sensor for the slightly better dynamic range of the Sony one.

This will have an effect on the overall video quality as well. The footage will look less like the old Panasonic video-like look and more of a Sony video-like look. So if you want a more film like look you will have to save up and either put up with the artificially crippled detail of the 5dmk3 which should be sharp as a tack due to the 3*3 pixel binning, or put up with the rainbow moiré of the BMC because they skipped putting in an optical low pass filter in this version to get the camera out the door.

One more question. Electronic follow focus....?

Response: (Gets notepad out.)
Remember when I said There are over a 100 members researching all over the world? I Lied!!

[haarec]

[quote name='Orangenz' timestamp='1348141765' post='18677']
Wouldn't that be a political problem more than anything? They would have to limit the recording time for the whole camera to be sold in Europe to get the cheaper tax rate but if it was the same camera then everyone would buy the USA model and import. It does my head in, too complicated. Silly tax imho.
[/quote]

I think one of the Canon cameras got it. I mean 24, 25, and 30 fps.

[Astro]

[quote name='MattH' timestamp='1348142087' post='18678']
Things I infer from this interview:
Is the HDMI output 4-2-2?

[i]No its 4-2-0. Why would we spend so long designing and optimising a stable high bit codec in camera if we wanted you to use a fucking ninja?
The output is perfectly suitable for a field monitor, but you won’t be recording shit out of it.[/i]

Is it a Sony sensor?
[i]Translation: Yes it is it’s the same sensor from the EM5. We saw Olympus taking all the glory for having better quality so we decided to sacrifice the multi aspect sensor for the slightly better dynamic range of the Sony one.
This will have an effect on the overall video quality as well. The footage will look less like the old Panasonic video-like look and more of a Sony video-like look. So if you want a more film like look you will have to save up and either put up with the artificially crippled detail of the 5dmk3 which should be sharp as a tack due to the 4*4 pixel binning, or put up with the rainbow moiré of the BMC because they skipped putting in an optical low pass filter in this version to get the camera out the door.[/i]
[/quote]


Ha ha ha LOL!! :lol: Hilarious!!

[CINEMATICZ]

[quote name='EOSHD' timestamp='1348140814' post='18673']
I wanted to ask him about electronic ND filters too but I only had 30 minutes notice of the interview, so wasn't be to prepare much. Will seek him out again today and present him with the L1 I just found in Cologne :) He designed it!
[/quote]

Internal ND´s....yeah, that´s the route to take :-) With the L1 in your hands...and the the question about the framerates and pleeeeease don´t forget about the picture-profiles, as you know what that means (simply compare the GH2 with the FS100...the PP´s make a really BIG difference).

THX in advance!

[andy lee]

[i][b]Inoue: [/b]Ah global shutter is a very ideal shutter. GH3 is rolling shutter. The readout is just 100 miliseconds, this depends on the sensor structure and sensor power.[/i]

interesting so each full scan on the sensor is 100ms on the GH3
I wonder what it was for the GH2 as it has bad rolling shutter


also it seams like they ar not interested in making a full frame GH camera as they have spent so much money designing and building a range of lenses for mirco 4/3 format -
these would not be useable on a full frame camera so they would have to design and build all new lenses $$$$$$$ a costly thing to do.

So looks like Panasonic are comitted to mirco 4/3 for the time being

[riccardocovino]

Thanks for the interview, very interesting.
It seems it's really a Sony sensor.
If you have chance again, please consider asking about aliasing/moirè. In the end that's what made the difference from GH2 to the rest of the world.
If aliasing and moirè are back than.. Canon has better lenses, Nex has better dynamic range, both have better crop factor..

[septemberdawn]

[quote name='MattH' timestamp='1348142087' post='18678']
or put up with the rainbow moiré of the BMC because they skipped putting in an optical low pass filter in this version......
[/quote]

Say what??? Could you provide some specific off-topic references?

[TC]

[quote name='EOSHD' timestamp='1348138917' post='18671']
Inoue: The AF100 is another division, we are focussed on the consumer DSC. We are completely seperate.
[/quote]

Sigh.

[acmeman]

They are hoping the GH3 gets good sales so they can move the DSLR division into Canon territory.

I believe you can't have both stills and video without sacrifices and of course these companies are driven by the Assumption that stills will rule in the future. They won't. Except for Pros and semi-pro photographers. Entertainment is moving pictures not sitting looking at stills... lol. Who sits there looking at stills? I don't, unless I'm showing off my own and showing them off to other shooters. ;-)

Anyway....

We need a boutique company to create a DSLR kiss ass Video camera. These guys aren't going to do it without sacrificing stills. What say you? I don't need a stills camera...lol

Gimme a good Video camera for under 3K for crying out loud!

Edit: Forgot to thank Andrew for the great interview.

[Mirrorkisser]

Did i understand him correctly, that higher codec bitrates were not included in the gh2 for temperature reasons?

thx for the interview.

[tttulio]

The design of the L1 is so much better. Someone please kill the fake pentaprism bump.

[Tzedekh]

[quote name='andy lee' timestamp='1348145359' post='18683']
So looks like Panasonic are comitted to mirco 4/3 for the time being
[/quote]

Maybe for stills. If the 4K mockup they showed at NAB is any indication, they appear to be moving to APS-C or bigger for single, large-sensor pro video

[Chrad]

[quote name='acmeman' timestamp='1348145670' post='18687']Entertainment is moving pictures not sitting looking at stills... lol. Who sits there looking at stills?
[/quote]
Um, anyone looking at a magazine, for one. Or turning the pages of a newspaper.
Stills aren't purely for 'entertainment', but they serve many purposes.
But yes, it's definitely true that the market demands a good dedicated interchangeable lens video camera for under $2k.

[jaescor]

just wanted to add my congrats. fantastic interview. keep it going. very curious to know what the price will be.