Panasonic GH3 real-world test (pre-production firmware)

[foggyflute]

I got photostyle with four setting contrast, sharpness, saturation, noise reduction. No creative control or anything.

[PhilMyself]

Hello ! I just made this test in Paris at a Lumix presentation :

http://vimeo.com/53237144

[Axel]

Hello ! I just made this test in Paris at a Lumix presentation :

...

Hi Phil, thank you for uploading this. I think it looks great, it reminded me of Sony EX-footage, with the zooms and the good (auto?)-focus. This might finally be the right cam for me, despite all negative reputation it gathered so far.

[Julian]

Could you please shoot some footage in the High Dynamic "picture style" or "profile"? I understand that's the most dynamic range you can get from the camera and it'd be nice to see how it performs in a raw video out of the GH3.

There is no High Dynamic profile.

These are the picture profiles: standard/vivid/natural/monochrome/scenery/portrait/custom.

[Andrew Reid]

Can confirm that the picture profiles have been drastically changed since Photokina. No High Key, Retro, or anything remotely interesting like that. They have gone all 'Canon' in the picture profile department.

[Germy1979]

There is no High Dynamic profile.

These are the picture profiles: standard/vivid/natural/monochrome/scenery/portrait/custom.

Dead horse question perhaps, but does the custom profile show any significant changes in dialing the contrast back manually? Or, did they listen to the wrong filmmakers.. Lol.

[Ernesto Mantaras]

I got photostyle with four setting contrast, sharpness, saturation, noise reduction. No creative control or anything.

There is no High Dynamic profile.

These are the picture profiles: standard/vivid/natural/monochrome/scenery/portrait/custom.

This is from the Panasonic press release specifications (http://panasonic.net...5100/index.html):

CREATIVE CONTROL
Still Image:
Expressive / Retro / High Key / Low Key / Sepia / Dynamic Monochrome / Impressive Art / High Dynamic / Cross Process / Toy Effect / Miniature Effect / Soft Focus / Star Filter / One Point Color
Motion Image:
Expressive / Retro / High Key / Low Key / Sepia / Dynamic Monochrome / Impressive Art / High Dynamic / Cross Process / Toy Effect / Miniature Effect / One Point Color

And here's a photo shot using this profile (taken from here: http://www.ephotozin...h3-review-20489):

http://www.magezinep..._1350639960.jpg

Can confirm that the picture profiles have been drastically changed since Photokina. No High Key, Retro, or anything remotely interesting like that. They have gone all 'Canon' in the picture profile department.

Is that so? Damn. They've gone Canon, but there's nothing that remotely resembles Cinestyle?
I thought that the review The Camera Store did was shot using that profile, it looked like that to me (something about the mids; I didn't feel that was due to the overcast day).

[sanveer]

Can confirm that the picture profiles have been drastically changed since Photokina. No High Key, Retro, or anything remotely interesting like that. They have gone all 'Canon' in the picture profile department.

Andrew, I am guessing, that, there appear to be High Key, Retro, etc, in the picture, as well as, the video profiles.
(they come within CREATIVE CONTROL heading)

This is the url Charlie pasted, above.

http://panasonic.net...5100/index.html

[Julian]

Dead horse question perhaps, but does the custom profile show any significant changes in dialing the contrast back manually? Or, did they listen to the wrong filmmakers.. Lol.

Dialing down (or up) the contrast definitely shows significant changes. Not only in the custom mode. I can make a sample video tonight.

Andrew, I am guessing, that, there appear to be High Key, Retro, etc, in the picture, as well as, the video profiles.

(they come within CREATIVE CONTROL heading)

This is the url Charlie pasted, above.

http://panasonic.net...5100/index.html

I see. I'll check the video modes under creative control. I don't expect it to be usefull, the creative mode is probably everything auto. It's just the fancy filter mode. Don't expect the 'high dynamic' mode to be flat, it will probably be very contrasty/over saturated/hdr-lookalike.

[Germy1979]

Dialing down (or up) the contrast definitely shows significant changes. Not only in the custom mode. I can make a sample video tonight.

Awesome! Thanks man! I'd like to see how close to a Log PP it can get?

[Ernesto Mantaras]

Dialing down (or up) the contrast definitely shows significant changes. Not only in the custom mode. I can make a sample video tonight.

I see. I'll check the video modes under creative control. I don't expect it to be usefull, the creative mode is probably everything auto. It's just the fancy filter mode. Don't expect the 'high dynamic' mode to be flat, it will probably be very contrasty/over saturated/hdr-lookalike.

Oh, I didn't know that "Creative Control" was an auto mode. But if dialing down the settings does show significant changes then it's great news, maybe that alone will help in getting a flatter image. I'm looking forward to watching you sample video! :)

[Julian]

It gets flatter, but not as flat as cinestyle or log.

[sandro]

Besides all the technical facts to MY EYES the GH3 looks less detailed and aliased aka gotten worse! The GH2 was a monster.

[galenb]

It gets flatter, but not as flat as cinestyle or log.

Can we have a look Julian?

[Julian]

/Edit: Uploaded new video with correct contrast.

Here you go. Not the best test situation, had to go to iso 800 to shoot at f/2.8.
Included some footage I shot before as well in the end (with 12-35mm X)
Didn't bother to include +5 contrast, probably nobody wants that anyway.

I used a 50mm Minolta MD Rokkor f/1.7 @ f/2.8 which I bought for €5 on eBay. You get some free moire included. Safe to say More is not a 12-35mm X only thing.

Settings:
1080P MOV ALL-I 72Mbit
25 fps
50mm Minolta MD f/1.7 @ f/2.8
ISO 800
1/50 sec

I left out the Custom profile. It just saves one of the other profiles with your contrast/sharpness preferences as a preset. It's not a different profile.

Here some HQ Screengrabs straight from Sony Vegas:

[Germy1979]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yejSebMEDs[/media]

[b]/Edit: BUMMER.[/b] [b]Just checked and the exported video has less shadow detail than the source files in Vegas.. see screengrabs below.[/b]

Here you go. Not the best test situation, had to go to iso 800 to shoot at f/2.8.

Included some footage I shot before as well in the end (with 12-35mm X)

Didn't bother to include +5 contrast, probably nobody wants that anyway.

I used a 50mm Minolta MD Rokkor f/1.7 @ f/2.8 which I bought for €5 on eBay. You get some free moire included. Safe to say More is not a 12-35mm X only thing.

Settings:

1080P MOV ALL-I 72Mbit

25 fps

50mm Minolta MD f/1.7 @ f/2.8

ISO 800

1/50 sec

I left out the Custom profile. It just saves one of the other profiles with your contrast/sharpness preferences as a preset. It's not a different profile.

[b]/Edit[/b]

Ok.. so the contrast in the video isn't correct.

Here some HQ Screengrabs straight from Sony Vegas with correct contrast:

This seriously was my last question regarding the GH3... So thanks Julian for doing this test...

Looks like I agree with your consensus that Natural looks to holds the highest DR..? That's pretty flat. You're right.. Not Cinestyle flat, but maybe a little flatter than Smooth on the 2. (I never liked Nostalgic. Too "yellow"..). Honestly if they'd just give us the option of making our own i don't think it would matter, lol.

[sanveer]

The video is softer, but, dialing down everything to -5, has made the color profile Much flatter. In the GH2, it was almost unnoticeable. On the GH3, the color profile at -5, seems midway between B&W and Color

[Mondo]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yejSebMEDs[/media]

[b]/Edit: BUMMER.[/b] [b]Just checked and the exported video has less shadow detail than the source files in Vegas.. see screengrabs below.[/b]

Here you go. Not the best test situation, had to go to iso 800 to shoot at f/2.8.

Included some footage I shot before as well in the end (with 12-35mm X)

Didn't bother to include +5 contrast, probably nobody wants that anyway.

I used a 50mm Minolta MD Rokkor f/1.7 @ f/2.8 which I bought for €5 on eBay. You get some free moire included. Safe to say More is not a 12-35mm X only thing.

Settings:

1080P MOV ALL-I 72Mbit

25 fps

50mm Minolta MD f/1.7 @ f/2.8

ISO 800

1/50 sec

I left out the Custom profile. It just saves one of the other profiles with your contrast/sharpness preferences as a preset. It's not a different profile.

[b]/Edit[/b]

Ok.. so the contrast in the video isn't correct.

Here some HQ Screengrabs straight from Sony Vegas with correct contrast:

Doesn't look too bad to me! I just want to get my hands on it.

[Julian]

Uploaded the video again, now with correct black levels. I had to export was WMV in Sony Vegas.. :wacko: at least that didn't crush the blacks. Deleted the old video.

[sanveer]

Julian, the blacks were looking much darker, in the earlier video, and the colors were a lot stronger. Its looking more natural now.

It also, suddenly feels, from this corrected video, as thought the dynamic range has gone up


What do you think? Did u like the color profiles, after they were dialed down to -5?