An adventure into the Panasonic GX85/80 begins - and a look at the Leica Nocticron for Micro Four Thirds

[mercer]

23 minutes ago, PannySVHS said:

shoot, after quiete a bit of testing the ibis with 14-45mm, tokina 24-40, 28mm FD I almost forgot to recognize how very nice the ooc color is and how

awesome it is to grade. Was a fan of the G6 and how with a few tricks I got the grading I liked. But GX80 is so easy to grade and gives me what

I´d call the graded Panasonic color sience. Best bang for the buck image quality wise, if A7S night owl is not necessary. For what you see is what you

get approach, this camera is also beautiful for senseful low light stuff like evening in living rooms, cosy restaurant lights and stuff.

oh, ibis is great for steady shots or handheld camera, but in my opinion not close in making a flycam or gimbal obsolete, not close unfortunately.

But color has something I would color creaminess, gradations, oil paint, beautiful! HD is looking fine, 50p plenty aliasing. For the perfect HD alone I would

love to get a GH5. And i will in a few months, because of this camera, the pretty, nifty GX85!

 

Is that with the Tokina?

[PannySVHS]

 

17 minutes ago, mercer said:

Is that with the Tokina?

yeah, at 24mm, with focal reducer. Lovin the Tokina, very cinematic lens, though would say Tstop is about up to 3/4 stops less sensitive than Fstop.

Will compare it to my Tamron 20 to 40 2.7-3.5 soon, once I bought an Nikon to EF adapter for my Ef focal reducer. Also bought the FD mount Tokina 25-50 F4 for 10bucks.

Should arrive soon. Good night for now:)

[vladsaysF]

wow i see i sparked quite a debate! hehe
i want to thank everyone for their input. i decided to go with the GX85. for one, Yes, IBIS was the main selling point. i want to shoot up close, in movement. two, it was on sale for 697 usd.  three, judging from what i've been reading here and elsewhere, no matter what camera i could get in this price range, it will be a better investement long term than the camcorder. the other thing is, 

i have a classmate who runs a small video clip production company, i'll go assist him on his projects this summer, he'll be able to teach me a lot of things. someone was worried that i'll end up another guy  who does press & shoot... look, i'm a screenwriter. my priority is the story. I'm fascinated by the theories of Tarkovski, Eisenstein. Eisenstein revolutionized montage at a time where movies didn't even have sound. I tend to agree with him and Tarkovski. the real magic happens at the montage.  I want to learn how to stage what i have in my head. Practice writing tthat will make sense when it's being filmed. Practice putting together shots to get the dramatic effect i envisioned.

do i want to be a Super Mega Pro and shoot jaw-dropping video? sure it would be nice. but to get there, i have to practice a lot. and the investment of time spent on acquiring technique is justified, to me at least, only by having things worth shooting properly. I'll learn what i can in the process, and if i end up feeling like i could learn more/do more with  more sophisticated/specialized equipment, well  i'll cross that bridge when i get to it.

i got the camera with its kit lens, and following the advice i read here and on some other review sites, i'll get a prime lens as my second lens once i get a bit more cash. 

thank you for all your help! i hope i'll be able to get as much advice in the future as well, once my camera arrives and i start experimenting with it.

 

[anonim]

2 hours ago, vladsaysF said:

wow i see i sparked quite a debate! hehe
i want to thank everyone for their input. i decided to go with the GX85. for one, Yes, IBIS was the main selling point. i want to shoot up close, in movement. two, it was on sale for 697 usd.  three, judging from what i've been reading here and elsewhere, no matter what camera i could get in this price range, it will be a better investement long term than the camcorder. the other thing is, 

i have a classmate who runs a small video clip production company, i'll go assist him on his projects this summer, he'll be able to teach me a lot of things. someone was worried that i'll end up another guy  who does press & shoot... look, i'm a screenwriter. my priority is the story. I'm fascinated by the theories of Tarkovski, Eisenstein. Eisenstein revolutionized montage at a time where movies didn't even have sound. I tend to agree with him and Tarkovski. the real magic happens at the montage.  I want to learn how to stage what i have in my head. Practice writing tthat will make sense when it's being filmed. Practice putting together shots to get the dramatic effect i envisioned.

do i want to be a Super Mega Pro and shoot jaw-dropping video? sure it would be nice. but to get there, i have to practice a lot. and the investment of time spent on acquiring technique is justified, to me at least, only by having things worth shooting properly. I'll learn what i can in the process, and if i end up feeling like i could learn more/do more with  more sophisticated/specialized equipment, well  i'll cross that bridge when i get to it.

i got the camera with its kit lens, and following the advice i read here and on some other review sites, i'll get a prime lens as my second lens once i get a bit more cash. 

thank you for all your help! i hope i'll be able to get as much advice in the future as well, once my camera arrives and i start experimenting with it.

 

Btw: between Eisenstein and Tarkovski there's no anything similar in technical side (of course, just marvelous dedication to their art). Tarkovski was greatest opponent to Eisenstein's strategic and universal rule of montage in movies, wholeheartedly advocating and ardently arguing for spontaneous and natural character of moves and shots. Therefore such beautifully realized Tarkovski's uninterupted long-shots, corresponding with his philosophy of natural-time approach and evolvement. Or, as he wrote: Sculpting in time.

[aer]

3 hours ago, vladsaysF said:

wow i see i sparked quite a debate! hehe
i want to thank everyone for their input. i decided to go with the GX85. for one, Yes, IBIS was the main selling point. i want to shoot up close, in movement. two, it was on sale for 697 usd.  three, judging from what i've been reading here and elsewhere, no matter what camera i could get in this price range, it will be a better investement long term than the camcorder. the other thing is, 

i have a classmate who runs a small video clip production company, i'll go assist him on his projects this summer, he'll be able to teach me a lot of things. someone was worried that i'll end up another guy  who does press & shoot... look, i'm a screenwriter. my priority is the story. I'm fascinated by the theories of Tarkovski, Eisenstein. Eisenstein revolutionized montage at a time where movies didn't even have sound. I tend to agree with him and Tarkovski. the real magic happens at the montage.  I want to learn how to stage what i have in my head. Practice writing tthat will make sense when it's being filmed. Practice putting together shots to get the dramatic effect i envisioned.

do i want to be a Super Mega Pro and shoot jaw-dropping video? sure it would be nice. but to get there, i have to practice a lot. and the investment of time spent on acquiring technique is justified, to me at least, only by having things worth shooting properly. I'll learn what i can in the process, and if i end up feeling like i could learn more/do more with  more sophisticated/specialized equipment, well  i'll cross that bridge when i get to it.

i got the camera with its kit lens, and following the advice i read here and on some other review sites, i'll get a prime lens as my second lens once i get a bit more cash. 

thank you for all your help! i hope i'll be able to get as much advice in the future as well, once my camera arrives and i start experimenting with it.

 

Where did ya pick it up for sale at? Can't find em for less than $797. Thanks!

[mickachiste]

ok guys, I just want to have your opinions. I am coming back from a long trip in Indonesia where I used the GX85 for filming mainly surfing. I have to recon that I had in trouble a lot a time with the focus. When using the 50p, I had many non usable footages. Like it was impossible to get it properly ! But when using the 4k, everything was ok... Is it my camera ?

For most of the footages, this happens with nice sunny conditions... Any idea ?

[Davey]

45 minutes ago, mickachiste said:

ok guys, I just want to have your opinions. I am coming back from a long trip in Indonesia where I used the GX85 for filming mainly surfing. I have to recon that I had in trouble a lot a time with the focus. When using the 50p, I had many non usable footages. Like it was impossible to get it properly ! But when using the 4k, everything was ok... Is it my camera ?

For most of the footages, this happens with nice sunny conditions... Any idea ?

I only shoot 4K and like you, have had no problems. I won't be using 50p on this camera because it is 'job specific', so cannot help you.

There will be hundreds having problems and talking about them on various forums if there isn't a problem with your camera or technique.

I can't see anything online, apart from this thread.

[vladsaysF]

7 hours ago, anonim said:

Btw: between Eisenstein and Tarkovski there's no anything similar in technical side (of course, just marvelous dedication to their art). Tarkovski was greatest opponent to Eisenstein's strategic and universal rule of montage in movies, wholeheartedly advocating and ardently arguing for spontaneous and natural character of moves and shots. Therefore such beautifully realized Tarkovski's uninterupted long-shots, corresponding with his philosophy of natural-time approach and evolvement. Or, as he wrote: Sculpting in time.

oh, i'm well aware of that.  Tarkovksi had a completely different vision of narration, " sculpting in time" really is the best way to describe it. However, when it comes to editing to obtain  a finished product, he was just as ... meticulous and obsessive if one can put it that way, as Eisenstein. In one of his interviews when talking about The Mirror, he said that he spent a huge amount of time in the studio, assembling the film by "moving around" the pieces, completely changing the order of the events and sequences. He said they did like 10 different versions, and it was never right, something to do with trying to follow a rythm or logic, i dont quite remember. And then he decided to just, go with the flow. He reassembled all the pieces again and the movie "just happened". So, yes, he did have a much more... organic? i guess approach to the actual shooting and composition of the shots, but when it came to the assembly and creating this permeating theme and feeling throughout the movie, it still came down to montage. Either way, this is a discussion/debate in and by itself, and i wouldn't pretend to be right or to fully comprehend everything these giants said and wrote about their art.

 

6 hours ago, aer said:

Where did ya pick it up for sale at? Can't find em for less than $797. Thanks!

unfortunately, it's over. it was at bhphoto. however, if you are in the US, and want to benefit from the USD to CAD conversion rate, i found a frame-only GX85 for 799 cad, which is about 590 usd

https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4C350R3371&cm_re=gx85-_-9SIA4C350R3371-_-Product

just be aware that newegg.ca and .com are 2 different sites and do not have the same stock/prices 

EDIT: on second thought, i dont think newegg.ca ships to the us. sorry.

[vladsaysF]

Hey, i was wondering if anyone else has had trouble with the wifi connection to a windows pc? even when i manage to connect, sending pictures results in a connection failure every time

 

[jase]

A rather quick edit of a short sailing trip in The Hague:

Again I am really satisfied with the quality. The Summilux really sings. Stupidly enough I did not bring my field recorder so I had to rely on the built-in mic of the GX80, which I only could use in the beginning. The lack of a mic is is really annoying me, my next camera really needs to have have a mic in. I even considered checking out the A6500 but gave it up quickly after hearing about the dimmed screen issues.

[mercer]

3 hours ago, jase said:

A rather quick edit of a short sailing trip in The Hague:

Again I am really satisfied with the quality. The Summilux really sings. Stupidly enough I did not bring my field recorder so I had to rely on the built-in mic of the GX80, which I only could use in the beginning. The lack of a mic is is really annoying me, my next camera really needs to have have a mic in. I even considered checking out the A6500 but gave it up quickly after hearing about the dimmed screen issues.

Damn, that looks awesome!!! This may be my favorite of your videos Jase. Great shots + great edit + greay color + great music = cool as shit video!!! Are you still using Standard with everything dialed down and FilmConvert to color?

[jase]

11 minutes ago, mercer said:

Damn, that looks awesome!!! This may be my favorite of your videos Jase. Great shots + great edit + greay color + great music = cool as shit video!!! Are you still using Standard with everything dialed down and FilmConvert to color?

Thanks man, means a lot from a RAW guy ?

Standard with everything -5 except contrast, which i always brought back in post anyway. And yes, still filmconvert with the GH4 profile. With the Summilux those skintones you get OOTB, only needed to correct one single shot regarding skintones.

[mercer]

58 minutes ago, jase said:

Thanks man, means a lot from a RAW guy ?

Standard with everything -5 except contrast, which i always brought back in post anyway. And yes, still filmconvert with the GH4 profile. With the Summilux those skintones you get OOTB, only needed to correct one single shot regarding skintones.

Well it worked. Are you thinking of getting a new camera? I'm sure you could get more out of Raw than I do. 

[jase]

7 hours ago, mercer said:

Well it worked. Are you thinking of getting a new camera? I'm sure you could get more out of Raw than I do. 

Well, I am lurking arround the 4k RAW topic all the time, but honestly, I dont think I would benefit from it that much. I got an insanely small package with the GX80, I like the endresults so why should I do a switch other than GAS? For 2017, I am interested in what Panasonic has in its sleeve for us during autumn/winter. For my next hike, I will need something more weatherproof, so either we have some successors or I might buy the G85 when it gets really cheap for its mic-In, weatherseeling and flipout screen. But time will tell.

[Fredrik Lyhne]

Very nice video @jase! I just bought a G85 as they were on sale for almost 40% here in Norway. Keep looking and maybe there will be similar deals in Germany. My first impressions is that ergonomics is much better than the GX85 (obviously). Compared to my GH5 it's very small and light, and even though Panasonic is releasing new models I very much doubt any of them will have 4K 60P if that's something you want. The GH5 is big for a reason. The size and weight difference to the GH4 and G85 is much more noticeable than in pictures. 

[jase]

Just now, Fredrik Lyhne said:

Very nice video @jase! I just bought a G85 as they were on sale for almost 40% here in Norway. Keep looking and maybe there will be similar deals in Germany. My first impressions is that ergonomics is much better than the GX85 (obviously). Compared to my GH5 it's very small and light, and even though Panasonic is releasing new models I very much doubt any of them will have 4K 60P if that's something you want. The GH5 is big for a reason. The size and weight difference to the GH4 and G85 is much more noticeable than in pictures. 

Indeed, the 4k60p would be just a nice to have. In the past I always only used the 50p modes because I believed that i needed the slowmo. Now that I made the switch to 4k I found myself not having any real need for slowmo. I will keep an open eye for the G85!

[jonpais]

40 minutes ago, Fredrik Lyhne said:

Very nice video @jase! I just bought a G85 as they were on sale for almost 40% here in Norway. Keep looking and maybe there will be similar deals in Germany. My first impressions is that ergonomics is much better than the GX85 (obviously). Compared to my GH5 it's very small and light, and even though Panasonic is releasing new models I very much doubt any of them will have 4K 60P if that's something you want. The GH5 is big for a reason. The size and weight difference to the GH4 and G85 is much more noticeable than in pictures. 

The next mirrorless cameras from Panasonic will have to offer something more than the current lineup - it's pretty certain though that they won't have dual card slots, Vlog, 10 bit and so on - so what might they have that would compete with say, the Sony a6300 or a6500? I think they could still have 60p without threatening sales of the GH5. What other features could they add that would make them competitive with Sony?

[Fredrik Lyhne]

23 minutes ago, jonpais said:

The next mirrorless cameras from Panasonic will have to offer something more than the current lineup - it's pretty certain though that they won't have dual card slots, Vlog, 10 bit and so on - so what might they have that would compete with say, the Sony a6300 or a6500? I think they could still have 60p without threatening sales of the GH5. What other features could they add that would make them competitive with Sony?

I agree and other than 4K 60p it's hard to see what else they can add. 20mp sensor, lossless ex. tcv, headphone jack, 120p? I also agree that they could put 60P in the next G camera some time next year maybe, but I'm not sure it's possible due to overheating. The GH5 is huge compared to the G85. 

I think the next will be GX9, and it will be aimed for photographers with dual card slots but not v-log, 10 bit etc. 

Only time will tell, but for now I'm very happy with my setup with G85 and GH5  Will probably sell the GX85 soon. 

[Fredrik Lyhne]

4 hours ago, jase said:

Indeed, the 4k60p would be just a nice to have. In the past I always only used the 50p modes because I believed that i needed the slowmo. Now that I made the switch to 4k I found myself not having any real need for slowmo. I will keep an open eye for the G85!

And judging by your latest videos it doesn't look like you need 4K 50P

[mercer]

Yeah this is my dilemma, I have a very specific short I am writing that could really benefit from IBIS and 4K 60p... and in some ways just the fact that it is shot on a GH5 may help to spread the short around since so many more eyes will see it. But 2 grand is a lot for a new camera, for one short. Sure I'll use it for other things but still love my ML Raw. I just wish Panny would release their high bitrate, all-I 1080p in a cheaper model.