From 6d to GH3, is it worth it?

[thebrothersthre3]

46 minutes ago, webrunner5 said:

Well maybe he, she will learn something LoL. Just buy a C100 and be done with it. And well a 1DX, and 1D mk II to go with it.?

Yeah the OG C100 dual auto focus isn't the hottest from what I have seen. The batteries on those look luxurious too, thats another bonus. C100 MK2's are getting cheaper it looks like. 

tbh any excuse to get another camera I will take. ?

[webrunner5]

Well they don't have a movable box on them so you are sort of stuck using the center only. But they are pretty good at the speed they do acquire focus. It is not jumpy or too fast like some cameras are. It does look like a real focus pull should. There has been a heck of a lot of weddings shot using one. They are kind to the Bride. And that counts a lot!

[thebrothersthre3]

42 minutes ago, webrunner5 said:

Well they don't have a movable box on them so you are sort of stuck using the center only. But they are pretty good at the speed they do acquire focus. It is not jumpy or too fast like some cameras are. It does look like a real focus pull should. There has been a heck of a lot of weddings shot using one. They are kind to the Bride. And that counts a lot!

Canon needs to start giving you commissions.   ?

[Kangaroo]

Now that we are talking also about fuji, are the x-e3, x-t20 and x-t2 better in terms of IQ? 

[newfoundmass]

23 hours ago, Shirozina said:

I had a GH3 and got rid of it pretty quickly. It was nice to use but the HD quality was pretty mediocre and resolution wise not true HD and looked more like 720p upscaled to HD. 4k-HD is  the way to go and most good NLE's will allow you to work in an HD timeline with 4k material so you have no need to do any manual downscaling. 

You had a bum camera if your 1080p looked like upscaled 720p. The GH3 has lovely 1080p. Moving from the 6D to the GH3 would be like night and day; the GH3 is miles ahead of most Canon cameras, even some of the newer ones (minus the obvious exceptions) in terms of image quality. 

I was still using my GH3 as recently as last year as a b-cam before retiring it and giving it to my nephew, who has shown interest in shooting video. 

With that said I wouldn't recommend the GH3 in 2019 unless you absolutely can't afford something a bit newer. It's a great camera, and it is a work horse for sure, but it's hard to recommend a camera that is over 7 years old. 

A G7 is a very good option on a budget. I don't recommend shooting in 4K and downscaling to 1080p though unless your system can handle 4K editing or you don't mind very long render times. In most instances it just makes sense to shoot in the resolution you'll be delivering in. 

[Shirozina]

4 minutes ago, newfoundmass said:

You had a bum camera if your 1080p looked like upscaled 720p. The GH3 has lovely 1080p. Moving from the 6D to the GH3 would be like night and day; the GH3 is miles ahead of most Canon cameras, even some of the newer ones (minus the obvious exceptions) in terms of image quality. 

I was still using my GH3 as recently as last year as a b-cam before retiring it and giving it to my nephew, who has shown interest in shooting video. 

With that said I wouldn't recommend the GH3 in 2019 unless you absolutely can't afford something a bit newer. It's a great camera, and it is a work horse for sure, but it's hard to recommend a camera that is over 7 years old. 

A G7 is a very good option on a budget. I don't recommend shooting in 4K and downscaling to 1080p though unless your system can handle 4K editing or you don't mind very long render times. In most instances it just makes sense to shoot in the resolution you'll be delivering in. 

I agree I must have been doing something wrong looking at some of the samples here and from my archive. 

[ShaunC]

I keep going to upgrade my GH3, but never do. It has been dropped, dragged along the footpath, rained on. Rubbery bits have fallen off and I’ve gaffer taped them back on, and still the damn thing keeps working for me. In terms of income vs camera cost ratio, I can’t complain. The thing is bullet proof. I’ve  been looking at all the new releases, but 2nd hand GH3s are so cheap... 1080p is all I need, and that thing paired with my voigtlander 25mm is just heaven. 

I also have a GX85. Yeah, it’s okay, but I just know it won’t be around as long as the GH3.

[Kangaroo]

23 minutes ago, ShaunC said:

I keep going to upgrade my GH3, but never do. It has been dropped, dragged along the footpath, rained on. Rubbery bits have fallen off and I’ve gaffer taped them back on, and still the damn thing keeps working for me. In terms of income vs camera cost ratio, I can’t complain. The thing is bullet proof. I’ve  been looking at all the new releases, but 2nd hand GH3s are so cheap... 1080p is all I need, and that thing paired with my voigtlander 25mm is just heaven. 

I also have a GX85. Yeah, it’s okay, but I just know it won’t be around as long as the GH3.

If you could get the gh3 and the gx85 at the same price what would you chose? 

[ShaunC]

That’s a tough question. IBIS and 4K on the GX85 are nice, but really when it comes to image quality there’s not a lot in it. For me the GH3 feels good in the hand.The buttons makes sense where they are. Battery lasts forever. I take both on every shoot, but if I had to take only one, it would be the GH3. I just know it won’t let me down. If you can pick up a GH3 for a couple of hundred bucks, you’ll really have nothing to regret.

[Kangaroo]

I found a used g7 on amazon for just 50€ more than the gh3 and I've bought it! It has warranty and I could always send it back if I don't like it ?

[thebrothersthre3]

4 minutes ago, Kangaroo said:

I found a used g7 on amazon for just 50€ more than the gh3 and I've bought it! It has warranty and I could always send it back if I don't like it ?

G7 is a nice camera too. Unfortunately it has the smaller batteries. The Size of the camera and flip out screen are nice. The sensor seems similar to the GX85, though I think there is less rolling shutter.

 

7 hours ago, Kangaroo said:

Now that we are talking also about fuji, are the x-e3, x-t20 and x-t2 better in terms of IQ? 

If you consider moire, Panasonic is the best. XT20 and XT2 will are more detailed though, as they are using a 6k sensor. The XT2 with Flog is quite a nice image, great dynamic range, roll off, and very detailed image. 

[newfoundmass]

The G7, if I recall, has an image that rivals (and maybe even surpasses?) the GH4, if the videos I watched a few years ago were accurate. It's a very good option and is probably the best bang for your buck even today.

The biggest thing the GH3 has over it is battery life and overall build quality. As Shaun wrote, the GH3 is really well built. But the G7 will serve you well, I think. I know people that swear by it and use it even though they could afford to get something newer. It's hard to go wrong really with a camera that's so cheap but also so capable. You can't really argue with people that have made thousands of dollars using a camera they bought for under $500!

Look into the Viltrox or Commlite speedbooster too so you can use your Canon glass. While I don't recommend shooting just exclusively with adapted glass, it's a great option when you're up to shooting things manually. I use the Sigma 18-35 on my GH5 and G85 and the image is beautiful! I'm sure you can get excellent results with some of your Canon glass! Just don't expect great results with auto focus when adapting glass, or really even with native glass! ?

[thebrothersthre3]

9 minutes ago, newfoundmass said:

The G7, if I recall, has an image that rivals (and maybe even surpasses?) the GH4, if the videos I watched a few years ago were accurate. It's a very good option and is probably the best bang for your buck even today.

The biggest thing the GH3 has over it is battery life and overall build quality. As Shaun wrote, the GH3 is really well built. But the G7 will serve you well, I think. I know people that swear by it and use it even though they could afford to get something newer. It's hard to go wrong really with a camera that's so cheap but also so capable. You can't really argue with people that have made thousands of dollars using a camera they bought for under $500!

Look into the Viltrox or Commlite speedbooster too so you can use your Canon glass. While I don't recommend shooting just exclusively with adapted glass, it's a great option when you're up to shooting things manually. I use the Sigma 18-35 on my GH5 and G85 and the image is beautiful! I'm sure you can get excellent results with some of your Canon glass! Just don't expect great results with auto focus when adapting glass, or really even with native glass! ?

RAW images out of the G7 and GH4 and GX85 all look pretty simular. The G7 and GX85 seem to hold a bit more detail and have a little less color noise. Looks like the GH4 has better rolling shutter performance though and the 1080 is definitely better. The G7 is limited to 24-60p at 30mbps while the GH4 does 100mbps or 200 all-i

[newfoundmass]

I don't think the 1080p is bad though on the G7, at least not from what I've seen on videos I've watched on YouTube (granted that's not the best way to judge given their compression.) I admittedly skipped that generation of Panasonic cameras, only having used the GH4 on my friends projects. A few years back I was really considering the upgrade from my GH3 and did a lot of research into both the G7 and GH4 and overall remember being really impressed with the G7's output even though I ultimately decided to stick with the GH3 for longer. I've really only heard positive things since. 

I debated getting a G7 for my GH5 b-cam but ultimately spent the extra on the G85 because it matches the GH5 with less tweaking and because of the ibis. I think the OP will be very pleased with his choice overall! 

[aldolega]

I went from a GH4 to a G85 and loved pretty much everything about the G85, except the HD bitrate. The build was still nice (the G85 is half metal, half plastic, whereas the G7 is all plastic), IBIS was a game-changer for me, and the lowlight and color were a bit better too.

But the 25mbps HD wasn't quite enough to stay sharp during fast action and camera movement, which is a lot of what I shoot. The codec has to default to a softer mode to keep up, and it's noticeably softer to my eye than shots with less motion. The GH4's higher bitrates didn't have to do this as they had enough data to work with to maintain a higher level of detail.

But, so long as there isn't a ton of motion in the frame, and you don't try to grade/CC it too much, the 25mbps looks pretty great. Which is how 95% of people will be using it.

[Kangaroo]

After a few days with the g7 I returned it to Amazon due to the fact that with the lightweight body+2x crop factor it was really hard to get handheld stuff and I've seen a gx80/85 for the same price on amazon warehouse. I've also found a local used g80/85 and after talking to the seller he told me that the 1080p on the gx85 it's much worse, I've also read a few thing online about it, is it true? Isn't the gx85 exactly the same as the g85 minus jack input, good evf and articulated screen?

[ac6000cw]

55 minutes ago, Kangaroo said:

Isn't the gx85 exactly the same as the g85 minus jack input, good evf and articulated screen?

No - the GX85 is a bit older, and the internal processing is set up differently - take a look at the 'Video stills comparison' (for 1080p) on dpreview - the GX85 is much softer. Also the G85 has a few more adjustments (like continuous autofocus speed) that can be useful (I own both of the cameras).

If the audio from the on-camera mics is important to you, note that both of them suffer crackling and hissing noises from the IBIS system breaking through to the mics.

[Kangaroo]

1 hour ago, ac6000cw said:

No - the GX85 is a bit older, and the internal processing is set up differently - take a look at the 'Video stills comparison' (for 1080p) on dpreview - the GX85 is much softer. Also the G85 has a few more adjustments (like continuous autofocus speed) that can be useful (I own both of the cameras).

If the audio from the on-camera mics is important to you, note that both of them suffer crackling and hissing noises from the IBIS system breaking through to the mics.

That is the only bad review I've found, that's why I'm not sure it's really softer than the g85 ? 

[mercer]

3 hours ago, Kangaroo said:

That is the only bad review I've found, that's why I'm not sure it's really softer than the g85 ? 

If you’re looking for good 1080p from a Panasonic camera, you need to go with the GH series or the G6.

Even the GH4 will give you a high bitrate all-i 1080p. Here are a couple frame grabs from the FZ2500 shot in the 200mbps all-i codec. The internals of the FZ2500 are very similar to the GH4 but with a smaller sensor and a built in lens...

 

[thebrothersthre3]

8 hours ago, ac6000cw said:

No - the GX85 is a bit older, and the internal processing is set up differently - take a look at the 'Video stills comparison' (for 1080p) on dpreview - the GX85 is much softer. Also the G85 has a few more adjustments (like continuous autofocus speed) that can be useful (I own both of the cameras).

If the audio from the on-camera mics is important to you, note that both of them suffer crackling and hissing noises from the IBIS system breaking through to the mics.

That makes sense. The GX85 is definitely softer than my GH5 was, especially at high ISO's. The GH5 was very nice at 3200 iso but the GX85 is quite soft. If you are shooting under 1000 iso it holds up well. It is softer but not something you'd notice a lot.

Interestingly the G85 seems to be using more sharpening than the GH5 in 4k. 

I really love that tool, thanks for posting it, I thought dpreview got rid of it.