Panasonic G6 Review - the GH2 Redux

[Theresia Indriana Utin]

http://www.dvinfo.ne...rm-weather.html

is it true from the link that said g6 recording videos have limitation working on warm weather, as i live in tropical country and i am going to buy g6 because i like the g6 video capabilities

[Vesku]

did anyone try the 40fps burst mode for some V1 style shooting?

No raw unfortunately but maybe worth exploring?

In GH3 high speed burst mode uses video scaler - so 2.5k jpegs are not better than 60P video. That is a shame and almost cheating from Panasonic. I dont know about G6. If someone someone could try it. Take 1 photo and burst and compare.

[Mike Chen]

The G5 is crap, you may as well spend a bit extra and get a used GH2 if you consider the G6 not cheap enough

Andrew, quick question, in your comparison video, did you turn Gh3's bit rate to the max at 72Mbps? And what format was the G6 video, MP4 or AVCHD?

 

Thank you. 

[Francisco Rios]

I'm using right now G6 in Brazil with hot weather and humid without problem...

I got only issues with playback in camera...but shooting is perfect.

Great camera.. I think for the price is good to have two if you got a gig. Just in case.

Best.

[kurth]

Received my g6 yesterday . So far one disappointment....there's no control of shutter and aperture in creative mode filters , now where dynamic b&w lives, and it changes the shutter speed rather than the aperture when u use the rocker arm to adjust exposure. It looks like 1/60th is minimum ss, so you can kind of hover around it using a vnd. Anyone of you longer users have any thoughts on how to control creative mode filters ? thanx k

[nigelbb]

Received my g6 yesterday . So far one disappointment....there's no control of shutter and aperture in creative mode filters , now where dynamic b&w lives, and it changes the shutter speed rather than the aperture when u use the rocker arm to adjust exposure. It looks like 1/60th is minimum ss, so you can kind of hover around it using a vnd. Anyone of you longer users have any thoughts on how to control creative mode filters ? thanx k

Why on earth would you want to use a dumb gimmick like creative filters? If you want to mess up the image then do it in post with the best possible image as shot. This silly stuff us just targeted at amateurs.

[andy lee]

Panasonic have added on creative filters off their  pocket snappy cameras onto the G6 - you dont really need it

so shoot on a setting like Natural - I use this all the time dial down saturation to -3 and contrast to -3

this produces a nice image to work with

[Ed Arnaud]

Thanks for the info Andy.  I just purchased a G6 and I'm trying to figure out the best settings for a cinema look straight off the card with little or no grading required.  Are your settings best for grading in post?  What I've come up with so far is 0, -2, 0, -5, natural, for a cinema look off the card.  Your thoughts?  Or anyone else have suggestions please?  Thanks. 

[kurth]

Why on earth would you want to use a dumb gimmick like creative filters? If you want to mess up the image then do it in post with the best possible image as shot. This silly stuff us just targeted at amateurs.

 

...for dynamic b&w ...but "why on earth" would you have the audacity to ask me ? If it's a dumb gimmick, then all filters are dumb gimmicks. And truthfully....all of the clone so-called purist looking for so-called "the cinema look" turn out alot of footage that all looks redundantly boring....kinda of like 99% of films made today as well  !

[Quirky]

Why on earth would you want to use a dumb gimmick like creative filters? If you want to mess up the image then do it in post with the best possible image as shot. This silly stuff us just targeted at amateurs.

 

 

This may go a bit off-topic, but to answer the question why, I think it's fashion.

Just to make it clear, a disclaimer; I'm not talking about kurth here, but in general.

 

Yes, one could say that the creative filters and stuff are indeed aimed at the mainstream snapshooters mostly, but that may be changing. The snappy cameras with their gimmicks are gradually merging with the lower end mirrorless system cameras, and the snappy cameras themselves become obsoleted by smartphones. Even Panasonic have been utilising some of the new trends in their own marketing in social media like YouTube, because it might help selling their current enthusiast cameras like G6 and GH3. 

 

Some people, even some professional photographers like Will Crocket, for example, have been eagerly propagating this formula with their memes like hybrid photography, pre-processing instead of post-processing, shooting jpegs instead of RAW, using various "E-templates" for instant and automated production of multimedia content for a long time now. They have also been touting cameras like the GH3, and why not G6, too, as ideal tools for this kind of shooting, labeled as "the future of professional photography and videography."

 

Will and his minions, and no doubt some others, too, have been popularising the idea of shooting b/w video and square b/w photos, for example, straight out of the camera, and thus skipping post-production even in professional workflows. The end restults are then to be presented and sold to customers immediately as various "E-products" (for which they are making and selling those templates, obviously).

 

I'm not saying there's anything wrong in doing that per se. I do agree that getting things right in the camera is a good idea, and that the mirrorless system cameras are both practical and probably the future of professional photography. No problem, I've been mostly mirrorless since 2011.

However, Will Crockett's favourite meme of hybrid photography and E-products is not really my cup of tea. I'm not too eager to buy into his assertion of them being the future of (mainstream) professional photography and videography, either. 

 

If this kind of instant gratification style of photography was to becme the new mainstream norm, it would also mean instant commodity-fication and instant mediocrity-fication of both professional photography and videography. I hope their style of hybrid photo/videography will remain just one new means of gaining revenue, but not become the new norm, as Will is propagating.

 

I do indeed believe that there will still be demand for "traditional" style of storytelling, cinematography and even photography, too, as well as photo video fusion (which is not quite the same as hybrid photography). I don't think the new hybrid fashion is going to totally replace those. Some of the storytelling magic, as well as quality will still happen in post production. It's a bit like fast food and fine dining. There's room for both. 

 

But I digress.  :P

 

Anyway, due to p&s cameras fading away, and thanks to the fact that cameras like G6 and even GH3 work for all sorts of shooting, all those fancy filters are not likely to go away any time soon. Thanks to the aforementioned trends, there may be even more of them stuffed inside the future models, rather than features the typical readers of this forum (=a small niche) really want. Maybe they'll even start offering "E-templates" built in. Hopefully they'll be downloadable options, though, rather than built in features.

 

Anyway, apparently cameras without any gimmicks will become more and more rare and expensive, and mostly single purpose pro products. Or they come from non-mainstream brands like Blackmagic and the like. Fortunately the current models like G6 and GH3 are still quite usable for hobbyists and aspiring/beginning (or even working) filmmakers alike. We just need to ignore more and more menu features in them.

 

Oops, looks like this became a long, OT semi-rant... but do carry on topic. :)

[nigelbb]

...for dynamic b&w ...but "why on earth" would you have the audacity to ask me ? If it's a dumb gimmick, then all filters are dumb gimmicks. And truthfully....all of the clone so-called purist looking for so-called "the cinema look" turn out alot of footage that all looks redundantly boring....kinda of like 99% of films made today as well  !

 

It's not messing up the image with dumb gimmicks per se that I think is stupid. It's messing up the image in camera so the look is baked in. It's better to get a neutral well exposed image in camera then if you want some contrasty B&W dynamic look do it in post so that you have some control over it.

[kurth]

It's not messing up the image with dumb gimmicks per se that I think is stupid. It's messing up the image in camera so the look is baked in. It's better to get a neutral well exposed image in camera then if you want some contrasty B&W dynamic look do it in post so that you have some control over it.

 

...wrong. In b&w, to have the advantage of composing the image in the exact manner in which the image will be presented is a distinct advantage over shooting an image in color and then desaturating it, not really knowing how the b&w's will turn out for any particular shot. And beyond that question...what's wrong with using filters and having your look baked in ? Filters are nothing more than using  "actions" in photoshop, and every advanced photoshop user develops their own actions, I know that for a fact, since I've written a few and sold lots of photographs using them. And then there's the whole question of what really holds up to post manipulation on the g6 with it's codec. I seriously doubt , although I haven't had a chance to experiment, that you can manipulate the image quite as much w/o the codec breaking down, esp with some of the color filters included in the g6. And beyond that there's the desire , that if they're going to include them, then give us some control over them. For example, it appears that the creative mode filters default to changing the shutter speed rather than the aperture. If they just allowed the choice of how the exposure was corrected....i.e shutter speed or aperture , then that would be a step in the right direction.

[Quirky]

If it's a dumb gimmick, then all filters are dumb gimmicks. 

 

Well, they are.  ;)

 

But there is no point in bickering about them in this particular topic, because their usefulness is a matter of taste, and up to each of our personal preferences. So if you fancy using them, then by all means go ahead and do so. Who cares what others think.

 

Anyway, apart from matters of taste, it is also a matter of control, as you may have just established. Manual control over automated thingies. You may wish to experiment by doing things the "old-fashioned" way. Or with your own custom settings.

 

But filters and gimmicks aside, the "cinema look" means different things to different people, depending on their internal wiring. Besides, if a film/video clip is boring, no creative filter in the camera is likely to salvage it. Careful editing, on the other hand, just might. 

[Quirky]

...wrong. 

 

Your opinion has been noted.

"Wrong" is one of the most popular words to start a pointless round of bickering online. In real life, the "wrong" is just a blunt way of expressing one's opinion, nothing more. "Wrong" is better suited to religious topics.

 

Like mentioned above, there is plenty of room for both your "fast food" and his "home cooking" approach. Be it a quick cheeseburger and Coke at McDonald's, or a self cooked pepper stake with a glass of wine at home, whatever you fancy.

 

Just pick one that's more to your taste, and be careful with the "w-word."  :P

[Buckster]

just bought one on an amazon lightning deal - couldn't resist at the price

 

can't wait to give the video features a whirl when it arrives

[Buckster]

G6 arrived today - so far - pretty impressed

 

(1) video quality (once I'd turned off NR) is fantastic - seemingly a lot better than my Nex 5n

 

(2) focus speed and accuracy seems improved over my 5n too

 

(3) lots of features, and menus that actually make sense (Sony - you need to improve here ...)

 

only a few negatives

 

(i) the OIS of the 14-140 is louder than I would have thought - concerned the internal mics will pick the noise up

 

(ii) the swivel LCD has seemingly very noticeable "light" corners - especially bottom left corner, its annoying more than anything else- but wondered if they are all like this or whether I've just a poor sample LCD?

[Guest]

Your opinion has been noted.

"Wrong" is one of the most popular words to start a pointless round of bickering online. In real life, the "wrong" is just a blunt way of expressing one's opinion, nothing more. "Wrong" is better suited to religious topics.

 

Like mentioned above, there is plenty of room for both your "fast food" and his "home cooking" approach. Be it a quick cheeseburger and Coke at McDonald's, or a self cooked pepper stake with a glass of wine at home, whatever you fancy.

 

Just pick one that's more to your taste, and be careful with the "w-word."  :P

 

Well said sir.

[Yannick Garon-Mondoux]

I have always been annoyed by the skin tones coming out of the GH3 and now the G6.

 

Last week I made a discovery, while trying a cheap but fun app called camerabag (photo editing software) with various stills from video shot with GH3 I found out that the skin issue could be resolved by adjusting the red hue brightness. This adjustment also made the reds from GH3 look more natural and life like. (light reds are no more pinkish, oranges and no more yellow) I then tried to replicate the adjustment in FCPX, motion, after effect, speed grade, resolve... and it was just not possible. Weird.

 

Yesterday I found a way of creating a .cube file's LUT from the settings of camerabag and the results are amazing. With this LUT applied the red color of GH3 and G6 video looks a lot like 5D markIII and Blackmagic cameras.

 

Here is the LUT applied on a graded still from video of G6 

[kurth]

ahhh....lemmings ! Still wrong ....because, as I stated , when you're shooting b&w and know the final product will be b&w, there's no better option for composition . Sometimes "wrong" , just like you learned in math class, is simply what it is.

[Guest]

ahhh....lemmings ! Still wrong ....because, as I stated , when you're shooting b&w and know the final product will be b&w, there's no better option for composition . Sometimes "wrong" , just like you learned in math class, is simply what it is.

That statement is fine as long as you trust the guy doing the sums and all of the elements in the equation are known quantities. However you admit to a lack of concrete facts on your part ("I seriously doubt , although I haven't had a chance to experiment, that you can manipulate the image quite as much w/o the codec breaking down"). Applying the math analogy is therefore facile.

 

The colours of the original image affect the resulting B&W image - you obviously know this. If you can adjust colours in post before conversion to monochrome, you have more control over the look of the final B&W image. There may not be a huge amount of latitude with the G6 codec, but there is some (I actually own the camera and have graded lots of video footage with it). Some people would choose this option over 'baking in' B&W. They would not be 'wrong' to do this. It makes a lot of sense. As does your point to some degree. Show a bit of humility and tolerance.