tlovegrove Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I do all video work manual focus, mostly with older MF lenses (have used Sony DSLR and mirrorless, Canon 6D and Eos-M). I need to spend up to $800 for a body to shoot corporate videos of two styles: lengthy presentations / speeches (depth of field doesn't matter; manual focus; sometimes need to use up to ISO 800) talking head or interviews - shallow depth of field is very important for the look we want; ISO 400-800 I only need two focal lengths, but pretty specific, for those two uses: a zoom in the range of 100-135 FF [60-85 APS-C; 50-70 MFT] a fast prime 80-85 FF [50 APS-C; 40 MFT] My other key requirements are no less than full 29:59 recording time, and ability to withstand the heat of recording for an hour straight. Options I can see right now: something like a Canon 6D + manual focus 50mm and 70-210 zooms does well, but is well out of the price range. I'm uninterested in something like the 70D, as video AF doesn't matter to me, and it's too expensive. I have an EOS-M, but I don't think that form factor will hold up to the heat of 60+ minutes of straight recording. Video menu options are pretty limiting. I started to get excited about Nikon D5200/D5300, especially with so little moire/aliasing, and very affordable 50mm fast MF primes, but if I'm understanding it right they have 10/20 minute recording limits!? That kills it for me. The G6 / GH2 / etc (I could even press the budget and get a GH3 body) could be options, but getting shallow enough depth of field is a big concern, and there aren't exactly a lot of fast affordable 40mm manual focus primes available! I would love your input, if you're willing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tosvus Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I think the GH3 is your best bet for a camera, though I am biased ;) what is your budget for lenses? You seem to highlight 40mm, how tight of a range is acceptable? I do all video work manual focus, mostly with older MF lenses (have used Sony DSLR and mirrorless, Canon 6D and Eos-M). I need to spend up to $800 for a body to shoot corporate videos of two styles: lengthy presentations / speeches (depth of field doesn't matter; manual focus; sometimes need to use up to ISO 800) talking head or interviews - shallow depth of field is very important for the look we want; ISO 400-800 I only need two focal lengths, but pretty specific, for those two uses: a zoom in the range of 100-135 FF [60-85 APS-C; 50-70 MFT] a fast prime 80-85 FF [50 APS-C; 40 MFT] My other key requirements are no less than full 29:59 recording time, and ability to withstand the heat of recording for an hour straight. Options I can see right now: something like a Canon 6D + manual focus 50mm and 70-210 zooms does well, but is well out of the price range. I'm uninterested in something like the 70D, as video AF doesn't matter to me, and it's too expensive. I have an EOS-M, but I don't think that form factor will hold up to the heat of 60+ minutes of straight recording. Video menu options are pretty limiting. I started to get excited about Nikon D5200/D5300, especially with so little moire/aliasing, and very affordable 50mm fast MF primes, but if I'm understanding it right they have 10/20 minute recording limits!? That kills it for me. The G6 / GH2 / etc (I could even press the budget and get a GH3 body) could be options, but getting shallow enough depth of field is a big concern, and there aren't exactly a lot of fast affordable 40mm manual focus primes available! I would love your input, if you're willing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 89e2bdf5797fbbdc17c2cc6da1413fa0 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Yes the 5300 has short recording times - 20min max I think. You could look into getting an external HDMI recorder - a D5200 and Blackmagic Hyperdeck Shuttle may be within your budget (possibly even a Ninja 2?). I think your situation is screaming G6 with Metabones Speed Booster. If you shop around it should be within your budget I think. Pros - The Speed booster effectively makes the G6 sensor APS-C size (same FOV and DOF) - The SB adds a stop of low light performance (a bonus with the middling performance of the G6) - The SB adds sharpness in the centre (looses a tiny bit in the corners, but this is fine for what you're doing I believe) - You get the professional-looking sharpness of a Panasonic - You get focus peaking with the G6 which is invaluable for professional work using manual primes - Negligible quality difference vs GH3 IMHO, especially in controlled situations like yours (within your budget G6+SB trumps GH3 without IMO) - In-camera audio is decent relative to other DSLRs - Audio levels Cons - No headphone jack on G6 - I believe the max recording time is limited to 29min in Europe I have the G6 and Speed Booster and I think the results are stunning. I love the image from my D5300 but the G6 image has much more of a "pro" feel IMO. If I was doing corporate stuff I would use my G6 without question. andy lee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy lee Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Panasonic g6 - superb camera I now have 2!! its that good fast 40mm prime = Konica 40mm f1.8 $40 on ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KONICA-HEXANON-AR-40MM-F1-8-MANUAL-FOCUS-PRIME-PANCAKE-LENS-/111274690092?pt=UK_Photography_VintagePhotography_VintagePhotoAccessories&hash=item19e87d062c also try these primes very cinematic great bokeh Minolta 45mm f2 Yashica ML 28mm f2.8 Yashica ML 24mm f2.8 Yashica ML 50mm f1.7 these Yashicas are widely regarded as Carl Zeiss Distagon Equivilants made in same factory in Japan as the Contax Zeiss lenses Fujinon 35mm f1.7 c mount Fujinon 24mm f1.4 c mount = 1inch dof at f1.4 superb zooms Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar 28-70mm C/Y Mount - micro levels of detail from amazing Zeiss glass - razor sharp lens aspheric elements Canon FD 24-35mm L Series - aspheric elements G6 is a very cinematic camera - you just have to know your lenses and pick the right ones - bokeh is not an issue!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austinmcconnell Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 G6 or GH3 would be the best budget choice, but I'll let you in on a little secret - if you've got time to wait it out before making a purchase, do so. The GH4 was just announced yesterday, and in a month or a little more, the price of the G6/GH3 is going to drop as the newer model takes center stage. Hope that helps. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlovegrove Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 Very helpful! Somehow I missed the news that in USA the GH3 will record indefinitely. Also true of the G6, I assume/hope?? That would be such a huge help for us. One little concern and one big concern if I go with the G6 instead of the GH3: Little concern: G6 cannot be used with an external monitor (which we have and use) Big concern: am I understanding it right that G6 does not have an available AC adapter? tosvus, my lens budget is limited, and the more I think about, I think I could make do with 50mm primes instead of 40mm. So that shouldn't be a problem. Actually already have an OM 50 1.4 that could do the job. Matt, thank you for the very helpful pros/cons list. Andy, thank you for the great lens recommendations - there were some things there I had missed before. I'm new to Panasonic so not used to watching their pricing - do we really expect the GH4 to push down the Gh3/G6 prices? Or could it be in enough of its own category that they might hold them steady? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlovegrove Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 Big concern: am I understanding it right that G6 does not have an available AC adapter? The manual is not very clear (it talks about AC adapter but never names it), but the G6 is listed here: http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/DMW-AC8 so apparently it is supported. That's great news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 89e2bdf5797fbbdc17c2cc6da1413fa0 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 No HDMI out for live view with the G6 I believe. Only playback. Some people have reported using wi-fi with a tablet etc working well for monitoring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy lee Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 G6 has superb full control of the camera via wifi on and iphone ipad or android tab/phone full focus control - yes you can pull focus on this! full stop start record full x10 zoom in focus assist on your ipad , just tap the screen and it zooms in x10 to focus! full contol of all camera menus and functions via wifi it is superb facility so you do not need HDMI out as my oled sony experia z makes a superb monitor!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlovegrove Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 FWIW, I ended up ordering a used GH3, plus a Nikon 35-70 f/2.8 zoom. I ended up leaning toward the GH3 over G6 for the battery life, ability to monitor live hdmi out, and the flexibility with lower compression settings. In terms of lenses, when I did some depth of field calculations I realized that I didn't need to go faster than 2.8. I also realized that a zoom was important for some of the work we do with speakers on a platform, etc. It's a hard setting for just primes. I couldn't come close to affording the Panasonic 2.8 zooms. There were lots of MF 3.5 zooms out there, but I really wanted the 2.8. Thankfully we don't need anything beyond the 35-70 range for our purposes, so I was able to afford the Nikon. No other 2.8 zooms were in that price range ($200-300). The size and weight of the zoom isn't a big factor since we're working off a tripod 95% of the time. Of course I can easily add some primes if I find a situation where we need to get faster than 2.8. So bottom line: excited to get to work with a GH3 and a 2.8 zoom for not much over $1000. Hopefully will arrive by the end of the week. Thanks so much for your help! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlovegrove Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 BTW, picked up Andrew's GH3 ebook and am reading it today... I also picked up the OM - MFT adapter so I can try out my OM 50 1.4 and other beautiful and tiny OM lenses. They'll fit the size of the GH3 a bit better than the Nikon. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy lee Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 sounds good have fun , the Nikon is a push pull zoom so be careful for video the Nikon 28-70mm f2.8 is the lens used on Bourne Ultimatum ...now that is a killer sharp lens, internal zooms too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rak_heri Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I recommend the GH3 (did a review). It's the perfect camera for event videography, with all the features you need. The Olympus prime 45mm f1.8 gives a very shallow depth of field, is very affordable, and one of the top 3 m43 lenses (also did a review) For the zoom in the 100-135mm, there's the 35-100mm Panasonic zoom, if you have the budget, or the Olympus 40-150mm, a great lens for its price. If you're really looking for a great lens though, I would get either the 75mm Olympus (a jewel) or the Olympus 60mm macro. Happy shooting ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlovegrove Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 sounds good have fun , the Nikon is a push pull zoom so be careful for video You're definitely right that this is the biggest potential weakness of this lens choice. My hope is that we'll be OK, since we're not trying to follow a lot of action. Just need some focal length flexibility beyond primes. We shall see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacek Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 FWIW, I ended up ordering a used GH3, plus a Nikon 35-70 f/2.8 zoom. Just remember that you can always buy a SpeedBooster for that (or other) lenses to make it wider and faster. (instead of buying other lenses) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlovegrove Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 Just remember that you can always buy a SpeedBooster for that (or other) lenses to make it wider and faster. (instead of buying other lenses) Yes - so it makes sense to stick with one brand of lenses when possible (at least one brand of non-native MF lenses) so that they would all work on the speedbooster (since most of us can't afford a speedbooster for each individual lens!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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