Neumann Films

- 150mbps and 10bit make a pretty big difference IMO. 

- Will be able to test 180fps here in a couple of days, excited to see what the quality is like on that. 

- 6K photo mode isn't working yet, so no impressions there. 

- 4K photo mode is basically the same as it was on the GH4, 8 bit and 2880x2880 in 1:1 mode.  Hoping they can maybe work 10bit out in one of the photo modes for ana shooting.

- I was told by engineers that DR is one stop better.  Not totally sure on that, haven't tested.  Seems to be a bit better by my eye though.

- Low light...will really test tonight. 

- IBIS...changed my life.  I don't know if I can go back to anything else.  It's pretty awesome when paired with a lens that has stabilization.  One shot in our video was handheld and at 60fps, I stabilized in post and it might as well be a dolly shot.  So with a wide lens, dual IS, 60fps, and post...you can almost forego dollies.  Crazy

- The audio adapter thingy is pretty sweet.  Less cables = win in my book. 

- Colors seem better with V-Log, some of that could be 10bit 422, some of that could be tweaking V-Log?  Don't know

Our downloadable footage will be online soon so that everyone can make their own decisions/impressions.  I don't have a TON of experience with the GH line so I can't definitively say how it fares vs. GH4. 

Ha, on what??  Isn't everything out already?

I will do low light tonight...not sure if I can get around to anything else for a bit.  Also have some downloadable footage for people to test on their own though.  Should be online soon

1 minute ago, zetty said:

Yes. I also hope there is a choice inbetween. But will have to test how the 150mbps holds up, maybe it's plenty enough for what I do.

At 24/30 in 10bit, it's enough for most situations.  8bit/60fps...you'd want the higher rates.  Not sure yet if it will be available for 60 though.

150 is good enough in 10 bit for most situations.  

17 minutes ago, aldolega said:

@Neumann Films Ideas for standalone tests:

-ISO noise- same scene/shot, locked off on a tripod is fine, just roll through the ISOs and use shutter speed to keep exposure the same.

-Rolling shutter- if you could use the methodology from this thread:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?303559-Measuring-rolling-shutter-put-a-number-on-this-issue!

That would be great as then we would have a fairly standardized result that we can use to compare to other cameras ourselves.

-Battery rundown test- Set the cam to its most power-hungry settings (IBIS on, deep DOF and highest bitrate, AF and AE on, LCD max brightness, Wifi on, etc), and see how long the battery lasts. Maybe point it at the TV or out the window at some trees or traffic, so that there's some motion for the codec to encode.

Definitely will if i can find the time.

2 minutes ago, Cary Knoop said:

The Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 is a great lens.  Of course the 42.5mm f/1.2 is one of the best MFT but it comes with a large price tag!

Sounds like it! 

17 minutes ago, Cary Knoop said:

It seems to me you are looking for a camcorder.

If you like comfort and automatic features you should get a camcorder.  I don't think cameras like the GH5, Sony A7s II or the likes are made for you.

Heck if you don't care about 4K you can get great deals on second hand HD pro camcorders.

 

 

I don't know what gave you that idea but you are wrong.  Both the 42.5mm f/1.7 and the 42.mm f/1.2 Panasonic/Leica lenses support 5 axes IS.

 

Ah, not too up to speed on their available lenses.  The 42 sounds nice.

Either way...having acceptable ISO 800 and 1600 on an M43 system is something that most people desire.

If you want to keep 5 axis IS that means you're using a lens that is f 2.8.  If you shoot 60p that's 1/120th and f 2.8, so having good performance at ISO1600 is key for some situations.

Just now, Cary Knoop said:

Apart from the fact the high end video cameras do not excel in low light with bad lighting even a million dollar camera will not look good. 

A good video needs good lighting, always!

It used to be different but lighting is now easy, cheap, safe and of good quality.

And entry level LED panel starts under $100. 

 

Still...good to know how it fares especially since it's M43 and a lot of people go run n' gun for doc and other work.  

6 minutes ago, zetty said:

Footage is good enough already! When?

DR and ISO performance are probably most interesting to me right now as lots of other details have already been announced or (potentially) leaked. The other thing that I am wondering about is the codec.

January 4th.  My first thought was an ISO test (because it would be easiest on my part)

7 minutes ago, zetty said:

Usable DR

I don't have any charts or anything so it wouldn't be very scientific.  Footage will be made available for analyzing though.

If you could see one test with the GH5, what would it be? Standalone test, as in, not comparing it to another camera (unfortunately).

1 hour ago, SuperSet said:

Hi Luke,

I've really enjoyed your music and color grading tutorials.  Can you offer an opinion about the GH5 color science yet?

Thanks, I will be able to on the 4th

40 minutes ago, Davey said:

There will come a time - might even be here in part with product reviews - when an army of people will be employed simply to comment on whatever videos their masters tell them to, saying exactly what they command them to. This already happens in the world of political 'journalism' and anywhere the powers that be have an agenda to push and truth to hide. The YouTube comments section that you mention absolutely stinks of fanboyism at the very best and something approaching mass sock accounts at worst.

It's already upon us...

I always had a problem with that in the GH4, myself.  It was subtle but I could always spot it.  

Without doing any tests or really even paying attention to it, I will say, that I didn't notice it in the latest iteration.  That's about the best gauge I have, looked good to my eyes and at first glance.

2 minutes ago, HockeyFan12 said:

You can't buy a house if you can't afford it in your market. But otherwise, I fully agree.

Luckily I have very low rent for where I live but still about what you're paying for a mortgage. The network thing is real... within a year of moving to a large market, my resume has completely transformed. Unfortunately, quality of life even at twice the pay is not different and it's not even that rates are better, just that there's more work. I think the only advantage of a big city is networking and that's pretty meaningless unless you're out doing it.

The more successful people I know run their own production companies in smaller cities and enjoy a higher quality of life. Their networking options are limited, however. 

Totally agree.  I know myself and I know I wouldn't be out networking enough to justify the higher cost of living.  

Just now, HockeyFan12 said:

I live in a city with bad traffic. As in... the worst in the world. :/ Even far outside city limits a small two bedroom house is $600k.

I suppose if there's anything to take away from this discussion it's that the one advantage of a big city is the network. 

Ugh.  I would move just for some sanity.  Yeah, at least with purchasing a home you aren't throwing money away.  You can always sell and recoup most of your mortgage payments (barring a '08 esque collapse).  If your rent is $3,000 a month, that's $36,000 down the drain every year.  If your mortgage is $3,000 a month and you end up selling the house eventually (for close to what you paid) you will see a return on most of that $3,000/month.  

I agree, networking is big...as long as you're out there doing it.  If you cast a wider net and network online, you won't be limited to just one city.  

8 minutes ago, HockeyFan12 said:

This is a very good way to approach things if you can make it work. I wonder sometimes if freelancing in the big city is a bad idea. Maybe it makes more sense to try to get in with the biggest agency possible full time in a big city despite the lower wages, work locally with a low standard of living, network to the top, then quit, move to a small town, and freelance from there.

Sounds like you skipped a few steps, but arguably there's no need to take them. 

The biggest asset we have is an online audience.  You could probably make it work without one.  The main thing you lose is connections and networking but if you build an audience of any kind you can find them that way.

Live just outside of the city limits and advertise yourself inside of it.  Then commute.

The beauty of the internet is that you don't have to live in the big cities anymore.  I enjoy smaller towns and wouldn't move if I had to.  My wife and I bought a house on the Oregon Coast, the mortgage is $1,600 a month and we rent it out on AirBnb when we travel for filming.  That ends up covering the mortgage.  So we live for free in an area that we like and we travel to the bigger cities for work.

Obviously won't work for everyone but...there are ways to make any situation work.  You just gotta be flexible.

1 hour ago, Emanuel said:

LOL

Luke, people are all crazy with your NDA... Can't they allow a time for a break? It's Christmas time, after all! :-)

Ha, I wish.  Will be able to say whatever I want on the 4th (i think).

7 hours ago, Cinegain said:

I'm pro resolutions. But uncooked would be the shit! 

For sure!  Unfortunately uncooked meat requires a bigger serving plate (due to all of the juices) than what my oven can hold at the moment.  So if I were to serve uncooked meat, it would likely only be possible outside of my current oven.  If at all.  Never know though!

My New Years Resolution was to clear the queue of projects and sloth around for a week straight.  Looks like that dream could become reality...

16 minutes ago, Orangenz said:

Don't know about Andrew, but I'm very partial to drinking 4992 glasses of water over 3744 days. Hmm, that will take me several new years resolutions...

Damn, so that's like a New Decades Resolution or something?  Not a bad idea.

Yeah...this is an extremely tricky subject.  Thanks for sharing your experiences.

There are SO many people out there ready to throw you numbers only to pass or not even be serious in the first place, that it's actually healthier for you to consider each client to be full of BS.

This kills me.  I'm an optimist to a fault. I always try to find the good in people and this echelon of the industry is destroying that aspect of my personality.  I hate it.  I loathe it.  

"Honesty"...,it's such an underrated tool in your skill set.  Practice it and yes, you will get fucked over.  Many many times.  BUT, you will also stand out from the crowd.  The people that cherish honesty will spot it from a mile away and want to keep working with you.

This industry is really despicable but there are great people hidden within.  Find them, hold onto them, work with them continually and avoid the snakes at all cost.

I wish I had a secret for spotting a snake before it was too late but that's something I'm still working on, myself.  Avoid them and you will find really great people.  Build connections with them and no one else because connections with snakes lead nowhere anyways.  

6 minutes ago, Andrew Reid said:

6K!

Not a bad New Years Resolution!  Seems like a sweet spot for Anamorphic shooters to finish in 4K.  Possibly even desqueeze up to 8K and then scale down by 2X to get that higher fidelity?  Would that work?

I mean, 6K is kind of a no man's land as far as finishing goes, so you might as well use that to get a better 4K finish?