jonpais

What do you recommend?

Thanks, Michael. So, you're saying your footage also exhibits some jitter when trying to hold the gimbal absolutely still. If that's the case, best not to use the gimbal for static shots. Actually, I only just started to use sticks again for video work, since I recently purchased an amazing carbon fiber tripod, and believe it or not, I love working with it. I also shake quite a bit, but I did try to hold as steady as possible for the video clip above. Did you send your 42.5mm in for repair, or are you holding off? Also, I'm curious how you ever managed to balance the Nocticron on the Crane - first of all, it is heavy as hell, secondly, the barrel of the lens is so large, I couldn't even mount it on my Crane.

I didn't realize until going on a trip to George Town, Penang, Malaysia, that, when shooting static videos of architecture, my gimbal has a shake problem. Prior to that, I'd always shot people, often moving around, and I didn't notice any unsteadiness. When examining the videos I'd shot of some of the colonial buildings in Penang, I realized my gimbal has a bad case of the jitters. Examining footage I'd shot of people before my trip, I realized I've had this issue all along. I thought it was because I'd downloaded the firmware update for Canon cameras, so I installed firmware v1.51. That didn't help either. This afternoon, I saw Zhiyun had already released yet another update, v1.52, but still no improvement. Can anyone please share some static clips of buildings, windows or anything with horizontal and vertical lines and mention which firmware you are using? I would much appreciate it.

Seriously good review, Sebastian. I hope to see many more from you. Like one other viewer already said, very engaging.

I tried replicating both of your tests, using a Lumix GH4 and Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN for MFT, a very small, lightweight lens. Using the toggle switch, I tilted the camera downward as far as it would go, like in your first video. The camera does not suddenly swing back up. I tried this several times and could not get the gimbal to behave like yours. However, when switching from upright position to inverted mode, the movement is not smooth, the motors are working too hard, and the arm gives some resistance, so I think that is normal. You aren't supposed to hold the gimbal by the motor, that's what the handle is for. Inverted mode doesn't mean holding the stabilizer by the pan motor.

The Panasonic 35-100 f/2.8 is a beautiful piece of glass, absolutely wonderful for portraiture, but not really suited to group or table shots. The OIS suffers from jitter, though, since even Panasonic's firmware update did not completely fix the problem. I understand that with the recently released Panasonics with IBIS, the jitter is not noticeable. The two variable-aperture Panasonic lenses are too slow and are not of the same caliber as the two fixed-aperture lenses you mention. I would avoid them if you don't want to compromise on quality. Panasonic also offers a number of fine, relatively fast primes (from what I've read), including the 25mm f/1.7, the 42.5mm f/1.7, and the 20mm f/1.7, three of which would cost little more than one fixed aperture Vario zoom lens. However, as I'm not a wedding photographer, I don't know whether most photographers prefer to use zooms or primes. Here in Vietnam, though, they all use zoom lenses, from what I've seen.

Not bashing the GH4, I'm liking the images I'm getting with it; it's just that it appears the OP is on a budget, so a G7, GX85 or G85 would fit the bill, and he could use non-stabilized lenses with the latter two, giving more options for glass. The G Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 wouldn't be suited for weddings if that was your only lens, since it is not ideal for portraiture. I don't shoot weddings, but from what I've read, you might want faster glass for interior shots, and when you want to throw the background out of focus.

Looks like the stabilization works quite well with the Nokton, very encouraging.

Why are you buying GH4? ? Also, the Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 is not only better quality, it is significantly less expensive than the Tamron as well.

TCSTV has just begun by adding a segment called Wooden Niccolls to their reviews, which should give viewers a chance to see how cameras hold up in real world shooting, for lack of a better world.

Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app?

If you're just placing the camera on the gimbal so it does't 'flop over' or something, it isn't balanced at all. It must be balanced on all axes, otherwise the motors are working harder, battery life will suffer. May I ask why you prefer not to balance the camera, when all it takes is just a couple minutes? If you want to check balance, just open the Zhiyun Assistant app, connect your gimbal via Bluetooth, and you will see if pan, pitch and roll are balanced. The Zhiyun Assistant app has gotten a new look, more features.

Could you share a video showing the problem? Here's mine, in inverted mode. IMG_2074.MOV

Here's an interesting test of overheating and battery life, with and without grip.

If you're shooting under a variety of lighting condions, I actually prefer stuff shot under fluorescent to look greenish, early morning or late evening bluish and indoor tungsten to appear orange. Sorry if that's not much help...

I have only just begun delivering 4K to YouTube from my GH4, but if Panasonic offered 1080p with no aliasing, moire or digital artifacts, I'd probably choose to shoot HD as well. In fact, back in February, I was standing in front of a large screen TV in a showroom at Best Buy when I told a salesman how gorgeous the 4K image was, and he told me it wasn't 4K, it was an HD screen. At the same time, I'm not going nuts that camera manufacturers aren't offering genuine HD - the 4K files are manageable enough, I can edit them on my Mac, and they don't require all that much extra storage. And when h.265 is the industry standard, the file sizes will be that much smaller still. DVDs? Sorry, but you lost me... what country are you talking about? Because DVDs are shiite. And we are not 'most people'. Who gives a donkey's ass what 'most people' prefer?

Funny, because no one accused sites of click bait when just a couple of years ago, online reviewers were comparing the lowly Lumix GH4 to the venerable Canon 5D or even to industry staples like Arri and Red.

Yeah, Andrew and others have compared the Nocticron to the $11,000 Noctilux, and if you check out images online, they bear an uncanny physical resemblance.

Very sorry to here that, Michael. I can assure you, this is not normal. I wouldn't describe the Nocticron as tack sharp wide open, though it gets spectacular results when stopped down to F/2.8. I don't shoot stills, but if you check out my video, most of the shots of the woman getting her hair done were shot at or around f/1.2. There is also a video shot wide open on YouTube of military exercises in Poland, but I don't know if sharpening was added in post. You can also check out LensTip's sample images at f/1.2 for comparison.

Just how is it click bait? The G7 is great value for $500 if you are a video shooter. I think Max is unbiased. And what does matching white balance between the two cameras have anything to do with sensor crop, rolling shutter, noise, resolution, etc.? Nothing... He's not 'cherry picking'. He made it perfectly clear he was primarily interested in comparing video performance.

@Andrew Reid Regarding your comment about IBIS not making tripods obsolete (my own words), I'd been playing around with the Crane (with GH4) for months, and when I went back to using a tripod for locked down shots (when testing out the Leica Nocticron) I realized just how wonderful a good tripod is, if you can bring one along.

Zhiyun reached out to me immediately concerning the problem shooting with a GH4 after updating to firmware v1.50 5D RC2 and offered a quick and simple fix: go to this page, download and install firmware update Crane v1.51 and the stabilizer should work with lighter bodies again. Zhiyun's customer support is second to none.

Warning to GH4 users!

Aside from all the things I love about Fuji, they've got another thing going for them, at least for someone in SE Asia. Panasonic has virtually no presence here whatsoever, and practically nobody has even seen a Lumix. At least from my experience in Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. Sony and Canon advertise heavily here, Panasonic, not at all. And shops that do carry Panasonic usually only have two or three older models at most, and virtually no Panasonic lenses to speak of. For example, even finding a GX85 in Vietnam is a hassle, and neither Vietnam nor Malaysia carry the G85 yet. But almost every reputable camera shop here not only carries the Fuji XT2, they also stock the accessories and an assortment of lenses. Fuji's customer service is supposed to be excellent, while Panasonic's pretty much sucks in my experience, at least in Vietnam. Remember back when it was discovered there was an audio problem with the GH4? I don't think there was any recourse for buyers here in Asia, at least to the best of my knowledge. And recently, when I went to an authorized repair shop to replace my viewfinder, they said they'd call me back in a few days, but never followed up. So it is little surprise that, in the four years I've lived in Vietnam, I've seen fewer than five people with a Lumix camera. I think before I moved here, Panasonic might have had a greater presence, but since they started focusing their energy on North America, they've abandoned the market here to Canon, Nikon and Sony. Sorry if this is off topic...

I guess I didn't see that post, thanks Hanriverprod. I know I overpaid for my GH4, but that's around how much it cost me almost 3 years ago. It was either that, or fly to another country and pick one up for less, which would have amounted to about the same thing.