sgreszcz

A couple of new Olympus OMD E-M5 II films (music video and behind the scenes).

 

 

 

Thank you for all your input.  I'm going to test with a used GH2, and a used gopro that supports protune.  I might just end up using them both in the end.

Thanks for your advise and providing a variety of models to look into.  Much appreciated.  I'm just using earbuds now (haha) but something like this would provide better sound and convenience.

Can someone recommend some small (foldable?) monitoring headphones that I could use for field recording and when recording live audio (run-and-gun) into a recorder/camera setup?  Looking for something fairly inexpensive, portable, and hopefully durable.

Thank you.

Thanks for the suggestions.  The main ceremony will most likely be bright Spanish sunshine, morning or mid-day, although the fiesta takes place day and night.  I guess it depends on what is going on and how much filming I can do.  

I think I'll pick up a used GH2 on eBay and test against a used GoPro including using with shots from my primary camera.  I'm going to need ND on the GH2, and will probably need to figure out what to do with the GoPro as I've never used one.

I'm going cover a live event this autumn and I'm looking to get a couple of unattended cameras to cover wide shots of a plaza to allow cutaways from my main camera shots.  What would people recommend for this type of shooting?  The GH2 or something like a GoPro, or something else?

My main camera will be the LX100/GX7 or maybe a Olympus EM5-II for the IBIS when running around.

Thank you!

I have a GX7 and LX100 that I use for stills and video. I'm trying to set it up to allow me to readjust focus using auto-focus (AF-S) when shooting video. When I had my Olympus cameras, it was quite easy to reset the focus automatically when recording was ongoing, but after many tries, I cannot get this functionality working on my Panasonic cameras!

I have AF-S setup to work on the back AF/AE Lock as well as the shutter half-press. It works correctly with both cameras in AF and MF (manual switch) mode BEFORE starting recording, but as soon as I start recording, neither button will cause the camera to refocus.

 

Under Motion Picture Menu I have:

AFS/AFF/AFC : AFS

Continuous AF: On

 

Under Custom:

AF/AE Lock : AF-ON

Shutter AF : ON

Half Press Release : OFF

Quick AF : OFF

Eye Sensor AF : OFF

Focus/Release Priority : RELEASE

AF+MF : ON

MF Assist : BOTH

Constant Preview : ON

 

Thanks for any help here.

​It is a nice little camera, isn't it?  The video looks great and it takes pretty good stills too.  I've sold off most of my micro 4/3 cameras and lenses in that range and keep a GX7 and a couple of longer primes and zooms if I need more range or for portraits.

​My only Panasonic OIS lens, the 35-100/2.8, unfortunately adds a lot of jitter (even after the recent firmware upgrade), making it less than useful for handheld video shooting.  On the other hand The OIS built into the LX-100 does seem to eliminate image shake (at least for me).  My longer primes and zooms did stabilise video very well on my E-P5 with IBIS, but I had to keep the depth of focus small with little movement (like portraits) or the image blocked up.

​That's what I used to do with two E-P5s, the Olympus 17 and 75 mm lenses and a couple of NDs.  I sold them due to the video quality, but was hoping to return to that way of shooting with the EM-5II.

​Was a little bit tongue-in-cheek.  I love my LX-100, especially for video.  I've stopped using my GX7 for most things as I get frustrated by the some of the annoying things that Panasonic has since fixed in the LX-100 and by the jitter in the P35-100 OIS that I use mostly on that camera.  I still sometimes carry the GX7 with a longer prime or zoom for stills, but the LX-100 is always in one jacket pocket, and an ND fader in the other.

​Thanks for that example.  I'm not a pro and that is exactly what I use my cameras for.  The video quality looks much improved over the old EM-5, the shots look really steady.  I'm still going to wait and see what the GX8 brings, but for me I miss the IBIS (and some of the stills features) in the Olympus cameras.

​Yep, compare the stills of the same shots against those in the video here: https://www.storehouse.co/stories/r9xml-slomosf

I wouldn't expect video quality to equal still images, but when I compare the video from the EM-5II to my lowly LX100 (even 1080p, forget about 4k -> 1080p), it is in a completely different league than the EM-5II.  The LX-100 stabilisation isn't bad either, as long as you aren't moving around too much with the camera.

The one good thing is that the Olympus blocking seems to be gone in more detailed shots, even if the picture detail isn't there yet.

 

​That's good to know.  I haven't used DTC much as I mostly use my GX7 (recently switched from Olympus) with the 35-100 lens and the LX100 doesn't have that feature for some reason.  I wish it did, and I would be able to get from 24-150 equivalent from that camera when shooting video.  I wouldn't really need to carry two bodies in that case and the LX100 has a decent lens, especially in the centre.

​I found that the DTC on all previous Olympus cameras was useless, too bad it is still the same with the E-M5 II.  I think that the DTC has to do with the way it interpolates when rebuilding the full resolution still image, and then has to recompress to 1080p?  I thought that Panasonic's EX Tele used a straight 1080p crop which should result in a better image?  I have to test this with my GX7.  There is no Ex Tele on my LX100.

I'm glad the compression is better on the EM5-II.  My previous experience with Olympus cameras and video was that images with shallow depth of focus looked quite good and anything wide and/or with lots of detail or movement looked horrible and blocky.

I'm still amazed by how much better the Panasonic LX100/GX7 1080p, and especially the LX100 4k video image is over the video that I captured with the E-M5 and E-P5 cameras that I once owned.

I still might try to get my hands on an EM-5II this summer as the IBIS does come in handy, especially for longer lenses.  The OIS on my Panasonic 35-100/2.8 is still jittery, even after the firmware upgrade.  Surprisingly, the LX100 OIS works quite well and covers the 12-75mm range for me.

I tested the OIS stability in video with my Panasonic GX7 with the 35-100/2.8 @70mm vs. my LX-100 @70mm.  You can still see much more micro-jitter on the 35-100 than in the LX100.  Shame, really as it is a great little zoom lens for stills.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1sNjEfD3GE

​I'm still sitting on the fence with this one.  I would like to hear about your experiences with the EM5-II.  I miss the Olympus for stills + IBIS for video since switching to LX-100 + GX7, however that is not a bad system either, however needing more external stabilisation.

tosvus,

Thanks for the update on this.  I upgraded my 35-100 firmware just before shooting a bunch of video.  Previously, I only used the 35-100 to shoot video with OIS when mounted on my E-PM2.  I thought that is how crappy OIS is by nature for video (when comparing to my E-M5 at the time), that I never tried again.

After filming with the firmware upgrade on my GX7, it seemed a bit better, but much worse than my LX100's OIS.  I really need to do a comparison between the LX100 and 35-100 at 70mm.  I still think there is too much jitter in the 35-100 though but as it is my only OIS lens, I can't really tell.

I'm thinking hard swapping the GX7 with the EM-5 II (for telephoto), with the only downside being having to match shots from the LX100.

I'm looking at ways to augment the sound capabilities of my GX7 and LX100 cameras for run-and-gun event shooting. Neither of them have microphone input jacks, and both have hotshoes. I'm trying to find a small solution, since these are small cameras, to use with my benro video monopod. I already own a Zoom H1 recorder, but I'm wondering if a small shotgun mic would be more appropriate for directional sound recording.  I also own and used lavs (Olympus -> H1 and Rode Smartlav+ -> iphone) but I'm looking for something to get better sound if I can't get close enough to the action or have access to the speakers to slap on a lav.

Some of the ideas I've looked at:

Rode videmic go (£60) -> Zoom H1 which I already own.  Any tips on how to rig this up to the camera or monopod/tripod?  There are smaller recorders like the new Tascam DR-10c (£200 - pricey), and littleDARling (not yet available).

Shure Lenshopper VP83F with built-in recorder (£300), but it is a bit pricey and I'm not too sure if something similar and cheaper will be coming out soon from other companies, such as Rode.

I saw in another thread (which was looking for audio alternatives) that there are some chinese-made shotgun mics, but they look rather large, especially with their mounts.

Any experiences with small external-audio setups would be appreciated. The first project I'm going to use this for will be trying to video an outdoor winter bobsled/skeleton event at the end of January.

Thank you for the input.  Sorry for the basic questions, I've done some additional research (I was searching the archives for "sports" rather than the software tools "twixtor, or FCPx optical flow" so previously didn't get many results).

fuzzynormal, I think that I will just be using the software slowdown when I grab some footage of bobsled and skeleton starts (if I'm capable of getting any decent shots).

I've just started playing with the GX7.  I've previously used Olympus E-M5/E-P5/E-PM2 and ditched them due to the weak video codec, especially on wide/fast shots.  My first Panasonic (bought in November) was the LX100.  I like the GX7, but find it a bit "clunkier" to use than the LX100.  There are significant improvements in the LX100 like focusing speed (faster than any camera I've ever used), face/eye detection, iAuto-ISO.  I also love the manual LX100 controls, and not having/needing a mode dial.  I'm still trying to understand how the configuration settings on the mode dial work on the GX7 when there are already modes for P/S/A/M, Movie Mode.  I also like using monochrome in the EVF/LCD on the LX100 when using video with manual focus as the yellow focus peaking really jumps out.  I'm not sure if this is available on the GX7.

In summary, the suggestions I found for slow-motion camera settings are:

- Use the highest framerate you have,  ie 720p/60 is better than 1080p/30.  My (PAL) GX7 has 1080p/50 so I'll go with that.

- Use the highest shutter speed you have.  Less motion blur will help the software tools do the interpolation better, and motion blur can be added back in post.

- A simple background is best.  I'm not sure how I can best do this as the starts have the sledders oncoming and if I use a shallower depth of field to blur the background, there is less time that the althletes will be in the area of focus.  I'm going to try to experiment with this and cars or other quick moving objects.

- Another tip to get the right amount of motion blur is to calculate the 180 degree shutter speed based on the fps you are shooting at * the factor that you plan on slowing down the shot in post.  I guess this means that If I'm shooting 50 fps, and plan on slowing down by 50%, I should set the shutter to around 1/200.

I will play around with Twixtor (demo), FCPx Optical Flow, and the free GoPro Studio 2.5 with flux (which I've read is Twixtor under the hood).

Hi there,

I'm going to take some video of my brother when he races in the World Cup of Skeleton (where they throw themselves headfirst down an ice chute at up to 140 km/h).  I own a Panasonic LX100 and a newly-purchased GX7.  I'm planning on using the LX100 for the wider shots and when I want to rely on the detail that the 4k brings.  I plan on using the GX7 with my longer u4/3 lenses (like P35-100/2.8) and hope to be able to use the DTC functionality as well.

I have a few questions about techniques and settings needed to shoot fast moving sport, using 50fps (in the GX7), and potentially getting more slow-motion with something like Twixtor to interpolate frames.

Normally, I try to follow the 180 degree shutter rule for motion blur, and until now I've only had a camera that shoots 24/25/30 fps so I've kept the shutter speed fixed at 1/50 especially when indoors with 50Hz lighting.

I would like to try to record some of the bobsled and skeleton starts with the intent of slowing them down in post.  The GX7 has 50 fps.  If I record in 50 fps, should I be setting the shutter at 1/125 or should I be using something higher for sharper image capture, especially if I intend on using something like twixtor to make it look like even slower motion?

As far as shooting at 50 fps on the GX7 (28 Mbps), is there any loss in image quality compared to shooting at 25 fps (20 Mbps).  Is there any reason why I shouldn't always shoot at 50 fps just in case I want to slow anything down in the future?

Thank you for advise!

Now you can use one fn button to easely switch between C1 and C2 profiles.
But remember one thing: if you change settings while using C1 and then switch to C2 and back to C1 - your changes are lost, the profile is loaded exactly how you saved it at the beginning.

Aperture, shutter speed, AF/MF you change with physical buttons, so no quick reset to your default values is available.

Can someone in PAL-land tell me how I can set things up to quickly shift to 1/50 shutter? I'm a little bit angry that Panasonic didn't offer the lx100 as a world (PAL/NTSC) camera, and the force the PAL camera it use 1/60 on the physical dial

They should either offer us to set the shutter speed in the video settings, map the 1/60 to 1/50, or allow us to save shutter speed as custom settings.

At least Olympus - with their short-sighted only 30p frame rate - allows easy shutter speed selection of 1/50. I didn't have any problems with artificial light flicker with 50Hz.

Hey all, 

 

I just got me one of these LX100 to replace my Olympus E-P5 that I was using for stills/video with either the Panasonic 25/1.4 or the Olympus 12-40/2.8 zoom.

 

I'm brand new to Panasonic menus and shooting so I'm finding it a steep learning curve to setting it up and getting the right functionality (zebras/peaking/focus magnification) - features that were not available on the Olympus cameras in video mode.

 

Also, would love hearing from people who have set it up to be able to switch quickly for stills settings, to settings for video (manual mode, 180o shutter, automatic focus with manual override, quick WB/ISO changes).  I see that there are customisations (C1, C2, C3) but not sure how to apply them quickly without a mode dial.

 

Yes, I need to read the manual, and I am in the process of doing so, but looking for some help from those that are shooting with the Panasonic menus, and specifically the LX100.  Sometimes the manual is not too helpful there.

 

Thanks!

 

Stephen

 

P.S. First impressions is that the EVF is usable, but I miss my tilting Olympus VF-4.  I can't believe how light the LX100 is, even compared to my E-PM2 with 17/1.8 prime (although I haven't weighed them).  I also really like the LX100 grip.

I don't get that either. Why are you even buying cameras if you don't really need them?

 

I mean shopping can be quite fun! I had fun when I bought the a7s and played around with it a bit. But that fun goes away in like a couple of weeks and then it's time to make something. I had way less fun when I bought the Canon 7d four years ago but damn I learned a lot using that bastard for years.

 

People who just skip and wait and skip and wait, will also skip learning and doing. And that's way more fun than buying a great camera.

 

I think that there is some logic here, and I'm on the fence about the LX-100.  There are lots to like about the camera like 4k image quality, zoom lens, EVF, compact size.  However I probably not purchase it knowing that Panasonic has left out some obvious features (touch/tilt LCD, HDMI out) for a future update, or not to compete with existing products (e.g. GH4).

 

Reasons for me to wait:

 

If Panasonic releases a 4k GM or GX camera, or Olympus get proper video output, or Samsung/Sony offer something GX7-size worth swapping to from my current u4/3 lens investment.

 

My current camera doesn't prevent me from shooting or creating, even though I would like some improvements in image quality.  I'm willing to wait a while for enough new features to move from what I now own and use.

Hi neverending, there doesnt seem to be any moire in that clip, you probably are seeing scaling artifacts if not watching on a 4k screen or zoomed to 100%..

 

You are right, I downloaded the 4k "flat" clip that Cameralabs uploaded, pulled it into FCPx, messed around a bit with the exposure, contrast, and saturation, and then exported it as 1080p.  

 

The exported 1080p image looks really quite good and you can't see much moire, for example, on the garage doors that looked horrible when played on Vimeo or through Quicktime when downloaded.

 

That being said, I think I'll still pass on the LX100.  I think I'll miss the tilt/touch LCD too much, and I'm hesitant about the EVF.

 

I think I'll put up with the hit and miss video output in my Olympus E-P5 as I love it for stills and the IBIS, and I'll see what Panasonic and Olympus (or even Sony) come up with next in their smaller-body ranges.