sgreszcz

I'm planning on shooting some video at the skeleton and bobsled world championships in late February (my brother represents Canada in skeleton).  I want to pick up some general shots to use in some promotional material for my brother, but would also be looking for some slow-motion capture of the starts or turns.  I own the Panasonic GX80 which will do 1080/50fps and a good selection of lenses, and unfortunately my GH5 won't be available util Mid-March.  I also have the zhiyun crane, but have not had tonnes of time to practice with it, unfortunately, but hope to get some time with it before I go.

Can anyone recommend a hybrid consumer camera which might be useful to rent for the high frame rate features - like the Sony RX10iii - or should I just stick with the GX80 that I am familiar with and do the best with the 50fps?

Also, any recommendations or tips on shooting winter sporting events (frame rates, shutter speeds, camera care)?

Thanks!

7 hours ago, jonpais said:

He's saying should be available March-ish.

Yes, that is the answer I got from both Panasonic Europe and the UK vendor where I have my pre-order.  I was hoping to use the 180fps feature for something I'm shooting at the end of January, but no luck so far trying to get the camera earlier.

48 minutes ago, Fredrik Lyhne said:

The kit deal you're talking about is available in Europe, UK and Scandinavia so it will probably show up in US at some point. At least here in Norway the lens is almost 50 % cheaper if you get the kit. Haven't seen any kit other than with one of the 12-60mm lenses yet.

In the UK there seems to be body-only, with 12-60, and with PL12-60.

1 hour ago, Fredrik Lyhne said:

@Neumann Films Thanks for sharing and congrats on the film, looks great!!

Did you buy any chance get to try the new 12-60 f/2.8-4.0? I have the 12-35mm and 35-100mm. I'm considering selling the 12-35mm and getting the kit with the 12-60mm as it will almost cover the difference. Any thoughts? 

Would love to know the same - have the old 12-35 and 35-100 and would prefer one lens. 

11 hours ago, John Matthews said:

I don't really know of a lapel to recommend... I've got a $20 Sony Lav and it's good enough for me. I connect to a Zoom H1... I suppose it's slightly bigger than your setup, but I'd say the results are more than good enough- they simply amazing! The down-side, as you mention, is not having the ability to adjust on the fly. I'm waiting for someone to develop a lapel stereo mic with a super-small recorder that will record at -12 and -24 decibels simultaneously. Once this happens, I'm not sure there will be a need for the remote options. If someone knows of something like this, I'd like to know.

Been waiting patiently for ages for this to ship

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/instamic-the-smartest-microphone-ready-to-record-video-music

Insane price on the gx80 (245£)! I could have bought two now for less than the price I bought one for less than a year ago! 

I'm loving mine and it and the Panasonic 15/1.7 are a lovely combo.

https://www.parkcameras.com/p/P016419K/compact-system-cameras/panasonic/lumix-dmc-gx80-mirrorless-compact-system-camera

Can anyone recommend which Filmconvert profiles they use for the GX80?  I'm primarily interested in using Film convert to match the Panasonic with my iphone and I'm using Natural 0, -5, -5, -2 White Balance A:2 G:2 for my picture profile.

4 hours ago, dantheman said:

The zoom ring on the Olympus lens turns the opposite way compared to the panasonic lens so that might be annoying if you are not used to that, also the panasonic 12-35mm does not produce micro jitters like the 35-100mm does. Another advantage with the panasonic 12-35mm is the OIS so that does give some extra stabilization when combined with the sensor stabilization and if you plan on using this lens on a GH4 or G7 you at least have a lens with IS where the Olympus lens does not give you that option. The focus clutch on the olympus, eventhough very handy, is like the panasonic still fly by wire, not sure for the g80 but switching between auto and manual focus on a GH4 is very easy and fast as well, I have the olympus 40-150mm f2.8 and everytime I pull that focus clutch to have manual focus the image shifts out of focus, doesn't happen on my gh4 when switching between auto to manual. The panasonic is also smaller and lighter.

If I had to choose I"d take the panasonic over the olympus. For photos the olympus is the superior lens but if your main focus is video you would have to pixelpeep to see the difference in IQ.

I've owned both lenses, and currently own the Panasonic 12-35 and 35-100 f2.8 lenses with my GX80 for exactly the reasons above: Dual-IS, smaller size (I've standardised on 58mm filters), indistinguishable (for me) image quality.  The Olympus would give me closer focusing (sudo macro) and longer zoom range at the expense of everything else.

5 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

Not blown away by anything out of the camera so far and since my own hands on with it I've been shooting with the Panasonic G85 and realised it is by far the better deal.

The stabilisation doesn't seem much better on the E-M1 II compared to that camera for video.

Not least because the GH5 is around the corner which gives the E-M1 II a useful shelf life of about 2-3 months for your $2000.

Furthermore the phase-detect C-AF doesn't seem to work that well in video mode which theoretically would be one advantage over the Panasonic DFD implementation.

3 hours ago, fuzzynormal said:

I am impressed to see that one shot @:54 and realize what's going on there.  That sort of "transparent" delivery of what would otherwise be a worthless shot is nothing to be ignored as a doc film maker.

Yes, that bouncing car interior shot is quite impressive.

Newshooter.com report.

http://www.newsshooter.com/2016/11/11/look-mom-no-gimbal-janne-amunet-on-amazing-olympus-em-1-ii-image-stabilisation/

On 11/7/2016 at 9:20 AM, John Matthews said:

I thought I might weigh in on this lens discussion. First, the GX80 is small and IMO it deserves a lens that is small. Isn't that a major reason to go MFT anyway? Secondly, I agree with @jase that focus by wire isn't the best for video, but I think it would easily work in a pinch.

I've been experimenting with some borrowed Voigtlander 17.5 and 42.5 lenses, but due to the small grip on the GX80 I find that my wrists tire quickly.  Maybe I'm just weak, but those lenses are pushing the balance/weight/comfort level for me.  As much as I like their look, I'm thinking of switching to just using my P15/1.7 and getting the P42.5/1.7 for indoor use.  Or maybe getting the PL12/1.4 or PL42.5/1.2 if I can get more paid work someday.  I think it was @fuzzynormal who mentioned that he might just use the Olympus 25/1.2, the PL42.5/1.2 and O12-40/2.8 zoom for most of his stuff going forward.

As @jase noted in his lessons learned, that hitting focus by "cheating" with the AF button is preferable to blurry unusable shots.  I find that I can edit around the AF seeking.  I have also found it particularly difficult to ensure focus with the GX80 during recording due to the limited resolution of the EVF and the inability to Punch-In Zoom while recording.  Also, even though I mostly shoot with the EVF/LCD in monochrome to better see the yellow peaking, it still is hard to see during shooting especially with fast-moving event-type stuff.  

When using lenses in manual mode, I do like how you can push-in the rear dial and it does Punch-In Zoom to help with focus, I just wish you could do the same while recording.

On 11/6/2016 at 1:22 PM, Cinegain said:

But on a Panasonic body, that smaller lens, correction and OIS could mean the Panasonic 12-35mm would be well suited. Though I'm not sure if that micro jitter issue is still there?

No micro jitter on my GX80 with P35-100/2.8 nor P12-25/2.8 with Dual-IS.  I had the jitter with my GX7 and G7.  Check out my test on youtube (and I've posted it before in this forum).  I also get good results with the Olympus 7-14/2.8 - what a nice lens that is.

13 hours ago, Fredrik Lyhne said:

It's a fantastic image for the price! Prices in Norway: GX85 is 590 euros, G85 is 1050 euros and A6300 is 1335 euros. If the price keeps dropping I might have to keep it as a B-cam when the GH5 is out, which isn't so bad as it's a perfect match for Hercules with PL 15mm and PL 25mm:

 

How are you liking the Hercules? Any tips or tricks on using it with the  gx80?

Some really nice shots in those videos!

Has anyone done much night shooting with this camera? I'm thinking of filming a lantern festival after dark and hoping that my native 1.4-1.8 primes will work ok.

1 hour ago, tosvus said:

This reminds me of my woes with the Pana 35-100 2.8 and the ibis that even after their firmware update still has some jitter issues. This or the G85 could alternatively help by worst case simply turn off IS on the lens and use in body ibis instead... looking forward to testing that once I get a new camera. 

The P35-100/2.8 works quite well no on the GX80 with Dual-IS although I still think that the E-M5II with IBIS only is a bit more solid with the same lens.  Check out my test on youtube, and I used the P12-35/2.8 and P35-100/2.8 for this video:

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

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

1 minute ago, Inazuma said:

What limitations do you mean exactly?

I agree, before the start of Photokina the GX80/GX85 was one of the top micro-43 cameras   I used to prefer Olympus for shooting stills, but since Panasonic added IBIS and made improvements in their colour (since G7 compared with GX7/LX100-era) I'm quite happy with the photos I'm getting.  

DFD+C-AF is OK on the Panasonic cameras, but then again, I've never shot with a modern PD-AF camera, so I'm interested in seeing how the EM-1 mark ii performs.

4 hours ago, IronFilm said:

FZ2000 is impressive!  Just wish they'd gone with constant f2.8 and a shorter zoom range. Like the Sony RX10 mk1/mk2 series.

 

G80 is very appealing just for the IBIS but I think I'd rather get a heaps cheaper secondhand G7

The g7 was cheap last November with the huge discounts Panasonic was giving. It is probably one of the best deals around. 

7 hours ago, Geoff CB said:

Holy.... I never thought I would be considering a M4/3 camera. But this literally ticks ALL the boxes for me except the sensor size.

Edit: If this comes in under $1500 I'm buying it.

With the Voightlanders or the newer Panasonic or Olympus pro f1.2/1.4 lenses or a speed booster you are not doing that badly for low light or shallower depth of field.  I'm enjoying shooting with the Panasonic 15/1.7 and Olympus 75/1.8 these days now that the light is getting gloomier.

The IS is incredible on these cameras, and with all the right audio jacks, better battery, (and hopefully a cleaner preamp than em5ii) this could be a really good documentary or event camera.

Then there are all the stills features like 18fps raw and the improved high-res mode...

4 hours ago, John Brawley said:

There is indeed a lot to like about this camera in the video department :-)

4K (and not just UHD) is a big one for starters....

JB

Can't wait for you to get your hands on one to test. I'm sure you have given them some excellent feedback for improvements over the em5ii.

Will be interesting to see how the AF works with video and the enhance PD-AF and the C-AF.  Would be good to get something comparable to Canon's AF.

1 hour ago, John Matthews said:

I believe it also has a flip-out screen.

Better viewfinder or same as GX80?

14 minutes ago, Grimor said:

How about the focusing speed?

I've sold my 20mm 1.7 for the that reason.

Quite fast, I think a bit faster than the 25/1.4 too.  The 20/1.7 was one of the first m4/3 lenses that I owned (with the Olympus 45/1.8).  I loved that little 20mm lens except I lost a lot of shots due to missed autofocus (mind you of my kids that don't stop moving).  It was pretty good for manual focus with video and I liked the angle of view and had nice rendering.

On 9/12/2016 at 10:28 AM, John Matthews said:

Agreed... and that's a fair price for that lens too.

I just got the 15/1.7 and it is a great little lens.  I think that it might replace my 25/1.4 for indoor shooting lens as it is easier to get environmental pictures and video of my kids without having to be way back.

7 hours ago, Lintelfilm said:

I find this a serious issue with the LX100 - even with RAW stills. I struggled with it a bit with my GH4 but I'm sure it's worse on the LX100.

Any suggestions of best way to minimise it?

I always struggled with this too in both RAW and JPEG.  You can see a test I did with the G7/GX80/LX100/E-M5II here where I balanced everything before shooting.  I find the GX80 to have much more pleasant colours than any of the Panasonic cameras that I have used so far.  Here's hoping that the GH5/G80/LX?? use similar colour.

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

15 hours ago, Dean said:

I find it strange that Panasonic chooses not to tell you what ISO the camera is choosing when shooting video and in "S" mode in video the chosen aperture is not displayed either.

With regards to the IBIS, maybe the 12-32 is not as great as other lenses. I was expecting more though and I am guessing, but once the EM1 mkii is released it will considerably steadier than any of Panasonic's offerings. As mentioned, OIS combined with DIS on my NX1 seems much steadier and way less "floaty" than the GX85.

Definitely a lot better than the LX100 though which is why I bought it ... and not too much bigger either.

I too find it a bit awkward that in A or S mode on a Panasonic you can't see the ISO or S/A that the camera selected.  For the GX80, I find that the IBIS gets a bit wobbly when doing some sort of movement with wider lenses such as the Olympus 9-18 or 7-14.  With the Panasonic 12-35/2.8 and dual-IS it works better and really controls the jitters on the Panasonic 35-100/2.8 zoom.  Check out my youtube videos where I tested out the IS of various Olympus and Panasonic cameras including the LX100, EM5-II, and GX80.

I had the LX100 and sold it in anticipation of the LX200 and hopefully the better colour rendition like the GX80 (check out my test of the LX100/G7/GX80 colour).  I don't know if it was the (auto) white balance, or the LX100 lens, or the "JPEG" rendering but the LX100 would give me some funky colours in the skin and lips sometimes.  Also a tilt/touch screen would be nice as I use the EVF+touch focus for stills a lot.  As you say, the GX80 isn't much larger than the LX100, except when you need something faster than the pancake lenses (like the Panasonic 2.8 zoom or even the 15mm/1.7 prime).  The GX80 is also much heavier than the LX100 and doesn't have as good a thumb grip.

I've recently sold my Olympus cameras and most Olympus lenses and replaced them with two GX80.  I hope to get the LX100 replacement as it is a fantastic travel camera, and I could probably get by with the LX200+Gimbal and the GX80 with Panasonic 35-100/2.8 for most things. 

I didn't find switching between stills and video mode that tricky.  I assigned custom settings to the bottom left function button and C1 to stills and C2 to video.  I mostly shot stills in A mode, so to switch to video it was: Function button (select C2=video), shutter dial to 60 (rear wheel jog to 1/50), Aperture dial to A.  I would pop on a 3 or 6-stop ND depending on how bright the scene was.  Outside I used ISO 200 and inside auto-ISO. It would be easier if Panasonic told you what A it was selecting as sometime you need to jump into M mode to find out.

On 8 September 2016 at 4:24 PM, John Matthews said:

Sorry, you cannot operate the camera while charging with the USB... stupid, I know. The hack isn't really a hack, just put the device in service mode... search the EOSHD forums or go to Youtube for that hack. If you want continuous for 2 hours, AC is the ONLY option.

Yes, this is really stupid and I found out the hard way doing some long milky way time lapses this summer that the batter life in the GX80 is much less than the same battery in the Gx7 and LX00, especially when I forgot to turn off the IBIS.  I don't know why they didn't allow for USB power of the camera as well as charge the internal battery.

I posted this in another thread, but it is more applicable here:

Look at this guy's blog http://www.grahamhoughton.com/tech-talk for the subject "Building a USB to 8.4v power supply to power your camera for longer periods out doors".  It refers to Panasonic, but I'm sure you can do much of the same for any camera that has a "dummy" battery on the market.  I've ordered the voltage/current converter and dummy battery and I'm going to use it with external USB battery packs for longer time-lapse video (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01FD9X1NK).  I did order the wrong plug to allow me to swap the dummy battery from mains to USB backup.  His blog has all the details, but he also has some videos: