fuzzynormal

I'm using these little cams for a modest project, and after a few weeks run n' gunning with the gx85, thought I'd give a quick critique. First of all. Great cam. Wonderful IQ for such a small price. So, there's that and it's a really big deal. Now for the big "but." Outboard audio: I knew it was going to be a pain buying into the gx85 insomuch as the post side of outboard audio sync'ing was going to be a hassle. Now that's it's on the NLE in front of me and being unwieldy, there's a level of regret that's certainly frustrating. Until one is actually dealing with hours of unsync'ed audio, (again) it might be hard to empathize, but believe me, it's not fun. Sync'ing interviews? Not a problem. Trying to sync each and every b-roll clip when your 2 cameras are wandering to various distances from the subject? Not an enjoyable experience to clean up in post while the clock is ticking on the deadline. Big compromise there when deciding to use the gx85. The EVF. Just not good enough for me. And this is important. I'm an older guy. My eyes suck. Trying to focus on that crappy EVF for a few hours can literally make me queasy and leave me with eyesight issues after using the cam for awhile. Compared to the ease of using the EVF on our Fuji/Oly cams, it's like Panasonic is foisting some cruel joke on it's consumers. It's really quite bad. You can just never tell if your image is in focus on the damn thing, and the eye strain that mushy image generates is very much a big issue. I'm attempting a work around with various loupe set-ups, but those things are awkward to use AND make the camera look like some sort of filming device; both things I'm trying to avoid. Otherwise, the camera delivers as advertised. On gear like this, it's all a compromise, and I think we know that. Shooting a semi-pro doc with consumer gear is do-able, it's just not as elegant as it could be...maybe at this point in consumer camera development it's fair to even say it's not as elegant as it SHOULD be. Now...if the EM5II video was just a tiny bit better I probably would have stuck with my Olympus for this assignment. But, IQ tends to trump all else. Anyway, if you're a hobbyist, you're probably going to love the value of this camera. Having that stabilizer for most people who are awful at doing handheld will be worth it alone. -- But for doing actual work? It's can be a slog in the documentary style of production. All that said, my wife and I completed a doc last year (https://vimeo.com/140524680) using the GM1 and GX7, so we knew what we were getting into going into the production, it's just that our newer Fuji/Oly cams have kind of spoiled us in the interim, as the Oly allows on board audio recording --and the EFV's are actually an asset rather than a liability.

Focal length is focal length. So, your answer is 20mm and 50mm.

Can't find a simple wrist strap stateside. Anyone know where I might be able to order one online??

I'd suggest a system reset to all default. Assuming that doesn't work, maybe run a firmware update and see what happens.

I'll give it a shot later in the week. I've been attempting to settle on a good post production work flow as I try to get into Resolve... but if Premiere will let me efficiently edit h.264 4K source files on my i7 4790k / Gtx1080 PC, it's certainly worth looking into. Sadly, haven't had much luck yet with Resolve and it's Optimized-Media-work-around. And it absolutely chokes on source h.264 files. Not to mention that Resolve can only display on two monitors and I'm using three. Hmmm, Adobe is suddenly looking more interesting. https://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/now-live-the-latest-update-of-premiere-pro-cc/

I like this exercise in filmmaking as it really illustrates how the craft is so much more than the narrative and plot...something a lot of people don't understand or appreciate when it comes to cinematic storytelling.

Man, I'm just grateful I can get my hands on cool equipment. Whether it be cheap mirrorless "toys" to do stuff with --or high end rentals. I love that it's all rather easily accessed these days.

If you want manual motion picture shooting when you move the dial to "C", then you'll have to build the camera state that you want. For instance, under menu 2 of the motion picture settings, I'd put "Exposure Mode" to "M" for manual, set all the other camera settings of my preference, then save the state of the camera in the menu: Custom (the wrench icon with a C next to it) --> Custom Set Mem.--> C1. After that, whenever I go to "C" on the dial, I'd have that camera state ready to go under the C1 option.

I got 2 GX85's for a specific project, so I can attest to the brand loyalty thing. I've used Panasonic cameras for a long time and brand comfort makes the choice to buy-in to a new camera for this gig a bit easier. Plus, the dang things are ridiculously cheap. That said, I still think the 5-axis in the Oly EM5II is just a touch better than what Panasonic is offering; industry leading. However, there's a caveat: that's only when using non-OIS lenses. If you have a Pany OIS lens paired with the Panasonic sensor stabilizer, it's really good. I'm also really loathe to turn away from the ergos of my EM5II. I'm surprised that I connected so much to the EM5II, to be honest, but I do love how it just works. If only Oly had better motion picture IQ...

You have to pixel peep, but, yeah, it's a bit better at smoothing out edges. I wouldn't bother using it for 4K footage that's delivered 1080.

Don't disagree, but I'll add that re-scaling is certainly useful when shooting a documentary. Run'nGun shooting is all about circumstances and compromise. I can be happy with 95% of my shots, but if I can make a shot better with a bit of judicious cropping I'll do it. I ain't proud. Give me a technique I can exploit, I'll exploit it. I'm not shooting with a 4K camera because I want to re-frame all my documentary shots, I'm shooting 4K because it offers options if need be. --And then there's this whole thing, as if this thread needs to go more sideways: http://www.eoshd.com/2014/02/discovery-4k-8bit-420-panasonic-gh4-converts-1080p-10bit-444/

That's "pan-and-scan" not a dolly move. No parallax effect=no dolly shot.

GX85 reference source files. 4K 30p: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ind5m3i55ref68n/AADuWTubn7qDQpSeTaRi7r_Ia?dl=0

Oh! Not my kids. Nephews. Yeah, once that iPad game time is over with, it's a whole different reality/existence of chaos.

Here's a handful with white balance set using a WhiteCard and the same settings listed as before: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mfixcrz7c91fdqk/AAB6OtlZ2GDtcU_yrkRCBrDfa?dl=0 Also, I changed the lens. Used something modern to compare with the previous set of shots: http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/m-zuiko-digital-ed-12-40mm-f2-8-pro.html The image redering differences are interesting to pay attention to. Also, smaller aperture than before meant I had to boost the ISO, so these shots are f2.8 @400-800 ISO.

No. It was on purpose. For instance, Sony and Olympus cameras tend to drift a lot when under AWB. I wanted to see how consistent the GX85 was or was not. Experimenting at the moment, not doing "real" shots.

I just rolled off those shots with that Inazuma setting-suggestion. FWIW, I didn't set the white balance. It was on auto white balance. I'll experiment more manual Kelvin as well as presets.

Medium format cameras are neat-o.

Natural Color Profile: 0,-5,-5,-2. Indoor shots with a 55mm FD lens, Chinese Speedbooster, no filters. Stabilizer set to 40mm Highlights set to -2 White Balance Adjust A:3 G:3 https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sqfycip8z52s3z9/AADEWeIG1R1i1hUObtrLGlrea?dl=0

Natural Color Profile: 0,-5,-5,-2. Indoor shots with a 55mm FD lens, Chinese Speedbooster, no filters. Stabilizer set to 40mm Highlights set to -2 White Balance Adjust A:3 G:3 https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sqfycip8z52s3z9/AADEWeIG1R1i1hUObtrLGlrea?dl=0

The guy should do whatever he wants and be who he is. That's why I'm here, anyway.

You can see some clips I shot with a "no brand" chinese adapter in the download and share thread.

All handheld of course. Shot with way too much caffeine in my system, had the shakes a bit. Also, trying to manually focus using the LCD in bright daylight. Pretty challenging, but really just trying to shoot at an extreme to see what would or would not happen or what I could or could not handle.

Experimenting with the GX85. Shooting under sub-optimal conditions. Bright mid-day light, hard shadows, etc. Cheap Chinese speedbooster with a 55mm f1.2 FD lens, B&W 64x ND, and a Tiffen circular polarizer. No lens hood. Neutral color profile -5 -5 -5 -5. Most shots @f2. Here's source footage straight from the cam: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/694tsb6iwy5y6um/AABOcE_3WUiCMY18xyOuTLEaa/GX85?dl=0

Experimenting with the GX85. Shooting under sub-optimal conditions. Bright mid-day light, hard shadows, etc. Cheap Chinese speedbooster with a 55mm f1.2 FD lens, B&W 64x ND, and a Tiffen circular polarizer. Neutral color profile -5 -5 -5 -5. Most shots @f2. Here's source footage straight from the cam: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/694tsb6iwy5y6um/AABOcE_3WUiCMY18xyOuTLEaa/GX85?dl=0