JazzBox

I sold my 5inch Video Assist after ecording both GH4 and G7 on it.
The files from GH4 were not really better then internal, the G7's were a lot worst. I tried on a second unity, same results. Not the same thing on an Atomos... so I sold it... (just my personal experience, nothing scientific).  

Zak is another great film maker who uses Panny cameras to make films he delivers to platforms . this is precisely the point I'm making ....these cameras in the right talented hands can make great looking movies ,  the GH5 takes us all to the next level and gives us an even better image we can use to deliver to Netflix Amazon Prime Hulu etc .

The GH5 being used to shoot 'serious movies' isn't so inconceivable to me. The 10 bit 4:2:2 4K make it a good option for very low budget films that are hoping to eventually get picked up by platforms that are seeking out or require 4K content. Yeah, it's no Alexa, but it's $2000. 

On that note, if you know what you're doing, pretty much any recent camera can be used to make decent theatrical content these days. This was shot on two GH4s: 
 

Yeah, it's really no use to fanboy over any brand, just use what works best. If someone claims something and you cannot relate or can even de-bunk it... then well, there you go. That said, Panasonic just kills it in terms of features, usability, reliability and affordability, that even Sony can't touch. I'm open to a good APS-C mirrorless system, but I've yet to find one that's as attractive as the Panasonic and Olympus eco systems where you just everything you'd want in a camera and system, including native 'n compact lens options and adaptability in combination with sensor stabilization and other body functionality that's a dream (vari-angle (frontfacing) touchscreen, dual cardslot, both mic-in and headphone ports, dual cardslot, weathersealing incl. freezeproof, highly reduced rolling shutter effect, etc). Yeah, you can blame the sensor... not enough dynamic range... improved but not super flexible high ISO noise performance... but as has been said before... not each scene has to have tons of dynamic range and you can and should light your scenes. It's hardly any different with an actual cinema camera like one from Blackmagic (which does have that insane DR and color advantage however).

He's genuinely excited about the value of these Lumix cameras. Just as he is excited about Metabones Speedboosters, Contax Zeiss lenses and other lenses such as the Nikon 'Bourne' zooms or low contrast Tokina RMC optics. Instead of just being openly excited about these things, he had the chance to get involved in some degree. Doesn't mean he sold his soul to the highest bidder and agreed to bring us the Lumix gospel regardless of what it stands for. He's still advocating the same genuine opinion and recommendations he's already had before, so nothing has effectively changed except for perhaps a little influence in pointing the company further in the right direction? I friggin' respect the guy, he's great, skilled and knowledgeable!
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Regarding the V-LOG Key... when upgrading the GH4 to the GH5, you do need a new one, right? Or is it 1x per model type?
Does anyone know if there will be a kit with new 12-35mm f/2.8 II zoom? I expected so, but, haven't seen it listed anywhere, also no like DMC-GH5A product designator for it?

This camera is a serious piece of movie making kit Panasonic have jumped leaps ahead of the competition with the GH5 , you can shoot serious movies to deliver to Netflix and Amazon Prime on this camera with out having to go to an Alexa or Red Epic/Dragon , it puts a lot of cinema camera features into the Gh5 at a superb price

I knew I wanted this  set up because I looked at both the Varicam LT shoulder Pad and the Zacuto...they are both used with the VCT-14 plate...there are knock-offs...but if you're patient, this will last you a lifetime. Below is an old one on Ebay...the Sony's work especially well as you get heavier cameras or rigs on and off...I would not hesitate to get an old one...professional piece of rigging you'll only buy once!
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-VCT-14-/182485692194?hash=item2a7cfeaf22:g:Q64AAOSwTM5YxGCt

Bought my VCT-14 plate on eBay virtually New for $160...will work equally well with an Alexa as my set up and last a lifetime...
You can see how the adjustments are done fore and aft to keep the camera and lens and all else like a mount or monitor you may hang...this setup works easily between 10 & 30 lbs.

You could see if there's a vertical bracket available for the G7. This will extend the bottom of the camera a bit (kind of like a battery grip) and give you more height.

Personally I use arca swiss quick release plates on my cameras so what I did was I got this arca swiss clamp and mounted it to the top of my Glidecam with a stack of alternating large metal washers and large neoprene gasket washers (both of witch can be purchased from any hardware store for a few cents each).
The key is to alternate the metal and neoprene washers so no two metal surfaces touch.
Metal on metal = low coefficient of friction
Metal on neoprene = high coefficient of friction = harder to slip and spin.
The other benefit of the neoprene is it compresses slightly so if you torque down the 1/4-20 screw to take all the compression out of the neoprene it acts sort of like a lock washer and helps maintain the torque.
I have though about using some SA glue as well but have yet had any issues with my current set-up so have not done so yet.

I solved a height issue on my rig by first mounting the camera and cage on a Sliding quick release plate.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JLK5Q4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This in turn is then mounted on the Zacuto Universal Base/Shoulder plate...gives me room for a FF  and up and down adjustments and finer balance depending on lenses used on the Zacuto
I have a Sony VCT-14 plate permanently mounted on the tripod...the whole rig comes off in a couple of seconds and on your shoulder

I used to have that glidecam.  You just need a spacer to lift the camera a bit, yeah?  Suggest going to a hardware store and pluck around in the bins for anything that'll lift your cam enough and then get a bolt to fit.
You could get a machinist to fabricate something for you in a matter of minutes as well.
Or, honestly, looks like a Manfrotto quick release plate might give you enough.  If not, it's pretty easy to add a spacer to the Manfrotto receiver too. 

I'm sure they will , the Arri became industry standard due to the look , work flow and ease of use , with Codex Vault you are a great work flow from set to edit , so a 2.5 K camera with less resolution than some of the cameras here on this forum produced cinematic images in the right cinematographers hands , so resolution and 4k are not essential , its the lenses lighting composition and story ...is it entertaining ! That makes it cinematic . anyone on this forum can produce wonderful cinematic images with a bit of care and thought

For me its all about the lenses and the lighting , lens focal length choose for the scene and also they type of lenses you use gives the cinematic look I run 24p and as flat a color profile as I can , but the camera is not making it cinematic it's the lenses - using selective focus and depth of field to draw your eyes to the subject in the fame is standard cinematic style film making , just get any 4 back issues of American Cinematographer from the past five years read them and you will see a pattern emerging of lens choice and lighting that define the cinematic look and you will see its the  cinematographers craft that make it cinematic not the camera .

Actually I am selling my F65 as well.  I'm putting the money into my wife's film I'm shooting.
Yes, it's not universal what one person would like vs another person.  Rent a bunch, do a test, and get the one that you like the most, and you find the most valuable for your needs.

Don't URSA Mini 4.6K EF owners get a hefty discount on the new camera, bringing it down to something like $3500 so I heard and you get to keep your existing camera.... bargain.
4.6K sensor looks nice, it's a custom design and not off the shelf scientific.
And the old Mini 4.6K is still nice.... Pro is just the same camera with NDs and more buttons!

I was wrong.
I was a fool.
I bought a Ursa Mini 4.6k EF mount.
A week before the Ursa Mini Pro came out.
Opps.
But, still, this camera is incredible.
I was an idiot for criticizing them.
And now with the pro, they have delivered an ideal camera - capable of Raw or log for only $6000.  That looks like an alexa.  That is built well.  That is small.  That seems to not overheat.  A really amazing camera.
Blackmagic has done what Red had dreamed of.

At the end I went to try both Panasonic 14mm and 15mm and the 15mm was great. 

I sold my 12-40 and took 2 Pana-Leica 15mm and 25mm, the lengths I used most of the time on 12-40. 
In the next future I'll took a 42.5 (the cheap Panasonic one or the Pana-Leica), but for the moment I can go 40mm with the 40-150 f/2.8 from Olympus, that is very good.

Ciao  
 

In my opinion there are a lot of cinematic, organic lenses in the analog world: try a Zeiss, a Canon FD, an old Helios 44... and see if it is the same as a Panasonic 14-140...
They all have their characteristics (or defects) that could be bad for still and nice for video. Of course someone search just a clean, sharp, perfect lens, so a new one could be better then an old one... and in some situations (i.e. documentary or shooting outdoor at lunch time) every lens could work and makes no real difference...

Anyway I always try to use analog lenses for shooting (music videos and narrative) and only use the digital Olympus 12-40 f/2.8 PRO (and 40-150 f/2.8 PRO) for wide shots where an analog 25 or a 28 is too narrow (or for quick gigs where I can't switch lenses and the 2 zooms give me all the focal lengths I need). 

But I certainly see some substantial differences between the "modern", more or less "perfect", "videoish" digital lenses and the old CY Zeiss (or Canon FD) and I try to use old lenses as much as I can if I can choose.

In my opinion 20mm is too narrow for 90% of steadicam-like shots, it is too similar to 24/25mm and for the Flycam (a Glidecam-like stabilizer)  I need a light lens as wide as possible without becoming funny or noticeable. I'd like to have a lens that gives me a Birdman-like (or La La Land-like) field of view.

My Olympus 12-40 is a really good lens, but at 12 is good for landscape, not for humans. Going from 12mm to 14mm makes a huge difference: it become usable for humans, but it is quite heavy and I plan to shoot some long takes, so I need a lighter lens.

Today I'll try both 14 f/2.5 and 15 f/1.7...  






 

In my opinion there are a lot of cinematic, organic lenses in the analog world: try a Zeiss, a Canon FD, an old Helios 44... and see if it is the same as a Panasonic 14-140...
They all have their characteristics (or defects) that could be bad for still and nice for video. Of course someone search just a clean, sharp, perfect lens, so a new one could be better then an old one... and in some situations (i.e. documentary or shooting outdoor at lunch time) every lens could work and makes no real difference...

Anyway I always try to use analog lenses for shooting (music videos and narrative) and only use the digital Olympus 12-40 f/2.8 PRO (and 40-150 f/2.8 PRO) for wide shots where an analog 25 or a 28 is too narrow (or for quick gigs where I can't switch lenses and the 2 zooms give me all the focal lengths I need). 

But I certainly see some substantial differences between the "modern", more or less "perfect", "videoish" digital lenses and the old CY Zeiss (or Canon FD) and I try to use old lenses as much as I can if I can choose.

In my opinion 20mm is too narrow for 90% of steadicam-like shots, it is too similar to 24/25mm and for the Flycam (a Glidecam-like stabilizer)  I need a light lens as wide as possible without becoming funny or noticeable. I'd like to have a lens that gives me a Birdman-like (or La La Land-like) field of view.

My Olympus 12-40 is a really good lens, but at 12 is good for landscape, not for humans. Going from 12mm to 14mm makes a huge difference: it become usable for humans, but it is quite heavy and I plan to shoot some long takes, so I need a lighter lens.

Today I'll try both 14 f/2.5 and 15 f/1.7...  






 

I haven't used the 14mm so can't really comment on that. The 15mm is by far my favorite lens of the small native lenses in the system, especially for people and street photography. 12mm is too wide and 20/25mm is to narrow in my opinion. 

The 14mm f2.5 weighs like 50g. It's basically the size of a Canon or Nikon rear lens cap. So if you're trying to get under a weight limit on a gimbal or stabilizer, that's your lens. It's also cheap, sharp, and fairly fast.
The PanaLeica 15mm is undoubtedly a nicer lens with a nicer look, but it's bigger/heavier and way more expensive.

The Rokinon 12mm f/2 is a great lens, very small and light, I've used it on a GH4 quite a bit and liked it. Recently I've also seen some test footage from Laowa's new 7.5mm f/2 which looks very impressive, and definitely solves "the wide-angle issue" of micro 4/3. 

EDIT: Well, I should have read the post better, you say you don't like the exaggerated look of those ultra wide angles, my bad! Best of luck and happy shopping.

FWIW, according to:
http://www.thehurlblog.com/cinematography-online-micro-four-thirds-lenses/
the Panasonic 15mm delivery quite some "filmic" image if set to f2.5, however he totally dislikes the oly 17mm 1.8 - a lens that I like very much. So...

Ciao!

This is a music video I shot with GH4 and G7 (both with Natural profile, saturation -5, contrast -5).
I shot it very quickly: two afternoon and an evening, one week between the 2 days of shooting and in that time I sold the GH4, so the second day of shooting was with the G7.

I shot all handheld without shoulder rig except for a part of the indoor shot with the voodoo witch, where I used a tripod while she mix the potion.
The drone scenes are shot on DJI Phantom 3 Professional (not mine, we called a pilot), which is a little too "digital" for my taste. 

I used Andrew's EOSHD Pro Color for Panasonic and I'm really happy about the skin tones and the overall colors. I also used FilmConvert's Kodak Vision3 5207 with grain 20%.

Thank you Andrew

p.s.: can you spot which is the GH4 and which is the G7?