John Matthews
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Posts posted by John Matthews
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3 hours ago, kye said:
Come on John... everyone knows that anyone who wants better footage than a smartphone can provide is 100% totally fine with a camera the size of a microwave oven that looks like a Borg prototype!
Being slightly serious though, it's easy to criticise, but as someone who wants flexibility and better sound options, this is FAR better than the previous options, so it's a welcome addition in my eyes. The worst enemy of progress is criticising everything that isn't perfect in every conceivable way.
Fair enough. I just wish they'd spent time and resources elsewhere. I want a small, up-to-date, Panasonic M43 camera, not an overly complex version of a on-camera mic. This seems like a great product for 2010. But what do I know, maybe this THE MIC, the one that everyone was waiting for. What I can tell you with 100% certainty, people are ready and willing to pay vast sums of money for old gear, only because it's small. What happened Panasonic? The whole miniaturization of components thing has been apparently disregarded.
- kye and Yannick Willox
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2 hours ago, MrSMW said:
Yes.
This to me is just a somewhat expensive, limited use, vloggers device that has zero serious use case for my needs.
I already have 2x Sennheisers that fill this role at €150 for the pair of them.
Lumix has involved themselves in gimmicks for some time now. Anyone remember OZO Audio on the G100? What about DFD Focus "technology"; and somehow, the Olympus cameras without PDAF (like the E-M10 iii, iv) did much better in CAF. At least this on-camera mic seems like an actual product, but I'm just not sure how useful it is since it's a rather large device taking up you hot shoe. I think I'll pass for that reason alone. Just give us 32bit with ANY mic internally, not a whole contraption on top.
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It's great they came out with something new, but I wish they'd spent their time elsewhere. This product just doesn't seem like a priority. If audio is the priority, I'd rather a set of 2+ wireless lav microphones that connect and record to the camera via bluetooth or wifi. Why hasn't anyone done that?
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I just thought I'd ask because I'm enjoying this starting point rather than the Panasonic Standard profile for the GH4. I'm shoot the GX800. ProColor is giving me a really nice starting point for different film stock looks. I think @Andrew - EOSHD was going for the 1DX mkII when he made the profile in the first place. Ultimately, if you like it, it's good.
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1 hour ago, MrSMW said:
It would not surprise me in the least if Mattias packed it all in due to:
A. Having a YouTube channel can be very taxing, especially if trying to do it as a business rather than just for fun as it’s a beast that never stops increasing it’s appetite, plus,
B. It can get so toxic in the comments and most take it too personally and it only takes one or two toxic trolls and it can stress them out so much, it ruins it for them.
Based on a couple of pals and their own YouTube experience…
Yes, very likely too.
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I really feel for Europe and how it’s been bullied by the US for decades—through trade agreements, military operations, and more. I’ve been telling people here in France for years to stop following the US blindly. Europe gets screwed every time. I’m a leftist in France, but I vote in the US; believe me, I do it consistently. Right now, that’s the best way to make a difference. And remember—the US is full of well-intentioned, humane, and kind people. The only way things change is through voting, in my opinion.
As for Mattias, maybe he just wants to disconnect. I get it. I’m into politics, but sometimes the sheer mess of it all is too much. To recharge my political energy while keeping my sanity, I go back to season 1, episode 1 of The West Wing and start over. I focus on my family and, importantly, on voting in the real world—with my attention on policy, not culture wars. These days, my priority is taxing the obscenely wealthy, and I figure the rest will follow.
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I've seen this before, but usually it's with channels (especially old ones) that have been hit with copyright strikes and such. Mattias's channel take down seems to be voluntary and perhaps political.
5 hours ago, tupp said:I miss Gunpowder!
Burling's YouTube channel went down a few days ago, and the only thing that remains is the title, "ICE was here." It's a shame, because he created some exceptionally informative videos.
Some of the transcripts from his videos are archived here.
I simply don't have the hard disk space to save all the videos I really enjoy, but it makes me really sad to say goodbye. It feels like it's the digital equivalent of burning books and erasing history. Personally, I don't think I could do that. Then again, we don't know the exact circumstances. @Mattias Burling, care to respond?
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Wide angle and shallow DOF isn't for M43. Recently, I got the Laowa 28mm f/1.2 for my S5ii/S9. The rendering looks and feel like medium format. If your subject is 4-7 feet away, you get a really interesting look that is impossible on M43, showing plenty of context, yet quite a bit of blur. That lens is my indoor lens. I absolutely love it.
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I'm dumbfounded by the fact that the GM5 commands the same price as the S9 at roughly 840 euros on MPB. When will Panasonic take notice?
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13 hours ago, FHDcrew said:
I second that. They seem to wear out fast too. This summer when I briefly owned the S9, the rear dial just felt mushy and very easy to turn. I recently tried a Lumix S9 at a bestbuy that seemed to be in good condition; the rear dial felt better. And on a Lumix S9 FB group I've heard reports of the dials going bad and becoming less responsive. A major reason I went Panasonic G9II instead of S9 this time around. I also never really loved the Smallrig grip for the Panasonic S9; the grip felt lose half the time even when tightening. With all this being said, the S9 is still quite the value for the money. I think it smokes the Sony ZVE10II for example.
Yes. I haven't tried the G9ii, but I bet the build is in a different league; yet, the pricing of the S9 would indicate otherwise when it first came out. Not having that EVF meant to me they were not going to cheap-out elsewhere, but they gave us GX800-level buttons. I got the SmallRig cage and it does feel much better to hold and it has all those rigging options now. Still, it does have a lot going for it in terms of output. Personally, I thought it would be a major problem not going above 1/100 in artificial lighting, but it doesn't seem so.
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10 minutes ago, MrSMW said:
Needs to be lockable on the next gen camera…if there is one.
Plus more robust everything!
The 2 "cheapest feeling" cameras I've ever used (and there are many) are probably the Olympus e-p7 (which felt hollow) and the Panasonic S9. The S9's rear d-pad is simply ridiculous, feeling much more like a GX800 than anything remotely premium. It really needed proper front and back dials and go for buttons on the d-pad for a minimum. Also, give us similar buttons as on the other FF cameras. I would have also preferred a flip-up, not out screen.
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On 12/27/2025 at 9:36 PM, ac6000cw said:
Minor point - the S9 *does* have a 3.5mm mic input jack (but no headphone jack).
Yes, that's what I meant but failed to write properly. I actually have that camera too.
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18 hours ago, Andrew - EOSHD said:
It's a bit of a vanilla option when you can get a used S1 for same price which is same spec but a much more premium body, or pay a bit more and get an S9 with PDAF
This logic rings true for so many cases. "With just a little bit more you get" will make you end up at 2k. In this case (S5 vs.S9), I think some people would pay more for the S5 over the S9 (and it's PDAF) to not have the limitations of continuous lighting only and no indoor shots at high SS of 1/100 (no banding in PAL regions)... never mind the weather-sealing, mic port, better IQ (in 4k, especially with RAW) and EVF. Doing it all again and a lower budget, I'd probably get the S5D + 18-40 for 799 euros (new with 5-year waranty). After, I'd get some awesome Konica lenses.
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19 minutes ago, Andrew Reid said:
Providing a five-year social media history to border agents may become a pre-condition to entry as part of the rise of fascism in America.
The new entry-rule is doubleplusgood. Giving five-year socmedia record to Borderforce is only goodthink. Right citizens with nothing to hide welcome full truthcheck, for it keeps out crimethink, facecrime, and all ungood elements. Freedom is Strength, and more watch means more freedom.
The Party merely sees what all goodthinkers already show. Only unpersons fear oversight. -
19 hours ago, fuzzynormal said:
Oh god. That thing. When online people complain about lousy footage with the cliche "was that shot on a potato"? They're probably talking about the D90's codec.
Yes, I think even my Pentax K5 (the first ever capable interchangeable lens camera with built in, sensor shift IBIS) shot better video than the Nikon D90.
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On 11/28/2025 at 6:06 PM, fuzzynormal said:
Surprisingly, I found the EM10iii footage the most pleasant looking color-wise when exposed correctly.
Not surprised. I love the video from this camera when I see it online. I love the footage in this simple family video. Shot in "muted" with FilmConvert applied on top. Kit lens.
I once filmed a wedding with a GX80, a Sony 1080p pro-level camcorder, a Nikon D90, and a Nikon D3400. It wasn't easy to match to say the least, but I was able to keep the story center-stage, not the crazy colors of each camera.
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Now that many of the overheating problems are fixed, I can't wait to see all the videos saying Panasonic has fixed the issues. Oh wait, that might not attract the views.
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9 hours ago, fuzzynormal said:
The best looking film I ever made was in 1080p on consumer cameras before I really was trying to do a hell of a lot with color grading.
I love 1080p footage. To make 4K look good, you have to throw all kinds of filters at it. I can’t even imagine 8K, let alone 12K — that’s just crazy territory. Even 4K already shows every skin pore, sucking all the magic out of the image. 1080p still hits that sweet spot where the detail supports the story. Hyper-sharp 4K, 8K, and 12K just end up turning the story into “look how ugly that person is.” The narrative goes in one ear and out the other.
I can’t help wondering if there’s some level of collusion between computer manufacturers and camera companies. What if 1080p was always “good enough”? That would be a huge let-down. Why buy a new computer if a 10-year-old one can do just as well — aside from saving ten minutes on an export?
Granted, with a 12K sensor, I imagine moiré would disappear for good, giving you an incredibly clean 1080p file if the downsampling is done properly.
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This is how I name all my footage:
2025-11-23_16-49-13_S5M2.MOV
I do this with a free app called XNviewMP. This has served me well for finding date, time of day, and camera.
Here's the renaming template: {Creation Date[Y-m-d_H-M-S]}_S5M2
On each import, I can select the last template used for a particular camera. I just use the Finder for finding files.
For photos, it's a little more complicated:
{EXIF:Date Taken [Y-m-d_H-M-S]}_City_Country_{EXIF:Model}_{EXIF:Focal Length}mm_F{EXIF:F-Number}_ISO{EXIF:ISO Value}_{EXIF:Exposure Time}
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10 hours ago, ND64 said:
They're already closing down their pro services, and no way they invest in a zero growth business when they kill their own zero growth businesses.
I don't think is actually a sign of much anymore. It has more to do with stream-lining the European division. Panasonic is already a partner for ARRI. If they have the cash, that would be great though! Then again, why would they need that? They've already got ARRI Log in their cameras! How could they improve- they already have the best? Maybe they should just give us that S1Hii? Anyway, ARRI closing factories is more about Hollywood than a dysfunctional company.
Panasonic says nothing for 30 minutes at CP+ 2026
In: Cameras
Posted
My take: Panasonic’s Head of Imaging practices a rare art: saying almost nothing with exceptional stamina. The translator deserve a standing ovation for turning sprawling verbal marathons into neat, meaningful summaries. I read each phrase 3 times before moving on to the next.