John Matthews

My feeling is that H quality would be better than the lowest available bitrate in the camera (20mbps H.264 8bit) as it's 12mbps H.265 AND 10bit. I think the compression is about the same but with more color information. I haven't really tried the M quality- the compression seems massive in that though. It would probably depend on the scene. The quality of the H Proxy really looks quite acceptable. The L quality was a huge step down though. I'll need to try the M setting tomorrow. Concerning the EOIS at the wide lenses and vlogging style videos, it seems rather unnatural (as the video above indicated). Sure, it the background looks stable, but the subject seems to bounce around everywhere like a pinball. I think it's probably better as a traditional gimbal replacement where the camera's a little further from the subject and the operator is carefully walking. I have the Panasonic 70-300mm lens and it has great Dual IS 2. I haven't really noticed an improvement to already one of the most stable setups on the market. In face, I'd say the EOIS interferes with the OIS of the lens. Again, I need more testing.

One "issue" I'm seeing with proxies is it caries the 4 channels of audio is you're shooting MOV and you choose the highest and medium quality proxy. That's probably the behavior you'd want, but I'd really like to have some sort of option. The only way to get 2 channels (L and R) in the proxy is to record in the MP4 option or you go to the 720p proxy (H.264). In terms of file size, proxies are often less than 10% of the "keeper" file- huge savings. Now, I need to figure out the best to use them in Final Cut Pro. I imagine you could put the bigger files on a much cheaper storage option and just edit with the proxies. Another cool thing is to apply the Realtime LUT to only proxies and leave the original as vanilla V-LOG, much like a RAW + JPEG photo workflow.

I successfully upgraded my S5ii to v3.0. It's going to take some testing, but the EOIS High seems great on wider focal lengths. I'm not too convinced on the telephoto side.

Here's another video on the firmware that should be coming out within the next few hours:

M43 must come up with capable small bodies- PDAF and 4k 60fps. Instead, we've got very capable FF-sized bodies. I've still got some decent lenses for the system, but my patience is running thin as used M43 gear keeps going up (the opposite effect of what you'd think, but the need for small systems has skyrocketed). I'm very curious to see what the new S5ii firmware does. Sure, it still has some limitations with regard to FF 60fps, but it makes up for it in other ways, especially tools. I don't think Panasonic was expecting so many options for L mount APS-C. Sigma is going to start taking some market share from M43 IMO.

This video answers a lot about EIS high. I look forward to trying this out on Monday. This guy tried out lots of APS-C L-mount lenses- I was surprised how many there are now. Also, there are some that could be amazing with that 1.43x crop in EIS high. Here's the S5i with the Sigma 10-18. I imagine this would be a cheap, great combo. I've long thought that if Panasonic makes just a little smaller L-mount camera (FF), they'll kill M43, especially with all the APS-C lenses now available. Right now, it seems M43 only has 4k 120fps and widely available smaller lenses; the rest is practically a wash, including price.

I like the idea of Auto-WB and have done it many times. The only issue I have with the idea is when the camera decides to alter the WB mid shot; then I need to go through the footage and try to correct. It always seems to look strange. Panasonic, in general, isn't so bad at this, but my camcorder (VX980/81) is more agressive with this. If I shoot in daylight WB and just make sure I don't turn on any lights (or add daylight lighting), the shots will look generally great. If I'm off a little, I can correct the whole thing at once.

Yes. The question I've asked myself many times has been: "If I make a mistake in WB, is it better to error on warm side or the cool side when considering skin tones in 8 bit?" From your results, I think it's more on the warm side. Do you concur? When I shoot, I'd really prefer to just choose ONE WB for the entire time. If I need to, I'd like to adjust just a little in post. I think the most important is to get the first shot right.

Thank you so much for this hard work. I'm going to look further into this during my holiday. Yes, some of the images with wrong WB and underexposed would be expected to be trash, but it's nice to know there are some editing techniques that save it a little. In all honesty, I'd probably just go for monochrome or tint if this were to happen to me.

I'm rather curious to see how the AF features translate to video. From what I've seen from the G9ii, it's very good. I'll be one of the first to check into this. Also, I'd like to play around with those proxy files as they could be changing many people's workflow and storage considerations. I remember the A7r ii started with style of proxy editing and I wonder if it'll be better with Panasonic's implementation.

I've purchased some new and some used. If you're super lucky, you can buy new for used prices. IMO, that is the time to buy. For Panasonic, it's during Black Friday. A few years back, I got the Olympus E-P7 with the kit lens and the Olympus 75mm f/1.8 for 899 euros. That's probably the best deal I've ever found for new. In France, you have leboncoin, which is very good too with some amazing deals from people who just want to unload material or just don't understand what they have. When you buy, you have the choice of sending it back. If you know your cameras, you can thoroughly test it. Buying off Ebay is an option too, but you never seem to find good deals anymore (I gave up). MBP is also a great choice, but they're too expensive for some cameras and lenses.

If size is the utmost importance, I'd just stick with the 20mm. Yes, the AF is a pain 1-3% of the time, but you can live with it. I got rid of two of them and I regret it today. I love the Olympus 17 f/1.8, but it is just slightly bigger. Otherwise, I'm fine with the 14mm f/2.5. If size isn't important, I have the 17mm f/1.2 and I find it a true gem...

The 14-140 is definitely on my short list. I think I might go with the 17mm f/1.8 for indoor stuff/low-light.

I agree that the only usable MF (focus while filming) is on the Olympus 14-42 EZ, but no OIS as you said. The Panasonic 14-42 PZ is the next best with a silly MF lever. I've had all three lenses though and never thought of trying to manual focus one after the other- could be an interesting comparison.

Yes, we have talked about it. I'm not sure if it should be disqualified due to a lack of a proper shutter for photos.

Yes, I saw a few videos regarding this. He's right- it's a fun camera and I wish Panasonic would update it. The best part of it is the flip-up screen. Unfortunately, the worst part about it is the moiré in 1080p and overheating in 4k at 5 minute or less. As a travel camera or B-cam, it's a great choice IMO. What I find amazing is the fact that many of the newer small cameras cannot be kept in-stock; yet, we see nothing from Panasonic who IMO is the leader in know-how for this category of camera. I'm not sure if their heads are stuck in the sand or just bad forward thinking. In any case, it isn't good. Hope they turn it around soon.

I use the ATEM mIni in a very simple way. Again, it's to limit the things that could go wrong, but it has been very reliable. I only use it to show my iPad screen (this can be very customizable). I just push the picture in picture button to "on" and there's my screen. I'm on the side of the screen so my students can still see me. There are macro features and tons of other things, but you cannot do simple things like play a media file (that's why I have the iPad). Also, a lot of stuff is simple too hard to get ready. On the iPad, it's a cake-walk. You could also use in combination with OBS or something. I have done this but find the iPad solution works better and it's more intuitive- again, no preparation provided I've prepared the lesson on the iPad in the first place. My goal was to simple go to the live setup area, turn on a power strip or two and connect. I should say that I only do one-to-one classes, not groups and it further simplifies everything. The number of variable is astounding and I'm surprised I've had few problems (knock on wood). In April, I'll be getting fiber put in (not that I really need it), but it could be the biggest challenge that my system has faced- wish me luck.

I've done hundreds of hours now in English training. It's not my main gig, but it's good to do something a little different. I use a GH2 with the Olympus 17mm f/1.8, a M2 MacMini, a Behringer mixer, a Atem Mini, a Audio-Technica AT 875 R, an iPad Pro 12.9", an Apple Pencil, 3 cheap lights with softboxes, and some decent headphones. I've tried many other things too, but so far, this works best for me. My cardinal rule is to have as much as possible with a cord and no batteries as to reduce my single point failures. My only exception is the Apple Pencil, but I plug it in whenever I'm done. The key for me is to have as little setup time as possible- just flip one or two switches and I'm up and ready to go.

I'm fairly certain every manufacturer who's interested will have something lined up for that moment. In fact, I'll probably just wait it out. There's also a chance Nikon gets some easy money for licensing the idea of compressed to others on the cheap- that would be good for whole industry and also good for Nikon. Four years is nothing at this point when 2010 cameras are still viable solutions in 2024 and beyond.

Redcode RAW was initially implemented in the early 2010s, but the filing was December 28th 2007. I imagine the patent will only last a few more years. This must have also played a role in the acquisition. Nikon will have a very short window to leverage it.

This is actually a great point. Maybe Nikon hopes to have more leverage in sensor negotiations with Sony or anyone else.

Exactly. Nikon has shown over and over again that their management gets cocky and stupid; then, they end up promoting some guy who knows what they're doing and turn the ship around making some awesome products, only to return to the previous situation cocky leadership and 5+ years of stagnant products. Red survives on lawsuits and ULA's. The now ex-owners are in a "cash-in" situation where they can buy it back at a later date when Nikon fails. Yes, Nikon came out with some great products recently, for sure, but who thinks they truly know what they're doing at a business, financial, and cultural level? The jury is still very much out on their turn-around. Give it another 5-10 years and we'll see.

I've always been bothered by both of these companies. Nikon has always been a company with great valued products and colors, but since the 80s, it's been on a downward trend in terms of quality and often spewing arrogant remarks. That might only be in the USA division though. I've never used Red product and probably never will, but they seem more interested in user agreements than pleasing users. Also, they have horrible PR. Again, extremely arrogant. So, arrogance meets arrogance. I hope they can make something positive and useful of this.

I realize you like your Tamrons, but I imagine, being a rather open mount, we'll see a lot more. Anything Samyang, Tamron, or other will probably come out on L-mount. No reason why they wouldn't. I saw the Petapixel video. In low light, the AF was probably in contrast AF only mode- lots of jitters in the bokeh.

Invariably, the conversation goes to FF. Personally, I thought about that Sigma FP and Panasonic 28-200 (with IS). That combo seems super versatile now. Size-wise, the FP is the size of a mid-range MFT camera. The equivalent of the Panasonic lens would be a 14-100 f/2-2.8 zoom, which would be incredible. The package would come in at 830-ish grams. I've always thought this: if L-mount comes out with smaller pancakes and a few reasonably priced very small bodies, MFT would be on a path to obsolete. Until then, MFT cameras will continue to make decent strides in terms of features and at least on the used market, their prices continue to rise- the true indicator of a camera's value. On a side note, I'd wait because there have been reports on a small Panasonic camera is in the works. My bet is that it will have PDAF and some other decent features. This could be more than a year away though.