John Matthews

So I received the Panasonic 45-150 (newer version) and I can say it's better than the Olympus 40-150 f/4-5.6 if you were wondering. It's better built, comes with a lens hood and has IS... for only 10 grams more... also about the same price on the used market. I have a Sears 70-210 FF lens (Cosina crap maybe?)... it's good for Lomography or "who cares" type shots, but well built. I much prefer the more modern results.

I've seen those charts and I simply wouldn't read too much into them as they usually have the stock settings on their tested cameras. Unfortunately, the stock settings aren't the best settings for detail, rendering those charts useless unless the compared cameras have decent stock settings. In the case of the GX80 (at least in 4k), the stock settings sucked. That sounds like a good combo. I've got a similar situation in that I have an E-M1 ii, a GM1, an E-P7, and a GH2. My idea has always been to have a two-camera setup- one portable, one for all-weather and anything important. In my case, the GH2 is for a live streaming setup and the E-P7 is for pure fun. My GM1 is simply the most portable camera that can handle my M43 lenses.

Have you tried the GX800? Are they vastly superior to the GM1 (which I have and is much lighter and smaller)? My feeling is the GX800 isn't as good as the GM1 because it shares the same sensor and processor as the GX80 (agreed rather soft at 1080p and that's why I never shot with it at 1080p-4k only). The G9 and GH5 are also in another league in terms of bulk and weight.

I'd like a kit that goes to 150mm on M43. I've tried the Olympus 40-150, but I've decided I'll no longer accept plastic mounts because I think it was deteriorating with every use. I had the Panasonic 45-150 before and sold, but I saw it for the same amount as what the Olympus cost me; so, I decided to back to it. I was always happy with the results before and it has a metal mount. Also, it has IS which is useful on my GM1 (albeit big on that body). Those Yedlin comments also made an impact on me. There are simply more important things in video-making than resolution once you get to the point of people not noticing a lack of resolution. You're right about it being fiddly for change aperture, but I don't use that focal length enough to justify 3x the price... it would become my most expensive focal length (that I fear I wouldn't use that much). I love the way the SLR Magic renders though... it gives 3d pop (in video) that I don't get with other lenses I own when used in the right light. At 150 Euros (new and what I paid for it), it's a great bargain. It works well on my Olympus bodies. That should be a good combo.

Forgot to answer all your question. The GX80 had the 14mm f/2.5, 25mm f/1.7, and 45-150mm f/4-5.6. After having sold everything in 2019, I'm repurchasing the 45-150mm f/4-5.6 and planning to repurchase the 14mm f/2.5 (for the size on my GM1) I currently have too many lenses: Olympus: 17mm f/1.8, 14-42 ez, 12-40 pro, 75mm f/1.8. Panasonic: 14-42 pz, 20mm f/1.7 SLR MAGIC: 8mm f/4 Of all these lenses, I prefer the Olympus 17, 75, and SLR MAGIC 8mm. I could do almost everything I do with these lenses.

With the GX80, I was filming the same stuff I film today: just family and home video (in fact, my most important footage to me). Nowadays, I do a lot more live streaming as I teach English more and more over Skype (currently using a GH2 connected to a Atem Mini with a mixer and AT 875 R shotgun mic). For a long time I was obsessed with detail as my previous cheap camcorders and gen 1 DSLRs just didn't cut the mustard, but now I think a detailed 1080p image with good out-of-camera colors would suffice. So basically, I started filming in 4k because I was dealing with the trauma of previous cameras I've owned. I wonder how many of us do the same? I'm sticking with M43 as I just don't see any major benefit of the FF cameras. Also, I prefer a challenge in shooting with cheaper gear and getting similar to better results. There's no fun for me in having the best gear with the expectation of "best results". Lastly, I don't like the idea of walking around with a bank on me, hoping that no one's going to steel my gear. Everything I buy can be replaced easily and efficiently on the used market.

I had a GX7 for about a month, then the GX80 came out and I sent it back and got the GX80. In that time, the GX7 outperformed the GX80 in 1080p by far. My current GM1 also does. The curious thing about the GX80 was that if you didn't turn down ALL noise reduction, the image wasn't great (in terms of detail), even in 4k. At 24 and 25p the GX7 image was really good, not so much at 60p with clear moiré. I never really compared the a GX7 image with a GX80 downresed though, but my felling is the GX80 would perform better.

That would make sense. I have noticed that "sharpening" tools do this in-camera or in post. I always turn off sharpening and noise reduction as much as possible- I've always preferred the image. You're right as it's a question of taste.

I think you've looked at this a lot more than me. I like detail, but many images look better with the lower resolution. I like that. Wouldn't be easy if the only thing that counted were pixel counts? It's completely un-scientific, but I've never been able to see a significant difference between 50Mbps long-GOP and 200Mbps ALL-I on the same camera. However, I do see a significant difference between downresed 4k and 1080p native (regardless the reasonable bit rate). Usually, it's unnecessary detail IMO. I'm sure you can see more of a difference when pushing the image though.

The GX85 continues to be a great. I had it for over 2 years and I took videos and photos that I'll cherish forever. I only sold it because I mistakenly thought something Sony and FF would do better and they were from a technical point of view, but it was much bulkier and not as fun to shoot with. I've taken a tonne of shots with the 14mm f/2.5 too- loved that combo for over a year and a half. In 2019, when I decided I'd never leave M43 again, I've been looking for that lens. Sometimes, you can find it for about 100 Euros. Can't wait to see the results you get with the combo!

I mistakenly wrote "color creator" mode when I should have written "color profile" mode. Saturation can essentially be individually adjusted for 12 colors of the rainbow. This could allow for film simulations or creating looks that emphasize certain colors (and not others). I'm not aware of any other camera that can do that in-camera. Maybe I'm mistaken?

I got the Olympus E-P7 a little over a month ago (a fantastic bundle with the venerable 75mm f/1.8). The camera is a little bit of a mixed bag, not have any PDAF. However, it does have some things going for it: only 330g (that's the main feature) with two dials, otherwise roughly the same as the E-M10 iv minus the viewfinder. Decent for one-handed operation. 4k in all modes (world camera), 8-bit 420 (I think, but don't really care), something the PEN-F lacked PEN-F style color creator mode, meaning one can control the saturation of 12 different colors for interesting out-of-camera results. In fact, due to the PEN-F coming out in 2016?, there are many settings out there to mimic film stuff or just creating interesting looks. Downside of the color creator mode is that you need to work from P mode. Yes, you can use the AEL button to lock things down. Using a manual lens, it's essentially manual mode. Does anyone have any questions about it or interesting in seeing some footage with various color-creator settings?

This looks like exciting stuff. I got the latest iMac and I have to say that for a 4k fcpx WITHOUT transcoding anything (and mine only has 8gb of RAM), it works great. Screen is great too. Apple's going to clean up with these as they hit the market with chip shortages that Apple seems to control more than the competition, bitcoin graphic card madness, and lack of intelligence from Intel (or at least a competing product with the same ballpark of performance per watt ratio). It's a perfect storm.

The way I look at this is: If you have enough detail and no banding in 1080p, 8-bit 1080p is just fine (for me). If you see banding (i.e. in the sky), shoot 4k 8 bit. If something is still "off" (with colours), try 4k 10 bit and I doubt you'll see anymore problems. I've never been at step 3 for my purposes, nor do I have any cameras that shoot 4k 10 bit.

A lot of good points... especially about the virtues of a locked-down shot. In handheld no-ibis shooting, that's the best option if not shooting really wide. I currently have many M43 lenses, but the best fits for this body right now are my SLR Magic 8mm f/4, Olympus 17 f/1.8, Panasonic 20 f/1.7, and a Olympus 45 f/1.8. I've also for the kit lens Panasonic 14-42 PZ version that seems super-sharp at the wide end and it has IS. I think I can use the SLR Magic and the Panasonic 14-42 PZ for hand-held stuff and the rest locked down. The Panasonic 20mm works great for a low-profile/low-light setup but lacks IS. I'm really debating on getting the 14 f/2.5 (which I had 2 years ago) because it's so stealthy on this body. At 259g on a M43 sensor, it's quite amazing. I also have some Pentax lenses: 50mm f/1.7, 50mm f/2.0, and a 135 f/3.5, all of which are great. Finally, I just got some Lomography Toy lenses which will fun to try out... why not? I've never really cared about Slow-mo... it rarely helps me to tell the story better. Again, a really interesting documentary. I'll be interested in seeing some of your newer stuff.

@fuzzynormal I really appreciated watching this documentary. Just got a GM1 the other day for super cheap (thank goodness the deals are coming back). After all these years and experience, what would you recommend in terms of lenses for this small camera? (Double post because I think you might not see it unless I tag you.)

I really appreciated watching this documentary. Just got a GM1 the other day for super cheap (thank goodness the deals are coming back). After all these years and experience, what would you recommend in terms of lenses for this small camera?

I got an M1 iMac. I'm pretty happy with it. I got an external NVME and it's been running great- quiet, super-efficient, nice screen, and very sleek. A good value product without breaking the bank on video cards.

I have to say I like your approach. The last 10% is exponentially harder and harder to get, bit it would seem that computers and software are changing this with faster, more efficient computers with more and more fast storage. I'd compare it to jpeg vs raw. Nowadays, raw files can go into your workflow rather seamlessly and the benefits of jpeg are withering away. I'm still good with jpeg, but I've gone to raw because I don't see much downside to it anymore other than taking up a little more of my time in editing. In this same way, I think raw workflows will become the norm. Personally, I'm fine with 8 bit, but if I don't "feel" the difference anymore, why not? We're still a few years off from this though.

Dito. I found a GH2 a few months back for dirt cheap and ran across this comparison: I find it absolutely amazing that the hacked GH2 still holds up in some areas against the GX80, which is a great value proposition in itself. I'd go as far as saying the hacked GH2 still holds up in many ways to current offering by Panasonic (G100). This not a knock on Panasonic but rather congratulating the people who've hacked the GH2. Now, actually prefer working with a GH2 to working with a GX80.

My PL9 never seems to get to 4gb with my biggest original file being 3.6gb. Yes, in 1080p, it still makes a difference. Thank you for the correction. Same. For longer stuff, I plan on using my hacked GH2. It just has something special about the footage out of camera.

I had followed that thread before, but I've never really had the need to go with that firmware for my e-m1 ii. Also, I'm scared to do it as I love that camera too much. I might look into it again though. For the PL9, it's still limited to 13 parts of video, which just means a little more than the 29 minute cap that it currently has. There's a way to bypass those preamps in the settings. And here's a good explanation (9 minutes in): Let me know if it helps and if you still find the pre-amps loud (of course, this works only with an external recorder like the Olympus LS-P4, but it is a workaround). I have the LS-P4 and it works fairly well for me. This guy has a lot of interesting stuff too on his channel.

I used one of my either a iBook G4 or one of my two Intel MacBooks, all of which have Firewire ports. The supplied cable was a firewire to MiniDV connected straight into the camera.

My initial research suggests that miniDV captured through Firewire 400 with iMovie was as good as it gets. The resulting files are a ".dv" files which are simply a stream of digital video. Since it's all digital and nothing was edited in a destructive format, I think that might be the best I can do. If anyone knows differently, please tell me.

I looked again at the footage last night. It seems that I can change aspect ratios and do some blur gradients to hide quite a lot. It will need to be done on a shot-by-shot basis rather than just a one-size-fits all approach. I'll confirm this after some research today. I remember capturing it though. I used iMovie with firewire. That generation of miniDV was interlaced (captured on a Canon ZR930). I still have the option of recapturing the video in that I still have many old Macs and my ZR930... everything still works fine. Again, more research is needed.