John Matthews

This is true. It's taking the light and condensing it onto a smaller sensor than the lens was designed for... a crazy-useful trick that results in more light on the sensor and less DOF. In my case, I'm just saving for a native, wide-angle lens for the moment. Shallow DOF and low light are not my issues- content and budget are.

Onboard will have what sounds like a faucet running in the distance due to the IBIS. When in a windy situation, you'll need to find a way to protect the microphones. Other than those limitations, all is good. Seriously, external solutions are the only way to go. The audio is good enough for syncing, but that's about it. Personally, I don't have any problem working this way and making that little extra effort for good audio pays off.

I concur. Sensor size has nothing to do with focal length. Sensor size will determine only how much of the projected light coming from the lens is recorded.

Concerning colors and the GX80, I'm impressed the most with the reds- they seem to really pop- deeply saturated, yet not overblown. For me, the blue channel is its weak point. Overall, I appreciate the Standard profile the most, but the Natural profile seems to be the most gradable, especially concerning those blues.

Another review. This one by Steve Huff... I like his not-so-scientific views on cameras and handling. He also did a write-up: http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2016/06/24/shooting-with-the-panasonic-gx85-small-with-a-huge-punch/

Welcome, @Javier López, to posting on EOSHD! It would seem you chose Filmconvert settings similar to mine and @jase. However, we preferred without noise added. My logic is this: why add noise when this sensor does a pretty good job unless it's for a desired look or feel? Strictly personal taste... Great video nonetheless! Also, your English is fine (I'm an English teacher).

The GX80 is one of the most popular cameras on EOSHD if the number of views on its threads is an indicator. This thread has been going strong for quite some time. I doubt the GH5 is going to be at Photokina, given that the EM1 II launch has been delayed until early 2017. The GX80 is all we got right now; so, let's give it our undivided attention.

I think I found out what went wrong with my ffmpeg command. I had to remove "-sws_dither none \" and it worked. That said, it helped my computer only a little. I think I'll be purchasing a fast/large SSD and stick with the 4k. I will say for anyone thinking that a Panasonic image looks "too video-like," downscaling footage to 1080p, then upscaling to 4k will help everything to look more organic- just a hint of softness at 4k resolution. There's a loss of some detail, but it's damn good 1080p! Anyway, here's the working script: ffmpeg -i INPUT -filter_complex 'extractplanes=y+u+v[y][v]; scale=w=3840:h=2160:flags=print_info+neighbor+bitexact [us]; [v] scale=w=3840:h=2160:flags=print_info+neighbor+bitexact [vs]; [y][us][vs]mergeplanes=0x001020:yuv444p,format=pix_fmts=yuv444p10le,scale=w=1920:h=1080:flags=print_info+bicubic+full_chroma_inp+full_chroma_int' \ -q 0 -quant_mat hq \ -c:v prores_ks -profile:v 4 \ -c:a copy \ -c:s copy \ OUTPUT

Just thought I'd share this link concerning the limitations of such a large sensor and shallow mount. Eventually, physics and practicality will have its role to play. http://petapixel.com/2016/06/27/developing-zoom-lens-x1d-almost-impossible-says-hasselblad/

I researched this some time ago. For Youtube (don't know about other services), the max allowed bitrate for 4k 24-30p is 35-45Mbps. Youtube, in turn, will downscale when they "process" your video. Numerous youtubers have noted that when you upload 4k and let youtube downscale, the results are better than when you upload 1080p 8Mbps. I concur on these results. In short, you want to upload to the absolute maximum that the service provides as those are the limitations of the service. For Facebook, maybe try here: http://www.macxdvd.com/mac-dvd-video-converter-how-to/best-video-format-for-facebook.htm Also remember that Facebook declares ownership of anything you upload to its services... not nice. Looks good, but unfortunately I refuse to use Microsoft Windows. Bummer... really want ffmpeg command...

Yes, I've been doing the same with FCPX. However, my computer (integrated graphics) has a hard time with 4k with any sort modification to the original file. For now, I'm just testing as to what I can do with a downscaled image. I, too, am trying to improve workflow to make my cuts go a little quicker in FCPX, especially when 4k is not needed (rarely is). When uploading to Youtube, you want 4k, even if it was originally 1080p- you only need to add a little grain and youtube will see "4k" detail. The results are pretty good from tests I've seen.

That really sucks and it must feel awful! ...I will say this after having lived in France for some time. If I were you, I'd check leboncoin.fr. It's the go-to site in France for buying and selling stuff. I'm sure there's all kinds of stolen stuff on it. You might find your gear and be able to alert the authorities. The other option is to just chalk this one up as "lost forever" ... and this will be an opportunity to get some new gear!

Does anyone know if it's still a "thing" to downscale 4k to 1080p for easier editing and improved video 1080p quality? If so, do you have an ffmpeg command that would work with the GX80? My old ffmpeg command for doing this doesn't work and I don't know why. This is what I got so far: ffmpeg -i INPUT -filter_complex 'extractplanes=y+u+v[y][v]; scale=w=3840:h=2160:flags=print_info+neighbor+bitexact [us]; [v] scale=w=3840:h=2160:flags=print_info+neighbor+bitexact [vs]; [y][us][vs]mergeplanes=0x001020:yuv444p,format=pix_fmts=yuv444p10le,scale=w=1920:h=1080:flags=print_info+bicubic+full_chroma_inp+full_chroma_int' \ -sws_dither none \ -q 0 -quant_mat hq \ -c:v prores_ks -profile:v 4 \ -c:a copy \ -c:s copy \ OUTPUT

I can understand. ISO 800 almost requires ND filter for everything but indoor or studio stuff (I assume you're talking about your beloved BMPCC). Maybe the next version (if it ever comes) will be what you want. The tools keep getting better and cheaper... when will it stop? The search goes on for the perfect camera for Gunpowder. Keep up the great work you do.

Would I be wrong in saying the problem of low light has been solved for the majority of us? We have great high ISO performance, speedboosters, and fast lenses. What is the new frontier? Codecs, stabilization, color rendition, DR? These cameras make me wonder where we're going next. Is it going to be 3D, VR, something else? Gimmicks?

Yes. No problem. Put it in "M" mode and save it as a custom mode. You can adjust your aperture and shutter independently. I wasn't aware of the GX8 limitation...

I will say Panasonic does do some magic here. I've had cameras that produce a very digital line around anything blown out. Panasonic seems to render with a little more gradient (and grace) so that it's not as noticeable. The goal was to do "run & gun," not think too much about the shot. To bring her face out more, I would have installed a reflector had I thought a little more. But even then, it's all a matter of preference I think. Some people really like a darker image than others.

The GX80 is meeting my expectations for run & gun. I think this shoot exemplifies expectations one can have of this camera for your quick, set-it-up and shoot style videos… family, street, etc. Here’s my setup: GX80 Panasonic 25mm F1.7 Zoom H1 Sony ECMCS3 Clip style Omnidirectional Stereo Microphone Settings: GX80: Natural profile (Contrast = -5, Sharpness = -5, Noise Reduction = -5, Saturation = -5), White balance (Sunny, A3, G3), ISO (200), Sutter Speed (1/50), Aperture (F2.8), IBIS (on, but no electronic IS) Zoom: WAV (24-bit, 96K Hz sampling), Level (70) Description of shoot: This took me about 5 minutes to shoot. I saw an interesting opportunity, went to get the GX80 and Zoom H1 from my office. For the settings above, I only need to put the camera in “C” mode to start. The Zoom is always put back with the level at 70, I only need to place it near the subject and start recording. Post Processing: Imported sound from Zoom H1 (just connect, don’t take out card) - 30 seconds Imported video ~3 minute video file - about 3 minutes Synced files - 10 seconds Threw it on a 4k timeline - 1 second Expanded audio - 1 second Select camera audio and push “v” key - 1 second Added 1db to Zoom H1 audio - 1 second Collapsed audio - 1 second Make cuts - 10 minutes Color corrected (highlights = + 15%, midtones = +7%, shadows = +1%, Global color 110° = -3%) - 2 minutes Added FilmConvertPro2 effect (KD P400 Ptra, Grain = 0) - 10 seconds Added a simple title - 10 seconds Rendered video - ~20 minutes Total Post Processing time = ~40 minutes (with rendering) Re-rendered video at constant bitrate of 35000 kbps in 4k with Handbrake, resulting file 690 MB- ~10 minutes Uploaded to Youtube - 90 minutes Youtube processing - 10 minutes Final Product: Picture Quality: Hindsight is always 20/20. I think the scene was a little dark as her face falls into shadow from time to time. I probably could have bumped up exposure and just avoided the window blown out in the background, but it gives you an idea of the limitations in terms of dynamic range. For me, the colors are quite nice and pleasing after applying Filmconvert… before that, not so much as white balance was off due to keeping blue channel from going too low- I guess many cameras need to be tweaked. Notes: This is a video of my daughter trying to set-up a Canon Powershot A410 that I gave her. She practices from time to time and enjoys shooting. Capturing moments like this is one of the main reasons I bought the GX80 for family. Please excuse her coughing as she’s getting over the flu. Also, note that she’s constantly switching from English to French. Good luck trying to understand, but you still have an idea of the audio quality. Of the video I cut out was a portion that was probably unusable as I wasn’t holding the camera steady enough as I moved to another position. Yes, it’s prone to jitters if the IBIS goes past its limitations, but I could easily have avoided this hadn’t it been to user error (movements were simply too fast). Feel free to make comments on any of the above as I’m trying to improve everything! By the way, here’s a photo she took of me looking serious during this shoot.

I'm going to make a few more comments on settings. I did some testing and confirmed that Natural (-5,-5,-5,-5) gave best results in terms of noise in the blue and red channels. Also, I did a test for WB(A3,G3)- this makes sense to pull away from blue because the blue channel seemed to fall below 0%, green did pop up a little too much though and I might try A3,G2 instead. Finally, I'll be shooting with zebras set at 100% rather than 105% due to banding in the blue channel when clear sky is present. I think the top 5% has very little latitude and that's why banding was present. I've been slapping filmconvert (KD P400 Ptra, grain at 0) and it seems like a stellar image. For audio, I have my Zoom H1 with a cheap omnidirectional lapel mic with a small cord that I place next to the subject. So far, so good.

I wrote Gordon and here's his answer (thank you for the quick reply):

GX80 manual says the same... I don't know why Panasonic is doing that to us- then they don't tell us if it's 8-bit 4:2:2 or 4:2:0. I believe the GX80 one-ups the GX8 on that point because it will record internally at the same time. I would say both cameras are very capable. However, I believe this person is after value based on what he said... I'm going to say the GX80 beats the GX8 because it's less expensive. If he wants weather-sealing though, the GX80 is NOT the way to go- choose GX8 of GH4. I just pixel-peeped it and still couldn't tell a difference. Staying with the original file.

First, let's get the naming right! It's GX80... I mean GX85... I mean GX7 mark ii. If value or bang for the buck is what you're after, this is it. The other cameras you mention probably all have significantly better EVFs... probably due to form-factor. The IBIS in the camera is stellar. The 4k crop will be less than the GX8 and GH4. At the end of the day (Brit expression), it's most about which feels best in your hand and how important portability is for you. For me, it was THE reason for me to consider MFT. The other cameras are all bigger than the GX80.

When I first got a RX100 a few years back, someone recommended using 5dtoRGB. Does anyone use this software? It's supposed to retrieve a maximum amount of information out a 8-bit file. I tried it for fun on a GX80 file, but I really couldn't see much difference.

I'm really happy with the GX80 that I purchased over a month and a half ago. The community for this camera and the activity around have been great on EOSHD. Like all systems and cameras, they're going to have faults, but this one is great for photography and video. I'm sure the GH5 will continue the tradition.

Thanks for the response @hmcindie. Cameralabs does pretty good work and I think Gordon would have gone through the right process for his shots. He could have made a mistake though... He talks about the balls in his article and the difference in size and their shape (the speculars were not round to begin with)... he doesn't give a reason though. Maybe, I'll just ask him. But are you saying it's impossible to have such a difference at F2 from one lens to another regarding bokeh balls? Is F2 always F2 regardless the lens or how wide of an aperture it starts?