John Matthews

How often do you need your backup files? If rarely ever, then I'd say keep your originals for a month after delivery, then once that date has elapsed have a batch script you run to convert the originals to teeny 1080 h265 8bit files to then store forever ("just in case" in an emergency) and delete the originals. 

It seems like Panasonic does a couple of fantastic deals per year. This time, Panasonic France got that deal, but you had to see it at the right time and not everyone participated. In France, FNAC and Darty (for some reason) have the best deals on Panasonic cameras in general. I picked up the GH6 for the 1579 euros deal (-400 euro, 3-year warranty, and an extra 1tb SanDisk SSD). This deal clearly (although no communicated) had a quota. I got lucky as it's sitting here in front of me and I've put in for the promotional deal, but it could take awhile (I let the community know when it comes through). The moral of the story is that you have to move fast on ANY Black Friday day/week/month/year deal. No, I seriously doubt it's sign that the GH6 is a huge failure or that Panasonic is getting out of M43, or Panasonic is failing completely as a company... just a company that needs more buzz in a crowded market where the A7S3, OM-1, XH2/s are competing hard with the GH6 for various reasons. Panasonic could have been pressured by distributors in this case due to too many cameras on shelves, a more likely scenario.
On a side note, I think I might have to reevaluate my workflow. I can no longer keep original files forever as if I choose the best quality in prores 422HQ at a rediculous 5.7/5.8k, I think I'll have enough space for a week. Instead, I think I'll need a more streamlined approach, correcting footage on the fly to make make reasonably-sized 150Mbps files that would still be good for making final small edits. I'm almost considering to just shoot 1080p on the camera as it looks so good and no one I know will probably see a difference anyway. Any Suggestions?

Noise!
Just kidding 😆 I guess if the RAW files are 14bit versus 12bit for other cams then the file sizes are going to be bigger. Don't know how the JPEG ended up bigger than the RAW though?

I would definitely try not to err on the side of underexposure with this camera, if possible, unless trying to preserve some very important highlight. If you avoid underexposure, results seem to be pretty clean even at higher ISOs.

I told you, I didn't want to believe that from yours, so all OK : ) But serves to those who may read you and think otherwise : D Much nonsense a pissing contest between camera brands with people trying to piss farther than "the other side"... LOL 
Oh boy, after all we share the same opinion ; )
With the exception that for first time in 30 years I cannot ignore them anymore as no less investment this occasion. GH6 purchase would be a good excuse to still stay away from Sony or delay it at least.
Well, I am in trouble though, if Amazon or Panasonic will reach me to accept my rant anyway! haha

Well, if Sony is what you're looking for, just buy that and move on. Why would you be so insistent on a GH6 if all is good on the Sony?

And such is life in the digital age of shopping. Are you serious? You actually tried to call Amaevil? I think you might be shopping in the wrong place for that kind of service. Go the local camera store in France and buy a GH6 as you’ll get the experience you’re looking for.
FX30 looks good too, especially if you prioritize AF and DR over IBIS and color.

Well, if Sony is what you're looking for, just buy that and move on. Why would you be so insistent on a GH6 if all is good on the Sony?

probably some of the nicest lenses to use for video on mft. what might also be interesting is that i had the chance to compare them to Zeiss CP2s. while i dont want to take away the advantages of the zeiss (PL/swappable mount, the majority of the set covers FF, some lenses are faster), they really dont look better than the meikes. the general look is very similar, but the zeiss set has more unpleasant aberrations wide open when pointed towards a light source. the focus breathing is way more apparent on the CP2s as well (cropped to mft, on FF theyre almost unusable due to the breathing imo). pretty crazy for a set thats easily about 1/10th the price.

Online stores have essentially become like auctions. Computer sees what all customers and competing online stores are doing in real time and adjusts it's price according to fancy algorithms trying to maximize profits. Most shops have the decency to only adjust prices during the night but Amazon and decency...
In physical stores they are gradually switching over to digital price tags. It is only a matter of time until these start to adjust automatically as well during the day if local laws will allow for it. If only it was legal to set the price based on user profile data...

nothing wrong with shooting 1080p prores, something i do pretty often on the p4k. speaking of black friday deals, check out those meike mft lenses on their site, or look for them on the second hand market where people are tend to be selling them for an insane price occasionally. 

At that price, very tempting!
I might have even been tempted myself…except I am in the middle of selling and moving to Northern France, so have no spare cash right now 🤪

It's a hell of a capture device, that's for sure : ) Enjoy yours! I know that Panasonic gear scent... ; ) Unfortunately this time, they didn't even allow me to comply my order as reported, hence my frustration... These variation prices playing games with the customer is what bothers me (not the lack of reliable AF! : D) actually really annoy more than giving wish to be as loyal as I've been for 36 years already now! I guess there's someone not doing the job as due and we've become used to, this is solid Panasonic brand or should be. Where people see as a safe purchase as every single camera I still hold made by them. Thanks for the tip :- )

Yes, but not before. I tried to submit the order on Amazon France as matter of fact and some bug didn't allow me to complete the purchase. When I tried later on, the price had been changed... This doesn't make any sense especially when Black Friday is coming in three days in the end of the week, not in the beginning of the week, the Monday before. I still want to believe Monday is the first working day of the week, not Friday! Without mention, they didn't even let me comply the payment before a new price (extra EUR 200) had been placed. This is not aggressive marketing (now they say they only have 15 units in stock on Amazon France page), this is purely misleading to the customers, go figure loyal ones as myself for 36 years now!

I'm expecting more than enough video settings than I'll ever need- a bit like driving a Lamborghini to work only 10 minutes away. However, I do like the idea of trying something new and making some photos and videos. This camera will offer new limitations that I'm not used to. Apparently, it'll be here tomorrow morning. Exciting. I'm also certain that the deal I got is simply extraordinary given the current market (new and used). If it turns out I hate the camera, I'll just sell it and get something else, but I want to give it a shot. This is not a beginner's camera; thankfully, I'm not a beginner and understand 90% of the settings and what they do thanks to EOSHD and YouTube. If I don't understand something, I know where to find the information.

I'm not sure about zero sharpening but I have the GH5, GH6 and S1, the GH6 is less "sharp" than the GH5 in 4K. There is far less artificial sharpening, even when I set the sharpness of the GH6 at +5, the GH5 at 0 is still sharper. However the Open Gate 5K of the GH5 is still beautiful, there is almost zero sharpening and noise reduction, the image is very "organic".
 
The issue I have with the GH6 is the new noise reduction algorithm (called 3D), it makes the low light really cleaner than GH5 but it also smear details in some areas of the image in low light even at ISO 200 (a bit like the Samsung NX1 but much less aggressive), even with the NR set at -5. I think there is no miracle, we speak about a M43 25MP sensor so some concessions must be made, but I was very surprised to see the GH5 retaining better details (the trade off is the noise).
The 5,7K is a different beast, it uses more sharpening and a bit less noise reduction (the footage is sharper than the 5,9K and 6K of the S1), however there is a little crop in this mode and nobody speaks about it.
For me the big advantages of the GH6 are the new color science, the 4K 120fps and the very good stabilization making (almost) possible handheld walking video.

I´ve seen this test how the GH6 excels in holding onto colour under various conditions. It beats a GH5s by far in lowlight regarding colours, also providing much higher resolution in these super lowlight conditions. @Attila Bakos has recognized the Fuji XH2s having a lack in colour resolution, blurring the red channel. It seems indeed that the GH6 sensor and image pipeline is something extraordinary and very impressive. Like @deezid stated, it needs a true zero sharpening setting though, as footage is a bit on the crispy side, like Lumix S5 or S1, needing a -1 in Vlog, like the S1H is providing. For me it additionally need Prores LT, also Prores for UHD, not just Cine 4K. Plus it need a S16 crop mode like the GH5. Then I would be willing to pay good money for it.

To be honest, I have zero NEED for such a beast of a camera (I'd include the GH5S and GH5, ii in that as well). It was the price that convinced me- that's all. Also, I have too many cameras and I need to sell some. It's going to be a massive learning curve, I expect. Yes, the deal (as I understand it) is you buy a GH6 in France (maybe Europe), send your invoice and everything to Panasonic, they give you 400 back, an extra year of warranty (making it 3 years total, WOW!), and they send you a 1tb SanDisk Extreme SSD (again, WOW!). I'd say that the price is more like 1000 Euros for a GH6, which is crazy! I found the deal (for 1579 euros) both at FNAC.fr and Darty.fr, but the FNAC deal went away this morning. It should arrive this week and I'm super interested in seeing what it has to offer.

Yeah, you might need an address. Anyway, as far as I can tell the 1579 euro deal is gone now.
 
Panasonic is getting it one all sides. I think there are many who think the X-H2s and OM-1 are better depending on their use-case. For me, I've always preferred video from my Panasonic cameras, but it's close. I'm still not 100% convinced I'm going to like the GH6, but I really want to try it, especially at that price.
M43 users who want Panasonic are probably upset about the AF and all the lying for years about DFD promises. In this regard, I've found Olympus CONTRAST AF in the E-P7 and E-M10 iv was much better at latching onto faces than many Panasonics I've used (not sure about GH6); so, I'm not even sure PDAF is necessary, but Panasonic users have made it necessary due to all those lies. Once Panasonic can pull their head out of the sand (and they will), they will be back with a vengeance as long as they continue with lenses. Sony is the Evil Empire and Panasonic is... never mind. 😀

I bought my Lumix S5 with a 500€ cash back deal in Spain. It works as you say. I think it took a month or 2 to get the cash back. Great deals.

PS:
Panny fanboy here but no less of other brands as well, only from Canon besides the 5DII I still keep with care, let's not forget the pearl Canon M I yet hold four units.
To be brand agnostic is a requirement of any filmmaker who loves this craft (EAG :- )

Tempting... I am producing a feature film in France right now but wouldn't like to mix the things up. They look like to request a French bank for the rebate though.
Can you recommend anyone accepting nonresidents in order to open a local bank account?
I'd eventually buy a couple of units only because of this tip of yours now, go figure and ask your commission check from them! : D
 
I guess poor AF performance is taking them to have more units in stock than they should, hence this. Good for us, the GH series is a hell of a tool and will always be no matter what.
BTW, my fav capture device before P4K and even earning the podium to 5DII I left ten years ago when my three GH1 units arrived and still hold with me even today, despite to couple with more 4x G7 and the GX85 (and a FTZ1000 I bought used, oh well, practically new!).

Well John, dear Gx85 fellow friend:), congratulations! @John Matthews Afaik the Gh6 is resolving more detail and is holding onto colour much better in super lowlight than a GH5S, meaning it could be a next level colour wonder. Two things keeping me away from it, no true zero sharpening as the Gh5II actually provides. That's big, making the Gh5ii a compelling choice. Secondly, it does not provide the additional 1.4x Super16 crop mode as the Gh5 does. I think the Gh6 should excel regarding crop modes, since it allows open gate up to 60p. It should be the prime machine of crop modes all up to 60p, full height 1to1, kinda like S16 fullwidth x full width, 5to4, Super16 4to3. Prores LT!
Third point actually, is the price, though you get a whole lotta image, convinience and overall quality for the money. So how much did you pay, 1579 minus 400 cashback, making it 1179 EUR? Where did you get that deal???😄

There are some crazy deals right now for Black Friday, at least in France. I found the GH6 for 1579 Euros (tax included) with a 400 Euros cash-back scheme, an extra year of waranty and a SanDisk Extreme 1tb drive SSD thrown in (to be confirmed). Well, it looks like I'll be able to purchase on after all... along with the promised GH6 guide from @Andrew Reid. I was not expecting that, but now that I have a gazillion M43 lenses, it makes sense. The main problem now is that I have too many M43 cameras!

There are some crazy deals right now for Black Friday, at least in France. I found the GH6 for 1579 Euros (tax included) with a 400 Euros cash-back scheme, an extra year of waranty and a SanDisk Extreme 1tb drive SSD thrown in (to be confirmed). Well, it looks like I'll be able to purchase on after all... along with the promised GH6 guide from @Andrew Reid. I was not expecting that, but now that I have a gazillion M43 lenses, it makes sense. The main problem now is that I have too many M43 cameras!