Towd

I consider the fixed 200 f2.8 even more of a specialized lens than the 50-200. I don’t have any hands on time with the 100-400 but I think that one only makes sense for people who enjoy shooting a lot of wildlife.
Where I’ve been impressed with this lens is the excellent built in OIS. Fast autofocus in video. It’s supremely sharp through the range. But what really makes it worth the price tag is the aperture has a gentle curve to f4 on the long end only reaching it at 150mm. It can get away with being a pretty decent portrait lens at 50mm and f2.8 in a pinch. The bokeh is pleasing and not nervous at all (something the Olympus 40-150 has IMHO).
Build quality is excellent. The lens hood is the only plastic that comes with it, which I don’t mind a bit. Less likely to bend or be dented in my bag.
It has a very excellent telephoto range versus compact size. Really the only downside so far has been the price. If you don’t need it now, I’m sure the price will go down a bit more. It’s an excellent lens all around and a great telephoto for my GH5S with the OIS. I think it perfectly maxes out the balance of size, weight, aperture, and focal length that m43 gives us. Any bigger and it would be silly on m43. But don’t get be wrong, it’s still insanely compact for a 400mm FF equivalent. It slides in my cargo pants pocket.
 I’m looking forward to shooting some fly fishing this summer.

The pilot btw was shot on a "full frame" DSLR :-P 

Then season one on the Sony F3, then the rest with the ALEXA

 
Yup! He shares a lot. Just like a few others who generously do, such as David Mullen / John Brawley / Roger Deakins / etc
I learn so much from reading all their posts on forums. 

https://vimeo.com/332730630 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/888393238215598/permalink/1035263986861855/
From the DoP Charles Papert:

 

The cinematography I think is amazing quality and shows amazing diversity of style for such a low budget!
 

Oh, it's mostly just a for fun lens and way beyond practical.   I currently own a Nikon 75-300mm F/4.5-5.6.  It's a total shit lens-- on or off my speedbooster.  Tons of chromatic aberration and very soft.  I've had it for like 15 years, and it has never impressed.  My other telephoto that is much nicer is an Olympus 40-150mm F/4-5.6 that I picked up as my first native m43 lens when I bought my GH5-- on sale for $100 dollars US.  This is... no joke, a really decent lens for a plastic-fantastic bargain bin lens.  Puts the Nikon to shame, and it fits in a front pocket.  It's currently my only autofocus m43 lens, and does a half decent job for its size.
So yeah, I'm interested in a nice long tele for my growing micro four thirds passion.
 
 
 

That's the digital stabilizer that shifts the image on the sensor.  Kind of like an in camera version of post stabilization.  I prefer to just use the mechanical sensor stabilization and lens stabilization if a lens has it, and add digital stabilization in post.   If you need it and don't want to bother with the post work, it adds a little more smoothing to your video.
One difference between the mechanical and e-stabilization though is that the regular sensor stabilization will help correct for the motion blur in micro jitters, but e-stabilization will not.

Yeah, I remember reading somewhere that the cost for a full frame chip is only a $100-$150 more than an APSC.  Why would Nikon want to split their time catering to that market when they need to stay busy filling out an offering of full frame lenses?
If you want to shoot super 35 on a Nikon, just use the crop mode.  I think the APSC format was a compromise due to the limitations of the technology of the time.  Nikon and Canon are probably happy to leave it behind on their new generation of mounts.  I won't be surprised to see full frame Nikons and Canons in the $500-$600 range in a few years.
Long term, I kind of see the market shaking out into M43 for those who want small travel cameras with a few more features and options than smartphones.  Full frames with crop modes for the mid range, and Medium format for crazies who want to go for a niche look.  Hell sometime in the next 10 years I wouldn't be surprised to see an IMAX digital sensor for big budget and special venue projects.

True, but if they come out with the Z mount on them I think they are doomed. You might as well buy a cheap FF, which Nikon is going to have to do to compete with e Canon RS. People are not going to pay more money for a lens than the camera cost in that bracket. Plus with the rise of Smartphones, I am not sure how many customers are really even left in the APSC market anymore. It really might not even be worth Nikons effort. The real hardcore enthusiasts APSC users are firmly in the Fuji, Pentax camp anyways. They are the ones that throw money at them. I really doubt Mom and Pop are running out in droves to buy cheap DSLRs, or Mirrorless cameras now. Those days are over with.
Actually camera sales of any kind are nearing a end for anyone but hardcore shooters. Couple more advances on Smartphones and it is why even bother for the average user. Sure we might buy them, but that is not enough people to bother to even make them unless they raise the price to crazy money again like they were 6 years ago. I sure as heck would not want to be in the camera business long term as of now. It has to be a dead end road selling in any volume to make it worth it, Mirrorless or not.

If you guys are into manual focus primes, I'm really impressed by the Meike 25mm t2.2, and I'd imagine their new 16mm is just as good.  It's very well built, incredibly sharp, and has a beautiful out of focus rendition.  Having always wanted to try some Veydra primes, I couldn't resist the chance to test out the Meike for the $330 price tag. 
If you look at Veydra's performance in some MTF tests from Lens Rentals, they put some Zeiss CP.2s to shame.  Even at T2.2 they look to just edge out the best Pany-Leica and Olympus pro glass stopped down to F 2.8.
Some links to compare MTF tests:
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2018/03/veydra-cine-mini-prime-mtf-optical-bench-tests/
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2018/03/finally-some-more-m43-mtf-testing-are-the-40s-fabulous/
I'm currently in the post hell of a large project I'm wrapping, and will not get a chance to really test the lens out for a while, but I've been towing my GH5 with the Meike around and shooting a few random things when I get a moment.   Here's a few frame grabs from Resolve.  The horse was shot around T4-5.6.  The others were wide open.  Everything was shot in V-log with a quickie color grade so I could see what I was looking at.  No sharpening in camera or post.
Based on how happy I am with the Meike, I might end up collecting a few of these if Veydra doesn't make a return to producing lenses.

If you guys are into manual focus primes, I'm really impressed by the Meike 25mm t2.2, and I'd imagine their new 16mm is just as good.  It's very well built, incredibly sharp, and has a beautiful out of focus rendition.  Having always wanted to try some Veydra primes, I couldn't resist the chance to test out the Meike for the $330 price tag. 
If you look at Veydra's performance in some MTF tests from Lens Rentals, they put some Zeiss CP.2s to shame.  Even at T2.2 they look to just edge out the best Pany-Leica and Olympus pro glass stopped down to F 2.8.
Some links to compare MTF tests:
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2018/03/veydra-cine-mini-prime-mtf-optical-bench-tests/
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2018/03/finally-some-more-m43-mtf-testing-are-the-40s-fabulous/
I'm currently in the post hell of a large project I'm wrapping, and will not get a chance to really test the lens out for a while, but I've been towing my GH5 with the Meike around and shooting a few random things when I get a moment.   Here's a few frame grabs from Resolve.  The horse was shot around T4-5.6.  The others were wide open.  Everything was shot in V-log with a quickie color grade so I could see what I was looking at.  No sharpening in camera or post.
Based on how happy I am with the Meike, I might end up collecting a few of these if Veydra doesn't make a return to producing lenses.

If you guys are into manual focus primes, I'm really impressed by the Meike 25mm t2.2, and I'd imagine their new 16mm is just as good.  It's very well built, incredibly sharp, and has a beautiful out of focus rendition.  Having always wanted to try some Veydra primes, I couldn't resist the chance to test out the Meike for the $330 price tag. 
If you look at Veydra's performance in some MTF tests from Lens Rentals, they put some Zeiss CP.2s to shame.  Even at T2.2 they look to just edge out the best Pany-Leica and Olympus pro glass stopped down to F 2.8.
Some links to compare MTF tests:
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2018/03/veydra-cine-mini-prime-mtf-optical-bench-tests/
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2018/03/finally-some-more-m43-mtf-testing-are-the-40s-fabulous/
I'm currently in the post hell of a large project I'm wrapping, and will not get a chance to really test the lens out for a while, but I've been towing my GH5 with the Meike around and shooting a few random things when I get a moment.   Here's a few frame grabs from Resolve.  The horse was shot around T4-5.6.  The others were wide open.  Everything was shot in V-log with a quickie color grade so I could see what I was looking at.  No sharpening in camera or post.
Based on how happy I am with the Meike, I might end up collecting a few of these if Veydra doesn't make a return to producing lenses.

If you guys are into manual focus primes, I'm really impressed by the Meike 25mm t2.2, and I'd imagine their new 16mm is just as good.  It's very well built, incredibly sharp, and has a beautiful out of focus rendition.  Having always wanted to try some Veydra primes, I couldn't resist the chance to test out the Meike for the $330 price tag. 
If you look at Veydra's performance in some MTF tests from Lens Rentals, they put some Zeiss CP.2s to shame.  Even at T2.2 they look to just edge out the best Pany-Leica and Olympus pro glass stopped down to F 2.8.
Some links to compare MTF tests:
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2018/03/veydra-cine-mini-prime-mtf-optical-bench-tests/
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2018/03/finally-some-more-m43-mtf-testing-are-the-40s-fabulous/
I'm currently in the post hell of a large project I'm wrapping, and will not get a chance to really test the lens out for a while, but I've been towing my GH5 with the Meike around and shooting a few random things when I get a moment.   Here's a few frame grabs from Resolve.  The horse was shot around T4-5.6.  The others were wide open.  Everything was shot in V-log with a quickie color grade so I could see what I was looking at.  No sharpening in camera or post.
Based on how happy I am with the Meike, I might end up collecting a few of these if Veydra doesn't make a return to producing lenses.

If you guys are into manual focus primes, I'm really impressed by the Meike 25mm t2.2, and I'd imagine their new 16mm is just as good.  It's very well built, incredibly sharp, and has a beautiful out of focus rendition.  Having always wanted to try some Veydra primes, I couldn't resist the chance to test out the Meike for the $330 price tag. 
If you look at Veydra's performance in some MTF tests from Lens Rentals, they put some Zeiss CP.2s to shame.  Even at T2.2 they look to just edge out the best Pany-Leica and Olympus pro glass stopped down to F 2.8.
Some links to compare MTF tests:
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2018/03/veydra-cine-mini-prime-mtf-optical-bench-tests/
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2018/03/finally-some-more-m43-mtf-testing-are-the-40s-fabulous/
I'm currently in the post hell of a large project I'm wrapping, and will not get a chance to really test the lens out for a while, but I've been towing my GH5 with the Meike around and shooting a few random things when I get a moment.   Here's a few frame grabs from Resolve.  The horse was shot around T4-5.6.  The others were wide open.  Everything was shot in V-log with a quickie color grade so I could see what I was looking at.  No sharpening in camera or post.
Based on how happy I am with the Meike, I might end up collecting a few of these if Veydra doesn't make a return to producing lenses.

I'm way late to the party, but just ordered the GH5! 
I have no illusions that it'll be some supremely groundbreaking image, but I do think it'll be the funnest and easiest camera I've ever used to just pick up and shoot stuff with.

Morning!  I see you've all been busy while I was sleeping
There issue here is that there isn't such a thing as a 'better' camera, only "better for ...... situation"
The S1 might have colours that please you better, the Z6 might have menus that someone likes more, sure, and these days there are no more bad cameras, I'm sure the S1 and the Z6 are just lovely.  But it depends on what your situation is - for the person with m43 glass the GH5 is better than the S1 (or an Alexa for that matter), for the person who has very little HDD space and only needs 1080 the c100 might be hard to beat, and for the person who shoots underwater or in action sports a GoPro is a pretty good option.  Hell, for the person that wants 240fps an iPhone kills basically everything else because not much else can do it.
If we make some assumptions about what you're trying to say, and we assume that the person: 1) has no lens collection, 2) has $5K or whatever for a new setup, 3) values the colour straight-out of the camera or with very light grading, 4) has the time and hardware for RAW and high-bitrate codecs, 5) assuming that what is announced actually gets delivered on, and 6) a future camera with a different lens mount doesn't come along that will significantly beat their choice, THEN maybe the S1 or the Z6 might be the best options for that person.  You may be right - those cameras are probably the best current option for many many people. 
The problem is that any of the things that I listed as assumptions may not apply to the person out there that you are trying to save from online treachery.  If that person has a lens collection already then that skews it for mounts that are compatible or can be adapted (if that's ok for that person).  If they don't have a setup but don't have the $5K+ for a new setup required then maybe a lesser camera with a cheaper / more available ecosystem might be better.  If you don't mind about colour straight-out of the camera, or can grade, then practically any 10-bit camera will be good.  If you're looking for Alexa colours then the GHAlex LUTs from Sage are a real plus for the GH5 right now.  If they don't have the time or heavy footprint of RAW then they'll be wanting something that shoots the quality / bitrate compromise at their optimal point.  Lots of people shoot in a regular profile and get things right in-camera so they don't have to grade at all, this is mainly for speed in post-production, which is a big deal for people on tight timeframes.  If you're looking for the best camera and the S1 is better than the GH5 and you go all-in for that, then you're at risk of the GH6 making you regret your decision.  No-one can predict the future, but if I was in the market right now, even if I didn't have any m43 glass, the system still looks like it might be more attractive because of its history, although FF third party lenses are starting to fill out like they did for the m43 system over the last years.
Until we get a camera that's perfect for everyone, people will still have unique requirements that mean they prioritise factors differently to others, and therefore buy differently.

The Nikon doesn't shoot 10 bit internally or have even half of the video features of the GH5, and it currently doesn't have raw shooting and if and when it comes, you'll need an external recorder.
The S1 also doesn't offer half of the shooting modes of the GH5 and I believe only offers one 10 bit internal record mode right now.  It'll be more interesting to people when the V-log update becomes available.  But that'll be then.
The GH5 has been a workhorse for over two years with a proven set of features that are available right now.  People shoot professional work with it now and have established workflows with it.  They know what to expect from it and how to get their best work from it.  In addition it still has almost no competition in the unique video features it packs into the body.. and yeah, it's over two years old.  At its current price, it is still a great buy if you want to record 10 bit internal video with a built in stabilizer.
Personally, I'm playing "wait and see" to observe what happens after the raw and v-log updates show up, but personally I'm more interested in seeing what the GH6 may offer.  Not everyone needs or cares about shooting video in Vista Vision / full frame.  And just because it's a flavor of the moment, doesn't mean it's actually necessary or better than micro four thirds.  And the general observation by the community is that the smaller sensors like APSC and m43 get the cooler video features earlier than full frame competitors due to heat and sensor read times.
Also, some of us REALLY hate rolling shutter and it's a more pronounced issue on full frame bodies.  I could see possibly picking up a full frame and using it mostly in crop mode, but then I end up asking myself why bother when the camera I've owned for two years has more video modes and features.  And in another year or so, there will be some new camera like the GH6 to grab our interest.
I see you bought a Nikon Z6.  It's a great camera-- go enjoy it.  Pretty much every camera out there can deliver excellent results.  But different people have different needs.  I don't know why you are on this crusade to troll the GH5  thread and convince us that we need to sell our cameras.
I'll end by just saying, if I was in the market for a new camera and buying into a new system, the Z6 and S1 would be very tempting and both look to be really exciting systems for someone new to the market.  You really can't make a bad choice.  For me, I have years of prior work experience going back to 10 bit Cineon files from the scanned film days.  It's something I'm used to and really appreciate.... so I'd probably be much more drawn to a camera that recorded 10 bit internally.    When I saw the GH5 was going to offer 10 bit log, Panasonic won me over, and I took a chance and bought it on day one.  I've now come to love all the cool features it offers that I didn't even know I was missing, but now wouldn't want to do without them.  Yeah, the color doesn't perfectly match an Alexa, and an Alexa doesn't perfectly match scanned film.  But there are so many great choices out there we're spoiled with great options.  ?

The Nikon doesn't shoot 10 bit internally or have even half of the video features of the GH5, and it currently doesn't have raw shooting and if and when it comes, you'll need an external recorder.
The S1 also doesn't offer half of the shooting modes of the GH5 and I believe only offers one 10 bit internal record mode right now.  It'll be more interesting to people when the V-log update becomes available.  But that'll be then.
The GH5 has been a workhorse for over two years with a proven set of features that are available right now.  People shoot professional work with it now and have established workflows with it.  They know what to expect from it and how to get their best work from it.  In addition it still has almost no competition in the unique video features it packs into the body.. and yeah, it's over two years old.  At its current price, it is still a great buy if you want to record 10 bit internal video with a built in stabilizer.
Personally, I'm playing "wait and see" to observe what happens after the raw and v-log updates show up, but personally I'm more interested in seeing what the GH6 may offer.  Not everyone needs or cares about shooting video in Vista Vision / full frame.  And just because it's a flavor of the moment, doesn't mean it's actually necessary or better than micro four thirds.  And the general observation by the community is that the smaller sensors like APSC and m43 get the cooler video features earlier than full frame competitors due to heat and sensor read times.
Also, some of us REALLY hate rolling shutter and it's a more pronounced issue on full frame bodies.  I could see possibly picking up a full frame and using it mostly in crop mode, but then I end up asking myself why bother when the camera I've owned for two years has more video modes and features.  And in another year or so, there will be some new camera like the GH6 to grab our interest.
I see you bought a Nikon Z6.  It's a great camera-- go enjoy it.  Pretty much every camera out there can deliver excellent results.  But different people have different needs.  I don't know why you are on this crusade to troll the GH5  thread and convince us that we need to sell our cameras.
I'll end by just saying, if I was in the market for a new camera and buying into a new system, the Z6 and S1 would be very tempting and both look to be really exciting systems for someone new to the market.  You really can't make a bad choice.  For me, I have years of prior work experience going back to 10 bit Cineon files from the scanned film days.  It's something I'm used to and really appreciate.... so I'd probably be much more drawn to a camera that recorded 10 bit internally.    When I saw the GH5 was going to offer 10 bit log, Panasonic won me over, and I took a chance and bought it on day one.  I've now come to love all the cool features it offers that I didn't even know I was missing, but now wouldn't want to do without them.  Yeah, the color doesn't perfectly match an Alexa, and an Alexa doesn't perfectly match scanned film.  But there are so many great choices out there we're spoiled with great options.  ?

I got to use the S1 today. What a lovely camera BUT after using it I have less interest than I did before. 
The size is the killer for me. I really, really liked it, and at first was like "I'm gonna end up buying one, ugh why am I like this?!" But by the middle of the day, I was over having to carry around such a large camera. It just isn't worth it to me.
But you can get some really lovely footage straight out of camera. The green here in Vermont is just starting to show itself again after a cold, cold winter and it looks excellent. Panasonic's color science is improving more and more. 
The limitations are there though that the GH5 doesn't have, but they aren't as big of a deal breaker as I thought; as I used it the size though was too much. I'm a big, strong guy, but I don't want to carry that around with me for hours, especially after having had the GH3, GH5 and G85 these past 8 years. Shooting a sports event with it would suck unless I put it on a shoulder rig to help distribute the weight, and I haven't bothered using mine in forever. Who needs to with how light the GH5 is with its excellent stabilization?
The kit lens is excellent. Probably the greatest kit lens I've ever used. 
The auto focus was decent. If you know how to get the best out of the GH5's auto focus then you're good to go. But it will forever remain a weak point for most people who think they need Sony and Canon level AF. And I'm at a point where, even though I am content with the auto focus, I recognize that they need to change course, if not for the improvements but to take away something that people have used to knock Panasonic cameras since the beginning. I'm tired of hearing about it. It's time. 
I'm hoping to get some time with the Z6 soon. I'm still quite intrigued by it, because I genuinely love that Nikon has really attempted to make serious strides in video. 

ok so in the spirit of eoshd togetherness I have decided to share this video to see what u guys think. maybe it will inspire zach ☺️
let me explain:
i made this short at the end of last year, but I never completed the edit/fx/etc 100%. Got busy with other stuff, and I was working up my gumption to come back to it with a fresh eye.
then my iMac broke, and I have a new ‘puter on the way, but I’m anticipating the nightmare of opening resolve and Siri saying ERROR: NO MEDIA FOUND, because my files, ALTHOUGH BACKED UP, are super disorganized, there might be a few things missing, but at the very least it’ll be a big pain in the ass to relink everything to get going on this again
aannnyyyway I always feel bad for posting literally zero videos but numerous dog pics and I was like Screw it, its not perfect, but here ya go.
this is not the best file, its the one I had in icloud, there could be a better render, etc etc, and its getting murdered by youtube compression, but my first reaction watching it after not messing with it for a few months was…. …Hey~! Its not too bad! ☺️ not bad for a first film i made all by myself! imagine if I had a crew, a budget… ?
so, if youd like to see, pls check it out, and if you have any helpful feedback that involves changing/adding things, that’s great, but I do NOT have access to the actors/locations any more and there is almost no chance of me shooting additional footage, so as long as suggestions don’t involve me spending any more money on this project, I’m all in ?
at best, I think this is a cool example of what one person can do with a 5d3 in 2019 with no budget, crew, or resources whatsoever... as indie as it gets lolol
 

Naw, I think it worked very well.  I love seeing people push ideas and experimenting.

Another great film @mojo43!  I always try to catch your work. 
I noticed a lot of complicated transitions in this one-- maybe more than most.  Very effective at maintaining a fast and immersive pace.  Anway, great work again.?

Another great film @mojo43!  I always try to catch your work. 
I noticed a lot of complicated transitions in this one-- maybe more than most.  Very effective at maintaining a fast and immersive pace.  Anway, great work again.?

Really excited to see what everyone thinks of our new video! We shot this mainly with an A7iii an A7sii and a GH5. Mavic pro 2 of course. Let me know!
 
 

You typically want to put any finishing/sharpening a the very end after of your processing.  Typically just before running it out.  How strong you make the sharpening and the radius you use will just depend on the final look you are going for and how soft your original footage is.  Depending on the sharpening filter you are using there is typically a strength and a radius value. 
As part of your finishing process, you may also want to add grain into the image.  Opinions on whether you add the grain before or after the sharpening can vary, but I find that if I'm dealing with  an image that needs a lot of sharpening, I'll add the grain last so I'm not heavily sharpening my grain.  Conversely if I'm doing a composite and matching grain between elements, the grain will come earlier in the pipeline.  But in that case, any sharpening I'm adding back in is very minimal to just restore any detail loss due to encoding.
If you want to dial in some specific values for minimal sharpening to make up for re-encoding your original source to  whatever your final format is, you can run a "wedge" and try a variety of values then compare the detail you see with various sharpness settings of your output video against your raw source and pick one that matches most closely.  Depending on what your source material is and what your delivery format is, this can vary wildly.  In cases where I'm working from a high res (6k-4k) source and delivering at 2k, I may not even use sharpening.
Finally, opinions also vary about where to put any degraining, but I prefer to put it near or at the very beginning of my color pipeline.  If your degrainer is expecting something in rec 709 though, do your color transform into video space and then run your degrainer.  A little testing with your camera's source footage will go a long way here as well.  But,  I find that especially when I'm working with 8 bit source material, it can add some pseudo bit depth to the images before I begin pulling on the color. 
So, I'd typically do:
.Raw adjustments to set color balance and exposure. (if working with raw footage) Degrain/NR Color sharpen/grain

Really interesting video by Wolfcrow about the Arri Alexa LF. It's long, but good info about the high end of filming and how, according to him, FF Cine cameras have been a flop. Also some Nikon Z stuff at the end of it. The output of the Arri LF is to kill for.
https://wolfcrow.com/arri-alexa-lf-review-vs-red-monstro-vs-nikon-z6/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weeklynewsletter&utm_content=text
 

Sure; it depends on what you'd like. Fuji and BMD have very good, usable color. I personally will use P4K with GH5; I hope to have EC to do a production this summer.
8 bit is tricky; I'd prefer to only support 10 bit cameras, though I will try to find a way that will give viable production level results with 8-bit. I think Log is not really in the cards there.
 
Bit of really cool news; last weekend, the director of a film starring Josh Hartnett wrote to me to say that they were using the GH5 with EC as a pick-up cam alongside Alexa Minis and XTs.
He said that a senior Star Wars colorist was doing the grade, and said that 'everybody was very impressed' with it. I was pretty thrilled with that