thehebrewhammer

I haven't sold my gh5 yet because I want to shoot something in 4:3...

On 3/6/2022 at 10:50 PM, Mr. Freeze said:

I was hopeful to see a nearly 3h long batman-detective-story but there was at least 30 minutes that could´ve been cut. Some frames here, some shots there and overall pacing improvements.

Agree!

On 3/7/2022 at 8:54 AM, fuzzynormal said:

I like "The Conversation," but wouldn't feel the need to see it on the big screen.

The conversation in a theater would be cool, not for the visuals alone but for the audio. There's some wild sound design in that film and I bet it shines on a theater sound system.

On 3/8/2022 at 4:44 PM, TomTheDP said:

The cinematography and visuals were absolutely astounding. I enjoyed the production design and casting as well. The story, pacing and editing left some to be desired though. I was getting sleepy in the third act both times I watched it at the cinema.

I noticed some interesting use of focus. When cat woman walked into the club, and you can see women dancing but completely abstracted by the depth of field. A nice way to make the scene more abstract and to add mystery to the place, all while holding that PG-13 rating.

On 3/16/2022 at 6:25 AM, webrunner5 said:

Then they would have defeated the purpose of the GH5s.

Not for me. I do run and gun documentary and IBIS makes a big difference. The low light and dynamic range of the GH5 were always its weak spots. GH6 offers this and more, though, and I'm still not too inclined to switch back over to MFT.

Also, I can't help but imagine how successful Panasonic would have been if they just made a gh5s with IBIS a few years ago.

I have an S1, an S1H, and I still have a GH5 as a loaner for other filmmakers I work with, and because I have been working on the same project for a few years - so I haven't had a chance to shoot something in 4:3 yet! I had an S5 briefly but found it hard to hit critical focus.

One thing that I love about the S line is the Fotodiox ND Throttle adapter, which essentially gives me an EF mount with a built in variable ND behind the lens. I have the L mount 24-105 but I never really use it. My Contax kit has been a thrill to use with this, and for a zoom I just piked up and am testing a Tokina 28-70mm 2.8.

On 1/19/2022 at 5:25 AM, BTM_Pix said:

Contax-Zeiss Sonnar 135mm f2.8 on Sigma FP

Shot about 25 mins apart on a very changeable weather wander!

Sometimes dreams come true, because I just picked one of these up for $40 CANADIAN DOLLARS at a pawn shop. I'm happy to add it to my 28mm 2.8, 35mm 1.4, 35-70mm, and 50mm 1.4 Contax Zeiss set, which all cost me a hell of a lot more.

I've never had a 135mm lens, and find it a little odd, but I think it's going to make an awesome intermediate lens for filming events with a tripod.

22 hours ago, Geoffrey said:

Shame you couldn't get round the focus issue thehebrewwhammer but sometimes you have to just accept something isn't working for you.

Thanks,

I have to admit that I was ready to put down my GH5 too quickly to get all my equipment a bit more aligned within one system - for what, better highlight roll-off? And that was the wrong call. It's a great camera and I never miss a shot with it.

I made a decision to return my camera. Hopefully the seller (amazon, third party) takes it back without issue. I found the focus peaking to be totally inadequate for manual glass, coming from the GH5 or S1 or even an old Canon with magic lantern.

Unfortunately all of my lenses are fully manual, so one-shot AF won't cut it. I'm looking at a Zacuto but it does feel ridiculous to go back to optical loupes and 30 minute record limits after so many years.

I'm actually debating returning the camera. My eyes aren't that bad but the viewfinder is really not cutting it. Peaks are not great. Focusing was easier on my old 6D with magic lantern, and that's saying something.

Well, I wanted something lighter and more nimble than my S1, and to replace my GH5 as a second camera, so I picked up an S5.

Coming from the S1's big beautiful viewfinder, the S5 is much harder to use. I think an eyecup or loupe might be the solution.

I have a rubber eyecup on both my S1 and my GH5, and I'm not seeing anything similar available for the S5. It almost looks like the rubber eye piece is screwed in. Anyone have insight into this?

Can't you use paypal with crypto now? If you're in the US?

I also had the inclination toward a C100, but when I owned one I found the codec too thin and found it was hard to operate in very cold environments due to lcd lag. Then I got a Gh5, felt like I was getting a similar image, but the trade off was the file sizes.

I think what I end up choosing will be totally determined by what's available in my local second hand market.

2 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

What exactly are they going to be filming?

I think they'll be doing documentary work in the far north. Likely pretty rough on gear.
 

2 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

Do they need 4K?

How important will AF be?

I don't think they need 4k, but they seem to want it. At this price the options are pretty interesting for 1080 cameras - including even something like a c100.

I don't think they will rely on AF.

Regarding your sound points, I have to admit I've never been great at sound. I was thinking of getting them a Deity V3 and calling it a day, just so they can start with something better than in-camera sound.

I'm trying to get a new filmmaker set up with a camera and a lens, and have about $1,400 USD to spend.

I'm looking at a used Panasonic G85 or XH1 if I can find it. I like the idea of IBIS but I suppose that's a bit of an extravagance. I'd like to save a bit of money for a shotgun mic, an ND filter, and some batteries.

What are some alternatives? How would you kit out a new filmmaker on this budget?

I switched to Panasonic in the first place for the GH5 because it was a great camera with very few software driven limitations and lots of support from the company after release. Panasonic kept improving it.

In full frame, it seems like that strategy of releasing the most capable gear per price point has already been abandoned. Panasonic is playing a game of cynical market segmentation (like Canon, etc.) and they won't sell people on a whole new system this way.

I'm now an S1 owner and I already am frustrated by Panasonic. The S5 addresses design flaws of the S1, and is getting features the more expensive S1 doesn't have - and that Panasonic hasn't said they'll implement via firmware. The S5 is similarly compromised, possibly by design but possibly to protect products further up the line, mainly in the viewfinder choice and 30 minute recording limit for 10 bit. I simply cannot afford an S1H, but I know my S1 is being deliberately limited by its firmware.

It can't be hard for Panasonic to offer some kind of firmware to bridge the gap between the S5 and S1H with the existing S1.

If L-Mount is to thrive, Panasonic needs bodies that bring in features you can't find elsewhere. I appreciate the build quality, and the XLR adapter that works across many cameras, but I want full in camera encryption and built in electronic NDs. I don't want to go backwards and buy a camera that limits recording time.

As it stands, I'm only investing in vintage glass and converting it all to EF mount. I'll switch systems if the right camera comes along, because Panasonic's thinking here seems like a dead end.
 

On 4/11/2018 at 2:54 PM, Moshimo Garcia said:

Hey guys, 

I was just browsing some Texas craigslist for some nice prime lenses and came upon this:

 

Anyone have experience with this particular lens? Zeiss Planar 50 1.4

For Contax Yashica Mount? Beautiful soft rendering, with the potential to be really sharp slightly stopped down. Great colours. Hands down my favourite lens. Used one for years on Canon Full Frame cameras without issue.

The Voigtlander 17.5mm and 25mm are both good options if you are looking for a prime. Otherwise sigma 18-35  with Speedbooseter - especially if you already have the lens and don't mind the weight.

I wonder if the GH5s will keep or remove ETC mode. Not sure how a lower resolution sensor or a native 4k sensor could crop in and still produce a 4k image...

26 minutes ago, Emanuel said:

Same Anamorphot-40 compact combo... (+ Mavic too)

 

Lovely colours here. What's your process?

Very interesting results...

I didn't have vignetting issues on the regular 0.71 speedbooster with this lens. I did have IBIS issues though using the nikon mount, unless I set it manually to different parts of the zoom. This seems to confirm that IBIS communicates properly with the camera through the canon adapter. Tempting.

I am genuinely excited to have unlocked file formats so large I can neither record them nor store them! Regardless, I.S. Lock looks pretty cool! And ALL-I 1080p.

1 hour ago, Amazeballs said:

Same here. You can buy new for 260$ from Japan or Malaysia, its small, light, very nice DOF and overall image at 1.7. For the price and size-wise it beats PL 1.2 easily for me (its six time cheaper, SIX CARL!). BUT its focus by wire is one the worst I've seen so far. Maybe if Panasonic fixes it someday, I will get back using it for video. For photo its good obviously. 

In terms of using it for video, I agree its basically impossible to use on moving subjects. I use it with the focus transition feature of the GH5 which makes it usable for B-Roll. I found a copy for $120 on my local kijiji.

I have some but not much hope of Panasonic fixing it by firmware update as they did update it to add Dual IS support.

I have used the Sigma 18-35mm with a Nikon speedbooster as well as the PL 12-60mm and the Voigtlander 25mm 0.95. My thoughts below

PL 12-60

The 12-60mm makes shooting quite easy with its AF and Dual IBIS but it does often render a clinical video sharpness look that cinephiles can't stand. Focus by wire is particularly poor on this lens compared to others I've used (from Olympus' cheap 50-150mm or the PL 15mm 1.7). This is my most useful lens due to its great focal range and it goes with me everywhere. I'm not in love with the look it produces but don't dislike it either - pleasant bokeh when you get close to your subjects. I usually shoot at f4 to soften the look. I'm currently looking into alternatives like the Olympus 12-100mm to get away from the focus by wire.  The PL is sharp, renders lots of detail, and very flat contrast wise IMO.

Voigtlander 25

When I use the PL 12-60 interchangeably with my 25mm Voigtlander the difference in lens looks are so pronounced that its as if different cameras shot them. The voigtlander is soft, dreamy, and very contrasty.  Manual focus on the voigtlander takes some getting used to but is very smooth overall. Close focus on this lens (and I believe the 17.5mm) is ridiculously good, so the macro capabilities are worth noting. The lens is pretty light (not much heavier than the 12-60) and balances well on the GH5. I much prefer the look of this lens to anything else I've used on MFT, including the PL 15mm,, Olympus 17mm, Lumix 20mm, etc, even if it is soft.
 

Sigma 18-35

The  Sigma 18-35mm 1.8 with a speedbooster could see in the dark almost as well as the Voigtlander, and produces noticeably sharper results wide open. I found it gave a more accurate and less filmic rendering.  With the Nikon speedbooster you get a nice manual aperture control ring, which couples with the nice zoom and focus rings that beat out any focus by wire alternative.  IBIS gave me issues if not set to the proper focal length, so when zooming you have to manually change this which is very unintuitive.  If this works in the Canon mount I'd consider picking another copy up. (Canon metabones users, please share insight into this?) 

Mostly, I hated using this lens because with the speedbooster it was 2.2 lbs. The size and weight advantage of Micro 4/3 disappears. This made my camera feel ridiculously front heavy and I'd leave this lens at home a lot. It felt more balanced with the XLR adapter mounted and a shotgun, but still, the size and weight made it really unattractive to use for everyday shooting. I sold this combo.

A couple things to consider that haven't been mentioned so far - consider the Extended Teleconverter (ETC) mode on the GH5 when looking at lenses, as this gives you a 1.4 crop that you can apply to any focal length. Your 18-35 will perform as a 25-50 or 35-70 (roughly). I've mapped this to my front custom function button for quickly getting extra lens reach when needed.

Also , the Panasonic 42.5mm 1.7 is a very nice lens which can be found cheaply second hand. Much cheaper than the 1.2 and produces nice shallow DOF. Though I've found that the focus by wire  sucks.