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Panasonic G85 review - is there any need to get an Olympus E-M1 Mark II for video?


Andrew Reid
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11 minutes ago, hoodlum said:

I am sure that this will be somewhat controversial but DXOMark posted a score of 80 for the E-M1ii.  The graphs provided the most interesting information.

https://www.dxomark.com/Reviews/Olympus-OM-D-E-M1-Mark-II-sensor-review-New-standard

 

Hoodlum - do those scores make the Olympus preferable to the Lumix for video? 

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11 minutes ago, jonpais said:

Hoodlum - do those scores make the Olympus preferable to the Lumix for video? 

Since they use same sensor tech, we can expect GH5 to be similar score, like GX8 got 75 and Pen-F got 74, they both use same sensor, I guess this 20MP is indeed different than the previous one

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I know there are still a lot of readers who are interested in picking up a G80/85, and one of the questions we get here all the time is which focal length to select with focal reducers for IBIS to work efficiently. With the Metabones XL Canon mount, the focal length is communicated to the body, the stabilization icon will appear in the EVF, and there's really nothing more to do. 

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I'm thinking of replacing my omd em1 with G85 but so far, I have to say, the stabilisation in the example videos is not great. Did anyone compare it to olympus? it feels jerky to me and it often changes the direction. omd em1 stabilisation is not perfect but at least is very smooth.

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11 minutes ago, Pawel OOO said:

I'm thinking of replacing my omd em1 with G85 but so far, I have to say, the stabilisation in the example videos is not great. Did anyone compare it to olympus? it feels jerky to me and it often changes the direction. omd em1 stabilisation is not perfect but at least is very smooth.

There have been numerous discussions of IBIS in these pages, and there are lots of video examples online. Olympus has better stabilization than Panasonic. If IBIS is your main concern, I'd stick with your present camera.

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6 minutes ago, jonpais said:

There have been numerous discussions of IBIS in these pages, and there are lots of video examples online. Olympus has better stabilization than Panasonic. If IBIS is your main concern, I'd stick with your present camera.

 
 

hi Jonpais

The IBIS is not my main concern but was a reason I switched, a while back, from Panasonic to Olympus. It is great to have in the environments I usually shoot. I really like the footage from G85 and to be honest, I'm not entirely happy with the colours I get from my Olympus. It is a great little camera but I definitely preferred colours from my old GH1/GH2. I was waiting for GH5 but that camera is beyond my price range and G85 seems like a great option. I think I will have to try it in a shop to see how the IBIS performs in real life.

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47 minutes ago, Pawel OOO said:

 

hi Jonpais

The IBIS is not my main concern but was a reason I switched, a while back, from Panasonic to Olympus. It is great to have in the environments I usually shoot. I really like the footage from G85 and to be honest, I'm not entirely happy with the colours I get from my Olympus. It is a great little camera but I definitely preferred colours from my old GH1/GH2. I was waiting for GH5 but that camera is beyond my price range and G85 seems like a great option. I think I will have to try it in a shop to see how the IBIS performs in real life.

Welcome to EOSHD, BTW! I've got the G85 and I love it. Anyhow, great to hear you preferred the GH camera colors. Lots of people online moaning about Panasonic colors for ages, saying skin tones are green, cyan, magenta, orange, or that they're fine for Asian complexions but not for Westerners, whatever - that might have been true in the past (I've honestly got no idea), but if you've had a look at a few of the videos I've recently posted here, you'll see that that's no longer the case, at least since I've started to get the knack of WB. Just don't rely on AWB - your colors will be off, it'll take you hours to correct your clips, you'll be miserable. To be perfectly frank, I prefer Fuji colors, but without IBIS, the X-T2 is a big a pain in the neck - every time I go out to shoot, I've got to haul along a tripod (I want to pick up a great monopod, but I haven't a clue where to begin, or if it will even be available here). I don't walk while shooting, run after my children in the playground (I haven't got any!) or swing the G85 around, but IBIS helps me get steady shots for what I do, which is street photography (street video? not sure what the correct term is). I've never had to use warp stabilizer in post or anything. As far as the GH5 is concerned, until I can shoot like Brandon Li or Kendy Ty, there's no need to pick up the GH5. I upgraded from the GH3 to the GH4 mainly for the 4K (which practically eliminated the moire and aliasing that was driving me nuts), as well as for the focus peaking. Lots of people are going to be dropping $2,000 - $4,000 on the new Panasonic body, lenses and peripherals, only to discover that their videos are not one iota better than before. 

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@jonpais yeah im not jumping to the gh5 neither but i'll consider it after their summer firmware update. The G80 has a better image than the GH4 and I don't mind the fact that it doesn't have some of the "pro" features of the gh4 that I never use lol. Good call on the AWB being the reasons the colors are off

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TCSTV just came out with their review of the OMD EM1 MkII. As far as video is concerned, they think ISO 1600 is the recommended limit, I was very skeptical of other reviewers claiming astronomical low light performance as well. The punch in AF is super clear and easy to gauge whether the subject is sharp or not. AF-C still struggles and they say is comparable to the G80/85. There are no truly flat profiles for those who like grading. Jordan took a monopod along with him on a shoot but ended up not needing it because the IBIS is that good. He also shows off some footage of Chris in a shop that almost looks like glidecam work. The lack of a low pass filter results in a touch more detail. I paid just over $700.00 USD for my G85. The Olympus is $2,000.00. As a video shooter, I'm not seeing any compelling reason to get the Olympus. Similar low light performance, no flat profiles like CineLike, same problems with AF, and you should really be investing $600.00 in a handheld stabilizer for walking and running shots anyway. 

Edit: I've probably mentioned this before, more than once in fact, but manufacturing wages here are a third of those in China; Chinese earn around $600/month, Vietnamese around $200; and two reasons why corporations like Olympus move manufacturing abroad (Olympus produces their OMD EM1 MkII in VN) are tax incentives and labor costs; so i admire companies like Sigma and Fuji, which continue to produce their products at home; I won't come out and say this is price gouging, but really...

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21 hours ago, jonpais said:

 without IBIS, the X-T2 is a big a pain in the neck - every time I go out to shoot, I've got to haul along a tripod (I want to pick up a great monopod, but I haven't a clue where to begin, or if it will even be available here). I don't walk while shooting,

Hey Jon, I'm not a big fan of monopods (in certain situations) but I have a Slik mini 11 tripod that I quite often use as a chest brace, and becuase I have to shoot using the viewfinder it gives me even more stability. The only problem I ever had was you could notice your breathing on longish takes, but I'm wondering if IBIS might iron out any chest movement from breathing. It is also a great little tripod for low shots, table tops etc

https://www.amazon.com/Slik-II-Table-Top-Tripod-2-75lbs/dp/B003J8RHKG

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1 hour ago, jonpais said:

Is there anybody here, who, if I said I'd just shot this on a G85 with a couple of Nikkors, would not believe me?

Well, you can't get that DR from the LUMIX cams, let's be fair.

Still, while I wouldn't turn down shooting certain stuff on that equipment, I can also say, after just editing a project that integrated my GX85 footage with RED M-X sensor footage, my GX85 footage was just better.

Of course, I just shot better images than the guy on the RED camera ;-)

I'd much rather carry a GX85 into the type of doc shoots I do than a RED.  The newer RED cams are nice, but for what purpose?  You need to know what suits your needs on a shoot.  If you know what you're doing, and the demands for IQ are modest, the 8-bit hybrids can really get you where you need to go image-wise.  That's my doc bias though...

All that said, I'd gladly give an Alexa mini a whirl.

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It was a 'quick test scene'. I'd say that's pretty darn good for just throwing something together real quick.

That said, obviously you've got a point with what you can get out of a camera these days and that it's 'not about the size, but how you use it'. :P That's the sorta thing that made the Philip Bloom and Zacuto shootouts back in the GH2 days so damn exciting. The camera is just a small part of the equation.

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Yeah... that Helium footage looks pretty stellar to me. The reflection of the flashlight of the mirror illuminates her face pretty nicely and then when she shuts the compact and the little poof of dust hits the flashlight beam... really nice. 

With that being said, the G85 may not be Helium level, but I have been very impressed with what you guys have been getting out of her. Really nice work all around. 

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  • Super Members

The GX80/85 is only $420 brand new with warranty and the G80/85 is $715.
Can someone who has used both pitch the idea on why one would save some cash or go for the bigger one?

Besides the CineD which I think is nice but not a "need" and the mic input which I would never use.
Also none of them would be used very much for stills, I have another camera for that.
No pro work with them either, not even as B-Cam. This is for the family etc.

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19 hours ago, mercer said:

Yeah... that Helium footage looks pretty stellar to me. The reflection of the flashlight of the mirror illuminates her face pretty nicely and then when she shuts the compact and the little poof of dust hits the flashlight beam... really nice. 

With that being said, the G85 may not be Helium level, but I have been very impressed with what you guys have been getting out of her. Really nice work all around. 

i've been shocked at the quality. The sensor performs way better than gh4

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