Expanding my Gear Camera advice please

[Chris Harding]

I shoot a lot of my wedding footage on my B-Cam FZ1000 and have yet to find an out of focus shot .. focus is fast and remarkably accurate even on long aisle walk downs. On my previous Sony's I often had focus issues when running in full auto especially when going around tables and doing guest comments and resulted in going fully manual which really was a pain. Having a huge selection of lenses was quite cool but I did get tired of having to clean sensors every time I shot. A fixed lens camera does make life a lot easier for run 'n gun shoots!! Sometimes taking the easy way out makes weddings a lot less stressful and really, brides couldn't care less what camera you use and if I can find one that makes my job simpler then I'll go for it!!

[Steve Burkett]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Having a huge selection of lenses was quite cool but I did get tired of having to clean sensors every time I shot. A fixed lens camera does make life a lot easier for run 'n gun shoots!! Sometimes taking the easy way out makes weddings a lot less stressful and really, brides couldn't care less what camera you use and if I can find one that makes my job simpler then I'll go for it!!

A well made point Chris, but not all of us beg a simpler life when it comes at the cost of the quality of footage we can get. Bride's don't care about our gear, but they pay us to care. I wouldn't be happy shooting a Wedding on a fixed lens camera. I would find the restrictions too annoying. Changing lens doesn't have to be stressful if used properly. I have a zoom lens for run n gun work, and a multitude of primes for moments of the day where I can afford to be more creative.

Currently I'm using the 12mm slr magic lens after a long period of minimum use; it feels like using a completely new camera when you attach such a different looking lens. Besides, its great investment too; lenses I purchased years back are still being used even though camera bodies I purchased them with have since been retired.

My latest is the Panasonic 12mm 1.4 and already it has worked extremely well for some recent Weddings. Having those extra stops to fall back on actually makes my job less stressful than if I was to struggle on with 2.8 in some of the venues I have shot in.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

I shoot a lot of my wedding footage on my B-Cam FZ1000 and have yet to find an out of focus shot

Fixed lens camera's work well in combination with autofocus in good light and when shooting wide or when zoomed in with your subject dead center in the frame but once you zoom in with 2 people in the frame the focus can shift to the background or when the lights go down and you have to zoom in the focus can start to hunt, in such a case you need to rely on a manual focus and like Phil said he has a hard time nailing focus on his rx10II, the fz2000 seems to have the same issue like the camerastoretv guys reported with missed focus in low light situations because the peaking was reading noise as detail.

If you never have experienced a out of focus shot with autofocus enabled only means you shoot in well lit venues, shoot mainly wide and often close and if it gets dark use a bright videolight. Am I right?

[Jack Walsh]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

I shoot a lot of my wedding footage on my B-Cam FZ1000 and have yet to find an out of focus shot .. focus is fast and remarkably accurate even on long aisle walk downs. On my previous Sony's I often had focus issues when running in full auto especially when going around tables and doing guest comments and resulted in going fully manual which really was a pain. Having a huge selection of lenses was quite cool but I did get tired of having to clean sensors every time I shot. A fixed lens camera does make life a lot easier for run 'n gun shoots!! Sometimes taking the easy way out makes weddings a lot less stressful and really, brides couldn't care less what camera you use and if I can find one that makes my job simpler then I'll go for it!!

Gday Chris!
What focus points are you using for tracking shots?
I usually use a small single point set to the Brides side of the frame, at face height, with varying success rates.
Maybe I should set it to the Dads side!!!!??? More contrast for the camera to pick up!!!!????
Some Brides faces seem to be hard for the camera to register! Maybe I just get a lot of blondes.
Never had an issue when using Canon 70Ds, seems more hit and miss with the FZ1000s....

Jack

[Phil Stanley]

Originally Posted by Noa Put

Don't want to brag but since you ask :) I have a quite extensive m4/3 lens collection
Panasonic:
12mm f2.0
14mm f2.5
15mm f1.7
25mm f1.4
42,5mm f1.7
12-35mm f2.8
14-140mm f3.5-5.6

Olympus:
9-18mm f4-5.6
75mm f1.8
40-150mm f2.8

Bresser
60mm f2.8 macro

I only use 4 of these lenses at my weddings though, I have my 12-35mm f2.8 on the gh4 and 42,5mm f1.7 on my gx80 for handheld shots from brideprep up to reception, for ceremony I use a ax100 and a jvc ls300 with the 40-150mm on tripods and walk around with my gh4/12-35 and gx80/75mm for handheld b-roll, from reception I use a 75mm f1.8 on my gx80 for handheld headshots, gh4 with a 12mm on a gimbal and jvc ls300 with the 40-150 for speeches if there is enough light, otherwise it's the 75mm f1.8 on the jvc and the 42,5mm on the gx80. Sounds complicated but it isn't, just routine :)

Thanks Noa, is the GH4 at 2.8 best low light than the AX100?

[Noa Put]

I had some time available so did a test for you:

Below some jpeg frames exported from a 1080p timeline, all footage was shot in 4k so the result you see is already downscaled which makes the noise smaller and a bit less visible.
I only used a very small dimmed light on the left side of the frame, I used a 15mm f1.7 lens so you could see the difference between f2.8 and f1.7, I shot with the gh4 and gx80 both at 6400 iso.
The ax100 was the lens wide open and at 30db.
The framing is a bit different because you need a 12mm lens to get a similar field of view on teh ax100 in 4k, in 1080p it's wider because the panasonics crop in 4K.

[Phil Stanley]

Noa

Thanks for that, GX80 at 6400 very impressive, my G80 is on pre-order looking forward to using that with the same IBIS as the GX80 and better form factor for me

Thanks again

[Steve Burkett]

Hi Phil,

I've got my G80 on order now and should arrive tomorrow. Should compliment my 2 GH4r's and GX80 perfectly. I love my GX80 but the audio issues are a very sore point as I come to rely on that little camera a lot for filming. It does have perfect colours compared to my GH4Rs and the IS is brilliant. By all accounts the G80 has all that the GX80 offers but adds essential audio input and a better screen - my GH4Rs are consigned to B cameras - never saw that coming at the start of the year.

[Phil Stanley]

Hi Steve

I will end up with a GH4R, GX80, G80 and the AX100, that lot will suffice for now, I really like the Panasonics, I will be looking to add a few more lenses in time but after using the GH4R and GX80 last weekend for the first time in anger I am liking what they off in usability and quality.

Let me know how you find the G80

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Steve Burkett

I've got my G80 on order now and should arrive tomorrow.

That soon? Did you get the free batterygrip offer from Panasonic as well? I am trying to order from the UK because it's 150euro cheaper + a 350euro batterygrip thats free which is not offered in Belgium so that's a 500euro discount, only I am not able to find a store that delivers to Belgium.

[Steve Burkett]

Originally Posted by Noa Put

That soon? Did you get the free batterygrip offer from Panasonic as well? I am trying to order from the UK because it's 150euro cheaper + a 350euro batterygrip thats free which is not offered in Belgium so that's a 500euro discount, only I am not able to find a store that delivers to Belgium.

Yes I ordered today from WEX and they offer a next day delivery. I got a Wedding at St Pauls Saturday and it would come in very handy given some of the restrictions. For the battery grip, from what I understand it works like the cash back policy. You have to confirm the purchase with Panasonic and they send you the battery grip rather than cash. Here's the link to make the claim.

Panasonic Promotions

Another reason I jumped the gun and did it this month as the purchase period ends 31st October. The battery grip would be very handy.

Not sure what Panasonics view on ordering from the UK to deliver to Beligium re the promotion.

[Noa Put]

Well finally my g80 arrived a week ago, luckily I still can get the free batterygrip because I placed the order October last year and which should arrive in a week or 2.
I took the g80 with me on a short holiday last weekend to put it through it's paces and I have found a few annoying things, mainly in terms of ergonomics.

The record button which is tiny is placed on top but it's completely flush with the camera body, I just can't feel the button if I want to push it without looking at it, instead I have been using the shutterbutton to start/stop recording.
The buttons on the back to activate whitebalance, iso are very difficult to differentiate by the touch, I again cannot blindly press on the right button because they don't extend enough, same for the "set" button in the center, they all feel the same, I often pressed the wrong button and had to take my eye from the viewfinder each time to make sure I was pressing the right one.
Pressing the shutterbutton halfway to refocus often resulted in me stopping recording, that button requires a very gentle push and again it's difficult to determine when you have pressed it far enough halfway. This one worries me the most.
The peaking is near useless, often it's very hard to see or not visible at all, even with peaking set at high.
The ibis makes a grinding sound which you clearly can hear in your recording, a external mike is necessary but at least it's possible to plug one in.

It still is a great camera though, despite it's annoying ergonomics, it adds some important features the gx80 was missing, it also gives a cleaner image and retains color better then the gh4 at high iso and for the ibis alone and better formfactor compared to the gx80 it is worth the purchase.

[Steve Burkett]

My initial G80 suffered from a bug which made IS very temperamental when panning. Thankfully a recent update fixed it and it only seemed to be an issue on the early models. Alas I feel my G80 will get used less and less once the GH5 arrives. I currently use the G80 and GX80 for the majority of my filming, with a different lens on each. 1 stays in a side bag and I can quickly swap between the 2. However the small form factor plus other preferences means the GX80 will be the better choice to sit alongside my GH5. Its such a tiny and light camera to use and a real favourite of mine. Even though the IS is slightly more improved on the G80 compared to the GX80, its such a fun camera to use to grab those quick shots.

As for the G80 shutter button issue, I see the GH5 has a focus joy stick. Shame that wasn't added to the G80 as it may be a solution to the problem if pressing this joy stick down allows for quick focus in much the same way as a half press of the shutter button does.

I agree peaking isn't that great. I have the battery grip for the G80; took months to deliver. Works very well and will ensure the G80 will replace my GH4 when the GH5 arrives. Being weather sealed and able to have a mic attached would make it a better choice than the GX80 when I'm filming in the rain or if gathering guest messages, so I'm glad I have it, even in light of the upcoming GH5.

[Phil Stanley]

I have used my G80 for 3 weddings now, we also have a GX80 and GH4R and AX100
The GH4 is relegated to tripod duty due to lack of IBIS

The GX80 we find rather awkward to use, we have it set up for BBF with the AE button which is almost flush to the body. Small form factor but not my favourite to use.

The G80 we find a joy to use, set up for BBF, plenty of function buttons, we use touch screen to place focus and the shutter button to stop/start recording.

The GH5 looks tempting, but at more than twice the price of a G80, I am not entirely sure I will get one.

[Noa Put]

The gx85 was my biggest surprise of last year, used it at every wedding and has become one of my more important camera's, I will have to wait until weddingseason starts to see how the g80 really behaves but looking forward to using these camera's in a tandem, not retiring my gh4 though, just like my gh3 it has been one of my most reliable camera's. The gh5 will follow eventually, but only after the price has gone down a bit.