GH5 for video documentaries: some questions please.

[Mark Rosenzweig]

Originally Posted by Paul Cronin

Got it, I am still deciding on the best option but the one above looks nice for the GH5.

Getting nailed in Rhode Island, how is New Haven? Lived in Madison years ago.

Locked in too, but I escaped this morning by train - to Philadelphia!

[Adriano Moroni]

In my shoots I always use the preset for White balance in a sunny day. I'm thinking to change my way to do White balance. Now with my Sony AX100 I'd like to do it manually. How do you do it? Is it good to do White balance pointing the videocamera at a gray cardboard with 18% reflectance?

[Noa Put]

I use a expodisc to set my whitebalance, I just put it on the lens, point my camera at the lightsource and make the whitebalance. What I like about the ax100 is that it will show the kelvin value after I make this manual wb so I can dial that kelvin into my other camera's.

[Adriano Moroni]

Ohhh, good news. Is there for the AX100 lens?

[Noa Put]

https://www.expodisc.com

[Bryan Worsley]

My, this is a meandering thread isn't it - all good stuff though !

Originally Posted by Bryan Worsley

Your edit bumped my reply; yes, you're right you need to remux as .mov files. I don't use Edius - only ran the trial - and I'd have to install the GV Canopus codecs again to encode some HQX files (outside of Resolve, using VirtualDub FilterMod) to test.

Well curiosity got the better of me and I installed the GV codecs pack again:

https://www.edius.net/hqx.html

However, when I came to transcode some GH5 4K 10-bit 422 clips (and other 10-bit 422 sources) to GV HQX using VirtualDub_FilterMod (VDFM), only the 8-bit variant was available. Whether that's a limitation of the VFW codec, as made available to third-party applications, or there is a way to access the 10-bit variant, I'm not sure. I've queried that with the developer of VDFM.

Edit: Apparently the VFW GV HQX codec doesn't support 10-bit, even though the information on that codecs pack download page implies it does:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.ph...83#post1829583

Still, with VDFM it is possible to transcode to other Resolve-compatible 10-bit 422 formats (including ProRes and Cineform, both using native encoder implementations) with confidence that the conversion is mediated at high bit depth. And also remux GV HQX.avi files to .mov using Direct Stream copy. There is 10-bit 422 x264 encoding also, but Resolve will not import these files, nor compressed lossless avi formats, like MagicYUV, UTVideo, HuffYUV, that support 10-bit.

Worth mentioning also - now that Resolve has integrated the Cineform codec SDK (internal transcoding and export previously required installation of GoPro Studio/Quik to access the codec), Cineform is now available as a caching and Optimised Media format. For Windows users it was previously limited to DNxHR or Uncompressed.

[Bryan Worsley]

Originally Posted by Noa Put

https://www.expodisc.com

There's also BRNO BaLens, which uses the same principle, available in 62mm filter size:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/591750-REG/BRNO_BAL62_baLens_62mm_White_Balance.html/BI/2855/KBID/3801

I haven't tried either (on a camcorder), but I'm thinking to.

[Bryan Worsley]

FWIW - browsing the Canon GX10 user manual again I see that, despite being dubbed the 'consumer model', it can (just like the XF-400/405) output 10-bit 422 1080/30p and 1080/60p (1080/25p and 1080/50p on PAL model) over HDMI to an external recorder.

[Ron Evans]

The only differences between the GX10, XF400 and XF405 is the XLR handle and for the XF405 the SDI connector . Other than those things all the three are basically the same according to the video on the Canon site.

EDIT: Of course with a Shogun Inferno one can get all the performance and extra XLR connectors plus 12G SDI for about $300 more than the difference between the GX10 and the XF405.

[Bryan Worsley]

Shame the GX10 appears to be getting such a lukewarm response, at least as judged by the few customer reviews I could find (on B&H and Amazon), with complaints that the 4K video images are 'dull' (and so assumed to be sub-par quality) compared to the AX100 and other 4K cameras. Can't help but wonder though whether that perception relates more to differences in (default) in-camera sharpening than 'flat focus' IQ per se. Still looking for some raw sample clips from the GX10 (or XF-400/405) to examine and unfortunately none of the camera stores in my locale stock it or have a demo model - 'special order' only.

[Adriano Moroni]

Hi, I'm thinking to buy a GH5 camera with Leica lens 12-60mm to make UHD documentaries around the world. I don't visit towns but I document indigenpous life in remote areas. I'd like to ask some questions because I have always used videocameras in my life and the GH5 is opening up for me a new horizon that I don't know at all. For this reason I'd like to ask some questions please.
1) In your opinion will I need a Zhiyun Crane for my shots? I don't like to bring with me heavy matters but if it will be important for me I will buy it.
2) If you suggest to use the Zhiyun Crane, usually for how much time will I need to use it? I know it is a stupid question but I like to understand better. Will I have to use it around 50-60% of my shots or for all the time 100%? Certainly there are rare times that I need to put the camera on the tripod, but I do not mean this moments. So I exclude them because I mean allt eh times without tripod.
3) Can I always use a skylite instead of UV filter to protect Leica lens? Do you advise against it?
4) Can I use GH5 without any gray filter in the very sunny days? Will I get enough bad images?
5) How do you suggest to make the white balance?
6) Can you tell me if GH5 gives a good image quality with in semiautomatic mode? I'd like to fix only the shutter at 120f/s and I let the camera to choose all the other options in automatic mode.
I'd like to get replies from expert guys who make UHD videos with GH5.
Thanks a lot for your pleasant suggestions.

[Noa Put]

I'd like to fix only the shutter at 120f/s and I let the camera to choose all the other options in automatic mode.

If this is how you want to use the camera then there is no use in answering all other questions, the GH5 is not made to shoot all auto.

Fixing the shutter at 1/120 and just let the camera deal with the rest is at a certain point asking for a bad image quality. From all your posts so far it looks to me you just want a point and shoot camera and focus on content and not deal with camerasettings at all, for that reason I still would suggest to get a small sensor handicam from either sony or canon.

[Adriano Moroni]

I can watch videos made with small sensor. I don't like them anymore. I can spend much more money than the price of Sony AX100 for a camera but there are not cameras better than AX100 in image quality.

[Noa Put]

If you want to have the best image quality a camera can provide you then you have to learn how to properly operate a camera manually, if you are not willing to do that then every camera you buy will give you less then optimal results.

[Adriano Moroni]

I know you are right but I have to deal with my reality. I know it but I can't setting my camera every time I need to shoot in places where it is hard to survive and where the sun burns the brain. With my AX100 I have been satisfied for a long time, now not more. I am a lover of good images quality but I understand that I can be satisfied even if I get only a little from those cameras. If I get 60% from AX100 and I get 60% from GH5, I hope the image quality of GH5 is better than AX100.