Panasonic S1H demo

[Doug Jensen]

I just finished producing a 4-hour master class for the S1H. If you're not familiar with this camera, you should be. I think it has knocked the FS7 off it's pedestal as the most bang for the buck of any camera ever made. This is the first mirrorless camera that is truly built with video in mind first, and still photography as a bonus. Why do I think so? Watch my trailer and I'll make my case for the camera.

YouTube (Short URL)

[Paul Cronin]

Sold my Sony FS7 MK2 and Sony A7R3, along with all associated gear to move to the Lumix S1H, and have not looked back. Now I have a camera that is a step up in quality and options. And I carry two less bags when traveling. A winner in so many ways. We live in amazing time for advancement in camera gear, and this is the next jump.

Five weeks with the camera before going through your Master Class, and I learned more efficient ways to set up and use my camera. This will help me save time, and use all the functions efficiently on my shoots. Great timing just before my first job with the gear. Thanks Doug

[Charles W. Hull]

I've had the S1H since it first shipped and haven't used my other video cameras since. The capability and video quality is beyond anything in this price range. I only shoot HDR, and 10 bit VLog is a great fit. Doug, I only recently heard about your course and I'll take it and know I'll learn new good things. But I need to finish editing my last shoot first!

[Doug Jensen]

Charles, I agree with you completely. I had a project this week that I was planning to use my F55 for and as I started prepping the camera, the lenses, the brick batteries, the bigger O'Connor tripod, and all the other stuff necessary for that package I suddenly didn't feel motivated anymore. A wildfire safety video that I had volunteered to do as a freebie for the community where I live suddenly seemed like a chore. So I grabbed the S1H and a couple of lenses and went out the door. Not only does the finished video look as good as it would if I'd used my F55, I also got some quick shots that wouldn't have even been possible if I wasn't using this faster smaller camera. And I got some b-roll around town without attracting the kind of attention I would get with the bigger cameras. My F55 still has its place in my business but I can see that I'll be using the S1H even more than I had expected.

If you're serious about signing up for master class (thank you) here's a promo code that just went out to my mailing list that will save you 15% until march 6th. "LEAPDAY"

[Doug Jensen]

So I got the Panasonic 70-200mm f/2.8 lens last Thursday and went out first thing on Friday morning to shoot some test footage with it. I must say that this lens is fantastic. So much better than my old Nikon 80-200 f/2.8 that is laying in box someplace. Even though I also have a $12K Canon 200-400 f/4 lens for serious wildlife shooting (especially birds in flight) the 70-200 has a nice range of focal lengths for times I will be able to work a little closer to the subjects. Plus it is going to be great for interviews. I used to say I'd never use SLR-style lenses for video but, man, they are getting a lot better these days. Never say never.

Uploaded in 4K

Panasonic Lumix S1H Demo Footage Part 2 - Gators & Birds in 4K on Vimeo

[Joachim Claus]

Hi Doug,
beatiful video. Did you record internally or with an external recorder? What was your framerate when shooting?
I use a Canon Camcorder (XF705), and I kove it. However I was already thinking of a mirrorless camera, such as the GH5S. There are some drawbacks, first, Ithink the S1H has no inbuilt grey filters, and second it cannot record in UHD/50p 422.
Joachim

[Doug Jensen]

Joachim, thank you for the compliment.

I recorded internally at 23.98p. There's really no reason to bother with an external recorder on the S1H because the best internal codec (10-bit 4:2:2 a@ 400Mbps) is just as good as anything that could be recorded externally. That's one of the things that makes the S1H so great. The lack of ND filters hasn't been as big an issue as I had expected. I just carry a .6ND and .9ND in my pocket and swap them as necessary. Takes about 15 seconds or less.

I'm curious to know why you need 50p 4:2:2? What are you going to do with it? Do you deliver 50p as final output for your videos and do heavy grading in post?

[Joachim Claus]

Doug,

I use UHD/50p 4:2:2 with Rec.2020 and gamma=HLG as my standard record format, This is also my standard delivery format. If needed, I downscale to 1080/50p and apply a LUT conversion from BT.2020/HLG to Rec.709/wide dynamic range.

On my television the Rec.2020/HLG gives best images.

Joachim

[Doug Jensen]

Joachim, are you shooting for yourself or clients? Because unless your whole workflow in post is based around HLG, right down to the final viewer at the end of the pipeline having an HLG compatible television, and you will never be doing any grading of the footage in post, HLG is definitely not the mode you should be using. HLG is not designed to be graded and is not the correct mode to use when the widest dynamic range is wanted. Of course, if you're just shooting for your own needs and watching on your own television you might be okay, but otherwise you might want to reconsider your settings. Just some friendly advice.

Here's an article by my friend Alister Chapman that sums up HLG better than I can in a short post here.
What is HLG and what is it supposed to be used for? | XDCAM-USER.COM

You should consider switching over to V-LOG or a standard Photo Style. I can tell you with no reservations whatsoever that I will never be using the HLG mode on my S1H.

[Joachim Claus]

Hi Doug,
i am shootong for myself, my family, and a selected number of good friends. I use HLG for its wider range of f-stops without loosing compatibility for playback on standard BT.709 based HD/UHD-TV. For delivery in HD 1080p i apply a Canon LUT to convert from BT.2020/HLG to BT:709 "Wide Dynamic Range". The resulting quality on non-HDR-TV is great.

On my HDR-UHD-TV I get excellent vodeos. I compared it with video shot in BT.2020/PKI. They are even better, however, the post processing requires more work. So I stay with HLG.

I know, that log-gamma (the XF705 can shoot in Canon Log 3) is the better choice, however it requires massive post-processing and color grading. It would be my choice for highest quality recordings. But the whole recording process becomes more complex. I am quite happy with HLG as a compromise.

Thank you for the article from Alister Chapman. I will study it and read what he recommends.

Best regards,

Joachim

[Doug Jensen]

Joachim, it sounds like you have made an educated choice and have determined what is best for you. I can't argue with that.