The Panasonic FZ2500 made its Photokina 2016 debut sporting a 20MP 1"-type BSI-CMOS sensor and a 24-480mm equiv. F2.8-4.5 lens. And while it offers some pretty cool stills features, the FZ2500 is really a video-centered camera.
It is capable of 4K capture at both 24 and 30p as well as Full HD capture at up to 60p. The camera sports a fully-articulating touchscreen, mic and headphone ports as well as in-body image stabilization. The above video should give you an idea of the 4K and HD video quality, on-board microphone quality, image stabilization and zoom range. Note: when shooting 4K the widest focal length available is 36mm.
The only adjustments applied in post were to conform the higher frame rate clips to 30p, and to upscale as necessary to fill the frame.
Can FZ1000 owners opine whether they see an improvement in the FZ2500 video? Or is the focus-hunt of the Space Needle zoom is very familiar?
One issue is likely to persist: grinding sound in the audio picked up from the auto-focus or zoom motors. The sample video had audio only at the very beginning. The ducks were atypically silent.
The 5-axis stabilization works in 1080 HD mode only. Very odd that the 4k stabilization is not 5-axis (only 2-axis), even though the GX85 and G85 both offer this. Omission of a 120fps mode is also weird, given that the competing RX10iii model offers this.
My guess is that the 2017 or 2018 iterations of the super-zooms will offer 4k 60fps, 1080p 120fps, and 5-axis stabilization in 4k mode.
Hardly. A m43 sensor should deliver a 1EV advantage in signal to noise ratio with all else being equal, because it has about twice the area of a 1" sensor. Besides, IIRC the G85 doesn't do a one to one crop on 4K, so the advantage on 4K video should be roughly another stop. Of course, I'm just pulling all this out of my head and it needs confirmation.
In 1993, I paid not too far short of that price for a video camera. Comparing its picture quality with that of the FZ2000, is almost like comparing Logie Baird's first system with the later 405 line one. The Panasonic can take stills too!
I would think that dedicated videographers might think it a bargain.
Was expecting to be impressed but wasn't. Seems over sharpened and too many artefacts. Is that caused by Youtube's compression or the camera? Pretty sure FZ1000 was better than this.
I think everyone likes their video different. I like my video to reflect reality, and the tack sharp video here is just that. I think you will prefer Canon output, all their cameras, (still and video) produce soft imagery and video. Am watching that 4K video on a high end Dell 1080P monitor and it looks outstanding, and real. (Am between 4K monitors, waiting to get the new 4 or 5K LG monitor that Apple are promoting to go with the new MacBook Pros.)
30p is so choppy that it makes me dizzy. There is too much emphasis on spatial resolution (4k) at the expense of the temporal one. 1080p/60p looks more natural.
I'd love 4k@60p too but I understand they cant release it on 1" sensor before introducing the GH5.
I thought the same about the recent news on 8k video centric sensor whole doing only 30p. NHK develops 8k standard to have 120 fps, so that sensor isn't made for serious 8k cams.
exactly my thinking. ever wondered why the promotional videos only show static, almost none-moving content? and even if fast moving content is shown, a direct comparison of 4k@30fps with 1080p@60fps would reveal the 4k motion to be mediocre in direct comparison ... the only reason to buy a Panasonic 4k camera limited to 4k@30fps now is its 4k photo mode, i.e. you get 30fps @8M, not only for one second or so - or until some ridiculously small buffer is filled and a wait time of one minute needs to be accepted until data is written to the card - but up to 30 minutes (or even unlimited with the FZ2500? would be interesting).
Which should be sufficient for most action photography. Yet, 60 fps would be better, waiting for that to materialize ;)
It keeps happening...The 5DMKIV 4K capabilities are "inadequate", "clunky", the chosen format is "outdated", "unmanageable" and everything else bad under the sun.
...and, yet, I don't know if it is for the binning the chosen compression or whatever in these Panasonic and Sony cameras.
The simple fact is that the 4K I see out of that Canon camera as nothing to do with this, quality wise.
Anyone finding this FZ2500 4K footage anywhere near this other one, below, should have their eyes checked...
Well, to be honest, my eyes are telling me that the difference comes more from the lens than from the sensor/digital system IQ... those gears are physically in different leagues. That doesn't change the fact that Canon is keeping their DSLR video capabilities to some frustrating limitations for videographers. Although I'm the first to say that DSLR cameras purpose is still photography, you can't stop people wanting more for their bucks especially when they see more features they want in cheaper cameras. Beautiful footage btw... :D
Sure, it is much more than the sensor/digital IQ in a system.
...but, although I've commented here, on this particular camera, I am also referring to other systems and cameras, some of which even have access to the very same Canon quality glass.
Reliability and its related options and outcomes are the key. The absence of binning provided by the native resolution that Canon decide to get out from the sensor provides both said reliability and, in addition, thorough the chosen recording format, a much better IQ to start with, even if we consider the optical quality of lenses.
The simple fact is that, me not being a video expert (...or even a regular user...), I keep find the footage out of the 5DMKIV posted online extremely engaging, with the main attributes of image quality provided by the camera (contrast, colour, 3D feel) aptly transposed from the original recording format down to mp4 or whichever format they are finally rendered into.
Many professionals, online, explain why this happens and, yet, we are being taken hostage by an handful of bratty aspiring-professionals throwing "I want it and I want it cheaper, now and my specific format" tantrums without actually checking the amazing results they could get out of what has been offered to them.
Indeed, still the problem is that it is not quite "offered" ;). Even while owning some very video capable still cameras, I keep on using my RX100 for casual videos, because it's simply more accurate for most purposes. I will never reach the optical quality of FF lenses with it, but most of the time, it's doing the job as simply as a red button switch. Anyway, these 4K mania is still a non sense to me. 99% of videos on the web are at a maximum of 1080p. Only a very few of us can truly benefit of 4k capabilities. Also, there is a good chance people will keep massively downgrading their needs to more practical everyday solutions. Even GoPro is having a hard time selling their once very popular cameras because people are switching to other systems,solutions,brands and mostly, interests. In that regard, and I'm sure we will agree on that ;) I also consider that using 4K with limited optical quality and purpose is quite more irrelevant than using good lenses with limited 4K capabilities.
It was also a non-sense to me until (...very recently...) I have came to understand that you can get better 1080p from downscalling from 4K than you can from recording it directly. To this extent, it makes sense using it.
All right, still it needs good tools, good way of using them and good subjects all the way to be relevant ;) Anyway, I watched your video at 720p because it is the standard default on my web browser :D I guess many are doing the same. 1080p was probably enough for that :D. And it was enough to have a pleasant view of the lights and colors. It's probably just my way to see it, but whatever is the definition, I do prefer your footage because of lights and colors much more than because of 4K turned to 1080p then 720p... believe me.
Of course a 4k video from 1inch sensor will be defeated by large margin from a full frame sensor with shallower depth of field, better tonality and more dynamic range. If you want to compare the panasonic use xc10 instead or gh4, g7, nx1, fuji xt2, a7s for the 5d V comparison.
@banacheko My question would so be more : at this point of tech capabilities, does 4k video already make sense with a 1inch sensor ? I'm far from being convinced. @PhotoKhan... good choice then ;)
PhotoK, that is one of the more beating around the bush posts ever...are you saying the canon has better video than this? You can say it straightup. We are talking about 1200 bucks vs. 3500 (+lense) equipment... Just to put it into prospective. Also the fact that it is only 1 min (probably 20gigs) speaks highly about the practical applications.
PhotoKhan, the difference is very simple: Panasonic does have a smaller sensor, but it goes out of its way to provide the videographers with all the tools they need to produce good quality video. Step-less aperture, zebras, in-built ND filters, good codecs... whatever you need - it's there. Canon on the other hand, though having a larger sensor (which gives an advantage in video quality) completely disregarded all its fans that have been using and praising the MK III for video production and gave them only the bare minimum of tools and one codec that's incredibly inconvenient to work with. For a price they are asking, they could have given their audience much more, but they decided to implement 4K just for the sake of ticking the box on the specs sheet.
And that's not even comparing the prices that are in completely different leagues.
You do know most broadcast cameras use 2/3 inch sensors? They use three of them (one for each RGB color), but nevertheless they use a smaller size.
No one watching ESPN commentators give a hoot about how much bokeh is present. That only matters for cinema, and even then, the focus puller is going crazy with the Razer Thin DOF of FF sensor. Do guess what they do, stop it down to increase DOF. Now guess what they have to do: Add more light or raise the ISO. Shutter speed is fixed so that's not an option.
With the inclusion of ND filter, this camera is more usable for run and gin video than the Canon. And I have absolutely positively no idea why in the world 🌎 Canon didn't use a proper codec! This stupid MJPEG compression is pointless. If you wanted quality, use ProRes or Avid DNxHX and gain some efficiency for crying out loud!
How about all those people who want to A) make a material for presentation purposes. B) share material for presentation purposes. To do a so simple thing like upload that file to a file sharing service (Google Drive, OneDrive etc) and this way give us the capability to see it without any re-compression, just like intended?
That Canon 1 min presentation was bad. Mushy, terrible contrast, unsharp, full of compression and low bitrates. Thanks to YouTube, you can't validate any video at all by technical merits through it. YouTube is a consumption service for a good content, not for technical properties evaluation service for geeks.
estarkey: People really loves the deep focus, as it is more real life and will give you the decision HOW to look the video and it will even make the video replayability higher as each time you can see totally different things from different point of view (funny, as camera is just in one point of view).
And why does the shallow DOF become so widely used? When directors can't control the background, or when a background is staged so badly that you would spot that it is fake. So Shallow DOF to remove the viewer capability to see it and get distracted.
Same thing is in photography, a landscape, portraiture and architecture are all most often way better when it is with deep focus instead shallow one. But it requires photographer to understand and handle the environment, And it just is fact that most photographers are not capable for that or are very lazy and just go for the easiest and simplest way. Shallow DOF has places, but rarely.
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