Reading mode: Light Dark

Focusing on GH3 for video, grading and GH5

Go to last post
P

PrebenR

Senior Member
Messages
4,164
Solutions
1
Reaction score
1,012
Hi

Just to start off I don't need the GH3 for stills, I'm only interested in a better camera for video filming. Of course it doesn't hurt that it is weather proofed and can take stills :-) (If I get this camera I'll sell off my Nikon gear except for the lenses with aperture rings)

I had pre-ordered the Blackmagic Pocket Camera, but due to the black & white orb issues, battery issues, poor external mic sound (not to speak about internal), no RAW etc... I think I would rather wait and see how things goes and later consider one if the issues are handled or a new version comes out. The camera looks great, but it becomes large system if one have to build a rig with battery pack, HDMI recorder etc for it.

For now I want a camera that I can easily bring with me and do some filming. That being said I am picky about IQ ;-)

GH3 looks interesting after watching some films that are available on the net. I do have a collection of m43 primes and adapters for Nikon and M42 lenses.

I did look at the comparison with the GH3 and GX7. Out of the box the GX7 video looked better, but GH3 have the codecs I want and also external mic port. I will do post processing grading so I think the GH3 is a better choice than the GX7 (please correct me if I'm wrong).

Now the thing I'm a bit concerned about is the lack of focus peaking on the GH3. If you have experience videographing with this camera, how do you find the manual focusing?

Second question, how do you find grading film from GH3. Does it beak down easily as claimed (ref advantages of BlackMagic Pocket Camera) or does it have sufficient headroom?

Third, question is the a GH5 in the short future? Would be a bit annoying to get a GH3 if GH5 comes in 6 months time. I don't know much about the Panasonic release cycle, but I have noticed that there seems to be a rapid turnaround of cameras in the m43 segment.

Thanks in advance for any input on my questions.
 
PrebenR said:
PrebenR wrote:

Hi

Just to start off I don't need the GH3 for stills, I'm only interested in a better camera for video filming. Of course it doesn't hurt that it is weather proofed and can take stills :-) (If I get this camera I'll sell off my Nikon gear except for the lenses with aperture rings)

I had pre-ordered the Blackmagic Pocket Camera, but due to the black & white orb issues, battery issues, poor external mic sound (not to speak about internal), no RAW etc... I think I would rather wait and see how things goes and later consider one if the issues are handled or a new version comes out. The camera looks great, but it becomes large system if one have to build a rig with battery pack, HDMI recorder etc for it.

For now I want a camera that I can easily bring with me and do some filming. That being said I am picky about IQ ;-)

GH3 looks interesting after watching some films that are available on the net. I do have a collection of m43 primes and adapters for Nikon and M42 lenses.

I did look at the comparison with the GH3 and GX7. Out of the box the GX7 video looked better, but GH3 have the codecs I want and also external mic port. I will do post processing grading so I think the GH3 is a better choice than the GX7 (please correct me if I'm wrong).

Now the thing I'm a bit concerned about is the lack of focus peaking on the GH3. If you have experience videographing with this camera, how do you find the manual focusing?
Click to expand...
The GH3 LCD and EVF are not bad for manual focusing, while the manual focus assist is a very nice feature on the GH3. Turn the focus ring and the image is magnified to your choice of 4x, 5x or 10x for easy focusing.

Take into account that GH3 provides uncompressed clean HDMI output at full 1080p, that does not drop when you hit record, and most of external video-monitors have their own focus-peaking/zebra options. While, Panasonic GX7 and G6 offer focus-peaking option, they do not have clean HDMI-output.
PrebenR said:
Second question, how do you find grading film from GH3. Does it beak down easily as claimed (ref advantages of BlackMagic Pocket Camera) or does it have sufficient headroom?
Click to expand...
The GH3 sensor+image processor+codec are currently one of the best for 2K video production and there are plenty of options for the output video-stream. GH3 can not compete with the 13-stops raw video signal, but the GH3 output stream usually doesn't require extreme post-processing adjustment.
PrebenR said:
Third, question is the a GH5 in the short future? Would be a bit annoying to get a GH3 if GH5 comes in 6 months time. I don't know much about the Panasonic release cycle, but I have noticed that there seems to be a rapid turnaround of cameras in the m43 segment.
Click to expand...
Panasonic GH3 was announced in September 2012. The GH-class Panasonic cameras have about 2 years development cycle, thus I wouldn't expect GH5 till 2nd half of 2014.
 
Last edited:
I got external monitors when using GH3 on tripod (they have much better peaking option than on camera anyway) so it is not a deal breaker, for going mobile I got Varavon GH3 Loupe that help me magnify while keep camera more steady.

High end equipment have longer cycle period compare to entry level

GH is about 2 years on product cycle, so as E-M5, GX series.
 
Last edited:
igorek7 said:
igorek7 wrote:
igorek7 said:
PrebenR wrote:

Now the thing I'm a bit concerned about is the lack of focus peaking on the GH3. If you have experience videographing with this camera, how do you find the manual focusing?
Click to expand...
The GH3 LCD and EVF are not bad for manual focusing, while the manual focus assist is a very nice feature on the GH3. Turn the focus ring and the image is magnified to your choice of 4x, 5x or 10x for easy focusing.
Click to expand...
I see. I thought that the magnified view was not available when doing video?

igorek7 said:
The GH3 sensor+image processor+codec are currently one of the best for 2K video production and there are plenty of options for the output video-stream. GH3 can not compete with the 13-stops raw video signal, but the GH3 output stream usually doesn't require extreme post-processing adjustment.
Click to expand...
At the moment there is no camera of the size of the GH3 or less that provides 13 stops. As long as there is no RAW from the "Pocket" camera. I also have a problem believing that BlackMagic can manage 13 stops when very few still photo cameras can...

igorek7 said:
Panasonic GH3 was announced in Spetember 2012. The GH-class Panasonic cameras have about 2 years development cycle, thus I wouldn't expect GH5 till 2nd half of 2014.
Click to expand...
Hmm, I see. So a GH5 may come next year around December I guess? Ok, I'll ponder on that, but long time to wait as the kids are growing up :-)

Last question. A used GH2 for half the price of a new GH3 is that something worth getting? If getting a GH2 I would hack it and wait for a GH5 to upgrade. Or should I just get a GH3 and not upgrade?
 
ntsan said:
ntsan wrote:

I got external monitors when using GH3 on tripod (they have much better peaking option than on camera anyway) so it is not a deal breaker, for going mobile I got Varavon GH3 Loupe that help me magnify while keep camera more steady.

High end equipment have longer cycle period compare to entry level

GH is about 2 years on product cycle, so as E-M5, GX series.
Click to expand...
Thanks.

But if I have to get an external monitor, then I'd rather get a BlackMagic camera. At the moment I'm looking for something I can put in my bag at least :-)
 
PrebenR said:
Now the thing I'm a bit concerned about is the lack of focus peaking on the GH3. If you have experience videographing with this camera, how do you find the manual focusing?
Click to expand...
I had the Nex 5n, which has Peaking, and I find more useful the option to scale the image to confirm focus than the Peaking.
PrebenR said:
Second question, how do you find grading film from GH3. Does it beak down easily as claimed (ref advantages of BlackMagic Pocket Camera) or does it have sufficient headroom?
Click to expand...
To me, the GH3 have enough headroom to do CC, much more than other cameras in the market.
PrebenR said:
Third, question is the a GH5 in the short future? Would be a bit annoying to get a GH3 if GH5 comes in 6 months time. I don't know much about the Panasonic release cycle, but I have noticed that there seems to be a rapid turnaround of cameras in the m43 segment.
Click to expand...
As says the friend over here, I do not think it will come another GH until late 2014 or early 2015, if i was you i'll buy a GH3 right now at $999, can give you at least 2 years of good images.

I'm also thinking about the Blackmagic Pocket but with all that must be added to work, I think it makes more sense to me to buy the normal Blackmagic Cinema, but when it comes with the active M4/3 mount, mainly because i need it for controlled interviews, studio work, greenscreens, etc. and the RAW of the original Blackmagic just work.

But remember, if you gonna but a Blackmagic camera, do you will need: heavy computer power and extensive backup options.
 
PrebenR said:
PrebenR wrote:

Last question. A used GH2 for half the price of a new GH3 is that something worth getting? If getting a GH2 I would hack it and wait for a GH5 to upgrade. Or should I just get a GH3 and not upgrade?
Click to expand...
It's for you to decide. GH2 allows to record a good video, particularly with the hacked firmware.

It is for you to decide if the following new GH3 features are worth the double price in comparison with GH2:
  • New 16MP Live MOS sensor with three-core Venus 7 FHD engine
  • ISO 125 & 25600 (up to 6400 for video)
  • MOV (H.264) 50 Mbps (IPB) & 72 Mbps (ALL-I); linear-PCM Audio
  • New “splash&dust proof” magnesium alloy body, new internal battery (540 CIPA frames vs 330) + new battery grip
  • Five custom Fn buttons (versus three) and a second control dial; Touchpad-AF control
  • +/-5EV control of exposure compensation
  • profile settings (contrast, saturation, sharpness and noise reduction) on a scale of -5 to +5 (against of -2 to +2 on the GH2)
  • support for Files Exceeding 4Gb
  • Variable Movie Mode (40%-300%)
  • Time Code & Time lapse
  • Uncompressed clean data stream to an external recorder via HDMI
  • φ3.5 mm MIC & Headphones
  • WiFi connectivity
  • Support SDXC (UHS-I) memory cards (as in GX1, G5, GF5)
  • New 614k dot OLED LCD & new 1.7 million dot 16:9 ratio OLED EVF
Since you were asking, here is a GH3 30Mb/s IPB grading test .
 
Last edited:
igorek7 said:
igorek7 wrote:
igorek7 said:
PrebenR wrote:

Last question. A used GH2 for half the price of a new GH3 is that something worth getting? If getting a GH2 I would hack it and wait for a GH5 to upgrade. Or should I just get a GH3 and not upgrade?
Click to expand...
It's for you to decide. GH2 allows to record a good video, particularly with the hacked firmware.

It is for you to decide if the following new GH3 features are worth the double price in comparison with GH2:
  • New 16MP Live MOS sensor with three-core Venus 7 FHD engine
  • ISO 125 & 25600 (up to 6400 for video)
  • MOV (H.264) 50 Mbps (IPB) & 72 Mbps (ALL-I); linear-PCM Audio
  • New “splash&dust proof” magnesium alloy body, new internal battery (540 CIPA frames vs 330) + new battery grip
  • Five custom Fn buttons (versus three) and a second control dial; Touchpad-AF control
  • +/-5EV control of exposure compensation
  • profile settings (contrast, saturation, sharpness and noise reduction) on a scale of -5 to +5 (against of -2 to +2 on the GH2)
  • support for Files Exceeding 4Gb
  • Variable Movie Mode (40%-300%)
  • Time Code & Time lapse
  • Uncompressed clean data stream to an external recorder via HDMI
  • φ3.5 mm MIC & Headphones
  • WiFi connectivity
  • Support SDXC (UHS-I) memory cards (as in GX1, G5, GF5)
  • New 614k dot OLED LCD & new 1.7 million dot 16:9 ratio OLED EVF
Since you were asking, here is a GH3 30Mb/s IPB grading test .
Click to expand...
I'm having some problems finding out what the hack improves. It is just bitrate or also codec? Hence by question. I can see that the GH3 has improvements, but also it has been said it was rushed, and thus lacking some features one would have expected. But nice if the focus magnification works in video mode.
 
I have the GH2 and the GH3 and I can tell you the GH2 is not even close to the GH3 for video. The new color modes the GH3 offers are simply a whole lot closer to what everyone wants for a final output. You don’t have to grade as much as you did with the GH2 because it is much easier to get it right in camera.

In addition the type of compression that the GH3 does for IBP is light years better than what even the hacked GH2 is capable of. You can change the bit rate for the GH2 and a few parameters. However, you can’t change the entire compression scheme to what the GH3 does. It makes all of the difference in the world.

I am selling my GH2 off now because its footage is simply not as good as the GH3 especially if you need 1080p @ 60 FPS like I do. The 24 FPS footage difference is less pronounced but there still is a difference.

I also like the fact that the GH3 can record for much longer on a single charge than the GH2.

Also with the GH3 AF is finally a reality for video with the F2.8 zooms. I understand why you would want to use MF most of the time. However, there are those times when the shot isn’t staged and the AFC on the GH3 is as good as it gets with the 240 Hz lenses.

I know that a lot of people still claim that the GH2 is just as good as the GH3. Those people probably couldn’t afford the GH3 when it first came out. Trust me even a hacked GH2 is not what the GH3 is straight out of the box.

I had looked at the Black Magic pocket camera as well. However, the Orb issue is simply a show stopper. It is unfortunate because it was a pretty good camera for the money otherwise. However, I simply can’t take that camera seriously with such a glaring(Literally) issue.

As far as the GX7 vs. GH3. I don’t know yet. However, I find it hard to believe that it offers the same quality video as the GH3 at half the bit rate and with a sensor that is untested.

Basically, if video is your priority and you are not made of money then you are just kidding yourself if you think there is a better hybrid camera than the GH3.
 
PrebenR said:
PrebenR wrote:

I'm having some problems finding out what the hack improves. It is just bitrate or also codec? Hence by question. I can see that the GH3 has improvements, but also it has been said it was rushed, and thus lacking some features one would have expected. But nice if the focus magnification works in video mode.
Click to expand...
 
DouglasG said:
DouglasG wrote:

I had the Nex 5n, which has Peaking, and I find more useful the option to scale the image to confirm focus than the Peaking.
Click to expand...
I see. So that works in GH3. I saw a review and it seemed there where no aids in video mode for the GH3
DouglasG said:
To me, the GH3 have enough headroom to do CC, much more than other cameras in the market.
Click to expand...
Thanks
DouglasG said:
As says the friend over here, I do not think it will come another GH until late 2014 or early 2015, if i was you i'll buy a GH3 right now at $999, can give you at least 2 years of good images.
Click to expand...
Yes, or 3-5 I guess. I mean waiting for GH6 or GH7.

DouglasG said:
But remember, if you gonna but a Blackmagic camera, do you will need: heavy computer power and extensive backup options.
Click to expand...
Already have that. :-)
 
mpgxsvcd said:
mpgxsvcd wrote:
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.
mpgxsvcd said:
Basically, if video is your priority and you are not made of money then you are just kidding yourself if you think there is a better hybrid camera than the GH3.
Click to expand...
No, made of human flesh as far as I can see ;-) I didn't say there was currently a better m43 camera, just wondering when a GH5 would be expected :-)

From the feedback, I'm leaning towards a GH3 and upgrade when GH7 or 8 is available.
 
PrebenR said:
PrebenR wrote:
PrebenR said:
mpgxsvcd wrote:
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.
PrebenR said:
Basically, if video is your priority and you are not made of money then you are just kidding yourself if you think there is a better hybrid camera than the GH3.
Click to expand...
No, made of human flesh as far as I can see ;-) I didn't say there was currently a better m43 camera, just wondering when a GH5 would be expected :-)

From the feedback, I'm leaning towards a GH3 and upgrade when GH7 or 8 is available.
Click to expand...
 
PrebenR said:
PrebenR wrote:

I'm having some problems finding out what the hack improves. It is just bitrate or also codec? Hence by question. I can see that the GH3 has improvements, but also it has been said it was rushed, and thus lacking some features one would have expected. But nice if the focus magnification works in video mode.
Click to expand...
 
Tim200 said:
Tim200 wrote:
Tim200 said:
PrebenR wrote:

I'm having some problems finding out what the hack improves. It is just bitrate or also codec? Hence by question. I can see that the GH3 has improvements, but also it has been said it was rushed, and thus lacking some features one would have expected. But nice if the focus magnification works in video mode.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Tim200 said:
Tim200 wrote:
Tim200 said:
PrebenR wrote:

I'm having some problems finding out what the hack improves. It is just bitrate or also codec? Hence by question. I can see that the GH3 has improvements, but also it has been said it was rushed, and thus lacking some features one would have expected. But nice if the focus magnification works in video mode.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
PrebenR said:
PrebenR wrote:
PrebenR said:
ntsan wrote:

I got external monitors when using GH3 on tripod (they have much better peaking option than on camera anyway) so it is not a deal breaker, for going mobile I got Varavon GH3 Loupe that help me magnify while keep camera more steady.

High end equipment have longer cycle period compare to entry level

GH is about 2 years on product cycle, so as E-M5, GX series.
Click to expand...
Thanks.

But if I have to get an external monitor, then I'd rather get a BlackMagic camera. At the moment I'm looking for something I can put in my bag at least :-)
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top