G85 overheating? record time? light sensitivity? stabilization?

pannumon wrote:

Quantum Target wrote:

Holistic Photog wrote:

see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xql4nqIU65Y

I think I have seen comments elsewhere that agree. This guy mentions problems with G7 not G85 but the possibility exists of inheriting such issues. Of concern are audio -I hadn't mentioned but a big deal - and dropped frames.

I watched the video. About his points:

1. Audio: no comments

2. 4Gb file limit. Is it really a problem if you lose 1-2 frames in an 1 hour video? I can see that it can be annoying if you want externally recorded audio to be synced exactly, but in reality I cannot see this as a problem. If you don't plan to do post-processing, is it a problem to share the video in two parts?

3. 30min limit. Because EU taxation, this can be an issue. Personally, I would not have paid 100-200€ more for this camera to have no 30min limit.

4. Video AF. I think I'm the only person saying this, but it's a big step back from the good old GH1. I started a thread about this about a week ago. Still, this is not an issue after you have learned how the camera works.

5. Quality control. Panasonic has one of the best quality control of any camera manufacturers. That being said, there can be issues with the dials. Still, it's nothing compared to the problems related to Olympus cameras. On the other hand, Olympus repair service seems to be superior compared to Panasonic, but it also depends where you live.

Be aware though that I believe the European version, the G80, might have a 30 minute record limit before you have to hit the record button again. I believe the G85, the US version, is unlimited.

I will be getting US version so the 4G limit should be a non-issue on exFAT formatted cards.

Just to confirm, 4Gb limit has nothing to do with the 30min limit.

Just to second that. The old bodies would split the clips into 4GB chunks regardless of file system. I believe that on the older bodies, even if they accepted exFAT formatting and did unlimited recording, would still split the clips into 4GB chunks. However, I don't fully agree with the guy in the video. When I used AVCHD recording, I never lost a single frame between the clips. It was always completely seamless. MP4 may be different though.

It seems like the newer bodies (e.g. GX85 and G85) no longer do the 4GB split (but rather one long continuous clip), whether they have a 30 minute limit or not. So, again, the 30 minute limit on some European bodies has nothing to do with the old 4GB split.

Some additional thoughts:

Why do you need image stabilization? Will the camera stay on tripod or will there be additional person(s) taking the video?

If you want easy workflow, just shoot 1080p. Do you have experience about lighting, and are there resources for setting it properly? If the lighting is not good, the video will look mediocre at best even when shot at 4k.

Have you considered getting few large-aperture primes instead of the kit lenses? Kit-lenses are slow (aperture-wise), and you need all the possible light to the sensor when shooting indoors (unless you set up additional lighting). I mean lenses like Panasonic 20mm f/1.7, Panasonic 25mm f/1.7, Sigma 30mm f/1.4, Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7, Sigma 60mm f/2.8... These are all affordable.

I want to also mention that I have a feeling the OP may misunderstand the "jitter" issue. It completely disappears if you turn off the OIS. In other words, an OIS lens is ALWAYS more stable than an unstabilized lens. Even with any jitter, the footage is ALWAYS more stable than it would be if you turned off the OIS. But you'll now lose the benefit of the stabilization. You can just turn off the OIS on an unstabilized body and any jitter will disappear, but the actual shaking will be worse than the original jitter that you had with OIS. The actual shaking is due to handshake or wind, and the jitter is simply due to the fact that the OIS is not sufficient to counteract the shaking.

In other words, if the OP is thinking of getting a lens like the 14-150 without any stabilization to make the jitter go away, then that's a fundamental misunderstanding of the issue.

In the YouTube video, the reason the camera is shaking on the tripod is due to the wind and the fact that the stabilization is not sufficient to counteract it (if it's even on). It's not due to the lens itself but due to the wind. An unstabilized lens would perform no better here.