The Lumix GH6 from Panasonic is a video-centric Micro Four Thirds hybrid camera that boasts impressive capabilities from a digital mirrorless system. We took a closer look at some of the video options by shooting multiple clips to highlight some of the compression options, picture profiles, image stabilization modes, dynamic range boost, and low light performance.
To evaluate image stabilization we shot three clips: a control clip where no stabilization was applied, a second clip where in body and in lens stabilization were turned on, and a third clip where E stabilization and in body stabilization were both engaged.
Each clip in this section was shot in V-Log. The control clip where Dynamic Range Boost was off was captured at base ISO 250. For the clip where Dynamic Range Boost was turned on the ISO was set at 2000 (the lowest setting at which it's available).
To test low light performance we shot a variety of scenes and ISOs in both the standard picture profile and V-Log. For each clip Dynamic Range Boost was off.
Thanks for the video. Nice images. Not a fan of Standard profile with the crushed blacks but V-LOG looked good. A lot of detail in the museum/stabilization test footage!
Regarding stabilization, i find the e-stabilization is helpful in stationary handheld shooting, but doesn't help when walking around, and not anywhere near as good as the best cell phone cameras. I believe this is because as implemented it uses only a 9% crop which is good for still photography or stationary video shooting, but not for walking. Judging from experience in using Premier's warp stabilization, something more like a 20-25% crop would be needed for stabilization while walking. I wish that Panasonic will consider this as an additional e-stabilization mode in the future. I realize that the GH6 already is the best ILC camera for walking, but with this change it could be even better. ==Doug
There’s so much tearing in the pans during the image stabilization shots; is that a problem with the image stabilization, or was it just a violation of the seven-second rule?
thanks for asking .. 7 seconds shutter and judder rule imo nothing to do with the camera or lens, but panning speed is too fast for the combination of focal length, shutter angle/ speed, resolution and/or frames-per-seconds.
it's not limited to being just a panning issue, for example the footage of the stabilization test where jordan was walking was terrible, and there wasn't any panning in there.
the camera was bouncing side to side and every time that it did that the face and eyes turned to mush... the cause was similar to that of the panning issues, aka shutter speed vs. subject motion vs. framerate... example here, blurry subject motion with no panning:
It's a rule of thumb for panning your camera so you don't get judder. As the folks at RED explain it: "Pan no faster than a full image width every seven seconds, otherwise judder will become too detrimental. This rule is especially simple and powerful because it applies regardless of camera lens, model or sensor size." It's based on shooting at 24 fps with the normal 1/50 shutter speed (or 180° shutter).
It's a way to get you to slow down because the normal human tendency is to pan too fast because you unconsciously think if it looks OK to you it will look OK to the camera. But it doesn't, of course. The camera only sees about a third of what you see.
But why no test of auto-focus? Perhaps that means that, after so many years, no one expects a Lumix GH camera to have reliable AF when shooting video, least of all in low light. The stabilization tests involve hand-held shots, with some panning. No rolling shutter "jello," but the museum building appears very juddery when the camera pans. Is that the unpleasant but requisite trade-off? How effective is the stabilization if the shooter walks while tracking a subject? Why can't all hybrid cameras offer something akin to the Sony gyroscopic stabilization, ideally available in-camera, without need for tedious (and IQ impairing) rendering in post? Yes, that does require fairly fast shutter speed and good light. But it would be a marvelous elective option.
Can you post your video quality test to vimeo at 4k 10 bit? Youtube's 8 bit compression is really bad, and it's hard to gauge the actual IQ and don't really feel like downloading the raw.
One has to (sadly) conclude, that electronic stabilization is a pipe dream, its not working with panning, as the camera have no idea on when to "hold" still, and when to pan / tilt and let go.
There is a reason both small and big productions still uses cranes and rails, and unless we get something much more of a AI driven electronic stabilization, this will not be anything but a gimmic, as fast as the camera starts to move in a pan/tilt movement.
At least on Oly cameras you can turn IS to pan mode for horizontal panning (i.e. turn off horizontal IS only). Was that done for these clips? It would be also informative to see the same thing just with lens based IS.
This is the first time you have made such a video, comparing the different video option in a camera. Without being, at any point, interested in any given cameras video functions, I have to say I like this to go on.
This is exactly what I would expect from an online camera magazine, that they test cameras and show us the finding of those tests.
The IS test in particular is something I'd like to see them do with more bodies as it's a useful reference even for stills shooters and it's often not tested at all in other reviews.
I wish that DPR would do a full review of all the basic critical video specs, what they mean and why they matter. Not interested in the brand comparisons. As a video beginner I would just like to understand the technology in terms of what I can actually see. I was impressed by the effective use of shot comparisons in this video.
Sound is 50% of every movie. What about the quality of sound recorded by this and other recently presented cameras? Lately the need to review the sound preamps and other related features have been forgotten by the Dpreview review staff.
If you're recording audio with this camera, or any camera, you've got bigger issues than the video quality this may offer.
I'd argue it's over 50%, my favourite old movies have the technical image quality of a Nikon D90, but the audio, sorry etc. is great, that's all that matters.
I watch a ton Japanese movies where it's all in Japanese. I can't understand not one bit of Japanese. There are a ton of shows when I used the Mute button.
For the "run and gunner's" (no dedicated audio crew) the Zoom F6 MultiTrack Field Recorder is hard to beat, both in price and performance.
The 32bit floating point means that you do not have to worry about distortion or to low /noisy signal as long as your microphones are postioned where they need to be.
- Still will not be as good as an experienced boom operator with pro gear, but then we are talking another pricepoint.
On-camera microphones are all about the same. All are limited by factors inherent in audio transmission, which is not at all like optical transmission. Some cameras' audio is cursed if the AF or stabilization function emits lots of buzzing or grinding noise. But all are constrained by the fact that ambient sounds (wind, traffic, chattering bystanders, handling noise, breathing, flatulence) are likely to foil good audio capture. Unlike a human ear with cerebellum, no mic can isolate what matters from what distracts. Any amount of distance between the subject and the camera is difficult to overcome, even when using a shotgun mic. Of note: classic Italian cinema's audio was all created in post, and even much of Hollywood audio is created more in special mixing studios than on live set.
Think back to the Top Range (then) SVHS (full size tape) GFS1000 shoulder mount camcorder (circa 1990) the SVHS pic quality was darned good for these days, but if you think audio on mirrorless cameras is bad: the constant whine/rumble and hum from the GFS1000`s motor was he**ish, it had a removable wi-fi microphone. it also was incredibly bad, i tried many different ways to eliminate the motor noise on the (video destroying) soundtrack/s but with no success, unless plugging in an external (crappy in them days) microphone, and placing it away from the camcorders body (similar sound output) but thankfully without that blasted whine/rumble/hum coming from the VHS motor, so to conclude: even a cheap mirrorless cameras microphone simply blows analogue cameras sound systems clean out of the water, me personally? i think the microphone output from my GH5 MK2 is bl**dy marvellous compared to the horrible wi-fi mics we had then, really, we should be thankful for `Digital` i know, i am!!
In the 80's we filmed (almost always with Sony Betacam) and audio was captured externally, in my case usually a Senheiser mic and (iirc a Tascam) reel to reel recorder syncing usually with a clapper.
The audio quality is still to this day very, very good, the microphone I still have and it's only bested by $1000+ mics from rode and alike. The reel to reel recordings can and have been digitally converted and cleaned and in my opinion are amazing.
If you're a video shooter, the Panasonic GH6 and Fujifilm X-H2S are both very compelling cameras at a similar price. Jordan Drake runs down several categories to help determine which might be the best camera for you.
Panasonic has released firmware version 2.0 for the GH6 camera, and it's all about ProRes and ProRes Raw. Does this make it the ultimate video machine? Will Jordan's torrid love affair with the GH6 continue? Tune in to find out.
Firmware v2.0 will bring Apple ProRes RAW recording via HDMI in new higher frame rates for Atomos Ninja v+ users, as well as a host of C4K and FHD options for internal ProRes recording
Is the GH6 the best hybrid camera there is? Jordan has been shooting DPReview TV with the Panasonic GH6 for months, so he has plenty of experience to back up his strong opinions.
As we work towards our GH6 review, we've taken a closer look at some of the video options by shooting clips to highlight some of the compression options, picture profiles, image stabilization modes, the dynamic range boost mode, and low light performance.
Fujifilm's X-H2 is a high-resolution stills and video camera, that sits alongside the high-speed X-H2S at the pinnacle of the company's range of X-mount APS-C mirrorless cameras. We dug into what it does and what it means.
Holy Stone produces dozens of low-cost drone models aimed at consumers. We look at the HS710 and HS175D to see if they stack up to other sub-250g offerings. Are these secretly great or more like toys?
The EOS R6 II arrives in one of the most competitive parts of the market, facing off against some very capable competition. We think it rises to the challenge.
Above $2500 cameras tend to become increasingly specialized, making it difficult to select a 'best' option. We case our eye over the options costing more than $2500 but less than $4000, to find the best all-rounder.
There are a lot of photo/video cameras that have found a role as B-cameras on professional film productions or even A-cameras for amateur and independent productions. We've combed through the options and selected our two favorite cameras in this class.
What’s the best camera for around $2000? These capable cameras should be solid and well-built, have both the speed and focus to capture fast action and offer professional-level image quality. In this buying guide we’ve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing around $2000 and recommended the best.
Family moments are precious and sometimes you want to capture that time spent with loved ones or friends in better quality than your phone can manage. We've selected a group of cameras that are easy to keep with you, and that can adapt to take photos wherever and whenever something memorable happens.
What's the best camera for shooting sports and action? Fast continuous shooting, reliable autofocus and great battery life are just three of the most important factors. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for shooting sports and action, and recommended the best.
Fujifilm's X-H2 is a high-resolution stills and video camera, that sits alongside the high-speed X-H2S at the pinnacle of the company's range of X-mount APS-C mirrorless cameras. We dug into what it does and what it means.
A blog post from Panasonic touts the ways its organic film CMOS sensor can control color spill between pixels, giving more accurate color in challenging lighting, but doesn't propose photography as something the sensor is suited for.
Digital sensors are at the heart of digital photography, but their development sometimes gets obscured by the marketing claims made along the way. We take a look at how sensors have developed since the early days of CCD, to better understand the milestones of the past and what's really going on today.
Who doesn't love a compact prime? This full frame 26mm F2.8 Nikkor lens has a sweet price, good features...but does it take a sharp photo? See for yourself in this new sample gallery shot with a production lens.
We met up with OM Digital Solutions' senior management at CP+ in Yokohama to find out what the transition from Olympus was like and to gain insight into its focus going forward.
If you're new to the drone world, there's much more you need to know than how to unbox and launch a drone. We break down the 5 mandatory steps you need to follow to fly safely and legally.
Camera and lens rental company Lensrentals has published a list of its most popular 'point-and-shoot' cameras, only to reveal that the very concept might now be obsolete.
Holy Stone produces dozens of low-cost drone models aimed at consumers. We look at the HS710 and HS175D to see if they stack up to other sub-250g offerings. Are these secretly great or more like toys?
Leica has announced the Vario-Elmar-SL 100-400mm F5-6.3, a telephoto zoom lens for L-mount. It's also announced a 1.4x extender teleconverter to work with it.
Round One voting results are in and we're now down to 8 matches. Jump in to see who won and sneak a look at how the DPReview team debated the choices, then get ready for Round Two – voting starts now!
Mathematical correction of lens distortion is commonplace. We explain why we don't think it makes sense to ignore it or to assume it's always a bad thing.
How well do Fujifilm's film simulations match up to their film counterparts? We revisit a classic DPReviewTV episode in which Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake shoot a few rolls of Fujifilm's Acros 100 II, and a few frames on the X-T3 in Acros film simulation, to find out.
It's March, and in America that means it's time to start arguing over which college athletics team is the best at basketball. For DPReview, it's also an opportunity for a good old-fashioned camera fight.
We take OM System's new 90mm prime F3.5 macro lens out and about around Seattle, in search of sunlight, people and very tiny things to get up close and personal with. Flip on through what we found, and see how the lens performs in the real world in our sample gallery.
After a three-year hiatus, we've been at the return of the CP+ camera show in Yokohama, Japan. In between interviews with executives of the major companies, Dale Baskin took to the show floor to bring you this report.
OM System's latest lens is a whopper of a macro, featuring optical stabilization, full weather sealing, up to 2x magnification and a whole lot more. What's it got and what's it like to use? Let's dig in.
Comments