I had a tough time practicing self-restraint today. I saw, via their website, that Precision Camera had taken in a used Panasonic GH5S which was bundled with the battery grip and a SmallRig camera cage made for the GH5S with the battery grip. The price was $1,499. I went up to inspect it and I have to say that the camera was in perfect condition. Not even a tripod mark. I wanted to buy it on general principle because I had one once, before I was smart enough to appreciate it, and it's wonderful camera for making video. The biggest advantage is also the camera's biggest disadvantage: The camera is equipped with a 10 megapixel sensor.
For video this is a distinct advantage because the sensor is absolutely right sized for 4K video. The bigger pixels on the sensor make it more light sensitive which translates into better high ISO noise performance. The relatively low number of pixels means that the system gets data off the sensor and into the buffer much more quickly that would a higher density sensor, which reduces rolling shutter. It's all wins in the video category.
And, of course, the disadvantage is that you only get 10 megapixels of resolution for photographs. Enough I think for the web but probably not enough to satisfy most picky users.
The camera also lacks in body image stabilization, which some find to be a full-on deal-killer. I would have thought so a few months ago. In a blurry time I call: the Pre-Gimbal-anian period. But the lack of IBIS has one great advantage, the camera will run for a long, long time and never get hot because the sensor is wedded to a big, internal heat sync; something you can't really do with a stabilized sensor. And the smaller sensor with fewer pixels has less to process and generates less heat to begin with.
(Read the full comment below by Hal. "...And out of curiosity, are you sure that camera overheating is more related to the sensor itself or to the CPU/GPU in the image processor? I always thought the heat was more driven by processing than the data flow off the sensor. If so, that would not make IBIS any more problematic than a fixed sensor from a heat generation standpoint, as the thermal bottleneck is downstream from there."
I'd never made that connection before. It's an eye-opener for me. Thanks Hal !!! )
At any rate, I stood around at the counter and played with the camera and the cage/rig for a while before deciding that my real interest in acquiring new video cameras all hinges on whether or not they can create ALL-I video files. This one can. But then so can my S1H and my GH5. Oh, and also my Sigma fp. Would I really be gaining anything? Not so much.
Sure, it might make a really good dedicated gimbal camera but the GH5 is doing a fine job at that since it acquired the latest firmware update. I use it now instead of the G9 mostly because the GH5 offers the ALL-I format and I think I can see a difference in the way motion is rendered between the two file types.
In the end I decided not to spend another $1,500 for a camera I don't really have any pressing need for. Sad. If I knew of an up and coming videographer who needed a great camera to start and grow with I couldn't think of a better one than that GH5S at that price. For me it would be just another excuse to move from a three camera set up to a four camera set up and at that point the editing of hour long video projects would become overwhelming.
But on the way out of the store I spied a lens I'd read about recently. It's the Sigma Contemporary 56mm f1.4 lens which is available for m4:3 cameras and also for Sonys. I asked to see one on a Lumix G series camera and loved the finder image. I decided it would get much more use than yet another camera body. So I brought one home. Now I'm on the way out the door to go into a gray and inconsistent weather day to see just how much I really like the lens. Or not.
That's the next report.
Also, we're shooting video for another concert at the theater tomorrow night. It's the same show I shot stills for this past Wednesday (Female Rock Stars from the 1970's). I've changed video tripods and fine-tuned every aspect of the rig for stability and ease of use since last week. We're still going to do three cameras but I'm determined that our follow camera work get much, much better. Wish me luck.
7 comments:
We see what you did there. You exercised great self-restraint in not buying a $1500 camera you don't need. That justified the expenditure of $500 for yet another lens. Damn, you're good!
Here's another project. Persuade one or more of those well-heeled donors to buy the theater a half-dozen of those new Panasonic M4/3 box cameras. They can be cabled together for genlock and some degree of remote control. Feed them all into a switcher (ATEM?) and just sit back in your director's chair and run it as a multicam live show. Over and done. With a backup recorded in each camera in case the switcher blows up.
Funny. I was looking the ATEM PRO this morning. It's not very expensive but it only switches four cameras. I guess we can run the two extra cams feeding on camera memory as back up. But your plan doesn't address the need for a high magnification follow camera for following the performers around the stage and getting crisp close-ups.
As to the "lens justification" you don't know the half of it.... 🤣🎬
Please tell us about the other half of “lens justification”.
Looking forward to hearing your field report on the Sigma 56mm 1.4. From what the current reviews say, it looks to be one of the best "bang for your buck" portrait lenses out there.
I certainly can understand the attraction to a new piece of gear. Justification? The want always surpasses the need in my case. But having the best tool for the job is nice. Sometimes just having a fun tool is justification enough. My problems begin when suddenly a recent acquisition starts getting a long shelf life, yet I begin looking for another piece to play with. It's the proverbial rabbit hole, and if I'm not disciplined I crawl in it every time. First world problems, right?
Hi Gordon, Ha. Ha. I probably write something about fewer than half the lenses that come and go through my hands. I wrote about the Sigma 56 (short review posted today) but didn't write about the used Panasonic 45-200mm lens I also bought. I just wanted something longer for the G cameras, in case I want to use one of those cameras as a follow camera. But it was too inconsequential to mention.... It's a lens that cost less than $200 and will most likely see very little use, coming out when I'm using the camera on a tripod and trying to make video footage of something far, far away. But I'll have it there....just in case.
And then there are the lenses in the closet somewhere for the old 8x10 camera, etc. We never speak of them. It seems inappropriate in the times of digital.
Exciting news about the Sigma 56mm f1.4 lens Kirk. I ended up trading out my Panasonic 42.5mm f1.7 and Olympus 75mm f1.8 to use the Sigma 56 as a single lens solution that splits the difference. To my eye, the Sigma 56 is even sharper than the Olympus 75 (which echoes Mathieu’s and Heather’s findings at Mirrorless Comparison). I love the solid build quality, smooth focus ring action, small size, and weather sealing. It is a near perfect lens given the price point. Alas, the flares can be pretty bad at some angles under some lighting conditions, but the hood (or a strategically placed hand) helps.
Did you know that Sigma recently released its fantastic trio (16mm, 30mm, and 56mm) of f1.4 DC DN primes for the Leica L mount as well? If you get a Sigma 56 for you S1 or S1H, you will get the APS-C crop making it an 84mm full frame equivalent and then your 24 MP L Mount cameras will become akin to a 16 MP GH5S with ALL-I and big juicy pixels...as well as IBIS and all of the other goodies of the Panasonic S series cameras. Just a thought.
And out of curiosity, are you sure that camera overheating is more related to the sensor itself or to the CPU/GPU in the image processor? I always thought the heat was more driven by processing than the data flow off the sensor. If so, that would not make IBIS any more problematic than a fixed sensor from a heat generation standpoint, as the thermal bottleneck is downstream from there. These might be all more reasons why holding off from buying the GH5s was fortuitous 😉
Post a Comment