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    Well I think AF on panasonic lumix camera's is decent. Face recognition and autofocus works fine 99% of the time.
    Peter Bosman

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      Originally posted by jdv View Post
      The elephant in the room remains auto focus.

      Good AF is all or nothing - either it works (ie - is dependable), or it is not.
      The "elephant" is the expectation of prescient auto-tracking - i.e. a camera that can keep a moving subject in-focus without ever overshooting its mark, regardless of how unpredictably the subject darts in and out of frame, how close or far it ranges from the lens, and how distinctly it stands out from background scenery. If that's what you demand, then by all means switch to Sony. I hear their upcoming $3500 A7sIII will have all that, and for the first time ever in a Sony full-frame mirrorless camera, 10-bit 422 internal video recording!

      What Panasonic's Depth-From-Defocus system offers instead is continuous auto-focus - i.e. a system that maintains focus as the user smoothly pans across a wide range of scenery. Lightweight Lumix prime lenses are particularly well-optimized for this purpose - their miniature internal focus mechanisms respond far more quickly and seamlessly than massive full-frame primes and zooms.

      Last edited by Lpowell; 10-29-2020, 05:20 PM.
      GH2 100Mbps Flow Motion v2 Patch

      GH1 Reliable In-Camera Playback Patch
      GH1 Blackout-Powell Patch
      GH1 75Mbps GH1 Peak Reliability Patch
      GH1 100Mbps Max Latitude Patch

      Comment


        But why would you use AF for panning - especially from a static position - unless there are various objects spread out across the focal plane. I'd imagine you can use push-AF to lock focus and then pan.

        Panasonic AF is extremely inferior, no matter which lenses are used.

        And not sure which full-frame lenses and zooms you have experience with, but many Sony and Canon lenses are excellent.

        Comment


          Originally posted by NorBro View Post
          But why would you use AF for panning? (Especially from a static position.) You can use push-AF to lock it and then pan.
          Handheld panning isn't limited to fixed-focus, tripod-style shots. Lumix cameras with both DFD and IBIS can reliably maintain focus while panning across indoor scenery. Sony mirrorless can handle dynamic focus-tracking as well, but IMO DSLR-size Nikon, Canon, Sigma, and Tamron lenses are just too bulky for handheld continuous auto-focus.
          Last edited by Lpowell; 10-29-2020, 05:50 PM.
          GH2 100Mbps Flow Motion v2 Patch

          GH1 Reliable In-Camera Playback Patch
          GH1 Blackout-Powell Patch
          GH1 75Mbps GH1 Peak Reliability Patch
          GH1 100Mbps Max Latitude Patch

          Comment


            The main problem with Panasonic AF in semi recent models is that it loses it way. It is fast enough and accurate enough for many situations. It is just that for no reason it will adjust the make visible out of focus movements until it dials in again. This is unacceptable for "work". I can't understand why they can not fix or improve this outside of DLD's cartel theory. But, remember how the internet had to tell Panasonic about the 24p/60p AF difference in the GH5? That was pretty scary imho. So maybe they are at their AF limit?

            Comment


              You've been around long enough to know the answer... (and DLD calls them cartels because it's funnier but it's not a theory, just business).

              Comment


                Originally posted by Lpowell View Post
                Of course, I'm not expecting the GH5 to dart effortlessly from close-up shiny clickbait to a blogger's eyeball at a moment's notice...
                I don't know if you've tried it, but the rack-focus feature built into the GH5 (called Focus Transition in the menu) can be set to do a pretty rapid rack focus from shiny clickbait to a blogger's eyeball. There's a few videos on YouTube about it, including one I made: https://youtu.be/cLX0lJn-Odo

                Comment


                  Legalistically, cartels are below the belt in the US and the EU ... unless it's OPEC. Then it's OK. They are allowed to live long and prosper in Japan and Korea. Panasonic, Olympus, Nikon and Fuji buy their sensors - MFT, APS-C, FF and MF - from Sony, something that would be frowned upon by the anti-trust authorities in a market with so few participants. It makes no difference to the same authorities if Toyota buys its engines from BMW or that Supra is a rebadged Z4 because there are so many competitors in that biz. Additionally, Panasonic, Olympus, Nikon and Fuji get an inferior performance in AF from the same sensors, though Sony plays its own cripple-hammer by limiting its sensors pixel-shifting performances. In a competitive market, there'd be more vendors or more in-house sensor development that would result in a constant leap-frogging of one company over another.

                  And, the reason I posted a YouTube link to that Lidar based AF system is because it could potentially serve as a major market disruptor since it could eliminate the proprietary lens mounting/ecosystem as a major determining factor. It could also bring a lot of smaller manufacturers of the manual cameras and lenses back to importance and cause a few tremors to the aforementioned cartel.

                  Comment


                    You would tend to think Panasonic could have better AF, but either can't afford to license it, or are not allowed to.

                    All AF misses sometimes, but Panny not only manages to miss shots every other system would consistently hit, it pulses like mad while doing so.

                    That pulsing is actually far more an issue to my eye - once pointed out, you always notice it. The new firmware is better at reducing it, but it's still there.

                    Unpredictability is also rarely mentioned, but also a huge issue. With the exact same settings you'll get wildly different results in similar lighting conditions. I've had the AF working fine, turn off the GH5, then have it behave differently. It's very bizarre.

                    Their system just doesn't work, and considering R&D budgets will be going down, it likely never will... unless they make the switch.
                    John Vincent
                    Evil Genius Entertainment.com

                    Comment


                      I stuck with the GH2 through 4 and AF100 for many years. I always enjoyed the size and capabilities of the m43 system.

                      I hated the relative expense of the lenses vs. Panasonic's absolute refusal to make them durable or repairable, and piss-poor low light performance.

                      Not going back to m43.
                      Pudgy bearded camera guy
                      http://mcbob.tv

                      Comment


                        I just took a look at the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, which comes in two versions: a 4K version that uses Micro Four-Thirds lenses and a 6K full-frame version that uses bigger lenses. The 4K version costs $1300, which includes the paid version of DaVinci Resolve (which costs $300 if you buy it). The one time I tried a Blackmagic camera with my Panasonic lenses, the camera and lenses did not talk to each other at all -- everything was completely manual, and my recollection is that even switched to manual focus, I could not focus the lens.

                        Otherwise, the writeup on Blackmagic's site makes the Pocket Cinema Camera sound like it walks on water. One noteworthy downside (compared to the GH5) is that the 4K Pocket Cinema Camera takes stills at 8.8-megapixel resolution. (The 6K version takes 21-megapixel stills.) But it's clear that the Pocket Cinema Camera is built for video, not stills. If funds were unlimited, I might think about getting a Pocket Cinema Camera and a non-Panasonic lens or two to augment my GH5.

                        Comment


                          MFT system is the most widely/broadly supported mount ecosystem out of all the mirrorless. It is still going strong.

                          Look at how the GH5 is still very strongly relevant as professional workhorse even now in 2020 years after its release!

                          The GH5 even now still has features that very few of its competitors have, or even none of them! Or simply don't do them just as well.

                          The IBIS in a G9/GH5 is still one of the very best there is.
                          Who else has waveforms? Nobody.
                          Who has the rock solid reliability of the GH series? Nobody.
                          Who has anamorphic modes? Very few.
                          Who has full size HDMI? Very few.
                          Who has anything similar to DMW-XLR1? Just Sony.
                          etc etc etc
                          This list could go on and on!

                          It will be worthwhile waiting for the Panasonic GH6.
                          Am a Sound Recordist in New Zealand: http://ironfilm.co.nz/sound/
                          Follow my vlog and adventures in sound: https://www.youtube.com/c/SoundSpeeding

                          Comment


                            Apparently the Panasonic imaging director said the GH6 was in development and to "stay tuned" in a an interview. https://www.diyphotography.net/stay-...gh6-is-coming/

                            Imho, it would be best sooner than later...

                            Comment


                              It's definitely due.
                              www.markoconnell.org

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by IronFilm View Post
                                MFT system is the most widely/broadly supported mount ecosystem out of all the mirrorless. It is still going strong...
                                Actually, Sony's E-mount is, with about 20% of the total units sold (both in full frame and the APS-C), more if you count the video cameras.


                                Originally posted by Bassman2003 View Post
                                Apparently the Panasonic imaging director said the GH6 was in development and to "stay tuned" in a an interview. https://www.diyphotography.net/stay-...gh6-is-coming/

                                Imho, it would be best sooner than later...
                                It turned into S5.

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