60d vs pana gh2

[Makrofag]

guys, come on, don't be rude to Dingo, he/she has the right to hold back footage if it's really under contract. Our objections should be targeted at the actual conversation, not the person.

Now this all said, I have to say that someone who is in the business of corporate video sounds exactly like the type of person who has a very different image aesthetic when they transfer to short filmmaking. Personally I'm not after anything punchy or high contrast. The visual style I am interested in is that neutral low contrast negative look. Obviously the best way to get that is with film, but in the low cost arena the canon DSLRs seem to be very useful tools in achieving this look. I have seen many videos shot by talented people on the Canons that have (in varying degrees) nailed this look. I have only seen literally about 2 or 3 on the GH2 that get about 50-60 percent of the way there through using tricks such as ultracon-type filters or old/uncoated lenses (and shooting on overcast days to avoid sunlight). I don't want to have to be tied to only getting the look with a certain lens or filter. Even then, it doesn't truly look the same as there is still those ugly Panasonic highlights/over exposed areas and that ugly color balance. I made the decision about a month ago that I'm really after the look more than the sharpness. Since then the decision seems rather simple.

For reference here are some examples of this look (which I call "CHOF"):

Best example (shot on film): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qow5_R0ab7w

Great example of a similar style but very different in tone (shot on a 5D mkII): http://vimeo.com/18124979 (notice how the blown highlights look very natural and smooth)
Another example: http://vimeo.com/18310851 (60D camera test)
http://vimeo.com/18966072 (60D)

I have only found 2 examples from the GH2 and they were using low con lenses on cloudy days. Which adds up to a very controlled situation.

This is how I feel.

I have to add to this. I'm a fan of punchy looks but also exactly the ones like the link to Jonez's video. Few weeks ago I bought a GH2 and few days ago I was shooting and indoor magic hour set and I was never as mad at a piece of equipment as GH2. It behaved lovely when I was doing an overcast footage but once I needed colorful lightning it was game over for the GH2. Anyway I have a thread about it and people are not really nice and even make up conspiracy stories of intentionaly faked comparison videos. http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...he-most-inflexible-color-engine-of-all-DSLR-s

My conclusion.. in 12 years of being pro I never had a piece of equipment that would fail so horribly in so many types of scenes. Don't get me wrong. It's a great piece of technology and a bit ahead of its time but Panasonic has not nailed the color science at all. It gives you this nerdy blog-like flat look that is very very visible even after heavy post processing and that really tells you something.

 

[ade4all]

yawn

 

[Ben_B]

I have to add to this. I'm a fan of punchy looks but also exactly the ones like the link to Jonez's video. Few weeks ago I bought a GH2 and few days ago I was shooting and indoor magic hour set and I was never as mad at a piece of equipment as GH2. It behaved lovely when I was doing an overcast footage but once I needed colorful lightning it was game over for the GH2. Anyway I have a thread about it and people are not really nice and even make up conspiracy stories of intentionaly faked comparison videos. http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...he-most-inflexible-color-engine-of-all-DSLR-s

My conclusion.. in 12 years of being pro I never had a piece of equipment that would fail so horribly in so many types of scenes. Don't get me wrong. It's a great piece of technology and a bit ahead of its time but Panasonic has not nailed the color science at all. It gives you this nerdy blog-like flat look that is very very visible even after heavy post processing and that really tells you something.

People in the other thread are annoyed because you won't post what settings you're using so people can't try to come up with a solution to your problem. You've stated a problem you're having but don't seem interested at all in solving it, merely complaining about it. If you won't let the community help you that's fine, just stop trying to start fights for no reason while you're doing it. Post your settings with a shot on each camera.

 

[Kholi]

Has anyone found any posts that soundly challenge what i talk about above? I'd legitimately like to see them if so. I'm very curious about this.

I'll tell you, from owning a 5D, two 7Ds, two GH-1's (a hacked GH-1) and now having had a chance to play with the GH-2, there's no issue with the color reproduction.

The look that you're after can be accomplished by:

1. Shooting with a Nostalgic image profile or Smooth image profile with all negative values.
2. Not shooting toward blank skys to begin with.

No DSLR or any other video camera will turn a blank sky blue.

I've got an example of GH-13 footage on my vimeo that illustrates these points.

There's nothing wrong with the color, only settings and operators. The rest you just have to choose which is better for you.

 

[TheDingo]

...I shoot/edit/publish for a living and most of it is boring corporate/medical training work that is for internal use and thus I am not allowed to publish anything to the web. ( pharma companies can be a little "psycho" when it comes to information security )

I understand about people being a little p*ssed with me about not providing samples of what I am talking about ( I am the same way myself ), so I plan on getting a hold of a friend's 60D within the next 2 weeks to shoot a quick demo that features the worst examples of aliasing and moire that I can create, so that people can see with their own eyes how a Canon DSLR stacks up against the GH-2. ( the subject matter will not be pretty, but should demo the problems that current DSLRs have )

To simplify things I will shoot everything in 1080 24P, and I am open to suggestions people might have for camera profile settings for the 60D. I will also try to do a quick color demo showing how video that is shot in what I think of as the "flat" style can be manipulated in post to achieve the several different looks.

I will make the original camera files available through either Vimeo or Google-Docs, so people can download them and check them out in their own NLE.

I had always planned on doing this when I owned both cameras, but work kept getting in the way, so I let it slide...