AF100 more sensitive than GH2 (apparently)

M

Mike@AF

Veteran
Did some somewhat unscientific camera tests today. We shot in a nearly pitch black room with very little ambient lighting and the only real light being from an iPad being held by the subject. Same lens, same ISO (400, 800, 1600, & 3200), same f-stop (f/0.95-f/16), comparable settings (film mode on GH2/scene file, gamma settings on AF100), 1/50 shutter of GH2 and 180 degree on AF100.

What we noticed is that the AF100 was consistently a little brighter by about 10IRE or nearly a full stop. Has anyone else noticed this? I'm not necessarily surprised since the sensors are different.

Noise was comparable as well, and we concluded the AF100 and GH2 could definitely be intercut with each other very easily.
 
Last edited:
that's great to hear! May pick one up for B cam stuff. But i wonder how easily it would edit when the AF100 is on Cine D mode?
 
Which film modes were you using on the GH2 and which gamma setting on the AF100? I know from experience that the "Smooth" and "Nostalgic" film modes on the GH2 are about 2/3 stop hotter than "Cinema". All three modes clip at the same point, but Smooth and Nostalgic lift the shadows and midtones. It's possible that the AF100 gamma setting and GH2 film mode you used are different enough that exposures will read differently at the same ISO setting.
 
If you bring the shadows and blacks down on the AF100 shots then it should work fine. I'm using B.Press for brighter, well lit, and properly lit shots. For darker scenes I use Cine-D. With the GH2 Cinema mode is best overall in my opinion, but for darker scenes you might want to try Smooth or Standard, or Nostalgic if you're okay with the drastic color change it has.
 
dvbrother said:
Which film modes were you using on the GH2 and which gamma setting on the AF100? I know from experience that the "Smooth" and "Nostalgic" film modes on the GH2 are about 2/3 stop hotter than "Cinema". All three modes clip at the same point, but Smooth and Nostalgic lift the shadows and midtones. It's possible that the AF100 gamma setting and GH2 film mode you used are different enough that exposures will read differently at the same ISO setting.
Click to expand...

We used Cinema and Standard mostly, but also tried Smooth and Nostalgic briefly to see the difference on the LCD. They were brighter mostly in the mids and highlights rather than the shadows and blacks. Nostalgic also changes the colors, which I don't like. Either way, the AF100 was still noticeably more sensitive than any of the modes in the GH2, especially if you take into account you can alter settings from the standard settings on the AF100 such as Gamma and Master Ped and get an even more brighter image than the GH2.
 
Mike@AF said:
We used Cinema and Standard mostly, but also tried Smooth and Nostalgic briefly to see the difference on the LCD. They were brighter mostly in the mids and highlights rather than the shadows and blacks. Nostalgic also changes the colors, which I don't like. Either way, the AF100 was still noticeably more sensitive than any of the modes in the GH2, especially if you take into account you can alter settings from the standard settings on the AF100 such as Gamma and Master Ped and get an even more brighter image than the GH2.
Click to expand...
Interesting. That's good news if that means it's more light sensitive without any image quality trade-off. I have a GH2 but plan on getting the AF100 soon.
 
The AF100 is definitely better in my opinion, no question about it. The GH2 makes a good B-cam or insert cam, but the AF100 will always be the primary.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top