GH5 AFC settings for Firmware 2.3

Bern Caughey

Bern Caughey

Veteran
Started testing continuous autofocus (AFC) on the GH5 with Firmware 2.3. Wouldn’t use AFC regularly, but like the option for some gimbal work, & occasional bobbin’ n weavin’ interviewee.

Hoping to optimize settings for recording 23.98p with a 180° Shutter Angle, & wonder what others are finding.

Below are notes on the camera, lens, & settings, I’m initially testing. Suspect some parameters might not effect AFC performance, but listing in case I’m off.

Camera: DC-GH5
Body Firmware: 2.3
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Frame Rate: 23.98p
Shutter Angle: 180°

Lens: LUMIX 12-35mm f/2.8 (v1)
Lens Firmware: 1.3

AF Area: Eye Detection

AFS/AFF: AFS

Continuous AF: On

AF Custom Settings(Video): On
-AF Speed: 0
-AF Sensitivity: 0

Quick AF: On

Eye Sensor: Off

AF Assist Lamp: Off

AF+MF: Off
 
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I'm hearing a lot of chatter that as of the update, face detect works better than single point. That seems unlikely to me, but wouldn't it be cool?

Beyond that, I think that the speed and sensitivity settings are very context sensitive, and there is no one "best" setting that covers all scenarios. I almost think it was a mistake for Panasonic to provide that level of control on some very fidgety, hard to understand, parameters. A user is as likely to make performance worse as they are better. Two or three presets would have been welcome.
 
This video came out after the 179d hack but before the V1.1/V2.3 firmware updates. Not sure if it's still needed; seems so much better now to me, but Gerald tried all the AF Custom Settings Video, and reduced it to two conditions, static settings and dynamic settings.

https://youtu.be/_GcP0K26jEw
 
Bern Caughey said:
Hoping to optimize settings for recording 23.98p with a 180° Shutter Angle, & wonder what others are finding.
Click to expand...

Face/eye detection seems vastly improved. I'm not saying it's more sensitive than 1 area but it feels that way because it operates over a much wider area of the frame. Also feels like the need for shooting 180 is not required for good target acquisition, seems like it's fine in sec/iso. I shoot 23.98 also but with shutter equivalent 216d (camera set to actual 1/40 sec/iso) for smooth motion. AFC in low contrast darker scenes seems improved.

What are your findings?
 
Gerald’s video is the best I’ve seen on the 179* Hack, so thanks for posting.

Wonder how much has changed with the new firmware as Gerald states Quick AF didn’t effect performance, but in my initial test of the 2.3 update my GH5 seemed to not continuously autofocus without enabling it.

Haven’t had time to put AFC through it paces filming people, which would be my primary use, & probably won’t get a chance until Sunday at best, but hope to talk with Panasonic today, or tomorrow, during Cine Gear.
 
Just saw that Gerald posted a video on the 2.3 update.

https://youtu.be/eyI_1q8UD6Y

Doesn’t cover my specific needs, which is asking a bit much, but interesting to see that he now thinks AF Custom Settings(Video) can now be left at the default settings, & I assume, most likely just turned off.
 
Done by PrAV in UK. They did a side by side on new and old firmware and also comparing tweaking af settings versus using default on new firmware. As a plus they tested new FW with metabones and a canon lens.

 
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Bern Caughey said:
Just saw that Gerald posted a video on the 2.3 update.

https://youtu.be/eyI_1q8UD6Y

Doesn’t cover my specific needs, which is asking a bit much, but interesting to see that he now thinks AF Custom Settings(Video) can now be left at the default settings, & I assume, most likely just turned off.
Click to expand...

I have the custom settings switched off after the update, and also Quick Auto Focus, which I think only effected before the recording starts.
 
Ted Ramasola said:
Done by PrAV in UK. They did a side by side on new and old firmware and also comparing tweaking af settings versus using default on new firmware. As a plus they tested new FW with metabones and a canon lens.

Click to expand...

That’s a much better test than Pro AV’s original. Disappointing how poorly AFC performed when the face turned away from the camera.

Also wonder how differently AFC performs when shooting 24p vs 25p.
 
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I've said this before, but I'll say it again: the behavior that keeps me from using such a feature is that when the camera can't find a face...it should DO NOTHING. It should not hunt for focus on the background. Only once it re-acquires the face should it attempt to refocus.

Both Sony and Canon cameras have this option, I believe. Without it, I just can't use it on a narrative or doc shoot. Having a face out of focus briefly as they move is fine – that looks like what happens when a human operator has to catch-up – but having the camera pulse and lock onto a vase in the background just looks stupid.
 
As obvious as this sounds, it's simply about using the best available technology.

I saw a Canon M50 (2018 mirrorless) auto-focus test with 4K vs. HD (DPAF is disabled in 4K), and it's unbelievable how the same camera is completely losing focus (contrast detection) and hunting in 4K, but switch it to the dual-pixel mode in HD and it's flawless.

I'm assuming Canon has much more experience with AF (and Sony within their last 5 years) because of their overall experience in the stills world...eventually there will be a breakthrough in the software/hardware for Panasonic.
 
joe12south said:
I've said this before, but I'll say it again: the behavior that keeps me from using such a feature is that when the camera can't find a face...it should DO NOTHING. It should not hunt for focus on the background. Only once it re-acquires the face should it attempt to refocus.
Click to expand...
If it should not do any focus hunting when it can't find the face how do you suggest it can re-aquire the face? :huh:
 
The software needs to do it in the background and send a signal to the hardware only when it's time to refocus...and a smooth transition needs to happen.

This chess match should be happening 100% of the time...which it does for the more superior options.

---

The G9 doesn't look too bad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2v41HXRBfs
 
joe12south said:
I've said this before, but I'll say it again: the behavior that keeps me from using such a feature is that when the camera can't find a face...it should DO NOTHING. It should not hunt for focus on the background. Only once it re-acquires the face should it attempt to refocus.

Both Sony and Canon cameras have this option, I believe. Without it, I just can't use it on a narrative or doc shoot. Having a face out of focus briefly as they move is fine – that looks like what happens when a human operator has to catch-up – but having the camera pulse and lock onto a vase in the background just looks stupid.
Click to expand...
+1...Watched a couple demos of the new and improved AF and the moment it hunts, even for a micro second the shot requires a cut...I'm only work in narrative, but can see the need for someone flying a gimbal for AF...for my purposes it would still be unusable...imagine the best take of a scene and suddenly the camera hunts...but for me even more importantly, the mechanical look of how focus is achieved....I have the same problem with zooming on a lens during a shot....that's what a good focus puller and dolly grip is for...I can understand for weddings or domumentaries AF is essential, but till Panasonic completely changes the way the GH cameras do it, I don't see how one works with this...a big difference between an "improvement" and "usable"
 
NorBro said:
The software needs to do it in the background and send a signal to the hardware only when it's time to refocus...and a smooth transition needs to happen.
Click to expand...
But you need to focus hunt to find a face, what it is supposed to do "in the background" when things are not in focus?
It's like saying your radio needs to find a new station by scanning but you should not hear the scanning sound and the old station should still be heard until it finds the new one.
 
Cary Knoop said:
But you need to focus hunt to find a face, what it is supposed to do "in the background" when things are not in focus?
It's like saying your radio needs to find a new station by scanning but you should not hear the scanning sound and the old station should still be heard until it finds the new one.
Click to expand...
DFD does need to "hunt" to microfocus, but that's not the same as trying to focus on something that obviously isn't a face when in face detection mode. We know that the camera can recognize faces even when very blurry, because the camera shows us it's face detection decisions *before* trying to focus. The camera is absolutely capable of supporting such an option. It's just a design decision.
 
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