gh13 and 5d mark 2 IQ and DR comparison

Hunter Hampton

Hunter Hampton

Carbonite Member
EDIT: Ive updated this first post with all my grabs.

Not trying to start a fight, I use the 5d ALL the time, but I wanted to get more of a IQ test between the gh1 with the avchd hack and the 5dmark2- just for my own brain's sake. I really thought the 5d would edge out the gh1(3) but im not so sure anymore.

This is a real world dynamic range test and they look to be just about identical but the gh1(3) is much sharper and overall IMO has a higher image quality, especially given the 5dmark 2 should have a sharpness advantage as I had to use a slightly more telephoto lens on it (didnt have a 40mm to match exactly, so i used a 50mm on the 5d)- if I had a 40mm, the 5d would look even softer. Another interesting bit is I had to put the canon at iso 400 to visually match brightness of the gh1 at iso 100.

FOCUS WAS TRIPLE CHECKED AND IS ON THE WALL OF WINDOWS

GH1 settings:
1080/24p
iso 100
Nostalgic mode
Iexposure on high
-2 contrast
+2 color
-2 sharpness
0 noise reduction
125th/sec @ f8 on 20mm pancake
Daylight WB

5Dm2:
1080/24p
iso 400 (had to use this to match brightness of the gh1 @ iso100)
neutral mode
contrast all the way down
sharpness all the way down
color at base
125th/sec @ f8 nikkor 50mm ais
daylight WB (looks more green than the gh1, could be partly because of the lens)

Spot meter readings attached as well, both look about 8 usable stops. Promise there is no funny business going on I dont care which one "wins". These are jpegs at ~90% quality, both look a little better as prores.

5Dm2:
5dm2.jpg


GH1(3) avchd "c" bitrate hack (44mbs?):
gh1.jpg


Spot meter exposure guide for dynamic range (same scene readings for both, this one just has the gh1 image shown):
DR%20image%20guide.jpg


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Found a 35mm for the 5d and reshot it with some sharpening added in camera (attempt to match the gh1 sharpening (to make it more "fair"). This time I used "standard" mode on the gh1 with the same settings above applied. Interesting how the standard mode effected the image on the GH1, makes the canon almost look over exposed.

5Dm2:
5dwide.jpg


GH1:
gh1wide.jpg


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Case closed...

5D superflat- iso200:
5dsuperflat.jpg


GH1(3) iso100:
gh13standard.jpg


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This is BEST case scenario for the 5D in terms of range, HTP is on, auto lighting is on max setting, and its running on the superflat preset- you cant make these kind of extreme adjustments on the gh1 in camera, but because you asked for it:

5D:
5dhtpflatauto.jpg


GH1 with ie on HIGH:
gh1ie.jpg


GH1 with ie OFF:
gh1ieoff.jpg


Pretty damn close. The canon stuff almost looks out of focus next to the gh1(3)- its not, focus is on the plant and the lens is stopped down to 4/5.6.

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Just one more and then you guys have to do your own tests.

Tried to match overall look in this shot; the gh1 edges out the 5d in terms of detail (again making the 5D seem out of focus compared to it).

5D (~4/5.6):
5dface.jpg


GH1(3) (~2.0):
gh1face.jpg
 
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This is very interesting, well done, and concurrent with exactly what I've experienced when comparing my GH1 and my 5D mark II. Thanks for posting.
 
thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!

what's with the stair stepping on all the diagonal lines in the GH1's image? is that in the original or the prores?

it's interesting that the GH1 kept more of the sky and also looks like the mids are brighter...
 
jenningsp said:
thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!

what's with the stair stepping on all the diagonal lines in the GH1's image? is that in the original or the prores?

it's interesting that the GH1 kept more of the sky and also looks like the mids are brighter...
Click to expand...

That would be aliasing. I am seeing it in the 5D shot too.
 
The dynamic ranges look pretty similar in terms of stop range...though the GH1 looks a little brighter across the board and seems to hold a bit more sky color...but I wonder how much of that is the (IMO) better colors of the camera. Also the 5D shot looks a little warmer generally...maybe that's why.

Anyway, goes to show that a certain "shootout" can't accurately predict all real world situations :)
 
Would love to see a macbeth chart for reference if you have one lying around next time you do a test :)
 
Thanks for shooting that Hunter. When testing the 7D against the GH1 I came to the same conclusion, that they were within a hair's breadth of each other.

For the fun of it, can you re-try that using "superflat" on the 5D, just to settle the question forever?

Also, looks like the GH1 may have more digital edge enhancement on it... double-check to make sure you had sharpness at -2.
 
i was under the impression that the GH1 was WAY better at not aliasing than this... way better than the 5D at least. it's most noticeable on the left leg and power cable of the arri light. i'm ignoring the power lines :)

maybe it's the wider shot and the deeper focus making it worse by comparison...

excellent DR range test though!!! now we just need some skin tones :)
 
Barry_Green said:
Also, looks like the GH1 may have more digital edge enhancement on it... double-check to make sure you had sharpness at -2.
Click to expand...

Yep, its at -2. That 20mm pancake is insanely sharp and high contrast (too sharp at f8 if you ask me!), the canon fd's look a lot better with their lower contrast.
 
i'm not sure if you should shoot with zero contrast with the super flat preset or not... -2 contrast might make it super super flat... test both!! :)
 
jenningsp said:
i was under the impression that the GH1 was WAY better at not aliasing than this... way better than the 5D at least.
Click to expand...
In terms of luminance aliasing they are comparable (which is what we're seeing here). Where the GH1 (and the Nikon and Pentax line too) are WAY better than the Canon, is in the chroma aliasing and purple/orange color contamination.

But all DSLRs have what appears to be a similar amount of luminance aliasing.
 
jenningsp said:
also test with highlight tone priority enabled!!! :)
Click to expand...

Ew. HTP only has a place in tests basically....does some strange things that make it pretty impractical in most shooting conditions...adds a lot of noise, among other things.
 
Hunter,

Out of curiosity, why did you use the iExposure on the GH1? I have always left that off because I have a dim recollection it was not good for moving images. Something about it shifting contrast during the shot. Would leaving it off affect the GH1's dynamic range in your test?
 
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