GH4 GH4 for water sports

M

Mark Bruner

Member
Those with experience using the GH4. Would this video dslr be able to capture action water sports. We are considering the fs700 or pxw-x200 but they are expensive. We will be capturing water skiing (wake boarding where the skier does flips and slalom skiers where the skier can accelerate at 60 mph across the wake). Will the gh4 be able to stay locked on.

We also were thinking of adding video options to our wedding photography packages

thanks
 
Do you mean will it be able to track focus while shooting video? My experience says it won't. But, if you are shooting in daylight, you should have enough depth of field to cover you. If you shoot in 1080, you should be able to get some great slo-mo.
 
I have shot motorsports quite a few times. I've never once used autofocus since it can't be trusted. Whatever camera you go with ideally shoud have a parfocal lens and you should use manual focus.

FYI, I always used a Sony PMW-EX1 for motorsports. A dedicated video camera like that with parfocal lens, good manual focus control, reliable zoom, and built-in ND makes life so much easier when shooting action sports. It certainly can be done with other cameras but in changing light conditions (weather) it's much easier to adjust as necessary with a dedicated video camera.

if cost is a huge issue you could buy a used EX-1, EX1R, or if you want 4K maybe the Panasonic HC-X1000 would meet your needs.
 
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Yes I would hope to track focus for video as the skier accelerates perpendicular across the wake and does a flip or some other trick. For photography we use a nikon d3s or 5d mark initial with no problems
 
Sounds like you've got the stills side covered. So as was mentioned above, simplest and most efficient setup would be a dedicated video camera. Some good suggestions mentioned already. Last one I owned was HPX250. Great video camera, just didn't fit in with our productions. We shoot ocean watersports regularly (kiting, surfing, towing, etc.) with some assorted lifestyle and use GH4 and FS700 mostly. All manual focus all the time if you really want to be sure you got the shot. The 4k thing for action sports is not realistic in my opinion at this price point. Rolling shutter and no high frame rates until you spend at least 10k. But you can definitely get some amazing looking 1080 in all sorts of frame rates and shutter speeds. This has proven more than capable for both web and broadcast. The upside of going GH4 is interchangeable lenses, 4k straight to SD cards and amazing image quality for the price and portability of the package. Definitely a worthwhile purchase in my book and could easily shoot weddings if kitted out properly.
 
Filthy thanks for the input !! We were looking at the FS700 also (very expensive and we need another wedding still camera, Nikon D810 since we have all kinds of Nikkor 2.8 lens), so for now I think we will go with the GH4 see how business goes and then look into getting the FS700 as you are the 3rd videographer that recommended it. Thanks to all for the input. For the GH4 could you suggest the best lense for reach and wide.
 
Depends how long you need. I have an old Vivitar 120-600 that still pulls its weight as long as the sticks and head are solid since there's no IS on vintage glass (and not parfocal unfortunately). But for $160, it's paid for itself over and over. The 100-400 Canon is good too. But Canon glass is a waste for me personally on the GH4 since you lose all electronic control of the lens. I recently picked up the 100-300 panny lens and have to say I'm glad I did. We managed to get several key action shots last week pushed all the way in and handheld! The IS works well on this one. For wides, we use the 7-14 f4 and the 12-35 f2.8 pannys out in the field. They work great both on a gimbal as well as for aerials. Still preferring the old FD Canon primes for studio work though. That's the beauty of these mirrorless cams. So many great choices, it's crazy!
 
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Filthy said:
The 100-400 Canon is good too. But Canon glass is a waste for me personally on the GH4 since you lose all electronic control of the lens.
Click to expand...

Metabones' EF>m4/3 Smart Adapter, & SpeedBooster(s), provide electronic control of Canon's EF mount lenses, including image stabalization.
 
Ah - didn't realize this was now available. That's great news. Will need to try it out again with that adapter. Thanks!
 
Forgot to mention the Metabones EF>m43 adapters do not support autofocus.

On the flip side the IS on my Canon 24-105/4 seems solid so I'm going to try using it more on the GH4. While not parfocal the 4:1 zoom range is handy & it's my go to lens for the C300.
 
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