GH5 GH5 or GH5S for SPFX work (miniature photography, greenscreen)

K

kgg

Active member
Hi.
I am deciding between the GH5 and GH5S for visual effects-related filming.

Specifically,

a)Greenscreen work

b)Stop frame animation photography (old fashioned one frame at a time)

c)Miniature scale photography (fire, debris, Godzilla rubber suit etc).

I am leaning towards the GH5S based on the available information, but I could use a second or third or fourth opinion in case there is something I am not factoring in.

Thank you.
 
kgg said:
Hi.
I am deciding between the GH5 and GH5S for visual effects-related filming.

Specifically,

a)Greenscreen work

b)Stop frame animation photography (old fashioned one frame at a time)

c)Miniature scale photography (fire, debris, Godzilla rubber suit etc).

I am leaning towards the GH5S based on the available information, but I could use a second or third or fourth opinion in case there is something I am not factoring in.

Thank you.
Click to expand...


Get the GH5.
The higher resolution sensor and 6K mode are amazing for greenscreen (no sharpening at -5 and higher luma resolution)
 
  • Like
Reactions: kgg
Thanks! Another factor is the image stabilizers. I don't see a benefit for this in video shooting since I prefer a tripod.

The only other factor for me is the more pixel/smaller size vs the less pixel-bigger size. I see the reports about how this impacts rolling shutter (which would do me no favors in motion tracking work).
And then there's the 240FPS--that really sounds appealing for miniature scale..but it may be overkill too.

Decisions decisions..
The GH5S looks to be a $1000 more in Canada.
 
Stephen Fleet is the visual effects supervisor for a lot of TV series including the Marvel Netflix series and he loves to use the GH5 for background plates and other small tasks on set. You don't get any more VFX related than he does and he loves the camera.

While the GH5 may have higher resolution it is also over sampled and you have to deal with the extra detail that comes from that. The Gh5s has the benefit of as true of a 1:1 image as possible from this level of sensor with as little processing as possible. Plus the extra sensor sensitivity and 14bit color can help color accuracy and shadow noise a bit. To be honest I doubt there would be a huge difference between the two and both are exceptional VFX cameras. Nothing beats having 10bit high quality for keying.

Stephen has done tests of how much better the 10bit is for edge pixel chattering and overall quality of each color channel for better separation. He also tested the 150mbps and 400mbps modes and found no benefit to the 400mbps. At the end of the day that makes sense because 400mbps all-i only really matters in high detail and high random motion both of which a green screen shoot will never have. Pixel for pixel he found the two to be identical so really you can likely stick with the 150mbps.
 
From personal experience and testing... GH5s will give you a very clean image in the shadows for green screen work even at 2500ISO with either vlog or HLG, and the rolling shutter is 12ms vs 15ms in UHD on the GH5 which will help a bit (and every bit counts) with motion tracking... If you need or are used to Dragonframe for stop motion, only Nikon and Canon DSLR's integrate perfectly without jumping through hoops.

Regards,
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top