For run-n-gun event work, it often has to.
GH4 GH5: Seems they haven´t thought about DR at all. Awful DR?
- Thread starter daktulus
- Start date
For run-n-gun event work, it often has to.
Yes and no. Blackmagic cameras are infamous for having crappy performance when trying to shoot at higher ISO ranges, where the Canon EOS Cine cameras don't have this problem.
The Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6K camera might be amazing at 800 ISO ( with all 15 F-stops of DR doing their thing ), but turn into a giant turd when trying to shoot at 6400 ISO.
A Canon C100 with it's 12 F-stops of DR can easily shoot at 6400 ISO and produce a great image.
At 6400 ISO the Canon C100 beats the Ursa Mini 4.6K by a mile.
...But when you look at the results it really doesn't. Yes it's properly exposed, and may show a little more detail because of the higher DR, but it sucks when compared to a properly lit shot.
Well, I can't argue with that.
Bu when circumstances don't allow for proper lighting, which is a good deal of the work I do, having a more capable camera is highly desirable.
Because it can't produce the same type of results that it can at 800 ISO. The image is just bad. ( I think it's more than just noise )
Which is the same reason why I like to shoot live events with an ENG camera with a long parfocal lens. It might have poor DR but that 20x fast parfocal zoom lens saves the day over and over again.
It's just not practical for me, given my age and the need to be highly mobile.
What I'm getting at is there is no "best camera", every camera has pros and cons.
There might be times where shooting RAW footage makes a lot more sense over shooting with a camera only shoots 8-bit or 10-bit footage, because of what you can do with the RAW footage in post.
Same goes for shooting with an ENG camera with a long zoom at a live event.
I expect a Sony A7S II to have 1 - 1.5 more F-stops of dynamic range than the GH5, but there are things that the GH5 can do that I'm willing to trade that 1.5 F-stops of DR for. Things like...
- Internal 10-bit 4:2:2 high bit-rate shooting ( grading should be a lot more fun in post with this format )
- Unlimited shooting time ( as long as your battery and memory cards can last )
- Long battery life ( 3+ hours with one battery, 6+ hours with the battery grip )
- 5K Anamorphic ( I'll have to rent the lenses, but it's something I would like to try )
I also like Panasonic V-log color when shot at a high bit-rate. ( the GH4 requires an external recorder )
I am sure I can live with the GH5's 12 F-stops of DR, as I am already pretty happy with what I can get out of the GH4, so for me this is a no-brainer upgrade.
Agreed.
But that does not stop us from wanting to fix perceived cons with current models, nor should it stop camera makers from trying to improve on those cons.
That's awesome...for you.
For others, the decision might take a bit more time. And the GH5's relative DR might not be a small factor in the decision.
I will definitely push for better DR for the GH6, as I think that will be the direction to go for once the GH5 has been out for a couple of years.
( I am hoping that sensor tech has improved enough to make a real difference by then. Where are you Panasonic/Fuji organic sensor tech ? )
joe12south
Veteran
Sorry, I was speaking specifically about the V-LOG L clips he made available for download. They are all fairly low contrast shots that fit comfortably inside of 10 stops.
joe12south
Veteran
How we see doesn't work that simply. Our visual perception system constantly adapts as our attention moves about the scene. To approach capturing what we "see" within one static shot, you need about 14 stops. If you want to have latitude to push that around, or to give a film-like curve without losing meaningful data, say a stop at the top and the bottom, you're at 16.
Please understand that I'm not trying to say that 12 is bad, or that you can't make beautiful images with 12. I'm just saying that there are valid reasons for pushing to 14-16 stop acquisition systems. Capturing that much DR will yield great creative freedom, and will increase in value as HDR displays become the norm.
joe12south
Veteran
Thomas Smet
Veteran
I would also like more but I know it might be hard to achieve on a m43 sensor with 16+mp. I had hoped the GH5 would have stayed with a 16MP sensor to help inch up the DR but at best I think a sensor this size will only be able to inch up the DR each new generation. What is impressive is Panasonic managed to keep 12 stops or perhaps slightly better while increasing the sensor to 20mp. Perhaps if Panasonic leaves the darn resolution alone for the GH6 we can finally hit 13 stops.
I have pretty much come to the conclusion that if I want 14-16 stops of DR I will likely have to move up to a true cinema camera with raw. Not ready to do that yet and sacrifice all the other good things the GH cameras bring to the table. Every camera is about sacrifices and right now if 12 stops is my norm then I will make great use of those 12 stops. Besides I only started using v-log this year so some of my best work on the GH1, GH2 and GH3 has been much less than 12 stops.
That's partly why I'd like to see someone come up with a DCI compliant m4/3 camera. With the sensor having only the necessary 8.8 million pixels (4096 x 2160), the photosites can be larger and more sensitive to light.
joe12south
Veteran
With current sensor technology, yes, they've hit the wall at a given size. But with the tech that is in the pipeline, the rules get re-written. The light gathering capability and the increase in SNR is *very* significant. This is proven, demonstrated tech. The only question is when it makes it into production.