GH5 Inferno vs SmallHD focus + v90 cards - What's better?

Chadfish said:
I mentioned that if your destination is online video like youtube the differences are invisible. Maybe I just haven't seen the youtube video that displays the difference. Can anybody show me one? I want to believe.
Click to expand...
YouTube SDR videos are re-encoded 8 bit 4:2:0 so obviously you would not see the benefit of 10 bit 4:2:2.

The benefit comes when you color correct/grade the footage.

And as TheDingo mentions HDR videos are going to make a difference, not in the least because you need a 10 bit resolution.
 
TheDingo said:
Where you will likely see it is with YouTube HDR videos ( YouTube supports several HDR formats ), and this will include the "instant HDR" HLG formats that the GH5 now supports. You will need a HDR display to view these videos properly. The big-box stores have already started to shift consumer TV sales towards HDR sets, and I would expect HDR TVs to be the norm when buying a new TV within 3 years.
Click to expand...

So for practical purposes, the 400mbps codec is a wash when played on youtube unless you're doing the not yet happening HDR, and your viewers have the new monitor. The good news is we don't have to worry about wasting all that hard drive space. Just use the 8 bit, as it looks as awesome as anything short of HDR.
 
Chadfish said:
So for practical purposes, the 400mbps codec is a wash when played on youtube unless you're doing the not yet happening HDR, and your viewers have the new monitor. The good news is we don't have to worry about wasting all that hard drive space. Just use the 8 bit, as it looks as awesome as anything short of HDR.
Click to expand...

If you are using a profile that doesn't need any processing or grading - stick with a codec nearest to the youtube native codec like Cary said.
 
Choosing to go internal vs external really depends on the type of production. It is important to keep in mind that high end productions were using external monitors long before there was portable external recording. Film/TV productions and corporate/product shoots that are more controlled tend to use external monitors to help with focus, framing and exposure. The GH5 now provides a ton of amazing tools but the LCD is still very small and a much lower resolution than many external monitors. Sometimes those things really do matter and if you need shots that are perfectly exposed and in focus at all times then an external monitor is critical.

Even if one plans on recording internally on the GH5 I would still highly suggest the Inferno for a few key reasons:

1. 10bit 60p 4k external recording. If you need that sort of thing for slow motion this is a huge deal. Especially if shooting log.
2. Inferno is easier to see critical focus. It is larger and has higher resolution.
3. Faster/easier to access scopes and tools without fiddling with the GH5 menu. The scopes are also larger which allow you to judge fine exposure/color adjustments.
4. False color.
5. 10bit 1500nit HDR display. As amazing as the GH5 LCD is it is nowhere near those specs for viewing in bright light outdoors.
6. ProRes/DnxHD pretty much works anywhere and anybody can support it. The 400mbps and 150mbps on the GH5 is stunning in terms of quality but even monster modern machines can struggle with it. I can cut through 4k ProRes on my 2012 iMac with great ease. If you need to hand off material to a client there is a really good chance they will struggle with native GH5 material right now. Formats like ProRes are bloated wasteful cows of formats but they just work. No compatibility issues, no performance issues, no weird challenges when new cameras come out. They just work.
7. You can view a full quality scope on the Inferno while still viewing the actual video on the GH5 LCD. You can view two things at once.
8. Not all shooting situations allow you to view the LCD since it is attached to the camera. Crane, dolly, drone. Having an external monitor allows you to use the display away from the camera. This helps in situations where your eye cannot be near the GH5 LCD. It also helps to reduce camera shake. We also use it a ton when setting up lighting since we can have the monitor in our hands while we adjust the lights. Really helps in one-man interview shoots so you don't have to force a company CEO to sit in front of the camera for 30 minutes while you fart around with the lights and framing.


GH5 internal benefits:

1. It works with any odd format not supported by the HDMI standard. More specifically anamorphic or above 4k frame sizes.
2. Lighter weight.
3. Lower cost if you only need to shoot a few minutes at a time and have plenty of time to offload (and backup) the card.
4. Internal can potentially contain more metadata although few NLEs support that level of metadata right now. It is fully possible for GH5 files to contain data such as aperture, FOV and shutter speed.

The 400mbps on the GH5 is extremely exciting but for those that do long form projects like seminars, lectures, concerts or weddings you may want to think twice about using 400mbps. There is likely little to no quality gain over the 150mbps 10bit and it is going to cost a ton to shoot those events with multiple cameras. 150mbps is already getting very expensive for a 3 camera 2 hour long shoot. 400mbps would be insane. 400mbps on its own does not mean higher quality. Its just another way of recording the frames and "may" hold up better in extreme motion.
 
Thomas Smet said:
The 400mbps on the GH5 is extremely exciting but for those that do long form projects like seminars, lectures, concerts or weddings you may want to think twice about using 400mbps. There is likely little to no quality gain over the 150mbps 10bit and it is going to cost a ton to shoot those events with multiple cameras. 150mbps is already getting very expensive for a 3 camera 2 hour long shoot. 400mbps would be insane. 400mbps on its own does not mean higher quality. Its just another way of recording the frames and "may" hold up better in extreme motion.
Click to expand...
Right, and by saving the cost of a bunch of very expensive V90 SD memory cards you can buy a dedicated Treadripper 1950X machine to transcode your sources to a more edit friendly codec.

Prores is definitely an edit friendly codec but it is certainly not the only one. Also the 400Mbps All-Intra should not have problems with "monster modern" machines.
 
If you compare 8 and 10 bit footage side by side you're not likely to see a lot of difference, but if you need to work the footage in post the difference will be very noticeable, the 10 bit being more robust and able to tolerate much more adjustment. If you're looking for a monitor I'd definitely go with the Inferno. I've been using one and I don't really find the weight an issue. The shape is awkward but that will be true of any monitor. Finally, if what you're really after is better judgement on focus forget the monitors and get an EVF.
 
The battery life isn't nearly as bad as the comments lead me to expect, but you'll want to get a few. It does get hot, but that hasn't presented any problem. I'm using it to record 4K at 10 bit 60p, not really for focus, so I often actually turn the screen off and just use it as a recorder, which extends the battery life.
 
I keep my eyes open for deals on the Sony type batteries and pick up a couple here & there at a good price. B&H often has decent quality ones on sale. I'm often shooting 4k 60p 10 bit with pre-roll and it does go through batteries - about two to three hours/pair. Not bad. While I'm waiting for the action, I'll turn it off. But with all the benefits Tom & Cary mentioned, I find it a very worthwhile trade-off.
 
markoconnell said:
The battery life isn't nearly as bad as the comments lead me to expect, but you'll want to get a few. It does get hot, but that hasn't presented any problem. I'm using it to record 4K at 10 bit 60p, not really for focus, so I often actually turn the screen off and just use it as a recorder, which extends the battery life.
Click to expand...

Good to know. Thanks.
 
Steve Ogden said:
I keep my eyes open for deals on the Sony type batteries and pick up a couple here & there at a good price. B&H often has decent quality ones on sale. I'm often shooting 4k 60p 10 bit with pre-roll and it does go through batteries - about two to three hours/pair. Not bad. While I'm waiting for the action, I'll turn it off. But with all the benefits Tom & Cary mentioned, I find it a very worthwhile trade-off.
Click to expand...

How's the memory? How much time do you get shooting at 4k60p10bit? (and what bitrate are you shooting at externally?)
 
"GH5 Inferno vs SmallHD focus + v90 cards - What's better?"

Depends on the metric.

Pure IQ: Inferno, of course
Usability and worfklow: Focus + v90

How much better is the IQ on inferno? Depends. 4k 60p 10-bit 4:2:2 important? Inferno a lot better. Also depends on scene content. The GH5 codecs should be quite good for a lot of things.

Any downsides to inferno besides the larger size, weight, and battery drain?

Yes, with V90 you can record VFR modes. With the infero, you can't do the interim modes or some of the high frame rates, per my understanding, and are locked to standards output rates like 24, 30, 60. (please correct if I am wrong, this was one of my gripes when I considered using the Inferno for 180fps output at ProRes 10-bit 4:2:2 and was told I can't).
 
Taurai,
Avid says DNxHR HQX is 1748 mbps. I get abut 2-3 hours per pair of 6400-7800 mwh batteries when temps are in the 60s to 70s. When I'm out early in morning and temps are 25-35 degrees it may only get an hour and a half. This winter I'll experiment with hand warmers on the batteries.

I'm not sure what the memory question is asking? A 500 gb drive gets about 34 min of footage at that rate.
 
Last edited:
Steve Ogden said:
Taurai,
Avid says DNxHR HQX is 1748 mbps. I get abut 2-3 hours per pair of 6400-7800 mwh batteries when temps are in the 60s to 70s. When I'm out early in morning and temps are 25-35 degrees it may only get an hour and a half. This winter I'll experiment with hand warmers on the batteries.

I'm not sure what the memory question is asking? A 500 gb drive gets about 34 min of footage at that rate.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info, Steve!
 
How hard is it to get focus on the GH5 without an external monitor? I am renting one for a cycling project where I will be shooting from a moving vehicle so, I won't be using the EVF for those shots.

-gl
 
Depends on your lens and working aperture, but if you're going for a shallow def, it can be very tricky, especially on the move like you will be. I'd definitely hire an Inferno ( not a Focus HD ) and just shoot it once and in focus, far cheaper than having to reshoot ! Just my 2 cents
 
I'd recommend an external monitor for critical focus with the GH5 as well, like Murph100 says, especially with shallow DOF.
 
So I just received my SmallHD Focus and used it this Friday and Saturday for an Indian wedding and I have to say I'm absolutely happy with my purchase. The Inferno seemed too large and didn't offer features I care about. I would love to record better 4K 60p but I don't need a higher bit rate on my 4K 24p footage as I'm already eating up data as it is internally. I mainly wanted something that would help me with focus and exposure in harsh light and it's so nice to be able to finally punch in while recording like I'm use to on my other cameras. I've used it with my gimbal and a clamp--it's brilliant. The included arm with the monitor is so useful, well made and dead simple.

All in all the size is perfect, it's not heavy and seems to run for a great deal of time off a battery. I have the dummy battery but had a Sony battery die in 10 minutes on the monitor and didn't want to risk losing a clip due to power issues. I haven't had an issue with any other batteries and suspect there is an issue with that one. On the topic of battery life my only gripe right now is the battery indicator is in volts and means nothing to me, I hope that is addressed very soon otherwise I feel a bit skeptical about filming with the dummy battery as I don't want to lose a clip.
 
markoconnell said:
Finally, if what you're really after is better judgement on focus forget the monitors and get an EVF.
Click to expand...

Don't want to derail the thread, but any recommendations re: external EVF for the GH5? I wear reading glasses now and really miss having even a Z-Finder let alone a proper EVF, but I don't want to spend $1600 on a Zacuto Gravical or w/e either.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top