GH5 Report of the trip in Ethiopia with the GH5

I have the same need to shoot instantly when I turn on.

It is the technique, knowledge, and practice that allows this more than the tool.

What you want is a tool that gives professional, high caliber results and yet requires nothing of you.
 
I know you think that your conditions are unique and they are indeed challenging but I have covered armed conflicts and natural disasters where working conditions were just as difficult. You can always use point and shoot camera butonce you want to control the image there are no shortcuts and no camera that will do Istform you.
 
Ron Evans said:
In menus set lens resume ON. Before you turn off the camera set the focus at say 3 M and turn off. Now when you turn on, the camera will resume focus at 3M
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I thank you for your interesting advice. I don't understand 2 things: 1) In menus set lens resume ON
I don't see that option in the Menu.

2) Before you turn off the camera set the focus at say 3 M
What do you mean precisely? I don't understand well.
Thanks
 
FoxAdriano said:
I'm back from a month's trip in Ethiopia and maybe I'll sell the GH5, but here in my country I have to make some other tests in Automatic before deciding. The people in the forum is very well prepared and knows the GH5 well and also their work but not mine and often they give incorrect advice. I started to hate my GH5 for many reasons. 1) In manual I could never shoot what I wanted but I shot only the final part of what I wanted to film. In manual way I always got a delay of 10-15 seconds in order to change shutter speed, aperture, etc. etc. 2) Every time I needed to change or remove the ND filter and / or the lens it made me stomach cramps. 3) It is impossible to hold the GH5 in the hand as well as a videocamera. 4) It does not have the zoom like a video camera. 5) Batteries do not last like those of the camcorder. 6) Stabilizing the videocamera is better when you film walking. 7) The audio is worse than that of a videocamera. etc. etc.
I stop here because otherwise I get depression just talking about the problems GH5 gave me. On the other hand I got a wonderful video quality. There is only one problem: this time I will not be able to do the video editing of my trip because it is not what I wanted.
Now I would like to try GH5 in Automatic to see how it responds. If I'm not satisfied I sell it. I think it is not the right camera for me. The technicians of the video can not understand what I do in my travels.
Good night to all.
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Why did you go with the GH5? You would be better served with a proper video camera with ND’s. Didn’t you tested the cam before your trip? Seems that you didn’t do your homework and lack experience. Saying that some gave you incorrect advice is just bad. First, what is incorrect advice? You really need more experience and don’t forget to test a lot before a major shoot.
 
"I want to play guitar like Hendrix"
"My advice is to take lessons and practice everyday"

Two days later

"This guitar sucks. Your advice to practice didn't help me at all. Why isn't the guitar making great music for me? Whats wrong with it? When I play a CD of Hendrix it sounds so much better."
"Did you practice?"
"It doesn't fit my style. I want music to pump out of it within seconds of picking it up"
 
Thomas Smet said:
"I want to play guitar like Hendrix"
"My advice is to take lessons and practice everyday"

Two days later

"This guitar sucks. Your advice to practice didn't help me at all. Why isn't the guitar making great music for me? Whats wrong with it? When I play a CD of Hendrix it sounds so much better."
"Did you practice?"
"It doesn't fit my style. I want music to pump out of it within seconds of picking it up"
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I don't know if you can get better handheld then a GH5 with IBIS, espiecally Dual. You might want to look into a cheap shoulder rig or some type of cage for a bit more natural stabilization though.

Sounds like you had a camcorder previously that worked better for you though.

It can definitely be tricky to go from camera off to on and ready to shoot in a few seconds(sometimes thats all you have to get the shot). But there is no perfect solution. Internal ND's are awesome but there are trade offs to using bigger cameras that have them.

Auto mode isn't going to work out well for you. Maybe auto ISO, but you still usually have to play with ND's or at least aperture but then you lose DOF.
 
What I don't understand well is why do I use Auto ISO? Usually I leave 400 ISO from the morning to evening, then I change it in the late evening. In those sunny areas of Africa I change ISO only when it comes the evening. For me is not a problem ... I think. Do I make an error? Maybe I don't understand or I don't know my camera?
 
FoxAdriano said:
Or maybe do you not know GH5 because you have another camera?
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I have a GH5 and several other cameras. All of them are just tools and like any tool some are better suited to certain jobs than others and all tools need the skill of the operator to work optimally. Having said that even if you achieve more command of the GH5 through practice and learning it still may not be the best tool for your job as it’s not a videocam replacement and IME and IMO it works best on a tripod with manual focus and full manual control over exposure and ISO.
 
Adriano myself and others have been giving you information for many months now and you still do not seem to understand the very basics of shooting video. You will not improve until you sign yourself up for a course with a real live person at a college for instance where you can get the basic instructions. You still seem puzzled as to the relationships between iso/gain, iris and shutter speed the very basics of capturing an image. Until you fully understand these relationships using aids to cover for having to start quickly and then adjust or changing conditions while you shoot is I think totally beyond you and any information we give you will confuse you even more as the several posts I gave you earlier which clearly demonstrated your lack of knowledge and preparation for your trip.

You made some good videos on your previous trips with just pointing the camera in auto. This goal of better video quality has lead you to disappointment I feel. Improvements could have come a little piece at a time with improved use of the AX100 at less expense and frustration. Using a GH5 or similar quality camera requires a LOT of effort on your part and until you put in that effort you will be disappointed.
 
Adriano, from your last post, the problem isn't just that you do not know the GH5.

The problem is that it sounds like you do not even have a strong grasp on camera and photography basics beyond point and shoot. I am not trying to be offensive, I am just pointing out that some of your questions go back further than knowing a tool, they go back to understanding imaging hardware and light at a fundamental level.

Look, I am not saying you need to do this. When I first started out, I used a point and shoot camcorder and it was so easy. Auto Focus, Auto White Balance, Auto ISO, Servo Zoom, everything "just worked". I could focus on framing and art. Adding in all kinds of issues like Depth of Field, manual focus, manual everything, stabilizing, etc. was a big pain.

The problem is, a point and shoot camera that requires very little of you is not a professional tool. It is by definition a consumer tool. And with consumer tools comes a glass ceiling of image quality potential. It's easy, but it can only look so good before you have to move up to a professional tool. BUT - a professional tool presumes that you want to "work the tool" according to your knowledge and thus to get results that consumers cannot. A higher ceiling of IQ comes with a higher base level of skill and technique being required. It's why they are classified into professional tools.

One reason the camcorder is so much easier is that it has a smaller sensor. Auto Focus is much easier when you don't have blurry backgrounds via shallow depth of field on larger sensors. Auto everything is more acceptable when you don't need to maximize IQ. Consumer camcorders work on the principle of "good enough".

If you want to focus on content only, do as others say and go back to your AX100. Then you can remove the burden of all of this new technical learning that you do not seem to enjoy very much. If you want to learn to get better images, expect it to be "hard" and require work, reading, practice, trial and error, and testing.

You are asking for help on a forum filled with professionals. There is a basic assumption that you are asking for professional tools and professional techniques. If you are looking for a "fool proof" consumer camcorder this is not the best place to be asking, because you are not looking for a professional solution.

If you truly want a professional solution, be prepared to do the work of a professional.

The GH5 is unique as it sits the fence between consumer and professional. It's one of those unique tools that can truly be used professionally, but is also very accessible to consumers. HOWEVER - because it has a higher image quality ceiling, it still requires more of the user than a AX100 camcorder with it's smaller sensor and fixed lens, etc.

Is that worth it to you? If not, you should stop pestering professionals for help. If it is, I honestly think you do not need to post on the forums for a long time. You have a lot of basic reading and practicing to do. Many of the answers you seek are found in the manual, on YouTube, in books, and in your own power and potential to get out there and run tests. It is quite honestly a much more effective way to learn. Plus, you can learn what works for YOU - not what works for me, Ron, Icarus, or anyone else here.
 
Adriano, thank you for your impressions on why the GH5 may not be the best choice for YouTube solo adventure ethnography. I agree.
 
FoxAdriano said:
Only for one thing. I was looking for a better image quality. Mybe Rainer is not a professional guy biut he knows my work.
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I think you've really got two options:
1. Invest the time to learn to shoot at a professional level.
2. Set almost everything on the camera to "auto."

It takes a lot of practice to be able to shoot manually in the difficult conditions you work in. If you want complete creative control, it is the way to go, though.

But if you're willing to give-up some creative control, shooting automagically *will* get you the shot, with a lot less stress.
 
FoxAdriano said:
Only for one thing. I was looking for a better image quality. Mybe Rainer is not a professional guy biut he knows my work.
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A DSLR doesn’t instantly mean better quality. In fact many times it can actually mean worse quality. Traditionally DSLRs provides a unique creative but visually inferior image. What I mean is that the scaling and infestation of aliasing and moire were vastly worse than a traditional video camera. Panasonic has gone to great lengths to reduce these artifacts but a video camera still provides a solid video quality out of the box that many DSLRs to this day still struggle with.

A DSLR does provide very unique creative options and a level of manual control typically not found on a video camera but one really needs to know how to make use of the controls and creative options provide.

There is a darn good reason why a 1/2” video camera costs a lot more than the top full frame DSLR camera and why there is still a market for these cameras large enough for manufacturers to continue to develop new video cameras.

Don’t rule out a good video camera just because the internet is obsessed with the low cost and flexible creative choices the DSLR revolution has provided.
 
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