GH5 So close to grab the GH5S but..

Le Chat Errant

Le Chat Errant

Active member
.. I need more light !

Hi everyone,

Time has come to adopt a new little beast (small.. but formidable !).
I've a F3 and a GH4R. I'll keep both, coz the F3 look is gorgeous and the GH4R is reliable as hell !
But now, I'm looking for a really good and sturdy all-in-one (no rig please) 10-bit 422 1080p solution.
I've worked a lot with the GH5 and I love this guy ! However, I'd rather lose IBIS and high resolution stills than sensitivity, DR and overall "image feeling".

That said, some shadows remain :

First, how performs the GH5S in Full HD (25p/50p) ? The GH5 is a real HD monster (no moiré, no aliasing, very C100 like with finer details), what about the GH5S in this way ?

Then, I've read something about a kind of "image smoothing" with this hybrid, like stronger internal noise reduction.. Is that true ? Hope it's not.

And tell me.. Are you happy with your GH5S ?

Hope to read you soon, greetings from Brittany !
 
As long as you're willing to lose Ibis, the GH5s image is better. In very high ISO, you may see image smoothing, but in normal ranges, it just looks better, cleaner, better colors, holds color better at high ISO, etc. The only reason to prioritize a GH5 over GH5s is Ibis, and possibly higher MP stills. I own both and shoot with both a lot. Or at least I did. I've been using my P4k pair a lot more lately.
 
Le Chat Errant said:
First, how performs the GH5S in Full HD (25p/50p) ? The GH5 is a real HD monster (no moiré, no aliasing, very C100 like with finer details), what about the GH5S in this way ?
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I understand that the GH5S samples all pixels at full bit-depth up to 60 frames per second. Plus, it has an optical low-pass filter (anti-aliasing filter). So there’s very little aliasing in the original image – certainly less than in a GH5 image – and then it’s downsampled to 1080p. From studying samples, the result is hard to beat in this price range.

I’m also in France and thinking of buying this camera. Do you know of any good places to buy it? The best price I’ve found for the body only is at Rhinocamera for €1599 with a free second battery (not sure if Panasonic).
 
ozmorphasis said:
it just looks better, cleaner, better colors, holds color better at high ISO, etc.
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Thank you Sir ! I believe I gonna press the trigger for the GH5S. P4K codecs and color science are fantastic but I may run into problems with weather sealing and battery life. I place IQ before the IBIS but I place reliability before the IQ.

Samuel Dilworth said:
Plus, it has an optical low-pass filter (anti-aliasing filter). So there’s very little aliasing in the original image – certainly less than in a GH5 image – and then it’s downsampled to 1080p.
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Bonjour Samuel, merci pour l'info ! Je reprends mes balbutiements Shakespeariens pour le forum, même si je galère un peu.. ^^' All right, I hope this OLPF makes a great job with the native 4K. The downscale process is a good new ! I've done some investigation based on DPreview "Image Comparaison Tool" : https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/image-comparison/fullscreen?attr29_0=panasonic_dcgh5&attr29_1=panasonic_dcgh5s&attr72_0=4k&attr72_1=4k&normalization=full&widget=764&x=0.011382986582849702&y=0.009969105068348087 The GH5S has a little more aliasing in 4K than GH5.. but nothing very special. It's worse between S1R and S1H : S1R is better in 1080p and 4K APS-C and S1H is better in 4K full frame (no downscale here apparently..).
I'll PM you about the good places to buy a GH5S, we are in the same boat !
 
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I would look at the LUMIX s5



QUOTE=Le Chat Errant;1986850167]Thank you Sir ! I believe I gonna press the trigger for the GH5S. P4K codecs and color science are fantastic but I may run into problems with weather sealing and battery life. I place IQ before the IBIS but I place reliability before the IQ.


Bonjour Samuel, merci pour l'info ! Je reprends mes balbutiements Shakespeariens pour le forum, même se je galère un peu.. ^^' All right, I hope this OLPF makes a great job with the native 4K. The downscale process is a good new ! I've done some investigation based on DPreview "Image Comparaison Tool" : https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/image-comparison/fullscreen?attr29_0=panasonic_dcgh5&attr29_1=panasonic_dcgh5s&attr72_0=4k&attr72_1=4k&normalization=full&widget=764&x=0.011382986582849702&y=0.009969105068348087 The GH5S has a little more aliasing in 4K than GH5.. but nothing very special. It's worse between S1R and S1H : S1R is better in 1080p and 4K APS-C and S1H is better in 4K full frame (no downscale here apparently..).
I'll PM you about the good places to buy a GH5S, we are in the same boat ![/QUOTE]
 
My advice is, sadly, boring: wait.

As a general rule, you shouldn't buy new a camera unless there is a specific reason/project it's needed for. Just wanting it probably not a good enough reason assuming you're already mostly happy with what you already have.

Lenses are a bit different, as they tend to keep value long after a specific camera model has faded, indeed, sometimes for decades after. In other words, if you have GAS, by a lens instead.

Wait and see if Panny is going to sh@# or get off the pot with a GH6. If they are going to announce it all, I'd guess it will be at (virtual) NAB this April. Doing so would lineup with the previous history of GH-- announcements and at this point would breathe some life into lens sales, even if the release is in the fall of 2021.

Even if you can't afford the GH6, it would presumably drive down prices of the GH5s, both used & new. Heck, although it's a long shot, Olympus might even announce a 10 bit camera this spring. Blackmagic might have a MFT trick up its sleeve too.

But if it's all quiet on the MFT by the end of April, treat yourself!
 
Does read like a case of acute GAS, particularly hard to overcome at this time of year, and the two posts above offer sane good advice. What you have to decide now is whether to stick with MFT forever (GAS being what it is might only be a few months), switch to full frame/super 35 hybrid (S1) or wait and see if Panasonic brings out a game changing GH6 (e.g. with the EVA sensor )
 
Hi John & Rainer,

Thank you for your reasonable advice and I have to say that I would have liked to read it 10 years ago, sincerely.
However, I have to clarify one thing : I learnt to my cost what GAS is.
Since that time, I've sold all my video stuff, MFT lenses included, besides the GH4 body. I bought an used F3 (fixed by myself) for my work and I only use old full frame lenses with cheap Chinese adapters.

Now, I'm looking for a little, sturdy and very good Full HD 25/50p body, without internal macroblocks, banding, obvious rolling shutter, overheating, moiré and aliasing.. A tool that has proved its value and I can carry with me anywhere. And.. It's the good period to make good bargains no.. ?

P.-S. I have projects.
 
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Le Chat Errant said:
Now, I'm looking for a little, sturdy and very good Full HD 25/50p body, without internal macroblocks, banding, obvious rolling shutter, overheating, moiré and aliasing.. A tool that has proved its value and I can carry with me anywhere. And.. It's the good period to make good bargains no.. ?

P.-S. I have projects.
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Get for cheap the original Pocket or BMD Micro?
 
There is a risk that the used prices for the GH5 and GH5S suffer a sudden dip if/when a GH6 arrives.

I say this because I think Panasonic might make the GH6 slightly cheaper than previous models (especially the high launch price of the GH5S) as a response to full-frame cameras including its own, leaving room for – and requiring – the GH6 to be clearly cheaper.

But this is a bad reason to not buy a camera that you can use now. Who knows when a GH6 might arrive.
 
Samuel Dilworth said:
But this is a bad reason to not buy a camera that you can use now. Who knows when a GH6 might arrive.
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You are right Samuel, we don't know when the GH6 might arrive.. nor when it will be fully functional (I'm thinking about first issues, Beta testers "despite themselves" and indispensable updates).
New stuff ? Wait and examine it one year before buying.
 
ozmorphasis said:
As long as you're willing to lose Ibis, the GH5s image is better. In very high ISO, you may see image smoothing, but in normal ranges, it just looks better, cleaner, better colors, holds color better at high ISO, etc. The only reason to prioritize a GH5 over GH5s is Ibis, and possibly higher MP stills. I own both and shoot with both a lot. Or at least I did. I've been using my P4k pair a lot more lately.
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Dumb question: what is IBIS?
Considering a GH5S but no clue what functionality this is that would be missing.
 
gco said:
Dumb question: what is IBIS?
Considering a GH5S but no clue what functionality this is that would be missing.
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In body image stabilization. Like image stabilization in a lens, but done by shifting and rotating the sensor. So you can have image stabilization on every lens
 
Got it. Thank you. Have not been round in a while and keeping up.
So I could still use a lense with OIS on the GH5S but obviously not be as effective as using an OIS lense on a camera body having IBIS.
 
Basically yes. I think the IBIS is more effective than ois. In order to use both simultaneously, it may need to be a dual IS capable lens, I can't remember. Dual IS works incredibly well.

But there is the usual caveat: if you want complete motion control, you don't want IBIS. But personally I like IBIS because most of the time I'm happy to have help smoothing things out
 
Very helpful to know. This definitely puts me in a toss-up between the 5 and 5S.
Either way, your comments are helpful--really appreciate it.
 
Samuel Dilworth said:
It looks alive, like it might run after squirrels … or cats.
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Ahahah x) Don't be fooled by its Screamer robot look !! This beast was more rigid than a dead horse.. Cats can still enslave human beings in peace.

gco said:
Very helpful to know. This definitely puts me in a toss-up between the 5 and 5S.
Either way, your comments are helpful--really appreciate it.
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Welcome in the Guild of Undecided.
I don't know what is the best way to get rid of internal compression without adding too much mess around.. All-in-one GH5S or 400 grams Video Assist 5" to stay with GH4 & F3 ?
Suspense.
 
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