upgrade from GH4 - what to buy ?

S

sergeiicz

New member
Hey, looking for upgrading my GH4 - currently selling my whole set (gh4,lenses,recorder) and for a two weeks looking for upgrade so
1, Sony FS5 (my number one) but only 50mbps in 4k / no 4k 10bit via SDI/HDMI - possible fw upgrade, fhd is all good
2, BM Ursa mini (no so many info/rev here) black sun spot again, cannot use with my ronin-m
3, A7sII (sooo small) fx but same specs for 4k and i think not worth to upgrade from GH4 right ?
4, also looking at RED scarlet set but want to keep my budget to $7500

shoting mostly music videos, short movies, commercial spots, aftermovies and weddings


So i am pretty lost now, looks like its not extra-worthy to upgrade from GH4 now BUT what could be better ? i'd love to hear someone who upgraded from GH4 too, thanks
 
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Hello and welcome to DVXUser.

I don't have an answer for your question -- someone else will, I'm sure. But could you do us a favor? Could you change your text color to white? Black on gray is very hard to read.

Thanks! And again -- WELCOME!
 
Welcome! I can't speak for all your options, but I just bought the URSA Mini 4k and can tell you the black sun spot has been fixed. You won't find much info about the BM cameras here as there is a dedicated forum for them at bmcuser.com
There have also been a few guys using this camera with the Ronin, so you should be okay. I upgraded to it from a T2i. My reasoning is I wanted a global shutter, and no moire or aliasing. So far, I haven't had an issue with that :) I will say though, it cost me about $5000 to put a package together, so keep the additional costs in mind.
 
thanks ! well we still have no release date in my country thats main no-reason for me, heard that black spot is finally done and global shutter is sweet spot but i must look how to solve power or battery on ronin or ronin-m, can u please tell me what did u bought - evf, battery and that shoulder rig ?
 
I had a FilmCity shoulder rig from my DSLR that works just fine, so I saved some money there. I got the camera, battery plate, battery, Canon EF 24-105 lens, 2 CFast cards (you can get this really cheap on ebay, less than $100 for 128 GB), card reader, and a nice padded bag with weather proof zippers. That all brought me to about $4500. I need a new Glidecam now to support the thing, and am looking into options for either a EVF or a monitor hood (not ready to purchase the BM EVF yet). I bought the camera and battery plate from Markertek as they had them in stock and with overnight, I had it the next day. The card reader and bag I purchased from B&H, and the batter and lens I got on amazon. I bought the biggest batter I could, it cost $250, but they make really small ones you could use on the Ronin. With my setup, you have to take off the side handle to use with the shoulder rig, but you kind of do that with the BM rig, so it's not a big deal.
 
Remember that in your cost you must account for lenses. You say you're selling all your GH4 lenses, but what are they? If they're m4/3 lenses, then right. However, if you have some full frame lenses, it may make sense to hang onto them and buy an adapter for whatever camera you buy, instead of re-buying all your lenses. And while the A7Sii may seem similar to the GH4, it's really a world apart, given the low-light performance - that's not something that should be underestimated and can make a huge difference if you are shooting weddings (many interiors are in dark venues) and music videos (save on the lighting package); the other options you mentioned are really video cameras, and the A7Sii is the only small size still-cam form factor in your list... if size is a consideration. Getting back to the lenses, remember that whatever camera you buy, you will need lenses, and that might set the future orientation for your investment (look to what happened when people bought a bunch of lenses for the Samsung mount NX1).
 
yes all lens what i selling are mft and i saved my sigma 18-35 art with nikon mount to survive as i still have nikon d7100 for stills, and i was pretty happy with this lens so i need to change mount or buy some adapter and one small lens for my ronin - depends on mount
 
Sony FS5: crazy un intuitive menus and crap skintones.
Ursa: LOL
A7SII: Yes, too small to handle, and again - crap skintones not to mention: 8 bit color.
Red: Best choice and don't rule out a used one. These are generally babied by owners. Keep in mind, not a low light camera (as much as the Sonys.)

I'd look into a used C300 if I were you. It has the best color against the Sonys and is a low light camera. I'd get one myself but I'm still using the shiz out of my two 5DMKIII.
 
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Buy a Red One. There is a lot of gear on reduser going for cheap right now. It is still a great camera even though it is older but it still has a better sensor, color quality and dynamic range than the GH4.
 
I like the C300 suggestion unless you need 4k. Or the option of waiting for the NAB announcements which will lead to more waiting for the actual cameras to be released... Delivering seems to be going out of fashion!
 
Never wait till Nab to buy a camera, it's always six months to a year from Nab, or if your Black Magic, 1-1.5 years before it hits the market, then expect to wait another six months before they get it usable to earn with. The C300 is nice, but after having a 4k camera I can almost guarantee you will regret going back to 1080. 4k is just way to nice to re frame, and use for post movement, not to mention down res makes a nice image. C300 is a 4k sensor that down res in camera, but also keep in mind gh4 has higher frame rates. Fs700 with 7Q is a good combo if you don't mind being tethered. There's always a trade off. I started off liking the fs5, but after seeing the tearing issue, and macroblocking in 4k, I quickly stopped looking. Have you looked at the new Panasonic 4k m4/3rds/fixed lens camera?
 
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