VaricamLT: VariCam LT and GH5 side by side test shots, V-log, 120 FPS

Erik Naso

Erik Naso

Veteran
GH5 VariCam Chart Vlog.00_00_19_21.Still002.jpg

I have a VariCam LT to test for a few days and thought it would be interesting to see how it compares to the GH5. With the EVA 1 coming this should be of interest to some people.

The GH5 was set to UHD 10bit 422 23.976 and VaiCam LT UHD Inra 4K422.

I used the same lens and white balanced both cameras with a white card.

In post I didn't color correct at all. Only dropped the Panasonic VariCam LUT on both and balance the exposure so the shots look the same. I used the WB picker in Lumetri Color to make sure the color was balanced.

I then made the exposure the same using the color wheels for adjusting highlights and shadows. No color correction.

I find it interesting how close they are. The GH5 is growing up :-D

To me the differences are subtle. The VariCam LT looks like it's hue's are deeper and the yellow is more true. The GH5's yellow is a little brown or mustard.

GH5 and VariCam color graded.jpg

This shot I graded to match. It was pretty easy and didn't require a lot of work. The VariCam shot on the right is soft because I moved the camera and didn't refocus DOH!

VariCam and GH5 120 FPS Redo.jpg

This is both cameras at 120 FPS. The VariCam LT image on the left is softer. Surprised that the GH5 held up so well. The crop on the LT also is noisey. All in all a fun test. Cant wait to see what the AVA1 has to offer.
 
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Might be interesting to try an external recorder for GH5 (or both, for that matter).
 
DLD said:
Might be interesting to try an external recorder for GH5 (or both, for that matter).
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I actually did use a Atomos Ninja Inferno on the GH5 but theGH5 wasn't set to 10 bit 422 since I was more interested in the internal recording.
 
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I have said it in the past but Panasonic is now the only company with an end to end 4k 10bit 4:2:2 solution for $2,000 all the way up to over $20,000. I suspected the GH5 would be a pretty darn close match but this kind of confirms it.

Bravo Panasonic, bravo.

The key of course is to use V-log which is really the only camera profile shared across the GH5, EVA1 and Varicam.
 
Hey Eric,

The Varicam LT at 120fps is a 2k crop. I'm not certain, but the GH5 might shoot 4k 120fps, which might explain why it is sharper.

One of the most common user feedbacks I see online regarding the LT is its lack of true 4k high frame rates, especially given the price point.

Thanks for the test.
 
Alex Derrick said:
The Varicam LT at 120fps is a 2k crop. I'm not certain, but the GH5 might shoot 4k 120fps, which might explain why it is sharper.
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The GH5 maxes out at 4K 60fps 8-bit 4:2:0, so anything beyond this is HD recording.

Also, the Varicam LT can shoot 2K RAW up to 240 fps with the CD 7Q+ external recorder, which I am guessing would produce a better image than the GH5.
 
Very nice. Panasonic did say that the vlog in the GH series was designed to cut reasonably easily with their higher end cameras. Even on my crappy little tablet I can see how well they match, and also where some subtle differences can be found.
 
TheDingo said:
The GH5 maxes out at 4K 60fps 8-bit 4:2:0, so anything beyond this is HD recording.

Also, the Varicam LT can shoot 2K RAW up to 240 fps with the CD 7Q+ external recorder, which I am guessing would produce a better image than the GH5.
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Matthew Allard/News Shooter did a 2K RAW/240fps Vari LT shoot a few weeks ago and there were some absolutely beautiful shots in there.

http://www.newsshooter.com/2017/07/18/the-gods-of-fire-2k240fps-raw-recording-with-the-panasonic-varicam-lt-and-odyssey7q/
 
Matthews footage was great. I wanted to show what the cameras can do internally but for the most part it was about color science and how they would match.
 
Shoot from today using V709 color. I like this setting. Easy to grade. Really like the VariCam. Wish it wasn't so heavy.
VariCam V709_v2.jpg
 
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Yikes. The V709 news clips from the GH5 looks like a distant cousin at a family barbque.

I haven't heard much about the GH5 in stills mode. I would like to play with some raw still from the Gh5 before I pull the trigger, but I'm thinking she might be my next run around camera, and a nifty little viewfinder to have on set to quickly review with the director the next camera setup before the big cameras start getting hoisted around.

Can the GH5 support a PL Mount?
 
Nice test. The Panasonic cameras are designed to be able to color match as best as possible through the line. That said, the GH5 uses V-Log-L which is a modified version of V-Log. That's because the GH5 has a couple stops less dynamic range. The VariCams and the EVA1 offer V-Log & V-Gamut.

I would also agree tha the VariCam LT & Odyssey7Q+ combination will offer excellent 2K RAW up to 240p. Converted to ProRes, this material will likely still exceed the quality of the high speed output available on the GH5. The RAW from the VariCam LT is uncompressed and native resolution. The internal recording of the camera has to compress more heavily than other frame rates due to the high data load.

Even better will be the EVA1. At 2K/HD up to 120p, the full Super-35 sensor is utilized and recordings are in 10-bit 422. Up to 240p the sensor is cropped only slightly to the four-thirds image area, which is still natively about 4.5K. This is then recorded in 8-bit 420, again due to the high data load.
 
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