GH3 Why Does G6 have Focus Peaking but not the GH3?

Please help me understand this focus peaking thing. Is it used in video to set up the original focus, or is it a continuous thing that shows what's in focus as you pan or move around a scene? And if it's the latter, how does that help in any meaningful way?
 
stoneinapond said:
Please help me understand this focus peaking thing. Is it used in video to set up the original focus, or is it a continuous thing that shows what's in focus as you pan or move around a scene? And if it's the latter, how does that help in any meaningful way?
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This morning and yesterday I was shooting with long glass (170-500 Sigma), documentary, shots in early dawn, no time to prepare.... monitor for control... yes ... okay... quite dark, very, very hard to decide even with the magnification .... EVF - no way, need to control the environment. In this situation focus peaking would have saved me three shots the first morning and I would not have to jump out of bed at 4:30 the next....

Tried shooting swifts (the european bird) and some birds of prey with that zoom. With my AF-AF and focus peaking. Hard enough to do, but it works to estimate where you are.

Shooting sneak-video with shorter glass and GH3. No way to put the camera to my eye, no way to run around with a control monitor, no way to control via magnification, because the moment you do that the moment you wanted to shoot is over....

Shot improvised scenes with a comedian not used to working in a controlled environment .... with my AG-AF no problemo ... with the GH3 ... lot of out of focus shots....

Shooting street-interviews with the AG-AF in very harsh sun .... "focus in red" saved our behind...

Even our top-notch focus-puller for our last TV-movie loves focus peaking for control....

And I have worked as a focus puller way back then both for TV and the cinema and for directors/DOP's who loved to improvise a bit .... with relatively long glass .... Man, would I have loved to have focus peaking then...

Enough reasons? ;-)))

YES - I want it!
 
Rolf Silber said:
Enough reasons? ;-)))
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Not having to get up at 4.30 in the morning a second time does it for me. :grin:

Still trying to get my head around the focus pulling issue with peaking. Is it just to get the original focus correct or will it do more? And yeah, I also appreciate the issue of low light and EVFs and for times when it's not possible to put the camera at eye level.

Thanks.
 
stoneinapond said:
Not having to get up at 4.30 in the morning a second time does it for me. :grin:

Still trying to get my head around the focus pulling issue with peaking. Is it just to get the original focus correct or will it do more? And yeah, I also appreciate the issue of low light and EVFs and for times when it's not possible to put the camera at eye level.

Thanks.
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You will have those red lines around objects/people that are in focus - constantly. As you or they move, it helps you to adjust your "field" accordingly. Clearly it's dangerous to use it with extreme small DOF. But if you have no AD it can be the difference that makes your shot. And clearly the good old types of measurement are to be preferred. But wherever the situation is "fluid", it's extremely helpful. Very, very, very helpful. Got that, Panasonic... ;-)

No, okay, I fear they may really not be able to implement it now. And the GH3 is still a very nice camera.....
 
stoneinapond said:
Not having to get up at 4.30 in the morning a second time does it for me. :grin:

Still trying to get my head around the focus pulling issue with peaking. Is it just to get the original focus correct or will it do more? And yeah, I also appreciate the issue of low light and EVFs and for times when it's not possible to put the camera at eye level.

Thanks.
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This video demonstrates it in action:
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...BC3645FBD640570FC5EBBC364&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR
 
I echo everything Rolf says.
And no one is being unreasonable or whining, they're pointing out a major flaw in a camera they earn their living with.
Why do we think that the single head scratcher and complaint since the GH3 was announced was: Where's the focus peaking and when will you add it?
Why do you think the Panasonic exec said they understand the need for it by customers and how they simply needed to assign people to work on adding it?
It's there in the transcript...80-90% of the requests were for it when it was released.

Another quick example to go with Rolf's:
Yesterday, high in the mountains shooting two GH3s one on the end of a jib set up quickly to get an action shot as it was happening.
It was bright sunlight and very difficult to frame, focus and move the jib with the moment - focus peaking would have made that shot and several others easy in real time.

It's really a shame and a waste of the great technology - a really nice articulating OLED screen, but missing the core functionality of their new camera at half the price.
And FWIW, you don't get these things addressed by saying it's OK, you get them addressed by saying it's not OK.
And for those who think it's an unreasonable request, if it's added, by all means continue to shoot without it.
 
Yesterday, high in the mountains shooting two GH3s one on the end of a jib set up quickly to get an action shot as it was happening.
It was bright sunlight and very difficult to frame, focus and move the jib with the moment - focus peaking would have made that shot and several others easy in real time.
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I understand now the usefulness of the feature for "shooting video with camera motion", and it would obviously be a great addition.

But surely in this example you are some distance from the camera and would need an external monitor anyway? And those have the feature.
 
stoneinapond said:
I understand now the usefulness of the feature for "shooting video with camera motion", and it would obviously be a great addition.

But surely in this example you are some distance from the camera and would need an external monitor anyway? And those have the feature.
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Not at all, you control small jibs from the front as often as not, but that's not the point.
The point is that in bright light, using the very nice OLED or in countless situations where you can't get a loupe on it to see detail for pulling focus - seeing peaking, even from a distance is all that's needed.
There are far too many instances where peaking is invaluable for it to even be a point of discussion.
Peaking is great, common and sorely missing on the great new GH3.

And again, one of the greatest values of the GH3 size and design is to NOT need external things to produce with it.
Small, light and nearly complete.
 
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It didn't get focus peaking, it's not a flaw, it's just a feature not included....just like the 10 x more expensive 1DC. I understand the frustration over cameras that have real major issues...this is simply something people wish the camera had, but everybody who bought one (if they did 2 minutes of research) knew it wasn't there. Maybe Panasonic will add it, but I doubt it. If it's super important, make a decision...get a different camera or an external monitor. Those are the current choices, even if Panasonic should have put it on to begin with.
 
pulpfiction007;198631707f it's super important said:
Sorry, that's what you do if you accept things rather than improve them.
The original 5DII came with no manual control whatsoever and no 24p.
It was just exactly these discussions amongst producing professionals, and some of us interacting directly with Canon, that got us the camera that started the revolution.
It wasn't delivered originally and it wasn't in their plan to add.

We have different opinions on the matter.
The proactive, engaged approach has always served me and my company better than the "this is what it is, live with it " approach.
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Not everyone wants to or is able to add a monitor to their rig (if they use a rig at all). One of the main attractions of m4/3s is small size and weight. An EVF or monitor is going to be about the same size as the camera itself, and at least as heavy. It's silly to need to double the weight and size just to gain one software feature, especially when the camera's screen quality rivals all but very high-end monitors and the hardware is almost certainly capable of the feature.

I'm aware that some Panasonic rep said the hardware isn't capable of peaking: frankly I think that's BS. Canon said the same thing about the 5D3 outputting 4:2:2 over HDMI a year ago, and now it has it. If four-year-old entry-level Canon T2i's can run peaking via ML, and three-year-old Sony NEX's come with it out of the box, I'm pretty sure Panasonic's new flagship "professional" hybrid camera can run it.
 
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aldolega said:
I'm aware that some Panasonic rep said the hardware isn't capable of peaking: frankly I think that's BS
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I agree on this, but Panasonic needs the motivation to implement this feature.

...What if this was a paid firmware upgrade? Say $100 to add this feature. Would you pay for it? ( I know I would )
 
Pulp007, you say nothing constructive. If you don't think there is any point in this discussion, don't read it.

I too think its BS that Panasonic can't implement peaking via firmware. Is the Venus engine in the G6 really that much better than the one in the 6 month old GH3?

I know it's not really related but as I said earlier, if some hackers managed to get Peaking, Zebras, Live waveform, zoomed in picture focus aid etc all on the screen simultaneously on a lowly 3 year old Canon 1000d then I think Panasonic can manage it out of their Venus engine that they rate so highly. I think they are saying they can't because they don't want to start offering things to existing cameras.
 
vtwiz said:
Panasonic's first attempt at a Pro camera? I think not!
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Panasonic:

It is packed with advanced technologies developed by Panasonic for its professional broadcasting equipment.
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http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/gh3/video_capability.html

That statement shows an implied line being drawn that its "packed with advanced technologies.. developed for its professional broadcasting equipment", but not actually pro equipment.

This is a $1200 camera. Do you have any idea how much Panasonic professional equipment costs? Nowhere near $1200.

We should be glad they're willing to throw consumers a bone with what you get for this price.
 
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