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

vtwiz said:
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.
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Hmmm... and complaining about cameras not having features people knew weren't there to begin with is constructive?...does it have peaking yet...nope. These cameras could do 4:2:2 easily as well, did they add that..nope.

And it won't get peaking either, for months and months at the minimum. You can get monitors that don't add a lot of size and weight and will give you focus peaking. All I'm saying is I personally did do a thread to request peaking in firmware and other things...Panasonic didn't do it. They added it in a new model, happens all the time.

Here is the thread:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?301562-Requests-for-firmware-upgrades&highlight=
 
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It's quite easy: A lot of people would have liked focus peaking to be a feature of the GH3. Without knowing exactly the technical problems, a lot of people have the feeling it's implementation would not need that somone stuffs an extra 2.7 terrabyte computing power into the camera. A lot of people believe that a modern camera is basically a computer and that firmware can change and add features. So a lot of people think that rattling a chain may convince Panasonic to think the problem over. While they shoot extensively with their GH3's.

Now it makes no sense to complain about us complaining about that and basically telling us that we should not want what we think would have been a nice and not too complicated feature to add. It will absolutely not destroy your cameras when we do that and neither will it destroy our's.

Even calling us peaking-wanters the unrealistic dreamers we might be is not all that rational as some may think .... because - for instance - a lot of people from PAListan (among them "moi") complained back then that the GH2 had no 25p. Stupid omission because crucial for PAListanis. And a lot of others told us: It can't be done. It shan't be done. It won't be done. And don't ask for it but eat your spinach. We ate our spinach, complained a bit and... Bang ... There it was. 25p.

Now if focus peaking can absolutely NOT be done because some major technical nincompoops interfere with some rules of quantum physics and the celestial constellation at the birth-date of the camera... Okay ... Good. Accepted. Can absolutely not be done. Bad luck. Kick the engineers softly in the behind and make them eat spinach for a month and let it be over with...

But if people find it silly, childish, unasked for and nervewrecking that we, the peaking-lovers, gnarl a bit about that ..... just don't listen to us. Really. There is no rule that says otherwise. I can use my dishwasher in spite of people wantig it to work as an pizza-oven too. You shoot humming happily, we shoot harrumphing a bit .... And that's just it.

But should focus-peaking for one reason or another - magical interference by the camera-Gandalfs of Panasonistan Vitaly'sing the machine by instance - come at last .... I ask for a free drink from everybody who told us it can't be done .... Last time with 25p I forgot that ... Could have stayed hammered and sozzled for a year.... :-)
 
Very well put Rolf!

the old saying us 'Dont ask, don't get'. Nothing wrong with speaking up and going for what you want.
 
vtwiz said:
Very well put Rolf!

the old saying us 'Dont ask, don't get'. Nothing wrong with speaking up and going for what you want.
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And I just came back from a doc-shoot with my GH3 and had in one shot with my Zeiss 100 inadvertently touched the focus ring a tiny bit and de-adjusted it two or three millimetres and .... arrrrgh... softish, not really usable... So: just for control, please....?! But okay: It can't be done, right?! Gnarl.... ;-)
 
...the solution is to buy the g6 ! For $750 with the new II lens.....or a grand for the new 14-140.....it's a steal ! And hopefully it will have hack priority . Companies are always shooting themselves in the foot and undercutting expensive existing technologies. It's to the consumers advantage.
 
kurth said:
...the solution is to buy the g6 ! For $750 with the new II lens.....or a grand for the new 14-140.....it's a steal ! And hopefully it will have hack priority . Companies are always shooting themselves in the foot and undercutting expensive existing technologies. It's to the consumers advantage.
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Let's hold our horses. I'm as happy to see great gear at low prices as the next guy, and if the G6 can match just the GH2, let alone the GH3, I'll be more than happy. But that, friends, remains to be seen. There's always great excitement before the camera comes out, and then reality hits. So let's wait until we have footage and the G6 is in user's hands. Until then, it's all speculation.
 
pulpfiction007 said:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...P_PRO5_LCD_PCGR_PRO5_LCD_KIT_w_PANASONIC.html

Hopefully someone, either hacker Panasonic or otherwise will add the peaking feature, but if not, or until then.. there are some pretty inexpensive and fairly low profile solutions. One things for sure, the choices for on camera monitors have expanded since the earlier days of DSLRs/Hybrids.
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That's certainly small and light, if the resolution is any good I'd add a couple to the bag. Hey, it even comes with a sun hood.
I wonder if the CGR mount will work with the GH3 batteries.
I was just about to order a new equipment cart from B&H and I might just get one to try.
 
Just how accurate does everybody expect focus peaking to be? In my experience it helps to get you close but in some situations is not an end all solution to perfect focus. Some devices handle it better than others but does anybody honestly think a simple firmware implementation of peaking would be 100% accurate? Perhaps Panasonic doesn't want to just do it via firmware because they know such a method would not be very accurate.

For those that want a firmware update peaking would you be ok if it only worked half the time?

Honestly I have focus peaking on my 7" Lilliput monitor and I prefer not to use it because it isn't an exact science. It is an auto feature like autofocus and can be even less accurate. It also tends to get in the way of the real image. I know the Lilliput peaking isn't exactly the best but I'm not sure how much more accurate a firmware implementation on the GH3 would be.
 
Thomas Smet said:
Just how accurate does everybody expect focus peaking to be? ........ I know the Lilliput peaking isn't exactly the best but I'm not sure how much more accurate a firmware implementation on the GH3 would be.
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Nobody knows. Because it's not there. And, very probably, not coming. The Samurai focus peaking for instance is rather good. In the AG-AF it is very good, especially with the EVF set to black & white.

So yes: Focus peaking may probably be not the most exact science under all circumstances. And in every situation where either a monitor can be used and you have the time to rig extra gear, the monitor is to be preferred. And with manual lenses and a follow focus system, good old tape measure is even better. It's an addition - very important for some, less important for others.

And absolutely nobody should expect anything in film or video to work with 100% accuracy .... it's all about contingency... and I love my GH3 and doubt I would want to have the G6.....
 
I my experience, in camera focus peaking is usually much more accurate than in monitor solutions like the Liliput. Also, Liliput are a budget brand, ok monitors but I don't expect them to be all that accurate.
 
vtwiz said:
I my experience, in camera focus peaking is usually much more accurate than in monitor solutions like the Liliput. Also, Liliput are a budget brand, ok monitors but I don't expect them to be all that accurate.
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Yes I agree which is why I might question how well focus peaking would work on the GH3 if it is a firmware update. Cameras that have really good peaking have that feature built in from the start. Peaking is not going to be an on/off switch in the firmware. It will be a rather extensive feature to add to the camera. If Panasonic is able to do it I doubt it would have the accuracy of a fully thought out implemented peaking capability built into the camera. There is a lot of math and image processing that needs to take place for peaking to work well. My example of the Lilliput monitors is what peaking can be like if added as an after thought.

If they add it that is great and I will gladly take it and use it if it works well but I'm not going to expect them to add it since the camera wasn't designed or advertised to have that capability. No camera is perfect and I can point out glaring omissions on just about any camera out there. Omissions that have people screaming "why?"
 
I was watching a lengthy review of the new Olympus E-P5 camera by Nate Burr this morning, and one thing I noticed is that this camera has focus peaking but the peaking DOES NOT WORK in video mode.

Focus peaking demo starts at 12:15 in the video link below.

Olympus E-P5, Full Hardware Review + WiFi / iPhone Demo

So now I am wondering if the Panasonic G6 has focus peaking that works in video mode?
 
I always trusted the Peaking on my Magic Lantern equipped 7D more than the peaking on my monitor. It was very accurate and was a feature added in Firmware with a hack. I think the processor is there and capable, Panasonic say its not. All I know is that firmware hacks are adding all sorts of features to both Canon and Panasonic DSLR's with their existing hardware. Also consider that peaking has been added to low end Canon models that are a few years old with old technology inside. If some guy at home can figure it out, you would think the Panasonic wouldn't have any issues. It'll be interesting what Panasonic have to say IF Vitaly is able to add Peaking via a firmware hack. How will they admit their lies to their loyal customers.
Panasonic, if the capability for adding Peaking to your cameras is in fact there, you better add it before a hacker does otherwise you will look incompetent and have egg all over your face.
 
kurth said:
yep...works in video . Olympus video is not well implemented.
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Can you cite a reference for this, as I've been digging around on the web and so far it looks like the blue focus peaking ONLY works when NOT recording video. ( just like the enlarged focus assist doesn't work on any of the GHx cameras while recording )

Here's an excerpt from the CNET Asia review:

A new Focus Peaking feature is activated once you set the camera to Manual mode and toggle the focus ring. A 10x magnified view of the scene appears while portions of the image that are in focus are highlighted in light blue. A guideline depicted by a flower and mountain symbol shows you near or far you're focusing. This feature is easy to use and will come in handy when shooting at wide apertures or using manual focus lenses.
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sc101_focus_peaking_600x450.jpg
 
TheDingo said:
Can you cite a reference for this, as I've been digging around on the web and so far it looks like the blue focus peaking ONLY works when NOT recording video
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You can see in this G6 video @ 00:47, the movie icon in the top/left of the LCD..when he activates manual focus-assist, the blue peaking is in the magnification window...

 
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