Will Canon have a new dslr soon?

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gutterball321

Well-known member
I currently have a panasonic gh4 and gh3. Watching local advertising agencies film commercials and corporate work with t3i's at 1/3 the cost and they won't contract me because my cameras don't get the shallow depth of field for interviews they need, I'm thinking about switching over to canon. i am debating between the 6d and the 5dmiii but the thing that has been holding me back is the lack of features, the 70d has the flip out screen and other video features, and with 4k being the new thing i figured canon might having something coming out soon. Any word on anything in the works? Anyone think the switch would be good or bad for corporate work? Everyone shows great examples of scenery shots with the gh4 looking sharp, but for interviews and corporate work/tv commercials the shallow depth of field is more important than an important scenery shot being extra sharp.
 
If your concern is only shallow depth of field, just buy faster m43 lenses for your GH4 instead of investing in a completely different system/lenses. There are many f/0.95 and f/1.2 lenses that will achieve very shallow dof on a m43s sensor. An APS-C is not that much larger than m43s. For example, a 1.2 lens on your GH4 will have the dof of a 1.8 on a Canon APS-C.

If that's not enough, then I advice jumping to full frame and 1.2/1.4 lenses. There's no equivalent to this combination on smaller sensors.

No reason to buy an APS-C canon that's inferior to your camera in all ways. At least wait until Photokina where the new 7D mk II will be announced.
 
I understand the client wants what the client wants(shallow dof), but shallow dof isn't everything. One of my cameras is a C300, and a lot of times for sit-downs I actually stop down so the background isn't completely 'gone' and looks a little more natural. I hate seeing an interview and there's a wide(r) two shot and everything is out of focus except one person.
 
I agree with Ebrahim - it's cheaper (and smarter) to get a Voigtlander f0.95 or a Nocticron f1.2 lens than a Canon full frame 1080p body with a fixed LCD, frame rates no higher than 1080/30p and a viewfinder that goes blank when you record video.

Here's the shallow DoF you can get with the GH4 and the Nocticron: http://vimeo.com/93779431

And with a Noktor f0.95: http://vimeo.com/96351210

Hope this is helpful!

Bill
 
My first thought was the speedbooster as well. Tell the folks hiring that you use Canon "L" lenses on a body that is sharper than the 5D (non-RAW anyway). f2.8 with the speedbooster would be plenty shallow.
 
I think it might be more with the perception that Canon DSLR's make film like images and no one else does. It comes from the 5D mkII and the average person doesn't know about anything else. My clients all heard about the 5D when it hit but ask them about a Blackmagic, GH, Sony F5 or an Arri and they no nothing..... and they shouldn't. Somehow the 5D hit mainstream media but its like knowing what drill your dentist used..... anyone .... anyone ..... Buller?
 
Yes. Both of those backgrounds have a fair amount of distance between the subject and the wall/windows. Gives a look a space behind the person. If the windows were three feet away it would be a different story but with the Speedbooster you could use a fast prime and get pretty close. It is not just about the camera. Planning has a lot to do with it.
 
Bassman2003 said:
Yes. Both of those backgrounds have a fair amount of distance between the subject and the wall/windows. Gives a look a space behind the person. If the windows were three feet away it would be a different story but with the Speedbooster you could use a fast prime and get pretty close. It is not just about the camera. Planning has a lot to do with it.
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i have shot interviews outdoors with more space between a background and still dont get that look with the gh4. And are there any examples of interviews like that shot with the gh4?
 
A GH camera with a SpeedBooster will do everything a APS-C camera can do.

As to appeasing ad agencies... sometimes they just want the name. Brand identity is their schtick, so it tends to seep into their personal preferences. If a producer has it in their mind that they need 'Canon,' then sure, they'll hire a cheap crappy T3i over any 'un-Canon.' A used T3i could pay for itself in one job, then just keep it around for those situations... or you can rent a Canon (5D3, C100, whatever) from places like LensRentals when producers specifically request Canon. Make sure to let the producer know the rental charge you'll have to pass on - 9 out of 10 times they'll decide the Panasonic is just fine ;) At least that's the strategy I took, and I've only needed to rent Canon once in three years of pro m43 ownership.
 
We shoot with the 5D3, GH4, and A7S (+FS700 for super slomo only). We picked up a Voigtlander 25mm .95 for the GH4, and while it's possible to get excellent low light and shallow DOF, the bokeh doesn't look as smooth as with the 5D3 or A7S. While the math and theory say a 25mm F.95 is the same as a 50mm F1.9 on full frame, the bokeh looks different, even if about the same blur amount. 5D3 RAW is something special, with amazing color and detail but a bit of extra work. It's the closest we can get to the Alexa and the Canon color science appears to be why folks love the look of the 5D. The A7S can look amazing too if going for organic and/or shallow DOF. At 50Mbps for XAVC-S it's a lot faster and easy to deal with in post. The GH4 has a more clinical look, and we prefer to use it with the Panasonic 12-35 F2.8 for 4K green screen work and never shallow DOF shots.

Again, it appears the primary reason the 5D/Canon is popular with clients is the emotional reaction to the Canon colors, which aren't necessarily color chart accurate, but are pleasing to most people, especially skintones. The best reaction for the GH4 is when using the Natural profile and the A7S when using Pro or Cinema color modes (either Slog2 or Cinema gammas).
 
jcs said:
We shoot with the 5D3, GH4, and A7S (+FS700 for super slomo only). We picked up a Voigtlander 25mm .95 for the GH4, and while it's possible to get excellent low light and shallow DOF, the bokeh doesn't look as smooth as with the 5D3 or A7S. While the math and theory say a 25mm F.95 is the same as a 50mm F1.9 on full frame, the bokeh looks different, even if about the same blur amount. 5D3 RAW is something special, with amazing color and detail but a bit of extra work. It's the closest we can get to the Alexa and the Canon color science appears to be why folks love the look of the 5D. The A7S can look amazing too if going for organic and/or shallow DOF. At 50Mbps for XAVC-S it's a lot faster and easy to deal with in post. The GH4 has a more clinical look, and we prefer to use it with the Panasonic 12-35 F2.8 for 4K green screen work and never shallow DOF shots.

Again, it appears the primary reason the 5D/Canon is popular with clients is the emotional reaction to the Canon colors, which aren't necessarily color chart accurate, but are pleasing to most people, especially skintones. The best reaction for the GH4 is when using the Natural profile and the A7S when using Pro or Cinema color modes (either Slog2 or Cinema gammas).
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Thanks for the tip. I ordered the 25mm .95 and if it doesnt get a similar result to the interviews i posted i am going to have to switch to canon.
 
I recommend a Speed Booster. Which will give you an effective APS-C sensor in practice. Then mount a good 35mm 1.4, 50mm 1.4 or a 85mm 1.4 to the camera and you're all set. Much better quality than those crappy T3i's and the same shallow depth of field capabillities.
 
gutterball321 said:
I ordered the 25mm .95 and if it doesnt get a similar result to the interviews i posted i am going to have to switch to canon.
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You bought the wrong lens if you are trying to match the shots you posted in the Kessler Parralax video...

A 25mm lens is too wide for a "head'n'shoulders" shot, so if you move in to frame your subject you will have massive distortion of their face.

Never shoot closer than 5 feet if you don't want distortion. Ideally I aim to have my camera be somewhere between 6-10 feet from the person I am shooting.

I would ONLY shoot this type of shot with a 35 - 85mm lens on a GH3 / GH4 camera, which usually means one of the following lenses...

1- Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI-S lens with a SpeedBooster ( equivalent to a 36mm lens at f/1.0 )

2- Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI-S lens by itself ( no SpeedBooster )

3- Nikon 85mm f/2.0 AI-S lens with a SpeedBooster ( equivalent to a 60mm f/1.4 lens )

4- Nikon 85mm f/2.0 AI-S lens by itself ( no SpeedBooster )

In most cases I'm shooting with a lens aperture between f/2.0 - f/4.0 and using a good field monitor to check focus as I shoot.
 
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Exactly. The search for SDOF often seems to leave basic camera knowledge behind. Cameras and lenses are tools that you first need to learn all about before making a decision on which to use. The "look" you want is a factor of many things. Just buying a Canon T3i is not the cure. We have mentioned getting the Speedbooster in multiple posts saying it will turn your GH4 into a T3i equivalent. But you need to use the right lens to get a certain look and wide angle lenses do not do the SDOF look like telephoto lenses. You have to get too close resulting in distortion as Dingo pointed out.

Why not just get the Speedbooster and some Canon/Nikon lenses and be done with it? The T3i is nothing to write home about...
 
Voigtlander also makes a 42.5 F.95 for m43 which is the same as an 85mm F1.9 on full frame. As others noted, ~85mm (FF equivalent) works well for nice looking head shots.
 
jcs said:
Voigtlander also makes a 42.5 F.95 for m43 which is the same as an 85mm F1.9 on full frame. As others noted, ~85mm (FF equivalent) works well for nice looking head shots.
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Yes, the Voightlander 42.5mm f/0.95 would definitely give you the look you are after and not require any adapters. If you can change your purchase from the Voightlander 25mm to the 42.5mm lens you would be good to go.
 
TheDingo said:
Yes, the Voightlander 42.5mm f/0.95 would definitely give you the look you are after and not require any adapters. If you can change your purchase from the Voightlander 25mm to the 42.5mm lens you would be good to go.
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Well i thought 50mm was good for talking heads and thats what the 25mm comes out to on the GH4. I also have a lot of interviews in a very small room so can't get too far back. And i don't need to crop, i use the 25mm as the wider straight on shot and a 45mm 1.8 olympus lens on the gh3 to get the close up angled shot to switch back and forth from.
 
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