4K Camcorder for Wildlife

[Michael Warren]

Ready to go...

[Doug Jensen]

Don't you just love the new Flowtech75 tripod? I've had one since last spring that sachtler gave me to test and the speed at which it can be deployed has made the difference a few times between getting the shot or not. I'm not sending it back even if they ask!

[Michael Warren]

Originally Posted by Doug Jensen

Don't you just love the new Flowtech75 tripod?

I've only used it in the back yard so far, but yes, setup time is wonderful. I find it comfortable to rest on my shoulder too.

[David Elkins]

Originally Posted by Michael Warren

Ready to go...

Hi Michael,
Now that you've had the 180 a few weeks any thoughts? I just put in an order for one. The 20x zoom and UHD 60p were really the deciding factors. I'm replacing my Sony Z100 that was damaged beyond repair and had both of those features that I used frequently. Loved that camera except for the noise in the picture. Hoping the Panny is a step up.
- David

[David Elkins]

Originally Posted by Doug Jensen

Don't you just love the new Flowtech75 tripod? I've had one since last spring that sachtler gave me to test and the speed at which it can be deployed has made the difference a few times between getting the shot or not. I'm not sending it back even if they ask!

I never thought I could get truly excited for a set of stix, but the Flowtech is really a bit of genius. It is almost too easy to set them up! I just hope it's robust enough, because I am going to beat the hell out of those things!

[Michael Warren]

Originally Posted by David Elkins

Now that you've had the 180 a few weeks any thoughts?

Yes, quite a few. I'm in the process of writing a review, but time constraints mean it's only about 30% done so far.

Here's a little bit from the draft:

In a nutshell, my opinion is that the AG-UX180 is a very capable HD camera with an amazing array of features that also happens to do UHD and 4K, albeit with a reduced feature set.

Mainly, I've been shooting the pair of Honeyeaters and their 2 babies. I'm actually getting more interesting shots with my little camera (Panasonic HC-WXF985M) because I have set up a tripod very close to the nest and can operate the little camera by wireless remote from my phone while sitting quite a distance away. In my opinion, the remote control app available for the UX180/HC-X1 is as good as useless since it doesn't allow for remote viewing.

However, when I compare the footage from the WXF985 to the UX180, viewed on a 55" UHD TV, the UX180 wins by a large margin on technical quality, even though they are both UHD. I suspect the differences will be less obvious once the files are compressed for the Internet.

Operationally, the UX180, of course, wins hands down. I'm still fumbling with a lot of the controls, but slowly getting more competent. Nailing manual focus on 4K is quite difficult, and although the auto focus is pretty good, it can't know to focus on the bird behind the foreground branches, so it has to be manual focus in those situations.

Overall, I very much like the UX180 for the price, but there are a few annoyances with it, a couple of which caught me by surprise, even after all my research.

The main one is the waveform monitor. An invaluable exposure tool that I find almost useless since it can't be on the screen at the same time as any other information. Not only that, but it will not work on the viewfinder, only on the LCD.

Another problem with the WFM is it will not work if focus peaking is active. As a programmer, this one particularly annoys me as all it requires is 4 lines of code to fix. Simply automatically switch off peaking before switching on the WFM and then automatically switch peaking back on when the WFM is switched off.

Instead, if I press the WFM button while peaking is on I get an "Invalid" message.

These pictures are cropped frame grabs. It's nice to be able to extract 8MP stills from the video.

[Michael Warren]

Here's my UX180 review: Panasonic AG-UX180 Review - mike-warren.net

YouTube (Short URL)

YouTube (Short URL)

[David Elkins]

Thanks for the insight, Mike. My 180 just arrived. Definitely has some quirks to it, but I think it will serve my purposes pretty well. I'm pleased with the picture from it and the low light improvement from the Z100 is benefit enough.

I think I'm also replacing my FS700 with the EVA1 so it looks like my ecosystem is switching to Panasonic from Sony. I'll still have my A7S2 for awhile but maybe there's a GH5 in my future as well! Interesting times.

[Steve Siegel]

Michael,

It's a bit late, but in answer to your question about the ease of rapid changes in settings for wildlife in the GH-5, it is quite easy. The camera has three positions on one of the main dials for pre-set custom settings. One click gets you from one to the other. I have, for example, a setting for shooting in HD with maximum tele, another for shooting in 4K with half as much tele, and a third for shooting in 4K at 120 frames per second for slow motion. I can switch between these in 1-2 seconds. Each one provides for any parameters you care to put in in advance. In addition, shutter speed and iso are quickly changed with other, autonymous dials, no matter what preselected choice you happen to be in at the time. No need to go into menus or touch touchscreens. I change the iris on the lens. So changing settings is as easy as with any camcorder I have ever used. 4K images and the ability to shoot smooth slow motion has sold me on the GH-5.

[Michael Warren]

Thanks Steve.

[Steve Game]

Originally Posted by Steve Siegel

... and a third for shooting in 4K at 120 frames per second for slow motion. I can switch between these in 1-2 seconds ...

I have a GH5 and I don't think that it does 4K at 120 fps. Even UHD is limited to 60 fps.

[Steve Siegel]

Sorry, I misspoke. 120 fps gives 1920 x 1080, but it still looks good.