Panasonic gx80 for weddings

[Noa Put]

For my next wedding I have been trying to match the gx80 and my gh4 with my jvc gy ls300, it's clear Panasonic has been tweaking the colors on the gx80, it's easier to match the gx80 with my jvc, with the gh4 red seems to oversaturate and seem to have the same issue with green.

[Andrew Maclaurin]

Noa, does it have a decent auto mode? I mean could you leave it on a tripod and it would expose correctly?
Thanks again for all your tests!

[Noa Put]

If you turn of stabilization and let it record 100mbs 4K then one single battery makes the camera run for 2 full hours, the handle and backside got warm but not hot. This was done in about 20deg Celsius, it remains to be seen how that would be in full sun at 30 deg. but this is already very decent. I mentioned it before but just to add it again here that when I was using the camera with stabilization enabled on both lens and camera I was able to get about 40 minutes of footage before the battery died, this also includes time the camera was on standby and was not a continuous recording but recording several clips over a time period of 3-4 hours. This I think is still very good considering the stabilization draws a lot more power from the battery.

[Bryce Comer]

Great info Noa,
I just got this same camera & have been playing around a little with it & comparing to my GH4. I was contemplating buying a second GH4 but thought it would be better to get the GX85 simply because i only want to be able to use it as a b cam/backup/time lapse cam. With the announcement of the next GH camera sure to be not too far off, i didn't want to invest in another GH4.
There is a definite difference with the colours between the two, so i will need to look at how to match them better where i am using one for telephoto shots & the other for wide shots. Interesting though, just how much extra crop there is when using the stabilization. This might actually come in handing for shooting wildlife!!
Bryce

[Andrew Maclaurin]

Hi Noa,
did you use the GX85 at a wedding? How did it handle everything?
Cheers

[Noa Put]

I will know this Saturday because then I"ll use it at a wedding, did not have the time yet to check auto exposure and my camera has been set for next wedding so I"m not going to change menu settings right now. I don't plan to use the camera in automode and I have a feeling it's, just like the gh4, not really a camera for that purpose.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Andrew Maclaurin

Hi Noa,
did you use the GX85 at a wedding? How did it handle everything?
Cheers

It handled perfectly, it's stabilization with my 75mm f1.8 Olympus lens is so impressive it almost looks like tripod footage, you have to see it to believe it. I just also send you a link to some raw sample footage straight from the card without any stabilization or colorcorrection in post and all handheld.
Anyone else that wishes to see it pls PM me, I have no permission to show anything so pls do not share any further, the footage will only stay for a short time online.

The onboard sound is also surprisingly good, good for ambient sound but not so usable in windy conditions, if it's very quiet you can hear the IBIS working in the background so to record voices it does have it's limit but if you don't have anything else available it is usable. autofocus speed is very fast and accurate, changing f-stop with the front dial was easy as there is not too much friction on that dial. Rest of the buttons are gh4 style and typically Panasonic with less dedicated buttons compared to the gh4 but enough for fast access to some important functions. The very small size does make it somewhat difficult to handhold and I was thinking of getting a handstrap to attach to the side of the body. IQ is also very good with good detail and nice color, comparable to the gh4, I shot in 1080p 50p and eventhough that mode suffers from aliasing I noticed none of that with all closeup shots I made at f1.7 or f1.8, the background blur filters away any possible aliasing artifacts, moire is also hardly a issue in that mode. If you plan to shoot wide then you best shoot 4K.

[Andrew Maclaurin]

It looks fantastic Noa. Did you use it throughout the whole day/night?

[Noa Put]

Yes I did, I used it to get all close up headshots from guests throughout the day with the 75mm and used the 42,5mm for the photoshoot and during brideprep.

[Andrew Maclaurin]

I guess you mixed this with your JVC footage. Does it mix alright?
Did you use it in any lower light situations?
Thanks for all the info!

[Noa Put]

It mixes perfectly with my jvc and makes it a great b-camera, low light performance is the same as the gh4, it only crushes the blacks more with the same scene files settings which looks like a way to deal with the noise as it looks a bit cleaner as the gh4.

[Andrew Maclaurin]

Mine just arrived! Bought it from Hong Kong and supposedly doesn't have the 30min restriction in Pal. We'll see!

[Andrew Maclaurin]

Noa, did you use AF or manual? Or both? What did you feel work best for you?

[Noa Put]

Only manual, I never felt comfortable using anything auto on a panasonic dslr. By only manual I mean I half press the shutter to lock focus and leave it at that and refocus whenever necessary.

[Noa Put]

I just compared the sound of the GX80 with my gh4 internal mike and my jvc gy ls300 internal mike.the stock shotgun and a at897 shotgun.

At first I thought the gx80 sound was quite usable because I had heard clear voices at the wedding where I last used it until I put them side by side and then, well, listen for yourself. This was recorded in a livingroom so you will hear some cars passing in the background. Camera's where about 50 cm from the speaker.

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