Expanding my Gear Camera advice please

[Steve Bleasdale]

Phil, dslr look great, bokeh great look, kills any camcorder and better in low light than any camcorder. Loads lenses available but my go to are canon 17-55 2.8 and tamron 24-70 2.8, great dual autofocus touch screen as well, track the bride and groom anywhere and it locks on mate. great colours in camera with many downloadable styles. Got rid of everything and got four they are super.
All shot on canon 80d below apart from drone shots. steve

Kathie + Ross // Leverhulme Hotel Wedding Venue on Vimeo

[Steve Burkett]

But not 4K and whilst I love Canon's auto focus, the 80d image just seems soft when compared to cameras offering 4K even at HD resolution. I initially went down the Canon route and regretted it later; thankfully before I invested in too much glass. Like most Canon gear it trades its great auto focus, colour science and reliability in the field with a lack of features, some considered essential for a Professional video tool.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Steve Bleasdale

track the bride and groom anywhere and it locks on mate.

If the dual autofocus is so effective then why are the shots at 01:09, 01:13 and 01:30 out of focus?

[Steve Burkett]

Yeah I picked up on that too. The above video whilst very well shot and edited, shows all that is good and bad about Canon's cameras. Close up shots of people look gorgeous but the wide shots suffer from a lack of detail and look nowhere near as cinematic. There's a shot at 2.58 where they're on the bridge that looks terrible; and I can't seem to see if its because of focus issues or just the cameras inability to handle such detail. Maybe the codec is weak. It's disappointing to see that the 80d suffers from much the same lack of detail that my 60d had despite being a 2 generation upgrade. It's why I had to get rid of the 60d once I had the GH2 and GH3 as it compared badly when placed next to these cameras.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Peter Rush

Pretty sure they are grey imports

I'm pretty sure that they are not grey imports but in effect they are smugglers as they evade paying duty & VAT just like all these other sites like Digitalrev that pretend to be UK based. The only genuine grey importer that I know of in the UK is HDEW CAMERAS About Us

[Nigel Barker]

Moving from shooting with a1" sensor & long motor zoom & no lens changes to DSLR is a big step. I don't do weddings any more but previously shot both with Canon DSLR & M4/3 & if I were to shoot weddings again I would use a AX100 & a couple of RX10M2/M3s. The cameras I now own are a Sony RX10M2 & a Panasonic FZ1000 which are great & I would be very confident about shooting a wedding with similar 1" sensor cameras. The light weight compact size & absence of lens changing makes for enormously easier use. Work within their limitations & add light if absolutely necessary.

[Eugen Brinzoiu]

Spot on,Nigel.
You're absolutely right...

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

I would use a AX100 & a couple of RX10M2/M3s.

Phil has the rx10II and he wants to get rid of it because he has focusing issues with it so that's not an option, I"m also sure that the fz1000/2000 would give him the same problems, not sure if you have seen the short review from the camerastore tv guys as they did shot their last episode with the fz2000 when they where at Photokina in Germany, there where a few out of focus shots in darker parts and that was because the peaking reacted to the noise the camera generated giving Jordan a false reading resulting into a out of focus shot, he also claimed the lens ramped very fast making it not a good low light performer.

[Roger Gunkel]

I find the follow focus on the FZ1000 very good in reasonable light, but I have found that using the direct focus mode allows you to set up a focus area on the screen so that the camera remains focused on that area and you can choose to move the area while filming using the select dial. It's very useful if you want to keep the main subject the same, but shift focus to a background object or any other area of the screen. You can of course also maintain focus by holding the focus lock button in, or setting it to continuously hold focus.

Roger

[Steve Burkett]

I think if you're looking for convenience and ease of use when filming, then a bridge camera like the FZ1000/FZ2000 or adding another AX100 is the best option.

If however you're looking to raise the quality of the image that you get, especially in low light, whilst keeping your gear small, then something like the new G80 would work very well. Especially as the G80 has excellent IS with any lens and is cheaper than the GH4. The extra money could be used to buy not only the 12-35mm lens, but also a prime lens like the 25mm 1.7 and perhaps the 42.5 1.7, both of which would give you more options in low light. The G80 is also weather proof when paired with the 12-35mm lens, which in this country has some definite advantages. I'm thinking of selling my GH4 and some other gear and adding the G80 to my gear.

[Phil Stanley]

Thanks for all the input here.

I have decided to go with a GH4R andG80. With this I will get the Olympus 12mm and Panny 42.5 F1.7
We are keeping the AX100, but with winter weddings coming up I will feel more comfortable in low light with the Panasonics.

[Noa Put]

Good choice, the GH and G line are not as easy to shoot with compared to a ax100 and the fz1000/2000 but the bit extra effort it takes is worth the result. From what I have read the g80 is basically a gx80 but adds the much needed extras like mike input or a swivel lcd screen. If it performs the same you will also notice the g80 crushes the blacks more then the GH4, at it's highest iso it looks cleaner then the GH4 but my guess it it achieves this by crushing the blacks so you will loose detail quicker in shadows on high contrast scenes. Color also seems more accurate on the GX80 and most likely also on the G80, especially in skintones I do see a difference between the gh4 and my gx80 where I find the gx80 to have more pleasing colors.

I very likely will buy the g80 as soon as it comes out and probably also will get rid of my gh3 and 4 if it performs as expected, might even get myself a second G80. It basically is a GH4 minus the better codecs but the IBIS is too good to just ignore.

[Phil Stanley]

Thanks Noa

What Lenses are you using with the Panasonic's, I seem to recall the Oly 12mm and 42.5 F1.7, is there any others you put to good use?

[Noa Put]

Don't want to brag but since you ask :) I have a quite extensive m4/3 lens collection
Panasonic:
12mm f2.0
14mm f2.5
15mm f1.7
25mm f1.4
42,5mm f1.7
12-35mm f2.8
14-140mm f3.5-5.6

Olympus:
9-18mm f4-5.6
75mm f1.8
40-150mm f2.8

Bresser
60mm f2.8 macro

I only use 4 of these lenses at my weddings though, I have my 12-35mm f2.8 on the gh4 and 42,5mm f1.7 on my gx80 for handheld shots from brideprep up to reception, for ceremony I use a ax100 and a jvc ls300 with the 40-150mm on tripods and walk around with my gh4/12-35 and gx80/75mm for handheld b-roll, from reception I use a 75mm f1.8 on my gx80 for handheld headshots, gh4 with a 12mm on a gimbal and jvc ls300 with the 40-150 for speeches if there is enough light, otherwise it's the 75mm f1.8 on the jvc and the 42,5mm on the gx80. Sounds complicated but it isn't, just routine :)

[Noa Put]

Also, if you want to see how a gh4/gx80 combo looks like on weddings I posted my last trailer here: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/wedding-...ng-season.html