nofilmschool » hybrid

9 New Panasonic GH3 Test Videos Show the Camera's Capabilities and Limitations

Justin Minich — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 18:20:48 +0000

You’ve seen the test videos and the first short film made with the prototype models, but now the production models of the Panasonic GH3 have been around for almost a month. Those filmmakers who decided to take the early adoption plunge have been out there kicking the GH3‘s figurative tires and uploading their resulting videos. Here I’ve picked out those videos that should answer lingering questions about moire, ISO, the wireless app, overall image quality, and how the GH3 compares to the GH2 (and popular DSLR’s). I’ll also chime in occasionally with my thoughts on the brief hands-on experience I had with the camera: (more…)

Panasonic Officially Starts Shipping the GH3 (Plus New Test Videos)

Justin Minich — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 22:30:12 +0000

Some of us have been waiting for this since the camera stat rumors in September, and others since the GH2 was hacked. Despite earlier news of a slightly delayed release date, it looks like Panasonic has officially begun shipping the GH3. If you’re just now learning about the GH3, be sure to check out the camera’s stats and past videos. However, if you’ve been following the news, jump in and check out the latest test videos: (more…)

Panasonic GH3 Uncompressed HDMI Might Be Useless

Joe Marine — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 12:52:25 +0000

It should be pointed out that Panasonic has gotten almost everything right with the GH3. They have addressed more user suggestions in one version update than most companies do in three. Not only have they given higher bitrate recording modes, but they also seemed to have increased dynamic range (even if only slightly). The other big feature that wasn’t given as much attention is the ability to record the uncompressed signal from the HDMI. There have been rumblings about the color space coming from the HDMI, and it had been noted in many places that the output was only 8-bit 4:2:0. Since the camera isn’t final, and not all Panasonic employees were familiar with the finer details, I had initially been hesitant about posting the information. Now EOSHD has an interview with a senior engineer at Panasonic about the issue. (more…)

Panasonic GH3 Gets Uncompressed HDMI for $1,300, New Lenses Coming

Joe Marine — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 02:17:04 +0000

Panasonic did finally announce the GH3 today, even though we already knew most of the details. One of the few that we didn’t know about was the HDMI port, and sure enough, Panasonic has allowed the recording of the HDMI feed while also allowing the camera to record internally to the SD card — doing Nikon one better. The great thing about this option is that you can have a simultaneous proxy or backup if you want it. Panasonic has put a lot of technology into this camera, and it’s the most advanced video recording DSLR (mirrorless) camera under $1,500. There is also a behind-the-scenes of the Philip Bloom DP’ed short Genesis out now where both Bloom and Bruce Logan talk more about the camera. First, here is that short, which you should download in 1080p for better quality: (more…)

Panasonic GH3 Price, Specs, and Official Photos Revealed

Joe Marine — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 19:59:41 +0000

This is probably going to be one of the more uninteresting product announcements in recent memory. Most of the major specs about the camera have already been revealed prior to the official announcement tomorrow, and there are only a few left that are still unclear. There is a chance that a few specs are incorrect, but for such a respected reseller like Samy’s Camera to not only have the information up there, but also keep it there for a period of time, leads me to believe that these are the final specs and the final price. Check below for more details. (more…)

Watch the First Film Shot on the Panasonic GH3

Joe Marine — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 19:40:43 +0000

While it’s not set to be announced until Monday, a promotional video for the new Panasonic GH3 was accidentally released yesterday. The video has been taken down numerous times but thanks to various YouTube users it has been uploaded again each time. In that video there were a few shots of Philip Bloom and Bruce Logan, ASC (who was in charge of the recent Zacuto Shootout) making a film with the new camera. That film, Genesis, was written and directed by Bruce Logan and DP’ed by both Logan and Philip Bloom, and you can watch it below to get a brief glimpse of what this new Panasonic camera is capable of. (more…)

Panasonic Accidentally Unveils the GH3 in Promotional Video

Joe Marine — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:24:04 +0000

Even though it’s not set to be officially unveiled until Monday, a promotional video for the Panasonic GH3 (the GH2 replacement) was accidentally released ahead of the announcement. The first video was actually released by Panasonic themselves, and has since been removed, but thanks to fast users, it has been uploaded elsewhere. Check out the video and updated specs below for all of the details on the new GH3.

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Panasonic GH3 Camera Rumors: Higher Bit Rate Codec, Wider Dynamic Range, and More

Justin Minich — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 13:00:52 +0000

The forthcoming Panasonic GH3 has some big shoes to fill, especially given the popularity (in hacked form) of its predecessor, the GH2. That camera came out on top in a poll we conducted as the favorite scene of NoFilmSchool readers in the 2012 Zacuto Shootout — with the far more expensive Arri Alexa and Sony F65 digital cameras rounding out second and third. While that poll involved a test with subjective lighting, it’s clear that the hacked GH2 can hold its own, especially for a camera priced under $1,000. Rumors have been flying recently about the specs of the GH3, and if they turn out to be true, there will be significant improvements in the camera’s codec, dynamic range, and auto focus, as well as the addition of some potentially interesting new features. (more…)

Sony Announces the $650 NEX-5R Mirrorless Camera

Joe Marine — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 18:06:36 +0000

In what was seemingly lost in the commotion related to another big camera announcement, the C100 (from a small company called Canon), Sony is replacing its NEX-5N mirrorless camera with a brand new model and another confusing name, the NEX-5R. The new camera is mostly unchanged from the NEX-5N, except for a few notable additions, including better autofocus and built-in WiFi capabilities. The only question is what, if anything, has been done for video quality? (more…)

Nikon's 36-Megapixel D800 Matches the D4's Clean HDMI Output at Half the Price

Ryan Koo — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:46:07 +0000

The new Nikon D4 isn’t the only new kid on the block — Nikon will also be releasing a second full-frame DSLR, the Nikon D800. As rumored, the D800 has a whopping 36 megapixel CMOS sensor (7360 x 4912 resolution), which may make the D800 not seem optimal for video (smaller photosites). However, the camera features full 1080p HD video at 30/24fps and 720p at 60fps. Similar to the D4, the D800 will also offer a clean HDMI output — except the D800 is half the price of the D4, coming in at $2,999. (more…)

Hack Improves Panasonic GH2's Night Vision, Raising ISO from 3,200 to 12,800

Ryan Koo — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:24:16 +0000

The Panasonic GH2 keeps getting better and better thanks to hacker Vitaliy Kiselev. Recently he enabled a extremely high bitrate, and now he’s bumped the ISO during video mode from 3,200 all the way up to 12,800. While the GH2 had high ISO modes available previously, they were only possible with a Panasonic lens in Shutter Priority mode. Now anyone using hacked firmware can crank up the ISO. Here are some video tests of the GH2 at 12,800 ISO: (more…)

Sony's New $600 NEX-5N Hybrid Camera Put to the Test

Ryan Koo — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:16:40 +0000

In addition to the A77, A65, NEX-7 and NEX-VG20, Sony will also soon be shipping the $600 NEX-5N, a diminutive, low-cost hybrid camera with an APS-C sensor. Despite the lack of a mirror (thus making the NEX-5N not a DSLR, technically), this camera should be capable of the same shallow depth-of-field images that have popularized HDSLRs, and a few sites have gotten their hands on it for testing purposes. Note that some of these videos follow the standard tradeshow practice of camera manufacturers: bring in female models to a predominantly male world in order to show “skin tones.” I’m not judging, just saying. To the tests: (more…)