Tag Archives: quality

Panasonic GH5s Boosts High ISO dumps IBIS!

Panasonic GH5s

So the rumors proved to be accurate on the GH5s and now we have a low light version of the GH5 that can shoot cleanly up to ISO 12,800 with up to 100k ISO and by then a much noisier picture. It is claimed by Panasonic that there was a 1.5 stop improvement in noise performance.  Judging by the initial video samples it is clear that the new 10.28MP sensor along with dual native ISO circuitry for each photosite “one at ISO 400” and “one at ISO 2400” make a huge performance leap if low light is desired in a m43 camera.

All is not rosy in Lumix land however as the camera now lacks IBIS or In Built Image Stabilization on the sensor which was a main selling point of both the GH5 and the G9.  Panasonic claims that it was a decision made to cater to filmmakers that need no wobble or vibrations in a shot that can be produced when the stabilizer fails. But why not just add an On-Off switch? 1080p 240fps is also included in the camera but as initial samples show it reduces quality substantially. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Lumix GH5 vs G9 High Speed VFR Mode Capped!

Lumix GH5 vs G9 High Speed

As suspected in a previous article from HSC the Panasonic G9 bitrate for VFR or high frame rate mode is much lower than on the GH5. The Manual has been released for the G9 showing this lower spec.  It is of note that the codec used on both cameras is very efficient which lends itself to good quality even at 20mbps.  However, for those that want to prioritize fine detail and the utmost sharpness, the GH5 will, in the end, be the better option for slow motion.

There is also the upcoming announcement rumor of the GH5s Lumix camera now with leaked images here with 240fps at full HD using a completely new sensor which may be able to improve of the GH5 slow-motion quality which in our analysis was lacking when using 150fps and 180fps on the regular GH5. Aliasing and moire were evident in footage which is not present in the 120fps mode.  Considering the GH5s might be recycling the same image processing engine but with a new sensor, we may still see some artifacts. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Panasonic G9 vs GH5 for Video Compared!

Panasonic G9 vs GH5

Panasonic seems to be doing a lot of things right lately with their fantastic GH5 with 10 bit recording and 4k 60p for the first time in a mirrorless camera and of course the 180fps Full HD slow motion to boot.  The just-announced Lumix G9 is a monster of a camera in its own right but Panasonic is right to segment it as a Stills first and video second machine.

The GH5 is the best video-centric portable camera in recent memory and the aim with the G9 is to go after the Sony a9 which is arguably the best stills camera ever conceived performance wise.  The G9 is capable of shooting 60 RAW images in a single burst per second and while the buffer is only 50 RAWs worth; it becomes easily renewed thanks to dual card slots. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

iPhone X Slow Motion Samples 240fps!

Now that the iPhone X has been released to the public, it is time to examine its slow-motion quality when shooting at 240fps 1080p mode.  There is a lot of expectation for what this phone can do but in the end you will get a mild bump in camera quality compared to the iPhone 7 and the exact same camera module as the iPhone 8 Plus.

It is of note that the phone is smaller than the 8 Plus and that battery life should be about the same since the screen is not feeding that extra real estate.  We were very excited about having 1080p finally hitting 240fps on a phone but as you will see; it may not be as good as claimed.  Looks pretty close to 720p upscaled and quite soft which means information is being thrown away to have the high frame rates. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

GoPro Hero 6 Black Slow Motion Samples!

GoPro Hero 6 Black Slow Motion Samples

With a few weeks of use around the world, the GoPro Hero 6 Black is becoming one of the favorite slow motion affordable cameras for all sorts of activities.  While the quality is not the best out there compared to cameras like the Sony RX series, it is competitive within its price bracket.   Aliasing and moire at 240fps are apparent but mostly non-intrusive for action shots. If you need it as a broadcast quality recorder then the slow-motion mode is not at the required level.

The camera does not have a 480fps mode or higher which could have been a fantastic surprise for high-speed fans. After all, GoPro had been the go-to camera for higher frame rates in the affordable category for nearly a decade.  The Hero 6 Black is still an excellent option with the highly improved sensor, processing, codec, and frame rate varieties that should be able to produce anywhere from broadcast quality 4k 60p to pretty good 120 2.7k and 240fps web ready 1080p. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

ZENMUSE X7 By DJI has 3.9k 60p!

Zenmuse X7

DJI has announced the Zenmuse X7 camera for the Inspire 2 Professional Drone.  The camera shoots in Cinema DNG RAW which allows for the utmost quality for the demanding videographer with up to 60fps at 3.9k resolution. Interestingly it does not support 4k at that frame rate as probably there is a hardware limitation for that last few rows of pixels to be saved at that quality.

Of note is the 4k DCI spec up to 30p and ability to shoot and save in Apple ProRes in 4k and 2k with more option in H.264 and the newer H.265 codecs.  The biggest deal, however, is the ability to shoot 6k in DNG format at 6K: 6016×3200, 23.976/24/25/29.97/30p, 12-bit, full FOV.  This is a first for a drone camera of this size and should be the ideal format for ultra resolution seekers. → Continue Reading Full Post ←