Is GH5 Autofocus Better? New Firmware Tested
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2024
- All filmed at 25P
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Watched this video (thank you:))
Checked out your Udemy GH5 course. Purchased course. Loving it. So much detail! And that’s having already spent weeks consuming everything on TH-cam. Great job, fella 👍👍👍👍
That’s so amazing to hear, thank you very much for the feedback, much appreciated!
I’m super impressed. And while this comment may show me coming from the US, I’m also British which means you know how much we loath giving compliments 😬
SmiTTTen haha all the more grateful in that case! :)
With this autofocus issues the company should change name into “PAINASONIC”
that autofocus graveyard!! I experimented with video shot on a bmpcc4k. It has no usefull autofocus, and even the manual focus peaking features aren't helpfull if you are trying to pull focus with an f1.7 lens wide open, without viewfinder. The autofocus and features (viewfinder, IBIS) of GH5 are fantastic compared to blackmagic pocket 4k! But there is a reason why blackmagic named the bmpc4k a 'cinema' camera...
Great video. You highlighted the stuff I care most about. Personally, I’m just happy they continue to update the GH5. I would definitely like a few extra things, especially the ones you mentioned in the end, and 240fps in 1080. But, the fact that Panasonic are willing to still work on stuff is a plus and makes the GH5 still one of the best filmmaking options into 2020.
Exactly, if you don't expect new features then it's just good they're still squashing the small bugs and doing SOMETHING, even if it's not exactly what I'd like I wouldn't complain, it's still a beast!
I have had the gh5 since the day it came out. And before that the gh4. I also shoot with Sony A9 and A7rIII for photo work and a lot of video. But even with the sonys I still reach for the GH5 for a lot of projects. The AF is not as bad as people on TH-cam whine about and never has been. The features on the GH5 kick the crap out of sony all day long every damn day. The frame rates, the stabilization, the color, the dials, the reliability, the durability, the HDMI interface, the list goes on and on. But the Sony performs much better in low light, it is easier to get that sweet bokeh with wider lenses, and the AF makes me feel better for a lot of projects. If I were strictly video I would own all Panasonic. I would have kicked Sony to the curb.
Thanks Rob, I agree it's a great camera! Although I do own all Panasonic so my frame of reference is a bit more limited than yours :) I came to terms with the AF before I bought it so it helps that my expectations couldn't be lower on that front
I love the update for the G9, I don’t think I’ve ever used video on it but my shots are far more accurate when getting faces sharp and in focus for active street photography. So good job Panasonic!
The update for the G9 is really good, definitely have update envy over here in GH5-land
I hope panasonic is working on a phase detect auto focus for the gh6, this contrast-based shit just doesen't cut it
Autofocus is cool but for cinema, manual is the way to go. Where I could see it being crucial is vlogging but I think vlogging with big cameras is going to be a thing of the past as GoPros and Osmos get better. GH5 is still a beast! Thanks for all the help on your channel!
Agreed, Manual is especially the way with this camera haha
Only time I miss it is on a gimbal but I work around it anyway. I hear you on the vlogging, good vloggers’ audiences aren’t looking for shallow depth of field and GoPro stabilisation is looking good!
Thanks for the kind words!
When I updated the auto focus does not work at all on my C3-3 setting which is where I had it set when I did the upgrade.. :(
As well as the movie mode.. all the others C1 C2 C3-1 and C3-2 it does work.. What the hell?
That’s really weird!! Have you still got Continuous AF set to on in the menus and on the dial at the back and on the lens if it has a switch?
Youre using AF settings (Speed/Sensitivity) wrong. And AF near/far works great on 225 Area Mode. Just saying🤔
That's funny, I've also got comments saying AF near / far doesn't work at all in AF Continuous mode! How am I using Speed / Sensitivity wrong?
According to my tests (with multiple AF-Points), the AF-near/far changes the behavior of the AF/AE-Lock button but not the normal shutter button or AF-C. If you set AF-Lock to AF-near pressing the AF-Lock button makes the focus go very close and than is moves away until it finds something. This takes a while and every time you push the button it repeats the journey which is not acceptable while recording. AF-far does the same starting far away. Pressing the shutter button halve while recording isn't doing this. It just hunts a little bit to refocus on the object that is already focused. When I set AF/AE-Lock to AF-ON it behaves exactly like the halve pressed shutter button.
My conclusion is, that AF-near is meant to be used in single AF and not while recording.
Thanks for your comment Ulrich, I’ve seen other reports of the same thing- that AF Near / Far is for the initial grab of focus and isn’t supposed to work continuously while recording.
I hadn’t heard that it worked with AF/AE Lock and NOT the shutter, so I appreciate that and will factor that in to my next test.
It would’ve been helpful if Panasonic made this clear in the update notes / revised instructions manual!
Cracking video mate, just updated the firmware. Using on a wedding this week, looks as though the AF issues are still there.
Thanks a lot! Yeah I wouldn’t recommend AF for a focal length as long as this test at least (42.5mm) but some people getting success wider than that apparently! All the best either way!
I noticed that when autofocus "failed" the small green box was in an area with no contrast - the blue of your shirt or the red brick of the building behind the wire on the balcony. Since the GH5 autofocus is contrast based as opposed to Canon's Dual Pixel system, could it be that the GH5 autofocus works best when there is a high contrast point (such as the scarf you were wearing or the dark windows on the red brick building)?
Hi Ken, that’s a very good question and while I’m not sure Panasonic has said anything official on how it works, I’m going to make an uneducated guess based on my testing...
I do find that the small square performs the best, and that makes me think that the square is just helping the camera know what my subject is, and that it’s still looking at the contrast of the whole frame (or all of its focus points) when it comes to pulling focus.
I think it’s still logical that if there’s contrast between your subject and the background that it’ll perform better, but what I’m saying is that doesn’t seem to be restricted to the size of the square in one area mode.
I’m not sure if you’ve seen it, but the most recent video on my channel is a full retest after some people weren’t happy with the assumptions I made in this one, so that might help!
Great information and firmware comparisons. I have a GH5 which I updated on the 19th and seems to be handling things well... I would say that my experience with AF has improved in terms of speed (target acquisition) but not necessarily accuracy which seems the same as before the update. Subscribed.
Thanks Stephen, glad to hear you've seen improvements!
Thanks for sharing, i watched all your videos, what memory card do you recommend for the GH5?
Thanks! I use the Sandisk Extreme’s, basically need a v30 card to do all the filming modes except the 400mbps all-I mode which needs v60 at least 👍🏻
@@ShotByMyles Ok thank you, i just saw the Amazon link in the video description.
Hello Myles. I already missed an interview with GH5 because of the focus. The lens was pointed at the respondent's face but the focus registered only what was behind him. The GH5 is a good camera but the autofocus is unreliable even with the latest firmware update.
thanks! great test!
Thanks for watching Paulo!
Even with a Canon setup, I’m really interested in how versatile the GH5 is. It’s awesome they’re still supporting it. 👍
That's true, definitely grateful they're squashing bugs at least (not that I knew they were there!). We're envious of a bunch of the Canon features over here in Panasonic-land, but the GH5 does have some nice codecs for slow motion / 4K / 10 bit :)
Mhm... Great video, but dont you think for near/far focus to properly stick to the desired setting the camera has to have the choice between MULTIPLE focus points? Only by evaluating more than one focus point the AF near/far mechanism will be able to act according to setting and will have a choice to pick from. At least thats my technical understanding of near/far priority setting. 👍📸
Thanks for your comment, yes I agree, the tests included parts where the focus square was simultaneously over a near and far object. If some of the comments here are to be believed, it's not even designed to work continuously at all though, despite my finding that it was slightly improved at holding the foreground / background as desired.
If you give the system an extremely small area to analyze and understand a scene obviously it will behave poorly. To get proper results try a bigger square so that it catches some edges, not only the back of your shirt that has a flat colour. In my experience centre point can only work if you feed it way more pixels.
I've tested larger squares before and determined smaller were better. That said, I'm getting bigger and smaller in the frame as I walk away, and doesn't it actually lose me when the square covers me AND some background?
I recognised the dark coat could've been an issue, so on the new firmware (where it did worse in 1 area mode) I had the blue top on and scarf. In retrospect I'm not sure I should've skewed the test away from 'real world' to help a poor AF system, but I did anyway and it seemed to get worse!
I'd also point out that half the test was on face detect mode when the square size and clothing would be irrelevant, but appreciate your comment.
Your giant scarf threw the entire face auto detection test off. 😎 Kidding... They'll unfortunately never fix this. I use focus lock have it set as a key way more reliable and no hunting.
haha! Definitely either the scarf or I'm too ugly to qualify as a face! Agreed, I gave up hope on AF a while ago but couldn't resist the test :)
soon will be released the fuji xpro3, someone know about it comparing with gh5? i have a gh5 and quite happy 2 years but i start to feel it heavy besides other issues....... thinking about this smaller cuter xpro3
does gh5 have zone focus like canon has? if yes then how does it work
Sorry not familiar with that function, so I’d guess not!
Thanks for the video man, good stuff to know. The GH5 is () close to being perfect. They need a mix of the GH5s and GH5 with RAW and S1H focusing? I'm thinking GH6 will be something like that, probably a 6k focused camera, and a mix between the 2 GH5 models (that's my wishful thinking though lol)
Cheers Robert! Honestly for the GH6 I’d take a GH5S with IBIS and Sony-like autofocus, but I really wouldn’t count on Panasonic to finally figure out AF :(
@@ShotByMyles There is a reason why the GH5s has no IBIS as more professional video cameras do have a fixed sensor. So there's no way around to get stabilisation rather than using gimbals, cranes, slider etc. Just like to pros do it. For run&gun the GH5 is the perfect solution anyway. IMO!
@@by.purefilms I understand their point but I wasn't sure whether at the time they were just covering for the fact they couldn't stabilise that multi-aspect dual ISO sensor. I honestly haven't ever had IBIS off on the GH5 and had an issue with the fact the sensor wasn't fixed, so I for one would buy a GH6 if it was a GH5S with IBIS and then they can make a GH6S with a fixed sensor for the pros looking for that :)
@@ShotByMyles that would make sense then ;-)
purefilmsaustria The new SH1 definitely is a Pro video camera - and it has fantastic IBIS!
And the bigger the square box, the better it is for near and far shifts because it has something to compare distances from to get a better idea of what it is you might be wanting to track.
That does make sense, I also have comments in here saying the near and far shift doesn't work at all in continuous AF mode and it just applies in AFS for the initial grab of focus, so I've got more testing to do if I want to get to the bottom of it. The reason the square was so small is because I found it worked best like that in the past, but you're right that wasn't in a near / far shift scenario, that was where there was no ambiguity about the subject I wanted the camera to focus on.
I would love to get a GH5 as an "upgrade" from my Sony but with that AF that isn't going to be possible. Problem with the Sony is the OIS is so bad it is like there is no image stabilization at all so you have to put it on a gimbal all the time.
Who will sort these issues first?? Will Sony fix the stabilisation or Panasonic the AF, whoever wins I'll buy their camera!
Haha it seems like such an obvious route to market domination to make something with incredible IBIS and AF! Personally I prioritise the IBIS because I’m used to manual focus and I like the speed of handheld sometimes. It’s maybe worth trying out, pulling focus with the GH5 EVF with focus peaking is not too bad!
Tech Gear TV ha! Seriously
Valeriochefacose honestly it’s a seriously difficult question to answer, especially as I’ve never tried that a6400.
All I’d really say is to try and weigh up your priority features that’ll make your life easier / videos better quality, and see which camera does better at them.
If you’re already invested in Sony glass then it’d be a pain to switch, so if you can rent or borrow a GH5 to see how it works for you that’d massively help.
God what happened to panasonics autofocus. My old SD900 had the most amazing autofocus, i could literally shoot an entire documentary in auto but decided to upgrade to a gh5 and now its a joke. The only good thing i guess is that ive mastered manual focus but it does mean a lot of extra time taken whilst filming. Crazy!
Yeah it’s not pretty!! I get better results from wider lenses so I guess this was a bit of a stress test, but yeah I’m a manual guy too!
@@ShotByMyles Yep, exactly the same here. That being said the gh5 can capture some amazing footage so still worth the upgrade.
Thanks for the review 👍🏽
Funny thing though.
I did similar tests and it worked way better in all modes.
I used the 12-35 at f2.8 and the 8-18 at f2.8.
However: The G9 was faster and more accurate.
That's partly the problem- the same tests yield different results even when repeated very closely back to back! So it makes it harder to draw conclusions other than to say it's inconsistent which I'm happy to hang my hat on haha
You have to remember my tests were at 42.5mm at f2, I wanted a stress test and so I'd expect better results with wider lenses that are stopped down further. The depth of field is massively increased (even at 35mm f2.8 versus my 42.5mm f2) which has to help the system out.
Thanks for your comment!
@@ShotByMyles thanks for your work! As soon as I have some time I will try it with the G9 and the GH5 and all the AF lenses I have. That will include the 100-400mm.
Cheers!
@@HaraldHofer would love to see a test! Would you actually use the G9 on AF for gimbal work? It's looking seriously attractive after this update
Hello, thanks for the video, I have a GH5/G9 set up and if only Panasonic had the AF of Sony then I'd never think of changing. Currently I'm having probs setting focus for talking head shots (me being the subject), have tried multiple times and focal lengths to get me in focus and I either have to be so close (wrinkles and all) or else it's hit or miss. I'm using the 12-35mm. What are you using at 0:20 and what mm, please?
Hi Alan, I had the same problem! I don't use AF at all on this Sigma 18-35 (probably set to about 25mm here) so I set focus and try to stay at the same distance from the lens. The focus peaking helps as does an external monitor that I have close by. This method guarantees no focus hunting and the only risk is I get the focus wrong in the first place or move out of it :)
If it's just for TH-cam I don't think a little focus hunting is a disaster though, it's just with this Sigma lens the AF is truly terrible.
In your position with the native lens I'd go between 12 and 20mm and shoot in one of two modes depending on whether you'll be moving / wanting to change the focus distance or not:
1. If you do move in front of the camera, or you need to put items up close to the lens, I would try the face detect mode with Continuous AF on, and by changing the sensitivity to -1 in the Video AF Settings. I think in this mode it would still focus on an object in front of the lens when it can't see a face, so that's worth confirming for your use case. Some commenters here have had joy with multi point AF but I personally haven't when I tested on inanimate objects.
2. If you don't want to change focus distance (i.e. you don't move and any items you show are level with you) I would use manual focus just as I do now, being sure to set it correctly at the start.
If for some reason you can't see your monitor well you could always put something where you'll be stood, focus on that and leave it there for when you start recording (ensuring you don't refocus on half pressing the shutter!)
@@ShotByMyles Thanks Myles for the in-depth reply. I'm bemused by the fact that certain focal lengths seem to fit; on the MFT system 14mm & 25mm look good to me in a small room and 35mm is my recent fave with a longer one. Although I have the 42.5mm f1.7 I hardly use it; considering using an iPhone XR for B camera instead. External monitor is a bit further down the road for me, and I've read of noise issues with Atamos Ninjas and the like. Think I need the inflatable pilot from "Airplane" as stand-in!
@@AmadoWildlifeVideos The 42.5mm won't be much use filming yourself but I would still urge you to test it out on B-roll / filming other people, love that lens! It'll give you a shallow depth of field and nice compression compared to your zoom :)
Also it has a usefully small minimum focus distance so you can get a macro-type look from it too I think.
Yes! Inflatable pilot is your answer!
What lens were you using for the test?
The Leica Nocticron 42.5mm f1.2, so it was very much a stress test.
Theres a false color LUT you can install.... been out for a while now.
Thanks Jamie, the one I tested in my Hidden Features video from IWLTBAP? Thing is that only works when you're shooting in Log, and I'm sure if Panasonic wanted to they could make it a better experience
Thanks - great stabilisation on this camera but autofocus is a run-and-gun worry for me.
Even for run and gun I’d recommend manual focus :) it’s not ideal but even if you have great AF it’s not always perfect. I just did a shoot with a friend who had Canon Dual Pixel, but because our subject was a coffee cup and not a human he had to go manual too.
Good info here in general... BUT...keep in mind - this is a contrast based AF system. So doing center point with a black coat right in the AF box is like testing a petrol car with diesel, wondering about bad performance. You crippled it... :)
In the correct AF setting this update is huge for talking head videos. Far less pulsing background.
Tracking while moving towards or away from the camera is limited with the GH5... and always will be. The hardware of the G9/GH5S does it better...
It's obvious the limits of this iteration of DFD (GH5, close to 3y old) have been reached.
Haha the black coat... well that was just the before shots, all the shenanigans in the new firmware was with the coat off I think, as I realised what you're saying about it being black, so it's interesting that centre point focus got worse when I took the coat off. But now I'm thinking if their autofocus can't handle a real-world situation like black clothing in bright daylight, then maybe I should be talking about that! Also as I got a bit further from the camera the focus box would've been wide enough to cover the coat and the surroundings, so maybe that high contrast helped it perform better when the coat was on?
Interesting thought about the talking head stuff being improved, tbh my testing was led by Panasonic's literature which referred to filming through fences rather than it being for interviews, so maybe I should test further.
Agreed on this focus tech, they must surely know it's not working out at and you have to imagine they're scrambling to compete with Sony or Canon, but it's been the case for a while now and even the S1H doesn't have great AF from what I hear so I'm not holding my breath for good AF in the GH6!
@@ShotByMyles @ Coat - yep, it was on and off. With scarf and so forth... it's just hard to determine something out of it.
The point is - as strange as that sounds: Does "real life circumstances" really matter in terms of Video AF-C for a manufacturer?
In the end it's all down to: Who can market it better? Same as those Changelogs you refer to. There are so many cogs at work... they even left a little bit out in the description that seems valuable.
I got to set up a youtube channel for camera stuff... so we can talk about this on equal footing. Say this for months now... So really appreciate the work you put in. :)
@ DFD - It's understandable Panasonic thinks it is good. Talking heads, selfies, moving towards a passive set up camera, etc are no bullet points for any manufacturer. Real life hustling while shooting isn't either.
Otherwise we would have had a great vlog-camera for at least 3years now. With a purpose driven design... not a DSLR look-a-like. Every manufacturer could do it... yet they don't realize the market or tiptoe around it to keep the growth potential alive.
Personally I am totally happy with DFD and Lumix cameras , but that's because of 60/40 hybrid usage. Otherwise it would p*** me off a lot that there still is not a more purpose driven video product.
Well.. picked up an Oly EM1.2 to test.
It's totally crippled for video... like they have no clue and just put it in so they got that off the list. But it excels at those exact things you were testing... C-AF, eye-AF, talking head - all that works on the same level as the "class leaders". There are 0 slipups. It's 100%. 98% does not cut it if I attach my name to it.. just makes us look bad.
So the Oly gets more use than the GH5S, that was just a nice toy in the toolbox that barely got played with (we talked about it briefly).
The Oly will also beat the GH6 same as the S1H in those specific areas. For everything else... the GH5 fits like a glove. The G9 is now an equal glove for... well, the same hand. ;)
Cheers!
@@Meisterbunker If it makes it any clearer, coat was on for all old firmware tests, and off for all new firmware tests. So when you say it's hard to determine what's going on, you can just review the conclusions of the latest firmware given in the video if you think the coat nullified the test.
As I mentioned though, I 'concluded' that centre point focus got worse with the coat off, so if I did break the validity of the test it's not in the way we both suspected it would!
Does real world AFC performance matter to the manufacturer? I'd presume so, and if they think DFD is working I'd love a word with them haha. They must know they are getting shredded for AF performance all over the internet and TH-cam, and I imagine a good proportion of camera buyers look for reviews or videos before buying. That's all conjecture from me, but either way the real-world stuff is what I'd want to be reviewing :)
That's insane about the Oly, I might consider that for a gimbal-based AF beast unless it's that bad for video!
@@ShotByMyles They get shredded no matter what. It's the PR events and the right choice of influencers that get the job done in our time.
The Lumix C-AF proves that imo.
It's a downside, but all other systems have far more relevant downsides. They become more relevant the more the cam is used. Usability, lens lineup, stabilization, customization, etc
@ Oly
It's one of the ways I use it. Often it is hard to justify the gimbal. The digital IS is better than on the GH...
Video is just badly implemented - the features, quality is en par with class standard. No wave, etc... but for this confined use, it is good/good enough. 24p... so talking heads etc - thumbs up. ;)
Hi, Myles, it's me again. Have you tried the new update with the 12-35 f2.8? I heard the update is better with native lenses.
I don’t own that lens unfortunately! The lens I used in this video was a native lens though, it’s one of the most expensive lenses Panasonic / Leica make for the MFT mount, but it was a stress test being quite a long lens and I didn’t stop it down that far :)
Is it bad just in 4K or even in 1080?
To be honest I’ve not tested a comparison between the two... I’m considering a mega test shortly and I’ll add resolution to the list of factors. It’s difficult to get any consistent results from the AF on this camera and the only certainty I have is I don’t trust it haha but only miss AF filming myself or sometimes on a gimbal.
I like the Far shift and Near shift ON
Miles... Such a small area for focus will never work for video AF with contrast detection. Size needs to be at lest 6-8 times larger...
Thanks for the input, I actually found it worked the best for me in the past. Did a test video but it’s in my course, not TH-cam.
I thought it did worse on me the further away I was when it was more likely the square encompassed the background too
Another great video, Myles! Where can I get your coat?! ;-)
I left it out there so that it no longer confuses my camera's Autofocus ;) thanks a lot!
G9 can record 4k for 30 minutes and 4k 60fps for 10 minutes. Maybe that's what you meant to say. Great video BTW.
Thanks for that, I appreciate the correction!
@@ShotByMyles At 2160p50 it's prone to overheating, the manual has warnings about doing it too often.
Contrast AF needs contrast in the focus point area, your dark homogenous jacket and pullover are the worst objects in this regard. Testing needs proper testing conditions.
Yeah so I thought twice about the jacket so all the tests on the new firmware are with the lighter colour top and scarf. Not that I think we should bend over backwards to twist the test away from the ‘real world’ of dark colour clothing to skew it in the camera’s favour, but I did anyway. And you’ll notice the focus square covers both me (moving object) and the background of a different colour when I’m half way through the walk or so. That’s when it lost me- it actually performed better when I had the black coat on than when I didn’t. As for it not working on my face either in face detect mode... not sure what ‘proper testing conditions’ you want but it knew my face was a face judging by the box it put around me on the monitor, it just didn’t want to focus on it. Can’t blame it ;)
What fps were you using? Rich Wong has tested the Lumix cameras and found that faster fps like 60 fps is able to become better at autofocusing for the cameras S1 and S1H and S1R
Thanks for your comment, this was all at 25P! Isn't the AF system different on the S1? Either way I would still test at 25P / real world situations, if it was better at 60P I wouldn't want to present that as the AF performance nor would I recommend allowing your frame rate to be determined by the AF performance- it'd impact the look of the final video of course.
I found that on the GH5s the autofocus actually works a lot better on 60fps than on 24fps with the new firmware. The autofocus also works a lot better with native lenses than with the Sigma 18-35 and a Speedbooster.
@@GeorgeNiksch amazing!
In after effects, it's possible to make 60fps turn into 24fps. It would likely have some smoothening out to do for some frames but it's doable. I'd have to test it out myself one day when I start making videos
@@JericTamayo I shoot 60fps and throw it into a 24fps timeline in Premiere all the time. It only looks weird if someone is talking. But I use manual focus for interviews anyways. It'll work for what I do.
Really disappointed with this update if I’m being honest. I expected a lot more if you compare it to the G9 update.
There was a lot of hype around this one, and the G9 upgrade really made it feel underwhelming!
Great video. How do you turn on face detect in the menu? I didn't see it in the video the way you setup you other test.
Thanks Josue! When you're in AF mode on the dial and on the lens, you hit the Fn3 button which is above the scroll wheel to pick your AF method
@@ShotByMyles awesome!!! Thanks!! Right where you said it would be! You've gain a new subscriber!
@@jzboyz Appreciate that, thanks Josue! I recommend testing out the AF before using it 'in the field' :)
nice! did you tried a bigger yellow box? i know... you like it small...
Thanks Sorin! I didn’t this time but I’m thinking of doing a full retest of the AF stuff! I’ve actually just picked up a G9 so I’m curious to compare them too 👍🏻
Cinema lens all autofocus ?
In regards to raw output... will never happen for gh5 or gh5s. The camera wasnt designed to do that.
Thanks Carlos, agreed- I certainly wouldn’t expect RAW from this generation of GH cameras :)
What would you recommend for shooting conventions and cosplay?
If you’re just talking about video, honestly I love the GH5 and it makes sense for conventions because it’s relatively small and the IBIS is the best you can get for handheld work. If photos were a main component of your work or you knew there’d be low light scenarios I’d consider a Sony A73. Although I’ve never owned one, it’ll do better for stills, AF and low light. I’ve heard of overheating issues in 4K and I’m not sure they’re weather sealed, so that’s why I still run the GH5. Definitely try to test both and consider some more feedback than mine :)
Shot by Myles thanks. I’ve been weighing them both and have been leaning more to the gh5.
BLACKCURRANT Studios should be some good deals around Black Friday! Some people think the GH6 will be along soon but there’s nothing concrete so you could be waiting forever, like the people waiting for the A7Siii haha
Waiiiitttttt what?! LETS GOOO
Nvm not so hype haha
Darshan Gajjar hahah I thought you must’ve had a G9 for a second!
Shot by Myles GH5 man, I see are you based in Leeds? If you ever need a hand with a video I’m down in Sheffield would love to meet ya and pick your brains haha
Darshan Gajjar your videos look great, it should be me picking yours! Cheers
Shot by Myles 😂 no man hahaha thank you
And also the Nocticron lens, as good as it is for the IQ, isn't the best since its autofocusing is not as fast as the latest lenses
I must confess I haven't compared other lenses of the same focal length and at the same f stop, but I'd be really surprised by that given the quality of the lens! It seems snappy for photos, but the GH line has issues with Continuous AF afaik
Near and Far shift do nothing in AF-C. It's a AF-S feature only.
Hmm someone else said that based on a forum post, have you seen this confirmed anywhere? I’ve tested that separately and I disagree. Performance was similar on both and I did conclude it was an improvement from ‘off’.
Also when I assigned it as a shortcut to the scroll wheel, pressing it did a focus hunt while in AFC (whereas before the button was unassigned and did nothing).
I’d also expect the revised manual to refer to AFS when explaining how to use Near Shift but it doesn’t.
@@ShotByMyles Yes, when you engage AF-ON, Near Shift AF-On, or Far Shift AF-On it will engage AF-S and a focus hunt will occur. Once it achieves focus it will switch back to whatever your focus setting was set to.
Near/Far Shift AF works exactly like back button focus (pressing the AF/AE Lock button) except it gives the camera more information about your intent. For example in your leaf and shed setup. With the leaves in frame engaging Far Shift AF-ON will tell the camera to ignore the near subjects and try to acquire focus on far subjects. Once focus is achieved in switches back to AF-C.
You can see this when you watch your focus indicator in the top right corner screen. When you engage the Near/Far AF-ON feature. Your focus indicator will change to a orange AF-S, focus will be acquired, and then it will switch back to AF-C.
Near/Far Shift AF doesn't not work continuously in the AF-C mode unfortunately.
Jesse thanks for the input, that’s certainly plausible that it doesn’t work with Continuous AF set to On- my AF test results change even when the test doesn’t- but I’d be interested to know if you’ve seen that confirmed somewhere official. The last report I saw was a random forum post, and the official literature doesn’t make a distinction.
If you’re right then it’s even more useless in video mode than I’d even imagined haha
That's disappointing, I had my eyes on it with the black Friday deals but I really need consistent AF so will grab something else... Thanks for the video anyway :)
Cheers Nico! Yes if you need consistent AF it’s not the best :( I would say other people have had more joy- mine was a bit of a stress test with it being an 85mm full frame equivalent lens, but I’d have to imagine the Canon and Sony cameras would be better
FYI - the near/far af shift only works in AF-S.
Really? Anywhere I could read more about that? It'd seem like something they'd put in either the updated manual or the release notes, neither of which refer to AF-S mode. In fact in video they don't even make a distinction between AF-S and AFC, so I'm yet to be convinced they perform differently but would love to see a test if you can point me to one!
@@ShotByMyles I read it on EOSHD forum and tested it myself and it seems to be true
"I can confirm that “Near/Far Shift AF” only operates in the AF-S mode. It behaves exactly like using the AF-On button except it will give the camera more information about your “intent” and ignore potential focus subjects in either the near or far plane.
It does not act like a focus limiter in AFC."
@@AdamKuzniar Who's confirming that, someone from Panasonic or a forum member? I couldn't find the thread but will check out AF-S, thanks for the heads up!
@@ShotByMyles It wasn't confirmed, I just confirmed it with my test :D It's in the GH5 topic :)
@@AdamKuzniar Ok thanks just found it! So basically the claim is it's a bug that Panasonic only enabled it to work in AF-S and not AFC, or that it was designed to only work in AF-S and they didn't specify that in their otherwise quite specific updated manual.
Either way I'm not sure I agree in this case- just tested both AF near and Far in both AFC and AFS and didn't notice a significant difference. The results even on a repeated test change which muddies the waters, so I suspect that's what's caused either me or you guys to come to different conclusions!
what lens did you use?
Hi, this was the Leica 42.5 at f2, so it was a stress test in fairness. You’ll get better results from a wider lens stopped down.
Shot by Myles,
Good to know. Was hoping this was a native fixed lens test. Thanks for the fast reply. Hunting is the worst factor in the AF on the GH5. Do you believe this issue to be not as apparent with the native prime lenses (15mm f1.7) or (25mm f1.7) from Leica? Need to test some inside shots or product in-hand shots (Face to hand back to face autofocus) hopefully the hunting would be non-existent in that scenario or in a fixed subject rocking back and forth. Thanks for the solid video test.
HelloBlakeAlan no worries! I think it’d be better on the 15mm, but honestly I wouldn’t expect to eliminate hunting completely- as much as I love the GH5, the AF is one of its biggest weaknesses.
There are tests of the recent firmware on TH-cam that show it working ok but even when the reviewer says it’s great, I see hunting!
I sold my 15mm f1.7 so I can’t test I’m afraid, but while I wouldn’t use AF in pro work, I wouldn’t worry as much about some hunting for TH-cam.
@@ShotByMyles I've been running around with that lens on my G9. DOF, even wide open, is enormous.
I still have 2.4 on my GH5, would you recommend upgrading to 2.6 ?
That’s what I did and I don’t regret it, I see no reason to stay on 2.4 to be honest. I don’t think for sure the AF got worse if that’s what you’re concerned about :) and a few bugs were squashed. I don’t honestly think anything has affected me personally as I don’t use AF
@@ShotByMyles ok thanks for your reply
Ouch this is why I leftPanasonic. Needed autofocus.
Yeah it's not great! But it's hard to find the video quality and features elsewhere for the price. Every system has a compromise, it's almost as if the big manufacturers at this price point meet up to see who gets 10 bit / 4K 60 / IBIS / weather sealing / RAW / dynamic range / AF and they aren't allowed all of them!
Great review! Thank you! During the last weeks I thought about to upgrade to the GH5s and I also was hoping that Panasonic improved the autofocus with this update...But now I think about to just keep my EOS 80D for a further while and wait for what’s coming in 2020. But it seems like Canon does not sell their dual pixel technology to any other camera brand. Currently the GH5/GH5s and the GH9 would be the best cameras in the world...If they had a reliable autofocus:-/
Regards from Germany
Thanks a lot! You’re right it would be even bigger if it had amazing AF. I don’t know what system Sony uses but theirs is also supposed to be great.
It’s still a great camera in manual focus though, it just takes a bit more skill in stress situations like this one :)
Shot by Myles That’s true. But I thought about the GH5s because of the low light capabilities...so there’s no IBIS and I need to use a gimbal. I guess I am spoiled by my 80Ds autofocus and not used to focus manual...which is also impossible for me while using my Ronin S:-)
@@itzefitzefatze5709 a gimbal would be good but then you still need a gimbal for cameras withi IBIS if you're trying to get smooth motion while walking... if you're not already using one then a monopod or even a lens with IS built in would do the job of the IBIS!
Also you can focus the camera with the focus wheel on the Ronin-S! It's not as fluid as pulling focus yourself (or an AF system that locks on) but it does work, and otherwise I used to shoot wider on gimbals and stop down the aperture to give me a deeper depth of field for focus.
@@ShotByMyles Thank's you for your advice... Maybe I need to get into that focus wheel on my gimbal!
Itze Fitzefatze no worries! It’s definitely useful to have the focus on the gimbal, but I’d be lying if I said I still missed focus sometimes and that I wouldn’t prefer a bullet-proof AF system!
New Firmware work with Panasonic and Leica lenses
I’m not sure I understand- this is the latest firmware and a Leica lens...
@@ShotByMyles autofocus work better with Leica Summilux for Lumix and Panasonic lenses then auther lenses
not sure it’s better :)
How did your tests go?
Thanks Myles. You’ve convinced me: I’ll stick with manual focus ;)
letsrememberthis haha thanks John!
GH5: +sharp video +anamorphic 5k +IBIS -skin tones -autofocus -low light. Blackmagic Pocket, here I come.
BMPCC4K is a beast! I personally didn’t want the huge file sizes or the expense / hassle of rigging it up or to lose the weather sealing and IBIS of the GH5 so ultimately I cancelled my order.
I do miss its dynamic range though and if I didn’t need to run and gun with ease I’d go for the BM.
BTW you can match the skin tones of the two really well in post!
@@ShotByMyles GH5 is sure great for run and gun!
And I am not selling it for anything except GH6.
It is just an invaluable tool.
So is the pocket4k.
GH5 has bad autofocus compared to a canon 70D,
but, from what I have heard, better then BPCC4K.
GH5 can make 12 bit RAW stills in 20MP.
Also, the screen is more 'flexible'
and the importance of having a viewfinder...
I just wish GH5, and not the expensive S1H,
had prores RAW, better dynamic range,
IBIS (and the option to turn it off)
full Vlog,
Maybe a GH6?
Panasonic should cnange their Logo to...
PANASONIC
AF... a hunting it will go!
Wow the G9 is A Lot better than this. Like a million times better lol
Even in continuous focus in video? Genuinely thinking about one! Don’t forget this is a bit of a stress test though, 42.5mm at f2 :)
@@ShotByMyles Oh its beast! Been using it for animal AF on dogs, birds, seals and all sorts! It's really impressive! It's not infallible of course but I can tell the situations it will struggle and I use MF instead :)
You're having problems with AF cause you're NOT using native lens and on top of that using speed booster which changes optics of the camera. Firmware is NOT written to work with optics changing speed boosters. You want AF resolved don't use speed booster and use native lens. I'm not sure why this is so difficult for ppl to understand. You change lens you change optics, if you change optics firmware will misbehave as code is not written for other lenses but for native lens. On top of that ppl put speed booster which even fruther messes algo up. Get it?
Thanks Sebastian, this test was on a Leica 42.5mm f1.2 Nocticron. Very much a native lens ;)
@@ShotByMyles Fix! You're welcome. th-cam.com/video/iGMY4YRTk0E/w-d-xo.html
Sebastian, do you realise that video is from 2018, and that Panasonic tried to implement that ‘fix’ in the next firmware update? And that my test in this video is on firmware even newer than that update? I’m simply doing ‘real world’ tests on a native Panasonic / Leica lens and reporting my findings.
@@ShotByMyles So 179 degree angle doesn't work with 2.6 firmware? Did u try 179 degree fix with 2.6?
как был тормозной автофокус так и остался.....
Autofocus in GH5 sucks. Just sucks.
I'll pass on this new update
It does squash a few small bugs apparently but yeah, not getting anything significant in terms of functionality in this one
GH5 was a great camera for years, with many great things like 10-bit 4:2:2 and open gate and high frame rates. But the autofocus will not improve because it's not possible.
Panasonic is lying to consumers and saying that AI will make their CDAF capable of judging depth perception in the future. In reality the only way to do this is by sampling at 4x higher than the frame rate and having a high speed motor focus multiple times in between frames. For 60 fps video, the sensor needs to be sampled at 240 fps and the image must be processed at 240 fps and the lens needs to refocus at 240fps and perform well enough in order to have predictable momentum and response deltas. And in reality Panasonic is not doing that, they are sampling at the recording frame rate and then failing to focus.
Building a camera capable of actually doing this would be so expensive that there is no scenario where the product can exist.
Agree with a lot of that except for the ‘WAS a great camera’ part haha
Autofocus shouldn’t be what makes or breaks a camera- if you’re shooting with a RED or an ARRI you also aren’t using autofocus. Even the Sony gods like Daniel Schiffer and James Matthews have been using manual focus on their recent B Roll videos.
Take AF out of the equation and we’ve got 10 bit internal shooting up to 60P in FHD, or 4K 60P in 8 bit, and the best IBIS in the game. Still few rivals offering that before you have to spend a lot more money.
wow, the AF is still laughable.
Yeah I wouldn’t touch it but people are telling me I wore the wrong clothes and it’s the wrong lens etc! Honestly think you’re better off treating it like a cinema camera and going manual focus
@@ShotByMyles There is no "perfect" video camera.
The Sony A7 S3 will be perfect. 4k60p. perfect AF. 10bit422. Perfect.
Jeff Bourke we’ll see won’t we, if they ever release it! For me they have to do more than 4K 60 and 10 bit 4:2:2- the GH5 has been doing that for years
AF is a total failure.
I have GH5 and it has a completely different experience. AF works quickly and accurately in almost all situations. Maybe read the manual again or buy GoPro. Don't mislead people.
Can I see your before and after tests? I've read the manual and the release notes, which don't even claim to have improved Autofocus so it's strange you've seen an improvement- what am I missing and how am I misleading people?
@@ShotByMyles I'm sorry, you are right, AF GH5 with the new firmware is probably worse than on 2.5 version , but not as bad as in your test. I recorded a piece of video in my garden. In the practice AFC 225 area worked quite well.
th-cam.com/video/Yb_R1NNhiDY/w-d-xo.html
@@Maxinet It also depends a lot on what lens you are using. I got very similar results to what Myles got using the Sigma 18-35 with speedbooster at f1.2, but also similar results to your test using the Panasonic 7-14mm at f4. I also found that 60fps worked better than 24fps.