Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Hacked G3 Video Sample (outdoor)

Ever since I bought the G3, it's been raining. Finally a sunny day so I took the hacked G3 with me on an errand and shot a footage while waiting for bus. I did not carry any bag, the G3 with 14-45mm lens was in the pocket of my winter coat. Yes, I have never seen such sharp and detailed video from my GF2.

This footage is converted from 48mbps to 8mbps before uploaded to YouTube which converted it further down to 5mbps. No any other processing.


Notice how sharp and detailed even after re-compressed twice! Also note how minimum is AF hunting, the entire footage was shot with continuous auto focus (AF-C). The artifacts you see in YouTube does not exit in the original footage which is totally clean, smooth and free of artifacts.

The camera was configured as in this article, except the photo style - standard instead of vivid. These are the photo taken during the video shooting, direct jpeg and converted from raw:



Taking this photo caused a pause on video at 01:12. Therefore don't take a still if the video is more important at the moment. This is about using photo priority for the picture mode during video; using video priority does not cause the pause, but it can only capture at the same resolution as video (1920x1080 max) and no raw.

7 comments:

  1. how's the battery life? what uv filter do you use?

    ReplyDelete
  2. The battery can record more than 1 hour video when use EVF. I never use any filter with a digital camera, I always use a lens hood.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi,

    Your tips and tricks are awesome. Any suggestion on these two deals?

    1. Panasonic DMC-G5K Camera with 14-42mm Zoom Lens, $437.00 + 8G card
    2. Panasonic DMC-G3K Camera with 14-42mm Zoom Lens, $299.00

    Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I ordered both but they have not arrived yet.

      The 8GB card worth nothing these days, so don't put it into consideration.

      Both come with the standard kit lens which worth no more than $80.

      So, the G5K is $137 more than the G3K, worth that much? To me, the major advantage is 1080p60 vs. 1080i60. It also uses the same sensor found in GH2. The clue is: if you care the $137, you'd go G3K, because if you care that much about video you should go GH2 anyway.

      I took more video with my G3 yesterday and I'm very satisfied. It really delivers the kind of sharp video I've been looking for, ever since the EPL1. You know, I never seek anything the very best but good enough. To me, all Panasonic M4/3 are good enough on both still images and video. G3 is the best value right now for its EVF and articulate LCD, only slightly larger than the smallest GF5. All other DSLR and mirrorless are not good enough for video, although they might be slightly better on stills.

      The GF5 is much better on pocketable especially with the PZ lens, currently going for $399. Seems very good if you care more about pocketable than an articulate LCD. However, it is a poor buy to me. From the samples I've seen, the resolution of the new 12M sensor is still significantly lower than the 16M one in G3. So is its low light performance. The PZ lens still suffers from blur problem. After 2 years now, Panasonic still have not fixed this problem, amazing. This explains why Panasonic is going down to the cliff, something must be wrong with the company management. On one hand we enjoy the incredibly low price, on the other hand it'll be a huge loss to all of us if Panasonic won't be able to stay in this mirrorless business, as other players like Olympus, Sony, Nikon, Pentax... all suck in terms of quality, features, lenses, price and video.

      Delete
    2. If you don't care about the $137, then it is better to get the G5K, of course. Sorry that I did not make this clear.

      Delete
    3. Thank you very much!

      My orders just reached. I will try G5 first. What lens will match better for still photo and video recording with G5?

      If GF5 is for pocketable candidate, I will go to LX7 which is made in Japan and feels much better in hands.

      Delete