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Official Panasonic G5 topic
  • 264 Replies sorted by
  • Wow. sounds like 720p 120 maybe a GH-3 feature. Its like a crossword puzzle. You can figure out some of the answers. I figure Panasonic needs 8-10 new and improved features to deliver in the GH-3.

  • They are adding 120fps 720p and 240fps SD modes to the FZ200.

    Hi Speed is coming all over the place this year. The GH3 has a big possibility of 120fps 720p. Slowly the frame rates creep in!

  • Just imagine how AMAZING flower footage is going to look in 120fps!!!

    (Not to mention the cat, the angry girl friend, the bored kids at the park, ...the possibilities are ENDLESS)

  • @mpgxsvcd - You cannot forget a major difference between this G5 and the GH3 (or whatever they are going to call it)... the weather sealing. For some of us, that is huge!

  • Did anyone see some sample of the video out of the G5?

  • @Manu4Vendetta

    Check first post :-) I try to update it from time to time.

  • None of Panasonic's recent camera models include the GH2's 1080p24 encoder, and in my view, that rules them out as upgrades to the GH2. The 24p encoder is effectively a completely separate AVCHD encoder capable of sustained bitrates exceeding 150Mbps. By contrast, the HBR/FSH/SH encoder is in practice limited to about 100Mbps peak bitrate, and I expect that limit to apply to the G5's 1080p60 video mode as well. Unfortunately, Panasonic appears to be using their lower-performance AVCHD encoder as the technological base for developing high frame rate video modes.

  • None of Panasonic's recent camera models include the GH2's 1080p24 encoder, and in my view, that rules them out as upgrades to the GH2. The 24p encoder is effectively a completely separate AVCHD encoder capable of sustained bitrates exceeding 150Mbps.

    This statement is 100% false.

    • All of latest Panasonic cameras include 1080p24 encoder (but not the necessary sensor modes :-) )
    • It is not separate encoder, and all the difference is more related to frame rates and other encoding parameters

    encoder is in practice limited to about 100Mbps peak bitrate, and I expect that limit to apply to the G5's 1080p60 video mode as well.

    1080p60 requires less bitrate per frame compared to 1080p24 or 1080p30. As for interframe codecs you have much smaller changes and much better changes tracking if use higher framerates.

  • Sorry, Vitaliy, but until someone shows me a way to hack the HBR/FSH/SH encoder to perform at comparable bitrates and quality levels as the 24p encoder, I'll continue to regard them as effectively separate encoders. Aside from the curious linkage between the GOP-length of 24p and 50i video modes, the PTool patch settings for the 24p encoder are completely separate from those of the HBR/FSH/SH encoder. In practice, I had to use different stabilization techniques to guarantee reliability in the different video modes, and some of the techniques I used effectively in 24p modes did not work at all in HBR/FSH/SH modes.

    Your claim that a 1080p60 frame requires less bitrate per frame than the same frame size at 24p or 30p is true only for long-GOP recording formats. In my experience, using the IBBPBB 6-frame GOP for 720p video was a barely acceptable compromise necessary to accommodate the limitations of the HBR/FSH/SH encoder.

  • PTool patch settings for the 24p encoder are completely separate from those of the HBR/FSH/SH encoder.

    And? 720p settings are also separate, except bitrate (and bitrate is the same only because this routine is written as such, not because encoder). It does not mean that encoder is separate.

    Frame rate is separate, and settings are separate. But encoder itself is the same.

    Your claim that a 1080p60 frame requires less bitrate per frame than the same frame size at 24p or 30p is true only for long-GOP recording formats.

    It is true for any actual modes used in actual cameras. as 1080p60 mode is using same 0.5 second, 30 frames GOP.

  • Panasonic have asked me to shoot a chart for their legal department proving the resolution advantage of the GH2 versus the Canon 7D and 5D Mark III. If anyone has both cameras, a chart and the necessary technical expertise to do a perfect test showing the number of effective lines in video mode each camera's 1080p delivers please get in touch.

    LOL

    Can you show us papers?

  • LPowell: "Your claim that a 1080p60 frame requires less bitrate per frame than the same frame size at 24p or 30p is true only for long-GOP recording formats."

    Vitaliy_Kiselev: "It is true for any actual modes used in actual cameras. as 1080p60 mode is using same 0.5 second, 30 frames GOP."

    By "actual modes", you're evidently referring to the stock GOP-lengths and bitrates of the video modes in unhacked Panasonic cameras. But as I'm sure you understand, what most of us are interested in is how well these cameras will perform with short-GOP, high-bitrate hacks. My point is that regardless of how these modes are implemented in software, in practice they behave effectively as two separate encoders: 24p versus HBR/FSH/SH. The bottom line is that the 24p encoder modes can be hacked to operate at significantly higher bitrates and quality than the HBR/FSH/SH encoder modes. And if the new 1080p60 modes are built on extensions to the HBR/FSH/SH encoder, I expect it will share the limitations of that encoder as well.

  • My point is that regardless of how these modes are implemented in software, in practice they behave effectively as two separate encoders: 24p versus HBR/FSH/SH. The bottom line is that the 24p encoder modes can be hacked to operate at significantly higher bitrates and quality than the HBR/FSH/SH encoder modes. And if the new 1080p60 modes are build on extensions of the HBR/FSH/SH encoder, I expect it will share the limitations of that encoder.

    I already said that you can repeat this mantra about two encoder as song as you like. It is just not true. Limitations are due to framerates (less time until next frame) and encoder settings (like interlacing approach used for 1080p modes).

    Otherwise we can speculate as long as we want. Camera is using different LSI, and performance will be different.

  • Hi, Vitalij,

    Is it possible to include in your upcoming G3 hack the new “touchpad” functionality from G5? This is the G5’s most important feature I miss from G3, but obviously it would be a great waste if I upgraded from G3 to G5 just for this reason.

    Please, I’d greatly appreciate if you could do it...

  • This is the G5’s most important feature I miss from G3

    Why this is most important?

    As for making it, most probably it'll be never done.

  • @Vitaliy_Kiselev

    I believe that the new touch feature is meant for users to look through the viewfinder but swing the lcd out to control focusing. Now this means that you are not actually looking directly at the screen you are touching. However, it means that your nose will not be touching the screen either.

    Personally I think this feature is a gimmick. I would just use the LCD for viewing and focusing instead of trying to look through the viewfinder and fumble around with the extended LCD.

  • Personally I think this feature is a gimmick. I would just use the LCD for viewing and focusing instead of trying to look through the viewfinder and fumble around with the extended LCD.

    I understand that it is, question was about G3.

    As for gimmick. I clearly remember this suggestion during our discussions about G2, G3 or GH2.

  • @Vitaliy

    Nice review! I'm intrigued by the Creative Controls, especially by the "High Dynamic" and the "Retro". Can't see if they're available for video though :S

  • A couple of cool new features I found while reading about the G5. This bodes very well for the GH3.

    1. High Dynamic and Cross Process video modes. The High dynamic mode definitely has much more dynamic range in the video at the link below. How much more noise will it have?

    http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/g5/video.html

    1. HDR Image mode can use several images to achieve a much broader dynamic range without increasing noise.

    http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/g5/image_quality.html

    1. Level Guage – “The Level Gauge lets the camera detect the horizontal / vertical angle of view with its internal level working with the acceleration sensor. Photos shot in a portrait aspect will be automatically displayed vertically whatever lens is used.” This should have been in the G1!

    http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/g5/control.html

    1. Star Filter and One Point Color modes – Could be great for astro Photography

    http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/g5/creativity.html

    1. You can now select 1080p as an output option for the HDMI output.

    “The HDMI output function requires the optional RP-CDHM15/CDHM30 HDMI mini cable. The output resolution of the DMC-G5 can be selected as 1,080p, 1,080i or 480p. Please confirm that the TV you are connecting to has an HDMI input terminal compatible with the selected signal. Depending on the cable used, some functions may not be possible. Panasonic HDMI cables are highly recommended.”

    http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/g5/creativity.html

    1. New two Axis white balance adjustment.

    “The DMC-G5's 2-axis adjustment feature gives you a finer white balance adjustment, even when adjusting the Color Temperature Setting or White Set function*. The white balance bracket function shoots 3 consecutive photos with slight changes to the white balance setting of each photo in both the horizontal (amber to blue) and vertical (green to magenta) axes.”

    http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/g5/creativity.html

    1. Bulb mode is limited to 2 minutes. The G2 was limited to 4 minutes and 16 seconds.

    http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/g5/specifications.html

  • This review says that the Bulb time limit is actually 4 minutes. However, the Panasonic spec page says 2 minutes.

    Night

    The Panasonic Lumix G5 maximum shutter speed is 60 seconds and there's also a Bulb option for exposures up to 4 minutes long, which is excellent news if you're seriously interested in night photography.

    http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/panasonic_lumix_g5_review/image_quality/

  • The G5 video looks pretty good for stock. Now even I can see that this 60p could benefit from a little extra bit rate. However, it isn't as bad as everyone thought it would be. It doesn't go into fallback mode in this clip and there is substantial motion.

    Not being able to control shutter speed for movies is a deal breaker though. Bring on the GH3.

    So what do you guys think? Will the GH3 have exactly the same 1080p @ 60 FPS quality as the G5 or are you expecting it to be different? I think it will look exactly like this which I actually am ok with as a starting point.