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Panasonic GH6, final m43 camera, again with bad AF
  • 403 Replies sorted by
  • EnoEno

    @firstbase

    You are right, at $1500-$1700 USD this camera could make somewhat sense in the current market for specialized work. Unfortunately for Panasonic, nowadays I won't be buying any new camera without all the bells and whistles + a proper PDAF.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

  • halfmachalfmac

    I did not recieve a GH6 review unit with over 4500 subscribers and been using Lumix since the GH2. I still am.

    @EspenB It seems like every camera influencer with more than 100 subscribes on YouTube have received a review unit of the GH6.

    The must have shipped more than 100 pcs of GH6 cameras out to the sales force. Simply mind-boggling.

    Rule #1: Do not talk about DFD autofocus.

    Rule #2: Do not talk about DFD autofocus.

    Rule #3: If someone yells "autofocus" or full frame pricing your career in influencer marketing is revoked.

  • DrDaveDrDave

    @EspenB I did not receive a camera and I have 315,000 subs :)

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @DrDave

    Subscribers have little to do with review units - but your personal connections are important.

    Even much smaller channels got cameras if they know right people in marketing team.

  • firstbasefirstbase

    I wonder if the GH6 will be Netflix approved considering the codec options. It's an interesting camera, if you can get past the autofocus challenges. Tempting in many ways. I noticed Panasonic are offering a free "early adopter" gift in the form of a Lexar 128GB CFExpress card.

  • theusualeditortheusualeditor

    I don't understand why the contrast AF is even an issue for anyone. You don't use autofocus or even AF lenses for serious work. My guess is that the people complaining about this are hobbyists or wedding videographers.

    The same goes for stabilization. There is a plethora of codecs, resolutions and bitrates available in this camera for professional work, and If the features people want (phase detection) already exist in another vendor, then buy that system and the problem is solved.

  • DrDaveDrDave

    If you are tracking something fast, whether it is a bird or a ping pong ball, then AF is important.

  • firstbasefirstbase

    @ DrDave

    I can unequivocally state that at my age, my balls don't track fast.

  • endotoxicendotoxic

    Throw the autofocus away and you have a really hard to beat camera. I wish it had the GH5II wifi connections and live YouTube streams.

    The additional data that it has against the Sony cameras is impressive.

    This is a no brainer for many applications. Much more than any sony line, except for low light and autofocus GH6 beats almost anyone.

  • MikeLinnMikeLinn

  • Manu4VendettaManu4Vendetta

  • MikeLinnMikeLinn

  • Manu4VendettaManu4Vendetta

  • Manu4VendettaManu4Vendetta

  • gabiloursongabilourson

    hi guys and girls, I have accompanied this community since GH2, always with a benevolent and amused look, always passionate about each other's opinions... I have been a television producer since 1998 and I have always had an unwavering passion for cameras . I shot programs for television in GH2 (with which I still take photos!), music videos in GH4, corporate films, endless interviews... Today I have an FS7 markII, nice lenses and a GH5 that I always use in my professional practice when working solo (yes!).

    So I have seen in these pages the arrival of many new LUMIX... and each time... it's the same comedy ;) There are those who complain of not having had such and such capacities, such a gadget, such a function... There are also those who utter furious and indignant reproaches against these Panasonic people "who didn't understand anything", "who didn't do better than Sony", etc.

    Here's what I think about it myself: it's not the camera that makes the director. The permanent competition of "the one who will have the biggest" does not change the case: do you know how to tell something? If I'm telling you that, it's because the answer is not in the gadgets of your new camera... I shot on film, in Hi8, in Betacam, in DV, I did commercials for the television with Canon 5D (!) in short, I have known dozens of different cameras and very often I had no choice: I used what I was given. The most beautiful films in the world were shot with cameras that only knew how to capture light. 30 seconds of well-filmed Super 8 is sometimes worth a lot more than hours of rushes out of the latest full-frame model of my balls that costs a blind. When I see certain Youtube influencers who have never sweated two minutes to tell an interesting story and who do very often disgusting tests and reviews, who don't even know how to make a frame, put a tripod in the right place, who adjust their diaphragm anyhow and who know nothing about color grading... It makes me laugh... Most of them only know how to do one thing: go film their girlfriend in the park closest to home with their new toy to see if one autofocus is better than another... Les amis ! Friends! The best autofocus is your eye combined with your finger!

    Sorry to be my old veteran here, but frankly, the endless debates around the technology chosen for the autofocus, what the fuck are we kidding? I know it's a bit excessive to say it like that, but it's to give you an idea of ​​how I feel when I read all the cynical and indignant comments, all these analyzes from people who don't know anything about it to the effort and science needed to make such tools. I don't know how to make a camera either, yet I am always surprised at the way Panasonic responds to the real practices of my professional daily life. I want to pay tribute here to the engineers at Pana who each time manage to offer great and not too expensive cameras that make it possible to produce quality images and sound, in a transportable and affordable format. Panasonic's credo is to make "Swiss army knife" tools and once again this powerful GH6 will allow young directors to hone their skills, perhaps to shoot their first films and for that, thank you Pana!

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @gabilourson

    OK, let's just return to the level of ordinary guy. Who do usual family stuff, interviews, some kids videos and so on.

    For him best AF is definitely DPAF, paired with good algorithms it can hold focus without much breathing and follow subject accurately. For smartphones even it is also easy to see big advantage of this tech.

    Phase AF is much worse for real life, but its advantage is lack of back and forth movements.

    DFD contrast based AF is quite good for photo usage, it can drive motor fast near proper point, hence the name. But for video it behaves badly for normal average guy. It can hunt, it can do fast pulsing.

    Even amateur directors are TINY niche, and having better AF won't hurt at all.

  • theusualeditortheusualeditor

    @gabilourson you are a pretty cool guy. Also an FS7mkII user and always surprised at the results with proper planning.

  • DrDaveDrDave

    @gabilourson Sure it the driver, not the race car. But the driver needs a good race car.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Panasonic GH6 manual available at

    https://av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/support/dsc/oi/GH6/index.html

  • Energy80sEnergy80s

    As I said before, Panasonic should never have gone with continuous autofocus for video. Keep it manual only and release proper manual lenses with focus rings and iris rings on them - none of this "fly-by-wire" shit. I've been shooting video for over 30 years and have never used autofocus in my work, as part of the skill of being a camera operator is being able to manual focus and manual iris. Auto anything is for the "home movie" brigade.

    I can't imagine anyone crying out for auto iris or auto white balance or auto gain (iso) control, so why is auto focus soooo important?

  • DrDaveDrDave

    I use auto gain control all the time. I would not buy a camera without it.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @Energy80s

    Auto anything is for the "home movie" brigade.

    Auto anything is default mode for 80% of buyers.

    And why not, if proper DPAF with tracking is able to make you totally usable shot.

    And what to do if you are shooting your vlog alone and you are moving?

  • theusualeditortheusualeditor

    Well said @Energy80s Except for the kit lens (forgotten in some drawer), all my lenses are manual and would never use auto-anything for serious work.

  • libertaslibertas

    I think this fad with the razor thin depth of field is a new "storytelling tool" and a look that is not only for YouTubers and vloggers but, I also think designing a shots' depth of field based on subject matter and lighting conditions and Intent is more important.

    I still have the gh2 which I used as a web camera for e-classes during quarantine, a GX 80 which I use a lot, but its quality could be better, and the black magic 4K which is kind of clunky.

    The GH6 I find kind of underwhelming. I really wish it had a top side LCD like the G9 and the s1 and maybe a more compact body. 4k120p if the image holds up is great however. I wouldn't mind nifty autofocus but since I don't use it much it's not a deal breaker. I really like the black magic raw codec, so I guess if in the future there is a possibility of in body raw recording I will probably buy it, if nothing else on par is offered. And we haven't all turned into nuclear dust by the powers that be, ✌️☮️♥️

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