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Nikon D7100 vs Panasonic Gh2 sharpness test
  • 39 Replies sorted by
  • DrDaveDrDave

    @bleach551 sometime it would be great to see a test where you shoot some straight lines, like on roofs or the siding on houses, and rotate the cam on the tripod 5 degrees or so, I'm always looking for the lowest aliasing cams.

  • AzoAzo

    @DrDave

    I have the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 as well as the Panasonic 14mm 2.5 lenses, and without a doubt it is the sharpest lenses that I have ever seen in terms of video quality. I was really interested in purchasing the Olympus 45mm 1.8 and based off of the reviews I am sure that I would have been happy with it. The issue that I have with the newer lenses in general be it from Nikon, Canon, Panasonic etc is that for manual focusing it just does not feel right in comparison to the older manual lenses.

    The other issue that I found with the Pany 20mm/14mm lens is that if I want to use a follow focus it is really difficult to do because the lens is so compact and close to the body of the lens, add a matte box to that scenario and good luck. I have found work arounds for the follow focus but not the matte box. Please chime in if you have a solution for the matte box.

    On a side note, I really like the quality and workmanship of the older lenses and although some of the newer lenses maybe a little sharper or have better coatings etc I am still willing to sacrifice just little in that department for the overall build quality that will last for years to come. The Minolta Rokkor X PG 50mm 1.4 is a prime example of this, solid piece of metal and glass, extremely smooth manual focus ( actually better then my Nikon's ) and I basically got it for free ($60.00) with Hoya filter shipping included.

    I do agree with your general statement of just get out there have fun and shoot. Thank you for reminding me off that :)

    @bleach551

    Thank you for sharing your experience with me. Based on what you and @danyyyel have said I feel confident in making this purchase. I have a shoot coming up in a couple of weeks, after that shoot I will have some extra money to spend on the D7100. Thanks again for you input this pretty much seals the deal for me. I don't plan on selling my GH2's because they will come in handy for certain shoots, but I am going to purchase the D7100 to add to my quiver.

    Best Regards

  • bleach551bleach551

    @DrDave,

    Here is a quick and dirty that I did for you of a sequence of clips that would have shown serious moire and aliasing on both my Canon 7D and Nikon D7000. I didn't have my tripod with me so I just jiggled the D7100 a bit to try to induce Moire and aliasing.

    Please Download the Original 1080p or 720p file from vimeo. I see some artifacts in this smaller size version that is not present in the original file. It maybe do to Vimeo's encoder

  • danyyyeldanyyyel

    So people can download and compare for themselves here https://plus.google.com/photos/115991370373823953401/albums/5900467492494614001 between the gh2 and D7100 at different in camera sharpness settings

  • DrDaveDrDave

    Thanks @Bleach551--looks like a nice cam for vid--the fence post had a very nice look.

  • bleach551bleach551

    @DrDave,

    Thanks, I use the outdoor Staircase endposts with all my cameras to test for moire, aliasing and to check my in-camera sharpness setting. The last clip, the shower curtain, would have looked like an "Ant dancing party" on my D7000 and 7D.

  • danyyyeldanyyyel

    The different frame grab at different in camera sharpening

    D7100 DSC_4869.MOV_sharp 4.png
    1920 x 1080 - 6M
    D7100 DSC_4869.MOV_sharp 2.png
    1920 x 1080 - 6M
    D7100 DSC_4869.MOV_sharp 0.png
    1920 x 1080 - 6M
    D7100 DSC_4869.MOV_sharp 9.png
    1920 x 1080 - 6M
    D7100 DSC_4869.MOV_sharp 7.png
    1920 x 1080 - 6M
    D7100 DSC_4869.MOV_sharp 6.png
    1920 x 1080 - 6M
    d7100 flat sharp 2.png
    1920 x 1080 - 6M
    gh2 -0 sharpness.png
    1920 x 1080 - 6M
    gh2 +1 sharpness.png
    1920 x 1080 - 6M
    gh2 +2 sharpness.png
    1920 x 1080 - 6M
    gh2 -2 sharpness.png
    1920 x 1080 - 6M
  • AzoAzo

    @danyyyel

    Wow the D7100 sharpens up quite nicely. Looking at the images it seems as though the sharpness is just about equal when you apply +4 on D7100. The other plus to the D7100 is I did not see any moire in the video that you posted unlike my D600. Thanks again for sharing your findings with the rest of us.

    Best Regards

  • WildrangerWildranger

    Yes you ca sharpen this camera in post really well. I shot always on sharpness at 0 because at +1 it adds a little bit of halo, its very subtly but when you add post-sharpening it gets very noticeable. here is my test with color grading and After Effects sharpen filter at 50.

  • danyyyeldanyyyel

    @Wildranger So you say that it is preferable to shoot at the lowest in camera sharpness setting and then sharpen in post? I am asking because I find zero to be a bit soft.

  • bleach551bleach551

    @danyyyel, @Wildranger,

    I am using The "Portrait" picture profile with a +1 sharpness and with the contrast turned all the way down and "saturation" turned down to -2. I also found the "0" sharpening setting a little soft. The "portrait" picture profile has a slight softening effect. So along with a slight "+1" sharpening, It gives a great sharpness without the slight halo with "+2" sharpening. It's kind of a toss-up between "+2" and "+1" sharpening in this camera. Just when I decide on one or the other I change my mind again!

  • bleach551bleach551

    @danyyyel, @Wildranger,

    Here is a quick 5 second test that I just ran outside and shoot, Sorry for not using tripod, It was taken with a Portrait picture profile , +2 sharpening, -3 contrast, -3 saturation. I added contrast with a Curve in Color finesse in after effects.

  • WildrangerWildranger

    @danyyyel, @bleach551 I'm not quite sure of my hypothesis, i should do some very "pixel piping" test to confirm that. But even if it looks soft, the image at sharpness 0 holds all the same detail that it has at +1, +2, +3... The only difference is that it came more sharp direct from camera, its a matter of choice, but i prefer adding it in post since the plugin of after effects do a better job than the in-camera processing. ;)

  • bleach551bleach551

    @Wildranger,

    I didn't want you to think that I was calling your video soft. I too used "0" sharpening for a while and I used the 32-bit "Unsharp Mask" Under "Blur & Sharpen" within After Effects. I tried 0.6,0.7,0.8,0.9 and 1.0 Radius and I tried Amounts of: 55, 65, 75, 85, 95, 115. I basically left Threshold alone. The images looked great after I sharpened them. However, when I compared them to the different in-camera sharpening settings I was trying, the In-camera sharpening settings always looked better and smoother IMHO. Now this is probably due to my poor sharpening skills, which are probably not up to par with yours. I think with your skills you may be able to achieve better sharpening in post than in camera. Unfortunately for me, I was not.

    Like you said, it's a matter of choice. There is no one right way to sharpen an image, just the one that works best for you.

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