06.22.2014 | Photography
According to the AP two of our 400 public National Parks, Grand Canyon in Arizona and Zion in Utah, have already banned drones. In an interview with Jonathan Jarvis, the park service’s director, they plan to place bans at all parks citing wildlife disruption, hazards for climbers, and annoying park visitors as the main complaints.
Drone operators are fighting back by claiming the park is favoring some park visitors over others. They plan to challenge the Federal Aviation Administration’s ban. For now drone operators are still allowed to use their equipment until the rules are changed at each individual park. However, it probably won’t last long as Jarvis and his team is working closely with the FAA to shut drone operation inside the parks down.
If you’d like to read the entire article you can check it out here. ![]()
06.22.2014 | Video
UPDATE: MyPanasonic GH4 Tutorial Training Download is now available for purchase!
On a super tight schedule, and unable to do an Epic Shootout, but I wanted to get this out as soon as possible because of all the emails I am getting:
Panasonic GH4 vs Canon 5Diii – Is the GH4 a DSLR Killer?
I’ve been shooting with the new Panasonic GH4 for a couple weeks now, and wow…what an amazing, ground-breaking, game changing camera for videographers. If you shoot a lot of video and haven’t heard about it, you definitely need to take a look at what it can do:
– 4K in Camera Video
– Peak Focusing
– Variable Frame Rates
– Wi-Fi
– Flippy Touch Screen
– $1700
Additionally, the size and weight are significantly smaller than traditional DSLRs, especially when we consider the heavy lenses. I had never been interested in the GH line until I heard about the 4K and at that time I knew I needed to take a look. I am SO glad I did!
There are a number of really fantastic reviews already on Youtube that compare lots of video & features:
Luke Neumann’s GH4 Comparison:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kwMWb2KPB4
Dave Dugdale’s Comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxGekOHEPuc
Is it a new standard of value, features and quality for video? ABSOLUTELY!
Is it a DSLR killer? Read on…
Nearly all of the questions I have been getting have been about using the GH4 for stills photography, as just about everyone is agreeing the GH4 is simply amazing for video, so I decided to take a look to see how it matched up against a DSLR, in this case the Canon 5Diii. Yes, it is an apples or oranges comparison, but the 5D3 is a really good benchmark for an excellent all round camera.
Having spent some quality time with the GH4, I found a lot of strengths and weaknesses worth noting, and in these quick comparisons, I try to really focus on what matters most, and get to the point as quickly as possible. Consider it me doing your research and testing for you. There were a lot of little things that I liked, didn’t like, but left them out for the sake of time.
A thought on the Dynamic Range Test: I made mention of the curves feature, which when used with jpgs and video could really squeeze a lot more detail out of shadows and highlights and give the GH4 a distinct advantage over the 5Diii for those file types. That said, because the shadowns/highlight feature doesn’t apply to the raw images, this is a processor feature, and therefore, is something you can easily do in post with both camera files.
Some of the information I have in my video directly conflicts with what I have been seeing and reading in other reviews. It is possible that I had a bad copy, but due to the fact I was able to consistently reproduce the issues I was seeing, (sports focusing for example), I do feel obligated to tell you what I see before you all run out and buy one. It is a very, very good sports shooting camera for mirrorless system. It is not a DSLR slayer…yet, and I knew this after literally a couple minutes.
All that said, yes, I have purchased a GH4 and a couple lenses for it. No, I am not giving up my Canon gear at this time. I see the GH4 and the 5Diii that are different tools that do different things. I will say that the bigger camera companies have been put on notice, the Panasonic and the GH4 are a force to be reckoned with and if it continues, they will soon take over a huge chunk of the video shooting market. The GH4 should win multiple awards and I wouldn’t be surprised if it won camera of the year.
Not quite a DSLR killer yet, but the writing is on the wall…that day is coming, its just a matter of time.
I sure do appreciate your comments and thoughts, please let me know what you guys think!UPDATE: MyPanasonic GH4 Tutorial Training Download is now available for purchase!
On a super tight schedule, and unable to do an Epic Shootout, but I wanted to get this out as soon as possible because of all the emails I am getting:
Panasonic GH4 vs Canon 5Diii – Is the GH4 a DSLR Killer?
I’ve been shooting with the new Panasonic GH4 for a couple weeks now, and wow…what an amazing, ground-breaking, game changing camera for videographers. If you shoot a lot of video and haven’t heard about it, you definitely need to take a look at what it can do:
– 4K in Camera Video
– Peak Focusing
– Variable Frame Rates
– Wi-Fi
– Flippy Touch Screen
– $1700
Additionally, the size and weight are significantly smaller than traditional DSLRs, especially when we consider the heavy lenses. I had never been interested in the GH line until I heard about the 4K and at that time I knew I needed to take a look. I am SO glad I did!
There are a number of really fantastic reviews already on Youtube that compare lots of video & features:
Luke Neumann’s GH4 Comparison:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kwMWb2KPB4
Dave Dugdale’s Comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxGekOHEPuc
Is it a new standard of value, features and quality for video? ABSOLUTELY!
Is it a DSLR killer? Read on…
Nearly all of the questions I have been getting have been about using the GH4 for stills photography, as just about everyone is agreeing the GH4 is simply amazing for video, so I decided to take a look to see how it matched up against a DSLR, in this case the Canon 5Diii. Yes, it is an apples or oranges comparison, but the 5D3 is a really good benchmark for an excellent all round camera.
Having spent some quality time with the GH4, I found a lot of strengths and weaknesses worth noting, and in these quick comparisons, I try to really focus on what matters most, and get to the point as quickly as possible. Consider it me doing your research and testing for you. There were a lot of little things that I liked, didn’t like, but left them out for the sake of time.
A thought on the Dynamic Range Test: I made mention of the curves feature, which when used with jpgs and video could really squeeze a lot more detail out of shadows and highlights and give the GH4 a distinct advantage over the 5Diii for those file types. That said, because the shadowns/highlight feature doesn’t apply to the raw images, this is a processor feature, and therefore, is something you can easily do in post with both camera files.
Some of the information I have in my video directly conflicts with what I have been seeing and reading in other reviews. It is possible that I had a bad copy, but due to the fact I was able to consistently reproduce the issues I was seeing, (sports focusing for example), I do feel obligated to tell you what I see before you all run out and buy one. It is a very, very good sports shooting camera for mirrorless system. It is not a DSLR slayer…yet, and I knew this after literally a couple minutes.
All that said, yes, I have purchased a GH4 and a couple lenses for it. No, I am not giving up my Canon gear at this time. I see the GH4 and the 5Diii that are different tools that do different things. I will say that the bigger camera companies have been put on notice, the Panasonic and the GH4 are a force to be reckoned with and if it continues, they will soon take over a huge chunk of the video shooting market. The GH4 should win multiple awards and I wouldn’t be surprised if it won camera of the year.
Not quite a DSLR killer yet, but the writing is on the wall…that day is coming, its just a matter of time.
I sure do appreciate your comments and thoughts, please let me know what you guys think!
06.19.2014 | Photography
Been getting a lot of questions about the Panasonic GH4 and how it compares to something like the Canon 5Diii for different aspects of still photography. You may be wondering “why all the buzz?”
Well, the short answer is that in terms of video, the GH4 is a giant slayer. When we are talking about video, bang for your buck, what you are getting out of the camera, it is nothing short of amazing, and most of my mainly video shooting buddies are dumping their Canon’s in droves for the GH4. While not many of them are questioning how sweet it is for video, most of the questions Im hearing revolve around how it performs as a stills camera, and thats why Im making these little posts.
I just do not have enough room on my plate to do a full Epic Shootout between these two, I can post what my thoughts are and give you some critical feedback and info. The GH4 is a very solid stills camera, it is surprisingly good, but it has some limitations and weaknesses.
Shooting JPEGs only, f5, on a tripod, with similar picture styles, standard noise reduction, in controlled lighting conditions and bumping up the ISO, while turning down the shutter speed, here is the ISO Noise comparison chart:Been getting a lot of questions about the Panasonic GH4 and how it compares to something like the Canon 5Diii for different aspects of still photography. You may be wondering “why all the buzz?”
Well, the short answer is that in terms of video, the GH4 is a giant slayer. When we are talking about video, bang for your buck, what you are getting out of the camera, it is nothing short of amazing, and most of my mainly video shooting buddies are dumping their Canon’s in droves for the GH4. While not many of them are questioning how sweet it is for video, most of the questions Im hearing revolve around how it performs as a stills camera, and thats why Im making these little posts.
I just do not have enough room on my plate to do a full Epic Shootout between these two, I can post what my thoughts are and give you some critical feedback and info. The GH4 is a very solid stills camera, it is surprisingly good, but it has some limitations and weaknesses.
Shooting JPEGs only, f5, on a tripod, with similar picture styles, standard noise reduction, in controlled lighting conditions and bumping up the ISO, while turning down the shutter speed, here is the ISO Noise comparison chart:
So as we can see, the GH4 starts running into noise artifacts around 1600, especially in the Greens and Greys. The 5Diii looks really good even through 3200, and arguably higher.
Does this change my mind about the GH4? No, 1600 is solid, not as good as the 5Diii, but good enough. Add some f0.95 glass onto it, it may not matter. Need to get my hands on some of that! 🙂
Please let me know if you guys have any questions or suggestions in the comments below:
06.17.2014 | Tutorial & Training Videos
UPDATE: My Panasonic GH4 Tutorial Training Video Crash Course is now available:
CLICK HERE- Panasonic GH4 Tutorial Training Download
Just to give you all a heads up, been getting a ton of questions since my posting on my GH4 vs 5Diii Portrait Tests. I’ve had it for several days and long story short: the GH4 is AWESOME, especially if you are doing any video work. I have never owned a Panasonic, but playing with it for a couple days with a GH4 , I have decided to invest in the system. Its a bit of a pain because this means a new set of lenses, but holy cow, the things it can do are jaw dropping. Canon and Nikon need to pay careful attention to what is happening, because it is going to take a gigantic bite right out of the DSLR video market. Many of my long time Canon DSLR video shooting friends are already jumping ship.
The Crash Course Training Tutorial Video DVD for the Panasonic GH4 are well underway. We should expect to see a download available for it around the first week of July or sooner.
What makes my courses different, is that I expect that my viewers are pure beginners, knowing nothing about photography or video, and I take them from the start and get them to shooting on a very advanced level within the space of about 4 hours. My videos typically come with about 100 different chapter markers to jump in to any lesson, which makes it great for a reference.
We decided on a cover this afternoon, and this is most likely what it will be:
I am way, WAY behind on a number of videos for my youtube channel, but I should have a chance shortly to get some of them posted and done.
If you are interested in being notified when my training manual on the GH4 comes out, please leave me a comment and we will follow up with you as soon as it is available.
Thank you guys for your support!
UPDATE: Our Crash Course on the Panasonic GH4 Tutorial Training Video can be purchased here:
CLICK HERE- Panasonic GH4 Tutorial Training Download![]()
