The Panasonic has been a revelation.
The G9 with firmware 2.4 is a real video camera, not just a hybrid as it was on release.
As soon as I got it, everything video, just seemed to make sense.
So Olympus.
Dead duck?
Actually no.
The EM1 mk2 (latest firmware), is not at all a useless video camera in a Panasonic world.
What? Olympus for video….lets check that out.
First up, what does it do badly in comparison to the Pana?
The layout is not user friendly on the whole. No scrap that. The layout of clearly for stills shooters, by stills shooters, videographers be damned.
I am used to them as stills cameras, but for video, the whole thing seems to be a decent quality square peg rammed into a round hole. With a few exceptions* every button and dial control is less video oriented than on the Pana and you cannot set a video custom setting (you can set stills settings to jump from video to these, but some settings still don’t transfer well and going backwards is a nightmare).
An example among many is the ability to change the view finder/screen switch button to Record, but only in photo modes, not movie mode. basically you get only one option, shutter button or other. WTF?!. That smacks of a stills shooter constantly being afraid of hitting the record button by mistake. Very compact camera, very anti-video thinking. A choice of record on/off buttons would be nice in video mode guys especially when the retained functions are useless in that mode. On the Pana I have a left and right hand record button set up, because sometimes you need that.
*If you set up an Olympus for video, there are some shining lights such as useful function choice fot the two main dials and the option to switch functions with a lever. I have mine set to ISO and F-stop in lever position 1 and the less urgent Shutter and WB in lever position 2.
Peaking cannot be set and held, only coming on when you focus, so no passive confirmation. Magnification is the same. This is handy if distraction free stills framing is important, but for twitchy moving subjects in video, it means risking constantly un-focussing to check focus. I had this very issue with a spider on a gently wind blown web just today.
No Auto ISO in manual video, but you can set it in stills. Again WTF?!. What is good enough for one format should be equally relevant with the other.
All dials are “clicky”. The ISO control on the Pana (main rear dial) is gentle enough to use while filming and the nubbin control (also on the EM1x) is silent.
The screen is less helpful for manual focus than it could be, but it is less cluttered than the Pana. I can run the Pana without the big monitor, just preffer not to. The Oly really needs something for manual focussing or another solution (see below).
The colour is cooler and greener than the Pana. This is not a problem I guess, but not matching them is far from ideal and the controls for colour, contrast and sharpness are limited. Apart from a Flat profile (not OM-Log as it apparently has some grading issues), Natural or Muted profiles with the green turned down, there is precious little else on offer. The curve can also be changed and you have +/-2 control, but not very precice. It may be that I will have to accept a difference in colour and contrast unless I grade more professionally, so no shoot and drop. I am preferring Muted mode at -1 sharpness.
Really bad pre-amps. Just bad. ‘Nuff said.
What does it do better?
Some function buttons are similarly placed to the Pana, such as the twin front buttons, making some operations seamless.
The stabiliser is smoother and more natural feeling. It is also a smaller and lighter camera, meaning I can put my cold shoe handle on it without fear.
The AF is respectable, good even. Touch screen control is accurate and smooth. Ths means the poor MF screen is circumvented by using the superior touch AF option. Focus transitions, tracking and interviews may be better done with this camera.
Tell me more.
Auto exposure and white balance functionality is well supported (accurate). Shutter priority with auto ISO, and Aperture selection and then exposure comp applied, would likely work well enough for the fast moving situations I will task it for. If I use the EM1x, the nubbin control may be a silent option for exp comp (have to check).
It can shoot 200 mbs All-i* FHD. This is the highest bit rate to file type ratio in the EM1 and possibly the clincher. All-i is better for fast moving or constantly changing subjects, especially with high levels of contrast, changing lights (flash/strobe) and busy colours. Long-GOP, used by the G9 looks to be nearly indestinguishable from All-i for normal use (looking at several direct comparisons made by GH5 users), but All-i is still technically better in some circumstances as proven by its inclusion in the GH5.
*All-i creates a fresh, complete frame every frame. IPB (Long-GOP), that the G9 uses, creates a reference frame and only changes to capture what changes within that for the following few frames (a bit like animation, drawing a moving subject over a set background), so it is a much smaller file size overall and ideal for most applications. It looks like Pana has some pretty advanced algarythums for their Long-GOP IPB, only including All-i on the next level GH5.
The quality is more organic looking, less “perfect” than the Pana. The need to reduce sharpness and contrast in the Pana profiles seems less urgent with the Oly, which is good as there are fewer controls. I like the cooler palette for some situations and have found myself leaning towards the harder looking Cine-V with the Pana, which is closer to the Oly than the Pana Natural profile is.
So, what does this all add up to?
The Olympus may be a better run and gun camera with its excellent touch focus and stabilisers. Sound would likely be only used for synching with the Pana or Zooms.
It can also be better for fast movement in contrasty outdoors and for stage or event work when flash or strobes are in use. IPB can loose 10-15 frames in a row if the first catches a bust of flash, common with slow-mo.
The files will be big, but not ridiculously so if I stick to FHD and the camera will be the optional one, not the primary.
The colour and other controls are limited, but this is not insurmountable and I now have two different looks if wanted (especially if lenses are mixed).
I have extra cage options. No wastage and the fun of building 2 rigs :).
Summing up;
My G9 is still the video king. It has the best out of camera quality, the best maximum quality output and is vastly superior as a video-centric camera. This will do the bulk of my static or semi-static work.
The OSMO pocket comes in as the movement and “special angle” specialist. It can go into water, over head, handle fast movement and adds a super smooth gimbal dynamic.
The EM1 mk2 is going to be the moving B-cam, specialising in busier subjects and tougher light,smooth focus transitions and looser hand held work. I will use touch AF, which reduces the screens short comings, full IS with slight crop, with my 17mm which has both great AF and good Bokeh transition for that type of work. Basically, if the G9 is struggling for any reason (focus, stabiliser, format), the EM1 comes in.
Rigging the two up will be fun. The Camvate rig I have coming will likely go on the EM1 as it lacks a dedicated option, with an emphasis on hand held work only, no sound, no monitor. I may switch this up to the EM1x, as that camera only gets used for sport and big events at the moment and has the best stabiliser and focus, so my standard daily routine is untouched.
It will leave me a little short in stills gear, but I can always replace one or the other EM1 at a later date. Probably by the end of this year, an EM5 mk3 or EM1 2/3 will be an option, or I could just use the EM1x a bit more.