Pro Moviemaker Autumn 2018

SONY A7 III V PANASONIC GH5S

AUTOFOCUS

Many serious filmmakers never even consider autofocus, but by neglecting this area they are missing out on the latest intelligent systems. And as both these cameras are hybrids, AF is far more prevalent and they both have good systems. The Sony A7 III has a super- advanced AF system with 693 points that is fast and accurate, as it uses the superior contrast and phase detect systems. Rattling off uncompressed 14-bit Raw stills files at 10fps, there is a tiny bit of viewfinder lag. But lower the frame rate to 8fps and it’s amazing. There are a huge number of different AF options for shooting stills, ranging from the standard single shot and continuous, to wide area, zone, flexible spot, expanded flexible spot, lock-on area and face priority. Switch to Eye AF when shooting with a fast prime lens wide open is unbelievable as it tracks the eye of the subject with scary precision. In video mode, the AF is far less advanced but it still uses an advanced hybrid system. It can hunt in low light, but is excellent at acquiring focus on a moving subject and tracking it. And you can adjust the AF speed as well as how quickly it reacts when it detects an out-of-focus image. The tilting touchscreen is also good for doing focus pulls during video, or just touch-to-focus. The Panasonic uses the basic contrast-detect AF system as there is no fancy hybrid focusing such as found on the Sony. The fast readout from the new sensor is designed to increase AF speed in low light, but the GH5S is certainly no rival for the Sony for autofocus while shooting video. The GH5S does however let you set up to three focus points and then selectively switch between them during recording by using the camera’s touchscreen. Like the Sony, you can customise lots of AF settings for video, such as how sensitive the AF is, how fast the subject might be moving around the frame and how erratic that movement might be. But it’s still let down by the contrast- detect system.

LENSES

“Many serious filmmakers never even consider autofocus, but by neglecting this area they are missing out”

Bigger sensors require bigger lenses, and for the Sony FE mount, the choice is growing but still limited. But now there is the G-Master series of top-end pro lenses with a full complement of f/2.8 zooms, some fast primes and a macro lens, a 100- 400mm sports lens, and a 400mm f/2.8 prime lens. Sony’s latest pro lenses are incredibly sharp, but also priced higher than just about any other mirrorless or DSLR glass. However, the E-mount means other lenses can be fitted using adapters, and there are many cinema lenses available in E-mount such as Fujifilm’s MK series and Sigma’s ART optics. These fast, longer focal length lenses let you get wafer-thin depth-of-field. Panasonic’s own-brand lenses are plentiful but don’t have the same reputation or quality as Sony’s G-Master lenses. As the GH5S is a Micro Four Thirds fit, it means you can choose lenses from the Olympus catalogue, too. And there are lots of independent brands that offer MFT- fit lenses in styles and prices to suit all budgets. From tiny, super-fast primes to AF sports lenses like the Olympus 300mm f/4 right through to top-end cine glass. You can even get Fuji’s latest cinema lenses converted to fit. Winner: A draw. Panasonic has the edge in size, price and availability, Sony in own-brand image quality

GH5S

A7 III

ABOVE If things aren't moving too quickly, the Panasonic does a good job of locking on focus. By contrast, the Sony can pick up and track fast-moving subjects with long lenses at wide apertures. It's a revelation..

Winner: Sony, with a system that really works

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AUTUMN 2018 PRO MOVIEMAKER

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