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Disocoping with the Panasonic GH4 (1 Viewer)

Neil

Well-known member
I've been excited about the possibilities of 4k video so jumped at the GH4 last Saturday when I could get one body only.
Took it out on the mudflats yesterday. It's very impressive. Fast, good quality sensor and Focus Peaking made manual focusing much easier than on the GH3.
Here are a few images taken yesterday on the hottest day of the year at around 11.00 am. I waited 3 hours for the tide to go down.
Neil.

Panasonic GH4 and Swarovski STX 95 mm Scope and TLS APO Adapter
Mai Po Nature Reserve,
Hong Kong,China.
26th May 2014
 

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Have had the camera body since May 6th, it really is a wonderful piece of kit. As mentioned already, the Focus Peaking is a superb feature, make auto focusing a dream. The viefinder has been upgraded and is great, the screen is also superb.

Heres a few taken through the Swaro ATX 95 with TLS Adaptor..

ISO 1300 on both Slavonian Grebes and Whinchat..

ISO 800 on the Shrikes
 

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The burst mode is also a major new plus for me, incredibly quick 12 frame burst per second. It is also very quiet.

Heres a few frames from a sequence of 12, a displaying Wood Warbler, ISO 1300.

Swaro ATX 95, TLS Adaptor.
 

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Have had the camera body since May 6th, it really is a wonderful piece of kit. As mentioned already, the Focus Peaking is a superb feature, make auto focusing a dream. The viefinder has been upgraded and is great, the screen is also superb.

Heres a few taken through the Swaro ATX 95 with TLS Adaptor..

ISO 1300 on both Slavonian Grebes and Whinchat..

ISO 800 on the Shrikes

The shrike images are very nice. I'm also very impressed with the Focus Peaking.
Neil.
 
We don't have many birds left out in the wetlands but there still were a few egrets around and some "leftover"shorebirds.
I'm loving the GH4 on the scope or on the Panasonic 100-300 mm lens. I shoot a lot of video with it using various legacy lenses and also Time-lapses.
This little group of Terek Sandpipers is that last flock around and should be leaving any day now.
https://vimeo.com/97483734
I haven't been using the ELV much as I have the camera on a tripod most of the day so prefer the touch screen. Also with my bifocals I find it difficult to use.
Neil.

Hong Kong,
June 2014
 

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GH3/4 and TLS APO Adapter

hi Neil, and very many thanks for sharing some great shots, particularly of waders, in this thread and its GH3 predeccessor.
I've had a GH3/Pana 100-300 combo as my carry-around kit for about a year now and have been very impressed, but couldn't find a satisfactory way of digiscoping with the GH3 through my old Leica scope. I'm about to take possession of an ATX95 scope and APO adapter (meaning thoughts of a GH4 will have to be abandoned for the time being!). How do the GH3/4 connect to the APO Adapter - I assume I'll need some kind of additional step-up/down ring? Do you use the Pana cameras, rather than a DSLR (I also have a D800), with the ATX mainly because of their high quality video?
 
hi Neil, and very many thanks for sharing some great shots, particularly of waders, in this thread and its GH3 predeccessor.
I've had a GH3/Pana 100-300 combo as my carry-around kit for about a year now and have been very impressed, but couldn't find a satisfactory way of digiscoping with the GH3 through my old Leica scope. I'm about to take possession of an ATX95 scope and APO adapter (meaning thoughts of a GH4 will have to be abandoned for the time being!). How do the GH3/4 connect to the APO Adapter - I assume I'll need some kind of additional step-up/down ring? Do you use the Pana cameras, rather than a DSLR (I also have a D800), with the ATX mainly because of their high quality video?

Ian,
The TLS APO is designed specifically for Mico Four Thirds cameras and should come with a T2/M/43rds adapter. I have adapters for Nex and Nikon cameras too. There is some vignetting with these though.
The D800 is too heavy and clunky (mirror vibration) for the relatively lightweight scope without special support. Also it's very noisy which I don't like around birds. I had an Intermediate Egret slowly feeding towards me recently and at 30 meters I took one shot with the D800 + 300/4 and it few off.
I do shoot a lot of video these days and the Nikon's are rubbish for video. The GH3/GH4 are great, although to get the best out of them you need to fit ND filters to all your lenses. I have two stop,4 stop and Variable ND filters.
On the scope this is not as easy as if you use the Panasonic 20mm , which is the preferred digiscoping lens, then the added thickness of the ND filter brings in a bit of vignetting. The other alternative is to use Shutter Priority for video and select 1/800th second this will give close to the right exposure for video. To get around this problem I have a Sigma 30 mm lens which I can fit a two stop ND filter and still not get vignetting ( it becomes 60mm on the GH3). The only problem with this is that it's a lot of magnification to start with. I normally like about 40 mm on the STX95.
You will enjoy the views through the STX96. Have fun and let us know how it goes.
Neil.
ps I keep the D800 plus 300/4 afs sitting beside me for flight shots and fast action eg egrets fighting over food.
 
many thanks for the detailed reply Neil. Your info based on real field experience is invaluable.
I agree that the D800's video abilities fall way short of the GH3 - in fact I never use it for video. Disappointed to read of weight/mirror slap issues with D800 on the ATX/APO adapter, as by my reckoning, with 95 scope set to minimum 30x that combo would = a useful 900mm, whilst the GH3 would be 1800mm equivalent.
I rarely take DSLR gear as well as mirrorless, as most of my fieldwork days involve tramping around my local estuary (Humber) surveying waders and wildfowl, and I find that GH3, scope/tripod, daysac and clipboard is plenty of gear to lug around all day. I hope the ATX/APO adapter will allow significantly more photography during the course of my working days.
 
Neil,
Can you teach me about the need for the ND filters with the GH4. Also is the Leica Panosonic 25 mm f1.4 a good digiscoping lens with this camera? Thanks,
Frank
 
Neil,
Can you teach me about the need for the ND filters with the GH4. Also is the Leica Panosonic 25 mm f1.4 a good digiscoping lens with this camera? Thanks,
Frank

Frank,
The problem for video is that the shutter speeds that you are supposed to use for the most natural looking movement are twice the frame rate. With the GH4 that means 1/100th for 50 fps, 1/50 for 24/25 fps 1/60th for 30 fps. The problem with exposure is that the base iso is 100 for 1080p but 200 for 4k.
Diffraction starts to kick in after f8 with Micro Four Third sensors, but even at 1/100 at f16 with white birds on a bright day the camera will overexpose about two stops. The experts seem to be recommending no more than f8 and of course if you want to blur background then you'll need around f4 or f2.8. So on a sunny day for egrets and camera set at base iso 100 , you'll set f8 at 1/100 and you'll be about 4 stops over exposed so you'll need a 4 stop ND filter. I find a variable ND filter is better. They normally are a 9 stop and work like a circular polariser. You turn the front element until the Zebra stripes disappear from the screen ( this is adjustable in the settings).
If you are not too critical and don't need shallow DOF then a fixed 2 stop ND will do a reasonable job ( and cheaper too) . You could start there.
The other problem with setting f16 is that shadowing will creep in when videoscoping with most lenses. Another reason for not going over f8.
Hope this helps.
The dimensions of the Leica Panasonic 25/1.4 look similar to the Sigma 30/2.8 so should work well. The Panasonic 20/1.7 is just a tad wide for some eyepieces ( especially zooms). Always try and test first though.
Neil.
 
We don't have many birds left out in the wetlands but there still were a few egrets around and some "leftover"shorebirds.
I'm loving the GH4 on the scope or on the Panasonic 100-300 mm lens. I shoot a lot of video with it using various legacy lenses and also Time-lapses.
This little group of Terek Sandpipers is that last flock around and should be leaving any day now.
https://vimeo.com/97483734
I haven't been using the ELV much as I have the camera on a tripod most of the day so prefer the touch screen. Also with my bifocals I find it difficult to use.
Neil.

Hong Kong,
June 2014

Nice shots Neil. A quick question regarding the Panasonic 100-300mm. Next month I am spending three weeks raptor counting at Batumi, Georgia and want to shoot plenty of video whilst there. Figure videoscoping with Gh4 and Swaro ATX 95 will give nice results, though the 100-300 lens might be a better option for flying birds? Not an easy subject at the best of times.
How do you find the lens for video as regards two things in video mode, sharpness and autofocus?
Is the lens good enough for stills to allow me to leave my Nikon D90 and Sigma 150-500mm at home and pack lighter as a result?
 
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Nice shots Neil. A quick question regarding the Panasonic 100-300mm. Next month I am spending three weeks raptor counting at Batumi, Georgia and want to shoot plenty of video whilst there. Figure videoscoping with Gh4 and Swaro ATX 95 will give nice results, though the 100-300 lens might be a better option for flying birds? Not an easy subject at the best of times.
How do you find the lens for video as regards two things in video mode, sharpness and autofocus?
Is the lens good enough for stills to allow me to leave my Nikon D90 and Sigma 150-500mm at home and pack lighter as a result?

The lens is sharp enough on the GH4/GH3 but AF is a bit slow for birds in flight. If I'm photographing fast action I like the Nikon 300/4 + 1.4x on the D3s or D800.
Neil.
 
Neil,

Have u tested the V1/V2 against these camera with TLS APO? If yes, what do you think of it? Let say test on 30x and also at 70x

I haven't shot the V!/V2 on the TLS APO for a while. I've shot the GH3 and Nex 6/7 on it and like it. As I mostly shoot video these days I'm interested in cameras with at least 1080/50p. I wish Nikon would catch up.
Neil.
 
Something a little different, essentially a video grab...

Videoscoped footage from GH4 and Swaro ATX 95 used here...

This photo is taken with an iPhone 4s, the photo is of a 4K still from my monitor, the video is simply paused, then snapped on the phone.

Monitor is a Samsung UH8 ultra high def.

No sharpening on phone image...
 

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I haven't posted here for a while but I have been using the GH4 most days, just not on the scope.
I had it out again last week though and I used it with the Sigma 30/2.8.
As I shoot mostly video with the GH4 I need to attach an ND Filter to cut down the light by up to 4 stops. With the Panasonic 20mm + ND there is a little vignetting with the 30-70x eyepiece on the STX 95. I did find the Sigma a bit long as you can see from the waterhen which is more than full frame. But it is internally focusing which I like.
Neil

Panasonic GH4 and Sigma 30/2.8 and Swarovski STX 95 mm + DCB11
Mai Po Nature Reserve,
Hong Kong,China.
October 2014
 

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