5DIII (Magic Lantern) vs. GH4

The 5D3 gets absolutely amazing image quality with magic lantern, but you have to be willing to put a lot of time into post production to get the best results. You also have to be prepared with some big, fast cards and a lot of disk space on your computer.
I upgraded a few months ago, and was deciding between the same cameras you are. I chose the 5d3 because of the raw quality, flexibility, and workflow, and because I'm really interested in the programming side of ML.
I think the decision really comes down to whether you value frame rate (GH4), or image quality and flexibility (5d3) more. I don't think you'd be disappointed with either.

Though, I did recently find this video which makes a strong case for the GH4's image quality. I'd be interested to hear from someone who has used both
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kwMWb2KPB4

What do you own now? What do you need the camera for?


Answer me these questions and we'll move on, the majority of people on NS don't "need" a 5dm3 or a gh4.

pussyfooterWhat do you own now? What do you need the camera for?


Answer me these questions and we'll move on, the majority of people on NS don't "need" a 5dm3 or a gh4.

I have a 60D, I didn't make this thread because I'm in the market. I am just curious

I don't understand why people still buy 5Ds for video.

lIllII don't understand why people still buy 5Ds for video.

would you explain please?

lIllII don't understand why people still buy 5Ds for video.

don't a lot of the stept guys use the 5d when not using a red?

SnowSafetydon't a lot of the stept guys use the 5d when not using a red?

I think its safe to say stept continues to uses canon camera because of their large lens collection.

If you're starting from scratch, the 5dmk3 isn't exactly the best video camera, people who use 5ds usually already own $4-5k in glass for canon cameras.

pussyfooterI think its safe to say stept continues to uses canon camera because of their large lens collection.

If you're starting from scratch, the 5dmk3 isn't exactly the best video camera, people who use 5ds usually already own $4-5k in glass for canon cameras.

Tru, but otherwise it can't compete with the GH4? Zac Moxley's GH4 videos are amazing (Obviously he is very talented not just because of the camera).

And SkiFi uses a 5D as well I believe

SnowSafetyTru, but otherwise it can't compete with the GH4? Zac Moxley's GH4 videos are amazing (Obviously he is very talented not just because of the camera).

And SkiFi uses a 5D as well I believe

Zac uses a GH3.

You're missing the point here though, just because certain people use a 5d doesn't necessarily make it the best camera. The GH4 blows away the 5d, but some people would rather use canon glass/have been using canon dslr for many years and dont wanna change.

The point here is that people shouldn't be going out and buying a $5k 5dmk3 rig when you could buy a gh4 rig for 1/2 the price. Hell, you could rig up an fs100 for < $5k and it blows away a 5d.

SnowSafetyTru, but otherwise it can't compete with the GH4? Zac Moxley's GH4 videos are amazing (Obviously he is very talented not just because of the camera).

And SkiFi uses a 5D as well I believe

Jimi Hendrix would still sound like Jimi Hendrix on a $50 Walmart guitar. That doesn't mean the Walmart guitar isn't garbage. Cameras are the same way.

Canon DSLRs don't have a single feature going for them that can't be had for a fraction of the price elsewhere. It doesn't mean you can't make good videos with them. In fact many of the best videos I've ever seen were shot with cameras that I fervently deem "garbage."

pussyfooterZac uses a GH3.

You're missing the point here though, just because certain people use a 5d doesn't necessarily make it the best camera. The GH4 blows away the 5d, but some people would rather use canon glass/have been using canon dslr for many years and dont wanna change.

The point here is that people shouldn't be going out and buying a $5k 5dmk3 rig when you could buy a gh4 rig for 1/2 the price. Hell, you could rig up an fs100 for < $5k and it blows away a 5d.

I do understand, I'm more asking the question as to why do they use it? What camera characteristics influence people of that caliber. Is it just lens investment and comfortability?

pussyfooterZac uses a GH3.

You're missing the point here though, just because certain people use a 5d doesn't necessarily make it the best camera. The GH4 blows away the 5d, but some people would rather use canon glass/have been using canon dslr for many years and dont wanna change.

The point here is that people shouldn't be going out and buying a $5k 5dmk3 rig when you could buy a gh4 rig for 1/2 the price. Hell, you could rig up an fs100 for < $5k and it blows away a 5d.

And I am really not in the market or plan on spending that kind of money as I know I do not need that anytime soon. I'm just very interested in the comparison, as well as curious into the usage behind people who produce quality

SnowSafetyI do understand, I'm more asking the question as to why do they use it? What camera characteristics influence people of that caliber. Is it just lens investment and comfortability?

I literally just told you, most likely the reason they still use said canon cameras is because of their investment in canon glass.

4bi9 recently switched over to two gh3s, fs100 and fs700, they don't use 7d/5ds at all anymore.


In the end, its personal preference. Put any camera in the hands of a creative individual (aka people you're referring to as "people of that caliber") and they will make a good video, period. Its not the camera, its the operator.

pussyfooterI literally just told you, most likely the reason they still use said canon cameras is because of their investment in canon glass.

4bi9 recently switched over to two gh3s, fs100 and fs700, they don't use 7d/5ds at all anymore.


In the end, its personal preference. Put any camera in the hands of a creative individual (aka people you're referring to as "people of that caliber") and they will make a good video, period. Its not the camera, its the operator.

So is the audience of the 5D people who are stuck with Canon? or is it photo?
Will Canon come out with something that compares with the GH4?

SnowSafetySo is the audience of the 5D people who are stuck with Canon? or is it photo?
Will Canon come out with something that compares with the GH4?

I was invested in canon glass, but not an extreme amount of money. It was ML raw video that really sold the 5d for me. The still photo quality was a big bonus too. I know that cheaper cameras get great images in capable hands, but the flexibility of raw was important to me.

DstanI was invested in canon glass, but not an extreme amount of money. It was ML raw video that really sold the 5d for me. The still photo quality was a big bonus too. I know that cheaper cameras get great images in capable hands, but the flexibility of raw was important to me.

doesn't the GH4 have raw capabilities?

SnowSafetyWill Canon come out with something that compares with the GH4?

They do. It's called a c100/c300, but they cost much more than the GH cameras.

The 5d has better ergonomics, but that's the only advantage I can think of. ML RAW is a gimmick because the logistics of shooting it on a 5D make it unsuitable for any setting where speed is everything (the majority of paid jobs). Some people like FF but all that does is make it harder for the camera to sample from the sensor, and as a result the camera resorts to line skipping to down-sample, which creates moiré. Moiré is the primary reason I abandoned Canon because the only way to avoid it is to shoot with a shallow DOF. This is the mark of a fundamentally flawed design; the artist should dictate the camera, not the other way around. With the 5Diii they "addressed" the moiré by adding an anti-aliasing (blur) filter in front of the sensor. So this camera shoots 720p, upscales it to its proclaimed 1080p, then puts a blurring filter over it in a half assed attempt to tame the moiré. Any of the camera's features are invalidated (in my opinion, at least) by the fact that it can't even perform the basic function of shooting 1080p without mucking it all up.

And before someone who validates themselves by the brand name of their material possessions (i.e. Fanboys) jumps down my throat for attacking their sacred camera brand, refer to my previous post about Jimi Hendrix.

SnowSafetydoesn't the GH4 have raw capabilities?

It can output 10 bit 422 to an external recorder. Which is a huge deal for a camera in that price range, and is honestly way better than shooting raw on the 5D. Shooting 10 bit Prores is a pretty much an ideal workflow. MUCH more flexibility in post than 8 bit, without the huge post production time and storage space requirements of 12 bit RAW (especially the uncompressed raw of the 5D, which takes up absurd amounts of storage).

It's true that ML Raw used to be very buggy (pink frames, corrupted files, etc), and that the post processing workflow takes a long time (when I first started using it, the only way to convert the files was in terminal one at a time), but its gotten a lot better as the developers figure stuff out and as the developer community grows. Now I've written scripts for batch processing files, I very rarely have the slightest trouble with a file, and some NLE's are starting to support the .mlv files natively. I agree that it's not the best choice for all paid work, but it is improving a lot.

SnowSafetydon't a lot of the stept guys use the 5d when not using a red?

not to sound like an ass but stept footage quality isn't always amazing. The camera work and subjects are what make their edits and movies so good.

DstanThe 5D3 gets absolutely amazing image quality with magic lantern, but you have to be willing to put a lot of time into post production to get the best results. You also have to be prepared with some big, fast cards and a lot of disk space on your computer.
I upgraded a few months ago, and was deciding between the same cameras you are. I chose the 5d3 because of the raw quality, flexibility, and workflow, and because I'm really interested in the programming side of ML.
I think the decision really comes down to whether you value frame rate (GH4), or image quality and flexibility (5d3) more. I don't think you'd be disappointed with either.

Though, I did recently find this video which makes a strong case for the GH4's image quality. I'd be interested to hear from someone who has used both
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kwMWb2KPB4

daaamn that's dope.