[4K] Video shoot out: Sony FDR-AX100 vs. Panasonic DMC-GH4 4K consumer camcorder 

Take2100 But then again, the GH4 is $1500 body only, and one should invest in some decent glass. The Sony is $1600, but it's all set and ready to go.

That's exactly the point. You cannot change optics on Sony. You have to live with it, like or not. GH4 has liberty of choosing optics, ranging from bright prime, super wide to hyper telephoto. Mount adapter is additional bonus. If you care about cost, you don't want 4K for the moment.

But if someone only has around 1.5k for the cam and wants 4k then the Sony is the way to go

Take2100 Sorry but i care about cost and want 4K recordings right now, like a lot of people. The GH4 seems to be a good option but for real camera handling the AX100 is far way better. You have the price point too, I have a Canon 6D with a lot of lens and it's a lot of money. If I already have a Panasonic gear+lenses the GH4 may be a nice option. Buying GH4+2 good lenses= $2500. My point of view is if you already have a good gear for photography and you don't want to change it, the Sony AX100 is a better choice for a all-in-one package. And as I say before, I care about cost.

Oliver Olivier There is also the option of a Black Magic cam with Canon EF mount support. Around 3000$ the cinema 4k and 2000$ the 2.5k cam.

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Probably you should look at Sony's new AX55.

RcFrenzy Gopro?

It doesn't get hot at all as long as I concerned. You can watch my Pelileu footage where I shot sunset for at least an hour then time lapsed.

Take2100

It's F3.5. There are two versions but difference is only cosmetic. One is gross and another is matt.

If you are asking about comparison between these two, Panasonic GH4 is clear winner with some margin. AF of AX100 is not reliable.

Have a look at time 1:11 and see how bad the Sony looks

Digital Zoom is always horrible, don't use that it destroys the image totally on any camera it's just plain garbage. You look for optical zoom on camcorders, a fancy digital zoom is just for flexing purposes but do absolutely nothing of importance to the footage.

Lumix G7 + 14-140mm + Steadicam

+Eugene Hickens I'd recommend Pana GH4 wirh couple of prime lens. GH4 become cheap and you can use variety of lens, with adapters, which is advantage of mirror-less cameras.

+4K lab by MB Hi, great video. I'm looking for a new camera for videos of my kids, is the AX100 the best camera under $2k? I have a D800 with trinity lenses and is very difficult to use because of the lack of electronic zoom and true AF. (which is the same for all DSLRs) I have an AX53 but im thinking about returning it because the AX100 looks so much better on image quality. Thank you! Any other recommendations are welcome. (family videos, grab and go, but needs to look good) Ps. I had a NEX-FS100 but it was too awkward to hold.

AX100 is still the best camcorder from Sony in times of picture quality. Newer AX55 is second best with better optical stabilization and wider zoom, which is good for traveler and daily use. I think I'm getting AX55 as well.

the same, own an ax100, bought a53 as extra big improvement over ax33 especially the new 16:9 chip in stead of crop out of 4:3 alias ax33.

That's this one. Sony ECM-XYST1M store.sony.com/stereo-microphone-zid27-ECMXYST1M/cat-27-catid-All-Advanced-Camcorders;pgid=4WNUS3oIK.pSRpuCVbGCdMyv00008EN_LpVh;sid=me7qjXRqv_j5jSeyCQWDiUZg3y8RsJTcaWe9VooR?_t=pfm%3Dproduct_cross_sell%26pfmvalue%3D27-ECMXYST1M

I'd say, GH4 is top of currently available consumer 4K camcorder hierarchy in times of picture quality of each frame. WX970M gives you surprisingly sharp picture from its smaller imager, but lacking control due to its compact form factor. 20x zoom is tempting, but quality is not that good. AX33, which I don't have, just tried in showroom, is not as small as WX970M, felt like shortened AX100. Picture quality is less impressive while image stabilisation is awesome. From your extensive usage, I'd recommend GH4, which gives you freedom of control, choose of optics, and best picture quality. Disadvantage is lacking usable zooming solution.

***** If you really need zoom and 4K resolution, your option is either Sony FDR-AX100 or Panasonic HC-X1000. There are several M4/3 electrical zoom lenses, but as you can see from my another test shot, their zoom is jerky.

Take2100 hey whats up, which camera do you suggest me for 4k videos? DH4 or sony ? or other cameras? look at my channel, I will use the camera for these purposes + tripod and rails..

I own the Sony HDR XR550 which is the hard drive version of your CX550. I hate how they use a button for nightshot now instead of a sliding switch like the Sony HDR SR11 from 2008 had.

From my point of view, you are comparing completely different animal. What is your most important criteria, such as HD performance, 4K performance, editing workflow, codec etc..?

It does.

yep.

IsItModern BTW got the AX100 and it's great! Is that the stereo Sony mic on top of yours? Which settings did you use to eliminate the mic hiss? I set mine to manual with 8 clicks down and still use mic jack cable. Just curious what more experienced folks like yourself are doing. Thanks!

IrixGuy's Adventure Channel I have been using analog cable to mic jack, although mic is intelligent shoe compatible. Downside of intelligent shoe is you are unable to adjust record level. When I was shooting fireworks, I set audio level to minimum.

GH4 has in-camera time-lapse function and AX100 does not. But if you have editing software running on PC, you can easily do time-lapse effect with it. So, question is, are you going to shoot time-lapse more than 2 hours or not. If not, with AX100, you can shoot 2 hours video on 128GB SD card and edit on PC. Piece of cake. If it is lot more than 2 hours, such as from sunset to sunrise, GH4 has interval shutter function which gives you perfect choice.

Take2100 You're very helpfull, valuable suggestions. Actually I need to shoot videos of plan'ts development, so it takes several days.... Please keep doing video reviews so great. Best wishes

I don't understand what you mean.

@@Take2100Sony has XAVC 4K ,XAVC S and AVCHD mode ...which one do you use ?

That's came from difference of hight of optical center. I bought GH4 one day before this trip and had no way to equalize. There is no control of sharpness in AX100. You may want to try scene selection to soften sharpness.

Overly sharp 4K video? o_0 Never heard someone say that before.

SoCalFreelance That's not what was said. Read again: "over-sharpened" not "overly-sharp".

You are not going to regret with either of them.

***** I'd return it or get it repaired under warranty.

***** They are all captioned in the footage. I actually used several. Super-wide zoom, Standard, Prime, Tele-zoom, macro etc.. It is unique advantage of GH4 that you can change lens depends on what you need. Enjoy!

Take2100 I just need an advice on the lenses for filming action sports like wrestling and boxing?

Which lenses would be the best?

***** Then I would recommend 14-140 standard zoom if you are shooting from ring side. If you are shooting from audience, get 100-300mm. Both has decent Optical Image Stabilization but you would use tri/mono pod if you can.

Take2100 Thank you so much!!!! Also, 100-300 mm---can I use them for the interviews?

The Lone Woodman ,so lumix is much better than sony in quality videos and pic?

The Lone Woodman Sony is way better then Panasonic

I know what you mean. I find the so-called Panasonic stabilizer better for title and pans. It helps enormously with those. Handheld? Bah. Been looking at the MD2 gimbal to fix that. (And am open to other suggestions, but damn, the MD2 is very cool!) I don't have the 12-35 yet. Was considering that as my next lens. Thanks for letting us know it's just as crap for run n gun, even though it was specifically made for run n gun. Right now, my own stabilized lens is the 42.5 Leica, which supposedly the latest and greatest OIS system. People complain about So y OIS, but this is worse. (I love the image the lens provides for talking heads, though!) All is not lost in the Pansonic ecosystem, however. The new DVX200 has a new 5 point stabilization system, similar to Olympus. That may be awesome. Also a huge Leica zoom and bigger sensor than GH4. The one huge thing Sony has has going for it, however, is their superior clarity at higher ISOs. I find myself in need of more and better lighting to use the GH4. The XLR adapters are also superior for Sony hybrid bodies. Although I really like the GH4 when the time is taken to setup everything just perfectly, I am definitely looking forward to a new A7 with 4K internally, and that great Sony XLR adapter. It'll make life a heck of a lot easier. Some subjects think I'm retarded when it takes me so long to adjust the GH4 settings and lighting... But that's what it takes. It didn't take me nearly as long to dial things I with 1080p Sony tech. In the meantime, in case it helps, I have been considering Sony 4K upgraded X70 for run n gun. Then use the the GH4, Tascam D70 and Leica primes for more filmic shots and certain interviews. I think that's a nice combination. Also been eyeing the FS7, but wish it had lower cost media and higher frame rate slowmo (to make it a full fs700 replacement). If it can archive CFast to cheap SD cards, I will give it a second look. Even been thinking of the new 4k canon c300 Mark II, since there are lots ofeasy finance deals on it from AbelCine and others. Not sure if the Canon L lenses are really as good as some of the Leica and Zeiss hybrid glass for Pansonic and Sony, though, and would hate to buy one of those $33k Canon cine zooms.

docstowatch Thanks for sharing your insight. For my own filming needs, although I'm aware of the gimbal style stabilizers that are available, they are simply not the best solution when you are filming run-and-gun. In relatively controlled filming situations where time is available to make the fine tuned balancing adjustments, when you are going around filming let's say, while traveling on vacation, you simply cannot just pull the camera out of your back pack and start shooting away while on the move without annoying camera jitter, which can make the footage almost unusable, no matter how sharp the image quality. Furthermore, the GH cameras have poor built-in mic's which makes even the scratch audio unusable. I'm aware of the workaround of recording audio separately and syncing in post. but all of that requires more time, not to mention that it can become an operational nightmare while filming managing 2 separate devices (the camera and audio recorder). The internal recorder itself is very high quality uncompressed PCM, but the water-resistant mic's spoil it unless a good external mic is used (adding more weight and additional challenges if using a stabilizing device). On a separate note, having too many big and heavy pieces of equipment is not always the best thing to do when you are filming with people around without raising some suspicion, which is why it's very important to have as compact a system as possible. These have been my personal challenges that I've faced over the years while filming run-and-gun.

Philippe Orlando If it is fast production, such as ENG type of film, I'd use AX100 which has electric zoom and integrated ND filter. If it is feature film, I'd use GH4 with set of prime lenses. Cinema-D gamma would be nice to have.

I agree. Now for film, why not go the Black Magic road then?

Philippe Orlando Yeah, if I have decent budget and crew, BMD is interesting choice. But EOS5 also established its position in film shooting for reason. I think GH4 is new EOS5 for 4K.

Yes, I agree

Dave Mai ,but the color details look much better in thr gh4,right?

Minimum aperture of FDR-AX100 is F2.8-4.0. You can fix Iris at F4.0 or larger for whole zoom range. Also, you can control shutter speed and gain separately. You can avoid flicker depends on situation. Happy shooting.

Take2100 Wow; I'm very excited then! Thanks for the quick reply.

All standard. No CineD nor highlight shadow tweak.

Take2100 What shutter speed, aperture and ISO was used?

It was exactly same setting, which was "Auto". So it is completely fair.

+Taka's 4K lab Actually, it was not a fair comparison because the scene is not framed the same on both cameras. More sky means the camera compensates by letting in less light and taking out the shadow details. Less sky gives the shadow detail but over exposes the brightest areas of the sky.

It'll be "different". The biggest difference is sensor size. AX100 has 1 inch sensor while AX33 got 1/2.3. If you are looking for smaller 4K video camera, also look at Panasonic WX970M which is under 500g with battery.

Take2100 The AX33 has a higher bit rate but it's also half the price which is good but unusual. I would rather have the AX100 since it has a 1 inch sensor. I liked the video and subscribed. I do video camera reviews on my Zach Norris channel and I post different kinds of videos on this channel which has over 550 videos.

ZachTV18 4K@30p picture of AX100 is 60Mbps. Panasonic GH4 and FZ1000 is said to be 100Mbps. New WX970M is up to 72Mbps. I thought AX100 & GH4 picture is comparable as you can see here. Bitrate, so far, is not decisive factor for those early 4K camcorders imho.

When I use my Sony HDR XR550 and Sony HDR CX560 I usually record in HD LP mode which is only 5 Mbps and the video quality still looks good too. I'm excited to buy the AX100 someday I just hope Sony will add built in memory next year to their Handycams.

ZachTV18 Sony brings a new official Update in March 2015 for the AX100, with a 100Mbps Recording Option for 4k. presscentre.sony.eu/pressreleases/capture-every-detail-of-your-life-in-4k-with-compact-new-handycam-r-from-sony-1103109 "FDR-AX100 firmware update The FDR-AX100 will also support XAVC S 4K 100Mbps high-bitrate recording through a firmware update scheduled for March 2015."

Good points. Please note that Micro 4/3 refers to the size, which is in inches and means it is 4/3" or 1 1/3" so it is approximately 1.7x larger than a 1" sensor.

MeanGrain Thanks for adding the correction re a 4/3rds is only 1/3rd inch larger than a 1" sensor. I based my comparison on a Goole images diagram where the diagonal sizes were shown, and the smaller size only occupied abut 1/4 of the latter, hence my "4X larger" comment. Again, thanks for putting the record straight

Exactly. That's somewhat I was trying to figure out in this. Those two cameras were world first 4K camcorders available for consumer back in 5 years ago and as you mentioned, they are different.

Your evaluation is correct. The AX-100 shoots ordinary video, and the Gh4 shoots like a movie. A good example is the footage starting at 0:40.

nagol5178 You mentioned A7R so I guess your comparison is based on 1080p? Also, GH4 low light performance is largely determined by lens. If you put prime on GH4, low light performance is actually in different league as you can see in my other video here. Meanwhile, some say AX100's picture is too sharp without way to adjust it. Having said that, AX100 is still benchmark model to show impressive 4K picture among other model. I'm still wondering which Sony A7 I should buy, A7RII or A7s? Or wait A7sII which can record 4K in camera. GH4 has been my main camera for a while. HC-X1000 is better camera than AX100 to pair with GH4, with DCI capability and CinemaD colour reproduction, professional audio interface. My conclusion is you don't have to pick only one, as they are all great camera.

Yes, the A7r is in 1080p. The Ax100 isn't too sharp, but it looks like it is when you first get it and you're used to turning the sharpness down in picture profiles and adding the sharpness back in post. But if you look at my video for example, you will notice the sharpness isn't over the top compared to the A7r turned all the way down and I didn't add any sharpness in post on the A7r. I wasn't used to that either when I first got it. A lot of it had to do with 4k. I wasn't used to how sharp 4k was and then the sharpness in camera on top of that. So, if you make the video smaller in a 4k project, like in a little window in Premire Pro, it looks too sharp. It doesn't look too sharp once it's exported. It does in a little window because it's being sized down a lot. 1080p does that too but not as much as 4k. It ends up being the perfect amount in the end. Not for everything but for most things. I just use the A7r now for 1.8 depth of field and things like that because it doesn't look better than the Ax100, even though it's full frame. I'd get the A7s ii. I have the A7r because I do landscape photography.

+nagol5178 i see u everywhere on youtube:) may i ask u for advice pls... looking for camera, 4k, less than 1500 dollars, good for holiday, landscapes( beach, city), with good zoom. i am thinking about sony rx 10 II. anything better? thanks!

duessel Well, honestly I'd go for the Sony A6300 now that it's out. You can get it with a decent lens for around 1500 dollars. It will be much higher quality than a camcorder. However, if you're looking to just point and shoot and do video, a lot of handheld, longer clips, The Rx10 ii or iii will be good. They have a third one now. They seem to be coming out with them quickly. But with the A6300 you get a super 35mm sensor with 4k, which is much larger than the 1 inch sensor in the Rx10.

+nagol5178 thanks! i have the a6000, so for pic. quality probably is not much better the a6300. The video on the a6000 is not that impresive, so i am looking for very good video quality but under 1500. Maybe sell the a6000 and buy the a6300, other cameras i am stuck between rx10 2, sony fdr ax100. Any other sugestions? thanks for the quick reply!

The GH4 is not a DSLR. It's a mirrorless camera.

Jesse Compton symantics

+Al G I agree here. We use a canon C100 for weddings and corporate events. After renting the Sony, I was really amazed at the quality. Not to mention some built in gimbal on the lens itself. I could zoom in all the way and get nice flow from the camera as if was on a shoulder.

Advantage of GH4 over AX100 is the fact you can exchange lenses. It is privilege of GH4 to use bright prime lenses. Also, you have lot more control in GH4, such as gamma curve, saturation etc.. AX100 is very simple to use, has nice 5 speed electric zoom, integrated 3 step ND filter, which you miss in GH4

+ronhoek69 GoPro!

Maybe. This is the world first comparison of these two 4K cameras, dated couple of years ago. NLE was FCP X and I guess rendering engine made progress as well.

Take a look at the digital zoomed in shots. The sony uses extensive edge sharpening which makes the image appear more detailed while it's not. It's like boosting the treble vs using a flat EQ.

hankdendrijver what really!! Sooooo let me get this straight they sharpen 4k i mean 4k is already sharp enough. They really sharpen edges???

The digital zoom on the Sony was definitely stretched FAR for that test. Also, why would anyone use digital zoom? Compose your shot right the first time. Even with some panning on screen, the magnitude of change would do little to worsen the quality.

GH4 picture here is "Standard" setting without any tweak. GH4 has lots of control including gamma curve, saturation, color temperature, pedestal range etc etc.. I liked Cinema D setting quite a lot. You need to check by yourself.

5D series is not 4K capable, thus not a competitor here.

They are same H.264 at 100Mbps. JVC is also the same.

What! Really? I guess we're all entitled to our own opinion... To my eyes the gh4 looks way better. There's a reason the gh4 is getting a ton of buzz and the AX100 is not.

Cold World right< I would of thought that he would have chosen the GH4 lol. one thing about the sony in some shots...the camera picked up more detail thats about it in my eyes. I shoot with a 6d and I have been plotting on buying the gh4 for 2 months now...I love this camera and i haven't even seen one in person yet. internal 4k without the large file size, the range of sense you can use, the slow mo in "1080P" thats big for me, and the 96 fps in 1080 how can you loose. to me this is a good stepping stone before I get my redcam. Thanks for the video great work

MrBiznessProductions Take2100 i meant to thank you for the video! solid work

Cold World he's right. far more detail in the Sony

Cold World the AX100 is not getting buzz? xD That's maybe because you're looking on photography forums man, the Sony AX100 is the sensation in video forums for it's price and quality.

I think you are completely missing the point. All the 4K camcorders featured in my channel are consumer model. AX100 is in that comparison. Also, 4K option for PXW-X70 has not been even released. Waiting for it means you lose whole 1 year without 4K capability, which is priceless. I'm using GH4 without any of "pro" option you mentioned. They are not mandatory. 4K is mandatory and you don't have it.

Take2100 My comment was for those, who likes to have the option to go more professional with 4K or UHD cameras, without spending too much money. The GH4 is a "prosumer" camera, with the posibility to attache professional gears. But if you like a small handy camera with already professional options on it, the PXW-X70 might be the choice. With the AX100, you will have great results too, but it will always stay limited as a consumer camera.

Tae Peter Sorry mate, if I spend PXW-X70 money, I'll pay 20% more and get Panasonic HC-X1000 instead. It has all professional control and does 4K@60p. That's why I have FDR-AX100 AND HC-X1000. From my point of view, PXW-X70 is middle of nowhere.

Take2100 Always a question of your needs, I work with several professional cameras, and I need now a tiny, handy camera to accompany the 4K production ;-)

Take2100 Correct

the AX100 have 120fps at 720p, 3 ND filters incorporated, no clip limited time, XAVC-S codec (far superior than the one on GH4), fixed lens (for GH4 must buy 2 or 3 lenses to cover the same range, so add to the GH4 about $2K more, so no more US$1700, with lenses to cover the same range on the AX100 is about US$3500), more dinamic range, zoom rocker, lens that don't came out in zoom (for mattebox use), really good ergonomics for video, so US$2k is hi but not much hi for what the camera can do.

I bought a GH4 and was looking at the SONY. You left out a lot about the SONY 4K. Its a consumer camcorder thats it. I have one fixed lens for mine and thats it. It doesn't shoot cinema 4K. It doesn't have slow motion. I passed on SONY as I would never use it for filmmaking. Plus I was a SONY guy and needed a change. Every review on the GH4 is positive. I'm sticking with this camera as a cinematographer it does everything I want it to do.

gerardo campos More dynamic range? Are you sure? The footage doesn't seem to agree with you.

hankdendrijver please look at the minute 4:03, the house with the sun at the right, the GH4 is overexposed in the sun and darker in the shadows at left, the AX100 is better in both, more blue sky near the sun and more light in the dark areas; so thats mean more latitud

gerardo campos You're right, at 4:03 the AX100 is flatter. Did you match the luma range of your NLE to the GH4? The GH4 is default set to 16-255 which clips highlights if you don't bring them down. See my tutorial on vimeo.com/92613144

Kenny Advocat Yup. That's right.

What's a good camera without rolling shutter and supports tod timecode!? Use to be able to sync mulicam by timecode. Don't seem to be able to find that with newer cameras.

Kenny Advocat As long as I know, there is no 4K camera without rolling shutter effect at the moment. BMD URSA mini has global shutter so maybe that is the one. For TC synchronization, you need PXW-Z100 or higher model.

lol xd

Good joke :))

7G €2394€ take from me