It definitely has some benefits, especially if you like to compose your subject dead centre of the frame at all times, and if you shoot indoors a lot - but it does feel a little bit like a prototype at this point in time!
Thanks for the review Josh. Too bad that it is still unreliable outdoors. It would be awesome if Panasonic were able to come up with some sort of PDAF attachment similar to the LIDAR system that would also work with Panasonic lenses that DON'T have hard stops (meaning, that could communicate with the lenses so it knows when minnimum and maximum focus points have been reached).
The S Pro lenses should work okay since you can snap the focus clutch back and then have semi-hard stops (albeit not as definitive as a fully manual lens)!
Same results after few months testing. If shooting a narrative project with the subject center frame using a slider or dana dolly doing pushin/outs this thing is a life save and it allows me to do more shots like this without my 1st a/c having a heart attack. But if the subject if not center frame, then just use it under manual control. I do like it better then the Tilta Nano when in manual mode.
I'm glad I'm not the only one to get these results. I also wish it wasn't so directional as you really do need to be dead centre of frame in order for it to grab focus !
I try to always stay updated on any reviews on this product (as I only have manual focus lenses and want to purchase it in a future) and, from what I learned from them, is the importance of aligning the actual LiDaR beam to the closest center of the lens as possible. I saw on 3:28 and clearly on 3:30 that you could have ran into beam shadowing with the lens front barrel when trying to film your subject in the center. It is also true that it is not the most useful tool on outdoors, but the white sticker not working at all when used (on most reviews that solves the issues) might be final clue for your bad outdoors experience. Good review anyways!
Nice one with the tests - I had a go with this last year and it does feel like it's still a prototype - like still a few generations away from being "production ready". Something like this is surely aimed at solo shooters - run and gun style - but it was just too clunky to use and rely on in these situations - also it was clunky switching between MF and AF quickly. I think once they improve the user interface and performance it'll be killer.
I agree, I think it still feels like a work in progress, and realistically I'd love to see the reliability improve for outdoors shooting since a lot of people would like to go outside🤣
This is a lot cheaper than the DJI LiDAR and can be used off the gimbal. It looks easy to set up and seemed to work quite well with your manual focus lenses. Not 100% perfect, but what will the next version be like? I think in the next year or so LiDAR will be another switch on the camera, Manual, AFC, AFS and LiDAR. If you're not going to use it Josh please send it for me to try out.😉
Well done. I appreciate your informative, practical no-nonsense reviews. It seems to me that the best placed entities to develop a LIDAR systems for MF lenses are camera manufacturers. If they did then surely they could combine LIDAR with contrast/ PDAF information to control optimally an external motorised focus mechanism?
Glad you made this... Was looking at the DJI LiDar the other day... The only thing that let's down Panasonic is their AF. Not that I use it a lot - I usually grab focus, then set to manual as I film on a tripod a lot... But when I do talking head shots, or vlogging myself, I find sometimes it does miss focus on me.
The AF on the newer cameras is excellent and I've never had any issues with it! But if you're still using the contrast bodies then of course it's not as reliable! I think the best bet out there so far is the DJI system
Yep, it struggles in some settings, but at least you can control it with the manual focus wheel if needed. It's that 4-6m zone even if centre frame where the DJI LiDAR works much better. It doesn't look like you have it set up quite right though in your initial shots. The LiDAR beam needs to be aligned with the centre of the lens barrel. The eccentric rod mount helps with this. I much prefer the controller from the Liveair 2 compared to this one, which is stiffer and has a shorter throw. The old one is buttery smooth.
I tried and tested the LiDAR motor in many positions, all with very similar results. I also calibrated the motor on 5 separate occasions , all following the guidelines exactly as described.... The results were always a mixed bag outside, but inside I managed to get it working pretty well :)
@@JoshCameron good on you, it's a labour of love hey? For me it definitely works best with the LiDAR beam centrally aligned to the lens axis, and as close to it as possible. It's a particularly noticeable improvement when moving from subject to subject close-up, probably simply because the LiDAR is closer to what I want it to follow. But maybe it depends on the lenses used? I've used mine with DZO Vespids. Recently I've found the PDMovie LiDAR copes better with complex things like tree branches and twigs than the DJI LiDAR, which can get horribly confused by these! But otherwise the DJI version is just better outdoors and at longer distances.
We are in the same situation. I am a bit concerned about the "striping" in the GH6 in high contrast situations, since I shoot a LOT in high contrast lighting. (NOTE: all Lumix cameras have it - and probably EVERY camera has it - to a certain extent, just the GH6 is probably the worst). Also, for me, personally, dynamic range is REALLY important. Hence, I might end up with a really old RED, or even a Sony, as they have about another stop of usable DR over the S1 / S1H / S5 line of cameras (and those full frame cameras are about a stop and a half more DR than the m43 cameras).
I have one of these and use it with vintage lenses with rubber gears and it's so bloody annoying! Because the lenses are adapted, there's a bit of play in the mount and so often the gear pushes itself off of the lens. I've definitely spent more time fiddling with it and shouting at it than i have using it. Perhaps with native lenses with new, less stiff focus rings it would be better but i definitely regret the purchase. When you were inside on this video and using your hands, you can see the lidar briefly focusing on your hands, so yeah, for very basic work this is fine. But if you like to have a dirty foreground or anything closer to camera than your subject, this won't cut it. It's also REALLY annoying with it's pull out the battery to turn it off system and no hard switch to go between manual and auto focus. Definitely feels like a prototype that got mass produced in a hurry and not a finished product.
I definitely agree regarding it feeling like a prototype. I calibrated it a bunch of times and with the LiDAR motor in various different positions to try and improve overall performance and stability but got a mixed bag of results every time (mostly outdoors)
Hey Josh, I'm a filmmaker from India and I mostly freelance, but also have my own production agency and we work with a multitude of brands such as amazon, Walmart, et cetera. We have some cool cameras in-house, but I've been wanting to invest in a Panasonic cam for my freelance work (and personal indie projects such as short films), which is separate from my company's work. I already bought a Sirui 35mm T2.9 Cine Lens for the L-mount and was initially considering the S5IIX. However on further research, I found the missing OLPF to be a dealbreaker. I also found you to be the only creator with detailed comparison videos for the same, and so I thought you'd be the right person to reach out to. I'm currently planning to purchase the S1H, I'm getting it here in India for 2,500$ new. Would you suggest for me to wait for the S1H Mark II? Although I read it comes with no AA Filter and also a very high MP count. Would appreciate your help duly! Great work btw.
Sad that the GH5M2 is supported, but the OG S5 is not. Come on Panasonic! Throw us OG S5 owners some firmware love for LiDAR AF, just need lens direct control in the firmware.
It’s a no for me. Can’t see a use for it. S1H for anything that does not require forward motion tracking and its AF is more than good enough for that. S5ii for tracking etc. Obviously not with manual focus only lenses, but I don’t have any anyway so 😜
That really just depends on what you want in your camera. Is weight and size a factor? Is low light a factor? Shallow depth of field? Slow motion? Anamorphic? Better stabilization? Just think about everything you need an want and then it should be a lot clearer :)
There's a few systems on the market and most of them in this price category are LiDAR based, however I also know of a company called FocusBug that uses ultrasound as their method for focussing... That one is quite interesting!
Well, none of them will ever be able to compete with on sensor AF, not to mention even trained algorithms for face and eye AF. And if you want to shoot static stuff you don't need AF in the first place. Obviously Sony, Panasonic and so on are not willing to create external focusing motors because they want everyone to buy first party lenses. So here is hoping for companies like Blackmagic or DJI to fill the gap. Because I don't see how external add-on systems could ever compete with on sensor AF. @@JoshCameron
