Panasonic VXF990 Camcorder (or alternative)-opinions please!!

I am basically a stills shooter and although my 2 DSLRs would shoot 4k (Canon 1 Dx mk2) my wife takes video on out trips abroad.

We have been using a Sony A1-e for about 10 years now and found it very good, but as it's tape based with the wear and tear that implies, and we are often in dusty climates (Africa and India for instance), I feel that an upgrade is advisable.

The 2 DSLRs will be used exclusively for stills, and a mirrorless camera wouldn't suit the bill as we need ideally 16x plus optical zoom, so I think a camcorder would be best (my wife doesn't like anything heavy)

I'm thinking of the Panasonic -I want 4K-above and would appreciate any thoughts and especially user input.

Thanks guys,

George.

A bit late with this reply but hopefully you will find it useful if you haven't already gone for a camcorder.
I have the VX870 which is the previous years model to the 990. It's a cracking piece of kit that takes some very nice footage. Coming from years of using a DSLR the camcorder can seem very slow and actually a pita to change settings quickly if you need to do so. Everything is in the menus with no external controls that are useful. I'm not sure if it has been changed on the 990 but it's quite hard to do a slow zoom. The zoom toggle is very sensitive and you can't set how fast it zooms (not sure if the same on the 990). You can get it to zoom slowly but it needs a very light touch. If you put a little bit too much pressure on it it zooms through the range at warp speed. That's ok if you are just setting the zoom but it looks horrible if you are filming while you are doing it. This doesn't apply to the 990 but the lack of a viewfinder is a real pain if you are wanting to shoot action. It's very hard to move fast with a camcorder trying to keep a subject framed nicely while using the screen (added that in case someone else who is not looking at the 990 is reading this). One last plus point worth mentioning is that the Panasonic can be charged with a battery bank which is great. They are much cheaper than extra batteries. I have an Anker one that I just plug in and leave it connected in my pocket. The camcorder will run forever with that attached. I use mine attached to the top of my camera so I can shoot stills and video at the same time and it works great. It really has whet my appetite for shooting video so I am actually going to sell the camcorder and add a Panasonic GH5(just about settled on that one) to my camera bag.

Cheers
Gary

Hi Gary and thanks a lot for the in depth reply....sorry I didn't reply yesterday but was busy all day!!

Your last sentence sums up what I'd decided when I saw the spec...that the GH5 looks the part and although it' s not out till after our next trip, I'm going for that I think once I see real life reviews.

Will just suffer the tape machine for the next couple of months and hope it hangs together!!

Thanks again,

George.

Hi George

I haven't actually ruled out the Panasonic FZ2000 yet. I had ordered one but there was a problem with stock so I have cancelled the order for now. It gets fantastic reviews without a bad word said about it. It is basically described as a GH4 with a fixed 24-480mm lens (not sure how true that is). It's definitely worth a look if you haven't already. It's also probably only a third of the price of a GH5 by the time you factor in a couple of lenses. It's also available now which might make it a bit more interesting for you. The Sony RX10 Mk3 might also be worth a look.

cheers
Gary

OK, will have a look at it, and thanks again, Gary!

One of the features I need in a camera (and it only got added as a firmware update on the 1Dx mk1) is exposure compensation in manual mode with auto iso, I can't seem to find if the FZ 2000 has this feature, you don't know do you, Gary?

I may try and download the instruction manual........and it does look a good alternative, although with a 3rd party adaptor I could use my Canon L lenses with the GH5 I believe..

George.

Hi George

I'm not sure if it is available in the FZ2000 or the GH5. It's something Panasonic have neglected to add to cameras in the past. I use it all the time on the 7D2. I have also looked at the metabones speedbooster etc for the Panasonic but I think with them taking the AA filter off the GH5 we might have to wait for a new version (also flippin expensive). You could add the 14-140 Mk2 to the GH5 for about the same price and have a nice walk around stills/video setup. These connectors are always a compromise with AF usually taking a hit (especially for tracking movement). My head tells me to go for the FZ2000 (2500) but my heart says GH5. In the end , do I really want to invest in and carry around 2 systems. My main use would be as a video camera which actually makes the FZ make more sense. I couldn't actually see me wanting to use the GH5 over my 5D3 for stills. I think it's the 4K 60 fps that is still drawing me towards the GH5. It's just a shame Canon don't offer up anything comparable at a decent price point.

Gary

I might try and have a look at the photography show in March, and decide then.

Again, many thanks Gary, let me know if you go down either route!!

George

It's a puzzler for sure!

Hi George

I decided to give the FZ2000 a go. Loved everything about the camera apart from the output (images and video). The images were ok as long as you didn't start zooming into them. The video was the main problem for me. I tried shooting in UHD/HD at various frame rates etc. The output was only marginally better than what I can get out of the VX870 camcorder. The main problem was the jittery video when panning fast (aeroplanes). I took it to Manchester airport for a couple of hours to try it out and to say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I had to bin lots of footage due to it being unusable. The camcorder can also suffer from the jitter problem but it is no where near as bad as the FZ2000. I tried everything I could think of- UHD/HD, image stab on/off, different frame rates, different shutter speeds, shooting on the fluid head and also hand held. I ended up just getting rid of the camera. I'm now stuck trying to decide on whether to go for the GH5 and lenses . That's a big expense and more importantly a lot of extra gear to have to carry about. The Canon 7D Mk2 has actually been the most enjoyable video shooting experience I have had up to now. That worked great with the 100-400 Mk2 giving really nice footage. It's just a shame it doesn't have an EVF, flippy screen and 4K. I've actually got a few ideas I want to try to see if I can make my 5D MK4 work for me for the type of video I want to shoot.

Gary

Hi Gary,

Thanks for all that info!!

I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner, but just got back from nearly 5 weeks in the Masai Mara with the big (and some little) cats!!

I'm going to the Photo show on Sun afternoon and Monday morning....are you there?

Cheers,

George.

Hi George

Hope you had a good time in Africa and took plenty of excellent pics and vids.
Unfortunately I'm working all weekend so won't be able to make the photo show. I've been eyeing up the FZ2000 again all week. It was just such a good fit for what I wanted. It's just a shame my first impression was a negative one. Not long until the GH5 hits the shelves but I'm having a problem justifying such a huge expense (inc. lenses) . Carrying around 2 full systems is also not appealing. On the plus side, the GH5 plus 14-140 POIS lens is actually around the same size as the FZ2000 and only slightly heavier. It's actually quite annoying that I'm probably about to spend £3000 on Panasonic kit all because Canon won't provide me with something similar. Why couldn't they have just put some 4K features in the M5 or just please open up the 5DMk4 video capabilities.

Gary

Hi Gary,

Again sorry for the delay!!...the photo show was good for what I wanted, looked at the Panny and Olympus stands and they both look excellent, I'm sure mirrorless will take over from DSLR sometime fairly soon.

For wildlife, however, I don't think the AF is up to the level of the 1 Dxmk2 which is simply superb......in over 11000 shots recently I can't say any OOF shots were the camera, it was me!!

I love the size, the crop sensor with a 100-400 would give an approx 200-800mm (ok I know it's not really that..but you get what I mean!!) and the IS of particularly the GH5 was excellent.

I'm swithering as to whether to down that route at the minute, though, it is a completely new system and would require a fair investment....perhaps in the future I'll sell one of the mk2s and invest.........hmmmmmm!!!

Anyway, thanks for all your help and input, much appreciated!!

George.