Full Frame vs. Micro Four Thirds - Less Difference Than You Think!

It's Full Frame vs. Micro Four Thirds time! The Sony FX3 is an expensive full-frame camera. Let's see how it compares against the likes of the Panasonic Lumix GH5S. I will test both cameras in regular studio light and in low light. For those unfamiliar with how these cameras vary.
The Panasonic Lumix GH5S is a Micro Four Thirds camera offering a 1.89 crop with a multi-aspect ratio dual native sensor. The LUMIX GH5S was the flagship MFT camera at the time, and it was released in 2018, offering features most modern cameras from Sony do not.
The Sony FX3 is the flagship cinema consumer-level camera offering fantastic phase detection autofocus, 4k120p, and excellent low-light performance. If you don't need Phase Detection or like to control your cameras manually, the GH5S is a powerhouse of a camera!
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Video Chapters:
00:00 - Sony FX3 versus LUMIX GH5S
00:19 - The Best KZbin Camera on a Budget
01:45 - Further Camera Information
02:28 - ISO 320
02:44 - ISO 1000
03:10 - ISO 3200
03:33 - ISO 6400
04:18 - My Results
05:57 - Picking the Correct Camera for the Job!
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#camera #lumix #sonyfx3

[@PeterGregg]

I expected a huge difference and didn't get it!! I mean, the Sony FX3 is supposed to slaughter in low light and you got a m4/3rds camera that is showing such a minor difference - wow, how did you do that. I'm am more than impressed, holy moly!! And I just looked up the GH5s and you can get used ones at about $1K here in the USA, geez. What an eye opener - big thumbs up 👍👍👍

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Thanks, Peter! I was shocked how close they looked considering the price difference. 😄

[@jeremyedwards9304]

I recently bought one for $900. It’s an amazing camera.

[@godsakes]

It's the dual gain sensor on the GH5S that equalises everything, it's got a 2nd native ISO at 2500 so it can be pushed to ISO3200 and still get good results It's really disappointing for the GH5 mk2 they didn't give it a dual gain sensor, having the ISO performance that nearly matches the GH5S + IBIS of the GH5 would have been far more reason for people to upgrade

[@Reportageandart]

Sony is a lot of marketing. Good cameras but not the end all be all by any means.

[@LyndonPatrickSmith]

Something warm and wonderful happens when you read Peter Gregg…

[@mali_astronaut]

The GH5s looked like it had a smoother highlight rolloff at iso 320, which surprised me. The color varies a bit, but they both seem great. High Iso is the main selling point of Sony cameras, but we can all agree good lighting is the most important factor. In run and gun environments, where you could find yourself in dim lighting, the Sony wins, but if you have any control over the lighting there’s no reason to spend 4 times as much. Just invest that money in lenses and lighting lol

[@TITAOSTEIN]

Completely agree! I’m still using the GH4 and GH5 and they are producing great results.

[@RidgewayInMedia]

For my work, KZbin, livestreams and video-for-web, Panasonic enables me to run more gear for far less money. My GH5S (used - like new) cost me £800 and I just scored a brand new GH5M2 for £970. Unless you're booking jobs as a professional videographer with £5000+ budgets, the Panasonic M43 can't be beaten. For any bigger budget projects, I hire in FX3 or FX6 in any case, but that's definitely not my bread and butter so I'm sticking with the GH5S and GH5M2 for the foreseeable.

[@MLee-vcrr]

Shane, you and I already know the GH5S is the sleeper M4/3 camera in Panasonic's line up. Even without phase AF, the camera still performs well. Prores RAW and BRAW over HDMI is another great feature. BTW... it's the only GH5 series camera that takes true 14bit RAW photos with nice small 18mp file sizes and great image quality.

[@Brian-Hansen]

I have never understood paying double for “low light” - just crazy. When you actually use the Panasonic cameras you know that they are quite good in low light. I don’t know why the narrative started that MFT is bad in low light.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Well said!

[@markshirley01]

The GH5S / GH6 with phase detect and the 10-25 f1.7 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Fingers crossed. It'll be great to see what Lumix does for MFT going forward. The GH5 for GH6 with AF would be a monster for people who need it.

[@jayclas4023]

We definitely need a in depth S5ii vs GH5s😃 you make me want a GH5s!

[@ColorfieldMedia]

Great video. First thing that jumped out at me was how much better the highlight rolloff and skin tones are on the GH5S.

[@seanherbert4583]

Love your humor and find your channel very well explained. Your last comment summed it all... brilliant🙌

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Thanks, Sean! Thanks for the kind words.

[@nabilahmedkhan8052]

Thank you Shane ! Your content is amazing !!!🙏🙏

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@petermcginty3636]

Thanks Shane, great stuff. I run online corporate training and I use 2 x G85 camera with the 12-60mm kit lenses; and they work just fine. One is the main camera and the other is the PiP camera. The picture quality great and, because I don't move around that much, the auto-focus is fine.

[@Brian-Hansen]

The G85, and the the G95 are astounding quality for the money. I agree. Just absolutely underrated cameras.

[@ravebrave8866]

great video and a very honest review..an eye opener for those who are running behind sony camera..

[@ianharper6015]

Thanks for a very interesting and well made video.

[@jessecumberledge4530]

Love the Gh5s, but with the sale prices I would have to recommend the GH6 right now. You get open gate and 25mp pictures, better AF, similar DR, much better skin tones out of camera in Vlog, higher resolution which really helps for things like green screens, etc etc. If you really need the super high ISO, then yes go full frame.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Agreed. The GH6 is a better all-rounder camera but the GH5S is still very capable for seated headshot videos and it's about $800 cheaper than the GH6 here right now. Either are great. I have a GH6 video in the works right now actually. :)

[@jessecumberledge4530]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy Wow in the US the Gh6 has been going on Sale for around 1600USD. Its very similar to what the GH5s sells for. GH5S is very capable for more than just seated headshots, it can still do it all for sure.

[@ohdeazy1567]

I my GH6 for 1200 euros with the black friday, it's INSANE for this price

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Let me know if you can see a huge difference between each of the cameras and is there a 3.5x price to performance improvement? This video is here to hopefully showcase how you can make any camera look great (or bad) and various settings irrespective of the price. Check these cameras out using my affiliate links. Check out these cameras here: 🔗BH Photo US - bhpho.to/3DdLmi7 🔗Amazon de - amzn.to/3HvtotZ 🔗Amazon AU - amzn.to/3XTRdRI 🔗Amazon UK - amzn.to/3wvzYdy (affiliate links)

[@Dyness]

Thank you for your effort You explained the important things nicely, I personally have a gh5s and it's great in low light conditions... You also nicely interpreted this difference regarding unnecessary shooting at f 1.8 on full frame, in many situations we don't need total blurring of the background when shooting... I think a lot of people who have full frame cameras rarely shoot below f 2.8...

[@Visual_Ghoul]

Rather have the g100 or g90, then put the money towards panaleica lenses. Or an S5/S5II

[@RedFrameTech]

That last bit was great 😂 and you’re right, not many people talk about the stopping down and raising the ISO on FF and then ending up with the same look as with m43.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

It seems to be the key point nobody thinks about 😂😂

[@mcronfpv8736]

Everybody these days shoots wide open "because it can". It's so lame, DOF is a parameter that helps tell your story , and more often then not, the background is part of it and cannot be full bokeh like your subject is in space or something. Some separation is always nice, but many filmers would actually be better with a gh5s than a FF

[@godsakes]

Around the announcement of the S5ii one of the camera shops in the UK were clearing their GH5S stock, I picked 2 for sub £500 each. Crazy good value! Don't get me wrong the Sony FX3 or A7Siii looks amazing but for the price of one of those bodies alone I can get a 2-3 cam m4/3 setup with lenses. Given most of my paid gigs basically require I pre-focus and leave running on a tripod I know which option fits my use case better.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

That makes sense. Those are perfect use cases for these bodies! Nice.

[@henakos]

Lumix s5 with kit lens was yesterday 1300€ in Finland. 👌

[@AoyagiAichou]

Well, the GH5S with its multiaspect sensor is a video beast! Up next: FX30 vs GH6?

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Sure thing! I'll shoot that one next :)

[@AoyagiAichou]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy Well, now I'm nervous., haha. Don't forget to include 4K120 if you actually do the video!

[@ryanaugust]

At ISO 6400, the FX3 was more clear. It actually was the entire time imo but I actually preferred the look of the GH5S.

[@KPGuitarStudios]

Very well said and excellent points as always. The colour from the GH5s definitely beat out the FX3 until ISO 12800 and the FX3 was also much worse at ISO 320, you were blown out. Realistically there's no reason why you need anything beyond the GH5s or some comparable camera for any of the studio work. Value for the money there's just no other semi-pro video camera on the market. Dial in a few cine lenses, place a couple cameras and you're done. The lens selection as well, you can get like 20 lenses on the used market for the price of 1 high end Sony lens. So much versatility, so much value. Pannyboy wins again.

[@elementary8963]

I can't fault any of the logic here - great video :)

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Many thanks!

[@jjasef]

I was looking for another GH5 to use in-studio and “mistakingly” bought the GH5S thinking it was a GH5II loll every time I see your channel and videos I’m reminded how it’s fine 😂 I still use my Blackmagic cameras so AF wasn’t the priority until I started creating content with myself in front of the cam. In addition, open gate feature made it more desirable when creating content for both 16:9 and 9:16.

[@ondohkkang7232]

If you want best AF and more detailed picture, choose FX3. If you want cheaper and lighter one, choose gh5s. But both need good lighting and good lenses if you want good quality.

[@80strum]

Of course, Sony FX3 is better camera than GH5S. But GH5S works very fine and can be compete to FX3. It is amazing. Lastly, I like skin tones and colors of GH5S then Sony cameras. I dont know why, this is my personal opinion.

[@candyartstv]

Only issue with the GH5s (I have the BGH1) is the way the noise reduction also smooths out texture. Be it skin, material, etc. It's like a before and after you bathed in the fountain of youth.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

It's an Snapchat filter before snapchat! 😂

[@Yupthereitism]

For KZbin it really doesn’t matter what camera you use. You could use your phone

[@TheHalfmanofOz]

Biggest difference seems to be the colours. Not sure which one is more "accurate" but I think the GH5s looks more flattering the majority of the time.

[@gordon3988]

Mark Bennett on his channel often does something similar albeit with Sony cameras. He regularly compares higher FF Sonys (and sometimes other brands) against the Sony Zv E10 (APSC) and the results are usually very similar. In the studio l would suggest that they are same; outside also the same, until you drop the light to a level that most of us wouldn’t if we had the choice. Much more expensive cameras producing similar results to smaller less expensive ones: at least for use on KZbin, maybe not for some pro work but otherwise so close! Enjoyable video! Thought both camera results looked great!

[@KPGuitarStudios]

Shane watches a lot of Mark's content ;) There's many a Geeky comment on a Marky video. I'll get Mark back on Panasonic as a primary camera one of these days :P

[@rstudiosvfx]

I am a fan of your channel, I have a gh5s with 4 lumix lenses, but I really think that a good comparison is to install the camera with a metabones, at that moment we could say that we would be making a fair comparison!!!

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

How is that fair test giving the GH5S an advantage? This is a lens to camera video with the ISO of both cameras set the same. I think the Panasonic held up great without all the extra stuff.

[@alexandergushchin5836]

Can you compare Sony fx3 to Lumix Gh6 .

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Will do! :)

[@mistercohaagen]

You should see what the 5S can do with a F0.95, in 12bit RAW on the Ninja V, plus I lucked out and found it all used for the price of your new 5s body alone.

[@JohanStapel-movies]

Interesting video 👍

[@skfineshriber]

At ISO 1000, I think the GH5s looked better in terms of detail and color in your face. The Sony isn't noticeably better until ISO 6400. I've been with FF users (shooting stills) in low light trying to shoot models. While they were cranking up to ISO 6400-12,800 to get the DOF they wanted, I was shooting at 3200 or 4000 on my G9. I'll bet my images were better.

[@davidvictory9764]

If gh5 had same lowlight as a7s3, it would be insane. But I think gh5 is fine with the youtube compressing the noise

[@jayclas4023]

The only differences are, the Sony colors are desaturated which would be great if you were to match the saturation of your shirt. Also the GH5s is sharper! Maybe turn down the saturation on the GH5s or turn it up on the Sony.

[@filipmichalsaffray441]

Hey nice video... Have one Gh5s and on hunt for a second one 2 Hand...for a ridiculus price THx to S5ii...will have 2 of them and it is exactly what I need...I am probably thinking to sell 2 GH5org and get one GH6 in the future as well...first I need a second GH5s

[@JENKINS3155]

Them color on that Lumix o my the best

[@kenyontech]

Hi Shane I have a G85 and would like to get another cam "low budget" how would the om's e-m1 II work out in your opinion?. For video would you say the Oly is a good companion for the g85 thinking of A B setup and matching colour science. Thanks

[@Brian-Hansen]

Get a G95. It will pair perfect with the G85.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

The EM-1 MKII is a solid camera for sub-30 minute content, but for the long form, it could be better as it has recording limits and breaks up the files into 4 GB increments. If you are looking for a run and gun vlog-style camera they are great. I would look at the G95 or G9 both are great cameras and have come down in price quite a lot in most areas.

[@petermcginty3636]

First, I would agree with Brian. Secondly, I also own an OM-5 that I use for photography and the images are beautiful. I think that the OM-5 has the same processor as the EM1 II and, maybe, the same sensor. I would recommend Olympus.

[@petermcginty3636]

@Geeky Nerdy Techy Hi, does the recording limit actually matter in in-house production? If you put the camera into photo autofocus mode, the camera should just stand there waiting for someone to take a photo. Then, run the camera HDMI through OBS and record the session within OBS.

[@MorbusBahlsen]

How come no one seems to miss a comparison with a speed booster like Metabones 0.64x for the GH5s using e.g. a Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 lens @25mm? It basically let's in double the light (hence half the ISO compared to the FX3 is required for the same image brightness) while esentially giving you the same DoF for MFT as the FF equivalent? Too bad these images are missing, for just afew hundred bucks more you can replace FF use even more often. I'm not sure about how well AF would perform in a studio setup there, but it should at least be possible.

[@ristanadwicahya]

can you get the same result with panasonic G100?

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

The G100 with a good lens will give you solid results. It should look as good as most other MFT cameras with the right lens. That said, the GH5S is about 9% wider field of view, but in controlled conditions I am sure I could get the similar results with the G100 with good lighting.

[@ThungStudios]

To my eyes, the GH5 had noticeably less noise than the FX3 (which seems to be a disagreement, but maybe because I'm not on a 4k screen?), but the sharpness and contrast was also definitely poorer. I wonder if Panasonic is just pulling more noise reduction trickery that also softens the image quite a bit, and if you tweak the image profiles you might be able to match them more closely.

[@tkyeo7642]

How did you match the colours so well

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

I adjusted the Natural picture profile in the GH5S by shifting the hue towards green (-3), dropping the sharpness -2, and adjusting the contrast in the camera till it looked bout right. I also had the saturation up one or two in the camera as the sony is fairly saturated. None of this was touched in post-production.

[@tkyeo7642]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy thanks. we have issues matching Sony's own cameras - FX6 with FX3 etc. Not quite the same as it used to be with FS5s and FS7s which were quite seamless.

[@samanthasartandcooking]

The GH5 has great colors and also doesn't emphasize imperfections in the skins

[@cody8860]

You can pick up a GH4 still for a bargain at a 10th of the price.

[@Abba555]

gh5s is a beast but right now i think that the best option is the Lumix S1 almost the same price and is actually better

[@jeremyedwards9304]

The highlight rolloff was actually better with the Lumix.

[@CameraCombo]

Who wins in low light? GH6 or GH5s?

[@jessecumberledge4530]

Gh5s for lowlight. Gh6 is really good up to 3200iso. Above that it gets sketchy

[@CameraCombo]

@@jessecumberledge4530 "Gh6s"... not aware of that camera, but thanks for the information! 🙂

[@jessecumberledge4530]

@John Matthews LOL sorry, Brainfart for sure. Gh6S would be interesting though!!

[@castielvargastv7931]

if anything the gh5s looks better in your video.(until a certain iso) thats surprising

[@LuisCruz-yg6rs]

Nice comparison videos. I am happy that I watched this video before sony deletes it lol

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

🤣

[@game2572]

i like the panasonic at 1000 iso it looked a lot better and panasonic colors look better

[@Filmmaker809]

I love you and your channel, but you have shot this outside on location. Too much macroblocking on the blacks.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Thank KZbin for the compression artefacts. :)

[@sflxn]

The Sony is a little too sharp. We can see all your facial features and the look is not flattering. The GH5s is blurring a lot of it. You look tired in the Sony image and healthy in the Pan image. It could also be the camera angles in relation to the fill light. For this scenario, the GH is fine.

[@dccoletrain]

The Sony is sharper but both give a great image in the studio.

[@CTcoreytrevor]

There is no such thing as a full frame look. It doesn't exist and I really wish youtubers would stop using the term. You will achieve a 100% identical field of view and depth of field with a micro four thirds camera as you will with a full frame camera, if you use the appropriate lens with the right aperture.