Which Mirrorless Camera for 4k Video (Macro/Wide)

[Skating101]

I have been investigating which mirrorless camera is the best value for money underwater 4k video. I film mostly macro/super macro and wide reef shots

I looked at the Sony A6300/A6500 (with the Fantasea housing) however the lack of the ability to manually white balance easily underwater (due to the 9900K white balance restriction) gives a lot of the footage an overly blue/purple tone.
Have any users of the A6300/A6500 encountered this issue? Is there any obvious work around (besides dive lights which struggle with penetration).

I next looked at the Panasonic GX85 (with the Ikelite housing). This camera has slightly softer 4k than the Sony () and a smaller sensor but is much better at manual white balancing. The image quality seems almost identical to the GH5 which has been lauded as one of the best underwater cameras. Does anyone have an opinion of this camera?

Is there any other suggestions of cameras that I have not investigated?

 

[EvilOtter]

Panasonic GH5 is currently the king for underwater 4K video but it is quite a bit more expensive than the options you list above. You may also wish to look at a used GH4 setup with housing, lenses and ports included. That will probably run you the same price as GX85 new.

If cost is a factor, you may also wish to consider a 4K compact with wet lenses. Panasonic LX10 is a very capable and affordable option. Also consider the Sony RX100 4 or 5 with a red filter.

 

[npole]

RX100 Mk V is OK, but there's two downside:

- The battery life is awful (especially at 4K);
- The hardware get very hot for prolonged 4K videos, the issue could be mitigated underwater, but you risk to fog the case (even if you use the humidity bags), also, If I'm not wrong it has a timer that will stop the recording after X minutes (not a major issue if you don't do very long continuous videos).

 

[Skating101]

Panasonic GH5 is currently the king for underwater 4K video but it is quite a bit more expensive than the options you list above. You may also wish to look at a used GH4 setup with housing, lenses and ports included. That will probably run you the same price as GX85 new.

If cost is a factor, you may also wish to consider a 4K compact with wet lenses. Panasonic LX10 is a very capable and affordable option. Also consider the Sony RX100 4 or 5 with a red filter.

Thanks for the reply, the reason why I was looking at the GX85 is because it has almost the exact same sensor as the GH5 just lacking the 60p. A second hand GH4 setup does sound interesting but is there a reason why that would be preferred over the GX85?

I looked at the LX10 but decided that the compact prices + wet lenses was not so far off the mirrorless prices with dedicated macro lenses.

RX100 Mk V is OK, but there's two downside:

- The battery life is awful (especially at 4K);
- The hardware get very hot for prolonged 4K videos, the issue could be mitigated underwater, but you risk to fog the case (even if you use the humidity bags), also, If I'm not wrong it has a timer that will stop the recording after X minutes (not a major issue if you don't do very long continuous videos).

Thanks for the information on the RX100 Mk V

 

[kuris]

I'm A6300 user, plz check the video which i made on 2017:
Komodo: (mainly wide angel without video light)
Anilao:
I bought 2 housing for this camera, 1st one is Fantasea and the 2nd one is Nauticam. i prefer to change because Fantasea housing is too big size for me, i feel more comfortable on Nauticam housing. u can see my equipment list from the information.

You r right, the Manual white balance is not accurate, footage became purple. this happen on most of Sony camera even on A7 series and RX100 series. but this is not a big deal, u can do the color grading easily in post production.
when compared with Canon, Canon give a more accurate Manual WB. unfortunately, 4k just on DSLR at this moment.

A6300, A6500 oversample 6K into 4K, this give more details from the other camera.
if u shoot macro/super macro mainly, sony camera is not a good choice for you, as Sony lack of lens choice than the other Mirrorless camera, and their e mount lens are not cheap. 50mm Zesis and 90mm are the only choice for u. Fanatsea does not have lot of choice on port at this moment.
if u shoot wide angle without video light, i think 6300/6500 is a good choice for you, sensor is bigger, noise control is much better.

i hope my information can help u.

 

[EvilOtter]

Thanks for the reply, the reason why I was looking at the GX85 is because it has almost the exact same sensor as the GH5 just lacking the 60p. A second hand GH4 setup does sound interesting but is there a reason why that would be preferred over the GX85?

The GH4 can shoot in full 4k rather than UHD only and has a much higher bitrate. Low light performance and dynamic range are also better. It also has a number of features that make it more capable above the water such as environmental sealing, mic and headphone ports.

That said, the GX85 offers great value for 4K video. I think you would be well served by either option. Good luck in your decision making!

 

[Skating101]

I'm A6300 user, plz check the video which i made on 2017:
Komodo: (mainly wide angel without video light)
Anilao:
I bought 2 housing for this camera, 1st one is Fantasea and the 2nd one is Nauticam. i prefer to change because Fantasea housing is too big size for me, i feel more comfortable on Nauticam housing. u can see my equipment list from the information.

You r right, the Manual white balance is not accurate, footage became purple. this happen on most of Sony camera even on A7 series and RX100 series. but this is not a big deal, u can do the color grading easily in post production.
when compared with Canon, Canon give a more accurate Manual WB. unfortunately, 4k just on DSLR at this moment.

A6300, A6500 oversample 6K into 4K, this give more details from the other camera.
if u shoot macro/super macro mainly, sony camera is not a good choice for you, as Sony lack of lens choice than the other Mirrorless camera, and their e mount lens are not cheap. 50mm Zesis and 90mm are the only choice for u. Fanatsea does not have lot of choice on port at this moment.
if u shoot wide angle without video light, i think 6300/6500 is a good choice for you, sensor is bigger, noise control is much better.

i hope my information can help u.

Thanks for the information, your videos were quite amazing. I adore the 4k footage sharpness from the Sony but the difference in manual white balance seems to make the color grading less accurate even after grading in post (the shallow footage seems to grade fine though). It seems unlikely that Sony will ever attempt to correct this flaw as underwater manual white balance is hardly a priority.

The GH4 can shoot in full 4k rather than UHD only and has a much higher bitrate. Low light performance and dynamic range are also better. It also has a number of features that make it more capable above the water such as environmental sealing, mic and headphone ports.

That said, the GX85 offers great value for 4K video. I think you would be well served by either option. Good luck in your decision making!

Thanks for the information. The difference between 4k and UHD is negligible in my opinion. The bitrates for the two cameras are identical (100Mb/s, the higher bitrate on the GH4 is only in 1080p). Seems unlikely that the low light performance and dynamic range are better since the sensor is also identical, there are comparisons saying that the GX85 actual has the better low light performance. The above water features are indeed better on the GH4. Sorry for being so confrontational, i'm just trying to determine whether a second hand GH4 would have any actual advantages.

 

[Hoag]

Here is a good article (and accompanying videos) that might help. It looks like the Panasonic GH5 is just what you might be looking for (if the price tag doesn't rule it out).

 

[Skating101]

Here is a good article (and accompanying videos) that might help. It looks like the Panasonic GH5 is just what you might be looking for (if the price tag doesn't rule it out).

Thanks for the article Hoag, the GH5 is probably the best option but unfortunately the camera and housing are too expensive even second hand unless I use a Meikon housing which are not high enough quality for such an expensive camera.

 

[Hoag]

Thanks for the article Hoag, the GH5 is probably the best option but unfortunately the camera and housing are too expensive even second hand unless I use a Meikon housing which are not high enough quality for such an expensive camera.

The article does mention several other options though, not simply the GH5. Perhaps one of the other options might fit your need and be in your budget.