Pentax for Video

And now for something completely different...

As always, you have to actively specify HD unfortunately.

Very pleasing! I assume you didn't record the piano while shooting the video?...

I'd forgotten to follow up my earlier comment about sound with some links. Here are a couple of short video shot on the K5-IIs at a conference. Because of limited time to set up, I recorded the sound direct into the camera using an Olympus clip mic on an extension lead:
Michael Rosen (filmed indoors: available in HD)
Bethan Marshall (takne on the hotel terrace, so more ambient noise)

I've also recorded some clips using the Olympus LS-5, with a feed through to camera to symc tracks, but yet to find time to edit these!

Another short clip

I have shot loads of footage on my K-30 and my GF's K01, some even for professional work. They are essentially the same apart from the latter has focus peaking and a mic in port. I'll dig up some of the clips from online. Bottom line is that the video quality is extremely soft and if you set the custom image to a higher sharpness level, there is tonnes of ringing and haloing around lines. In order to get a better dynamic range, I try to simulate a flat image by reducing the saturation and contrast to their lowest levels and then grade then in post. This sensor clips highlights in videos REALLY easily so I would suggest under exposing most of the time (which is good as anything higher than ISO 800 in video mode is really noisy) and then adjusting in post. I have gotten pleasing results but it takes a lot of work.

Thanks for the feedback, always keen to promote this use of the technology

Look forward to seeing some of your work.

Over the weekend I took a short video clip on the K-S1 (a rare event for me!) Unfortunately the video oscillates up and down. On checking the camera settings I discovered sensor stabilization was turned on by default so I have now turned this feature off. But Richard is a devotee of this so called sensor stabilization and I'm really wondering why. I can now understand why Pentax have removed this feature from recent cameras so why would anyone want it back?
The only reason for having it would seem to be to simulate a worn film passing unsteadily through a projector film gate. It's the antithesis of stabilization!

That sounds like a fault. As we know, the K-S1 doesn't use sensor-shift for SR, only software SR (MovieSR) . Thing is, the sensor plate is still powered on even with SR switched off in order to hold the sensor in place, otherwise it slops around inside the body.

Thanks for that. Well I do not know whether the SR is sensor based or not but this review suggests it is:
[quote="Expert Reviews"]This wasn't the only issue we spotted with the K-S1's videos. There were pronounced aliasing artefacts such as moiré interference on repeating patterns, and more noise than we’d expect from a large sensor. Rolling shutter effect was quite pronounced, skewing geometry of fast-moving subjects or when quickly panning the camera. The sensor-based stabilisation behaved slightly oddly for videos, too. None of these issues was disastrous but we wouldn’t recommend this camera to keen videographers.[/quote]Original review here: http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/digital-cameras/dslrs/1402085/pentax-k-s1-review
Well for another time (if it ever happens) it is turned off now!
The only reason for using video was to catch the flash from the cannon fire and it achieved that OK


Only one frame contained that so would not have been possible to capture that in stills mode.
The actual video is here (its only a couple of seconds.) The wobble is quite weird.

I guarantee you, the last time that real IBIS (Sensorshift SR) was used in a Pentax DSLR body was with the K-5II.

The MovieSR causes all that wobble, not real IBIS.

Just look at how awful the K-1 MovieSR is...

► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y7p41N7KSA

And here the operator was intentionally shaking the camera to highlight the nastiness that digital SR causes.
► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X_RfjbjUeU

It isn't that different to my K-S1, surprising. I did some railway video on my K-5 and that was steady as a rock.
Anyhow, it got the picture I wanted last Sunday so was a successful means to an end.

Here's real IBIS in the K-5 hand held while walking

► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZhSc46OfMA
and
► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOz1sijmIp4

That's fine, similar to what I got on my K-5. I must say I hadn't realised the extent its got wrecked in the recent models.

Yes, it's a great shame. They once were leaders, but they then chose the easy route.

Arriving a bit late to this conversation, but Steve's got it covered.
Every Pentax camera since the K-5ii models has had a software attempt at video stabilisation called 'Movie SR' instead of real mechahical sensor stabilisaiton.
The result of this is as you have discovered, utter rubbish. Glad to see users giving that video mode button a go, but sorry to see you've also realised that what they've giving us isn't very good.

Reviews don't know to look for it, so the 'expert' review link doesn't know what it's talking about. The reason the "sensor-based stabilisation behaved slightly oddly for videos, too" was because it's not used at all and the Movie SR offering is rubbish.

What's embarrassing too is that the Movie SR package has been rolled out to every new camera pretty much as is. The K-1 and presumably the KP still have the same video package from 2012, with only minor tweaks since then. (The K-70 is a semi major deviation in terms of video, having some on sensor phase detect AF points, which they use to improve/provide continuous autofocus, but it still uses the same core package in terms of Movie SR and low bit rates/quality etc). So, that's 5 years of just shoving the same flawed content out in every 'new' model.

Every model basically has the same video capabilities, and they're not very good. I've honestly had Movie SR nearly ruin a little project I was working on, where it turned a babies head into a warping conehead, and completely randomly/in a non linear fashion, so I couldn't correct it out in post either. The end decision was the same as what you've come to, and I simply turn it off permanently now, for fear of wrecking some shot that is important to me.

The problem with visual stabilisation only is, the camera responds to objects naturally moving within the frame, so you tend to get wobble even when the camera itself isn't moving too much. It tries to do the best it can based on visual only movement clues. I've seen videos where ceiling fans have completely confused it, where as sensor stabilisation would identify that the camera wasn't moving much and not be thrown by the fan.

Here's another example of that.
The translation of the video content is along the lines of: "Camera shake correction for movies When "Movie SR" is enabled, even when the camera is fixed, the screen shakes according to the movement of the subject"

It then translates further to say"Since the camera shake correction inside the body is attached, I thought that I can do quite a bit of movies, but I can not use Continuous AF (press the AF button when I want to do AF), I do not have a sense of resolution or moire, Sex is low.
Originally it is up to 1080 @ 30p so I do not think anyone will buy it for the movie."

I'm picking that means he's literally getting no love from his Pentax for video...

Here's an example of better video from 7 years ago now.

Bottom line is they are well overdue for an update in the video world. They're already bottom of the pile now, and will need to adjust simply to meet bottom tier industry standards. The hope is that they address some of the fundamentals, such as returning mechanical stabilisation, upping the bit rates etc and not just slap 4K resolution on the messy package that's there at the moment.

You can work with what's provided presently, but they should be so much further ahead in this area, having been the first to provide useable sensor stabilised footage 7 years ago. With all camera reviews now including a section on video capabilities, they will need to address this at some stage.

I'm inferring It would seem that for someone who uses a Pentax for regular mixed dual still/video use the K-5 will still be the best option until the issues raised above are dealt with. I'm not saying the K-5 is the best still camera although given its great high ISO performance there are some who will say it is, not without good reason.
It's regrettable the K-1 wasn't endowed with the K-5 type video system as a minimum as it is the camera's weak link. It would seem it might be better if the software shake reduction system was abandoned altogether given it reduces quality rather than improves it! No doubt that wouldn't go down to well with the marketing guys however.
Having used the K-5 video with success in the past I hadn't realised the present incarnation had become so poor. Pentax need to at least put it back to what it was in the K-5 !