Personal View site logo
Make sure to join PV on Telegram or Facebook! Perfect to keep up with community on your smartphone.
Please, support PV!
It allows to keep PV going, with more focus towards AI, but keeping be one of the few truly independent places.
GH4 recording cap
  • pietzpietz

    I live in Germany which is why i got an european GH4 and as it turns out, it does have a recording cap of 29min59sec. when recording 4k it will create a new .mov when the file reaches 4GB, but it only does that so often until the recording time reaches 30min.

    i contacted Panasonic to see if i can download the US 1.0 firmware and reinstall it as a firmware update, but thats not supposed to be possible.

    so im asking you. do you have any ideas to get around this boundary?

    Thank you very much

  • 20 Replies sorted by
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    No such thing as "US firmware" exist. None.

    You body has internal setting that is independent from firmware.

    No, you won't be able to get around except sell your body and buy one from deals (it does not have limit as it is from HK).

  • TscheckoffTscheckoff

    @pietz: Hmm. Shouldn´t be the 24Hz mode unlimited? As far as I know only the 50Hz mode is limited (with the EU models). (So just switch to the 24Hz mode and try again - SHOULD work ^^.)

    LG

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @Tscheckoff

    Nope, it has nothing to do with modes. It originates from EU laws and affect any mode.

  • caveportcaveport

    The Australian version has no 30min limit.

  • karlkarl

    And just to avoid a wrong impression: It's not that EU laws forbid to import cameras that can record >30min video. There's just a slightly elevated customs duty to be paid for devices that can. (And sure, that distinction is kind of stupid.)

    So if you import a non-EU GH4 into the EU, and you declare what you import properly, you'll just be charged a little more than with <30min capable devices. But in comparison to the VAT you pay upon import, that extra is negligible.

    Therefore, I think it's a shame that Panasonic does not offer people in the EU to buy a GH4 with >30min recording - I think there would certainly a lot of people willing to pay those few extra bucks.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    So if you import a non-EU GH4 into the EU, and you declare what you import properly, you'll just be charged a little more than with <30min capable devices. But in comparison to the VAT you pay upon import, that extra is negligible.

    We had this discussion. As far as I remember it is not "little more".

  • karlkarl

    I haven't seen the original document yet (but asked for it here), but if some past media articles are correct, it's 4.9% of the customs value. If the current sales price of the GH4 in Germany (1499,- €) was customs value * 1.19 (for the VAT), then we are talking about 62,- € for the "30-minute limit". (And I am kind of sure it's less because obviously, dealers in the EU do not pay the list price to Panasonic.)

    I for one would gladly pay an extra 62,- € for a non-crippled GH4+.

  • LeeMLeeM

    Just buy the Aussie version. Whats the problem??

  • MRfannyMRfanny

    or one from hk or asia pacific in general. For me price and features are the deciding factor over local warranty. have bought numerous electronic devices based on it.

  • pietzpietz

    can anybody help me out with a link to a HK shop that sells the GH4 and has it available right now? a friend of mine is on vacation in hk and he might be able to bring one home. that would be fantastic

  • TscheckoffTscheckoff

    For all EU people: "pietz" told me, that it´s really not working (also not in 24 and 59.9Hz mode). Too bad - First the info was, that it´s just not working in 50Hz (PAL) mode -.- ... Well - At least it´s now NTSC / PAL switchable. So it´s not a problem at all any more to order internationally ^^.

    @pietz: He can easily check out bigger (local) foto stores. It´s for sure in stock somewhere (at the actual list price in HK).

    LG

  • karlkarl

    @pietz: Just make sure your friend doesn't do anything stupid regarding customs. If he declares the good he's bringing, he'll have to pay the VAT and customs duty, as would any impoter. If he does not declare the good and gets caught doing so, it will cost him much more in penalties.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    If he declares the good he's bringing, he'll have to pay the VAT and customs duty, as would any impoter.

    I am not sure of this. Bringing goods for personal use usually is covered by different law part. You need to check law first.

  • karlkarl

    There's a duty free allowance for goods bought abroad, but at least in Germany, the limit is way lower (430,- € per person arriving via flight) than the price of a new GH4. (Just for example, Mr. Rummenigge of soccer fame recently learned the hard way that his newly bought Rolex watches were also not quite below the duty free allowance limit.)

  • AKEDAKED

    Ordering something by mail (China for example), if you are a person not a company, if it is only occasional and if it is for personal use, the limit is 700 €. Above you have to pay 19% VAT plus import tax.

  • AKEDAKED

    I just called the customs. DSLR cameras below 35 mm is 4.2% tax. Video recorder with harddisc is 13,9% tax

    The price of the GH4 (body only) that small retailers pay to Panasonic is around 1090 € + 19% VAT and local shipping, so the dealer pays around 1300 €.

    So with 10% more tax it would be roughly 130 € more expensive.

    So retailing then at 1.630 €

    It is not just a little bit.

  • AKEDAKED

    Slight correction for Germany:

    Limit for a private person to import absolutely tax free: 22 € For a company. 10 €

    As a company, up to around 160 € you only pay 19% VAT, above that, that import tax has to be paid as well.

  • PersonhpPersonhp

    calculation for Germany for example buying in the US: buy at an "official dealer" for 1929$ ensure that the bill shows that us tax was paid or it was taxfree. take the camera go direct to the german customs and declare the good officially. than they calculate with the Price you paid. to find out the actual value in Euro 1929 divided by 1.36 they will end up with a Euro Price of 1418 Euro and then they add European VAT of 19% so you end up with 1687€ . and guess what the same official dealer in Europe has a pricetag of 1699€. if you did everything right, you still can reduce the price by the american tax (belongs to the correct USbill) and you are holding a camera without 30minlimitation in your hand....

  • AKEDAKED

    The offical price for body only in Germany is 1499 €

    And, if I understood your example right, there will be the import tax added. So it will be, 1418 € + 4.2% = 1476 € + 19% VAT = 1758 € compared to 1499 €.

  • puncpunc

    Any hacks planing in future to remove 30 min limit?

Add a Comment