@xenocide I've been saying that this whole time, thank you for laying it out there.

Can someone with firmware version 2.4 please perform this short test for me and report the result?

Set the photo style to Standard and the ISO to 400. Point the camera at something and adjust the exposure until the camera's exposure meter reads +0.0. Then switch the camera to V-Log L, keeping the same exposure and ISO setting. What does the exposure meter read now?

I must say that I'm very impressed of the color of V-log when using a v-log->Rec709 with gamma and gamut translation.

Here is a real life example of a raw still to jpg without any color/contrast modifications done and a same situation in V-log. Sorry that I did't remember to test a Cinelike D/V profiles then.

Would you be able to spot macro blocking in this, if this would be moving shot of 5-10s? 8bit is visible in the red jacket...

I think I will start using V-log as my standard profile...

@Xenocide38

But only V-Log made it so apparent that now we are all looking at it! :(

You can see this in my first picture, were both side of separation line have that magenta/cyan tint blocks but only in V-Log are disturbing.

@joonas_t

1. Well, I'm using the LUT Panasonic told us to use... :( (http://av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/support/global/cs/dsc/download/fts/enhance/gh4/index.html)

2. Is it possible to make a LUT to put in chain with V-Log 2 Rec709, so it correts this?

I'm still getting really bad results with the internal V-Log L stuff. I'm sure there are people who don't notice or don't experience these issues, so if you want to shoot with V-Log L, go for it. Use whatever makes your footage look the best.

That said, I don't think I can generally recommend V-Log L for internal shooters, even ones with color grading experience. Log is more to work with and post will slow you down but these issues will give you even more of a headache.

@joonas_t has shown a couple times how to fix this issue with 3D LUT Creator but that is only helpful if you have time to fix each shot, shot by shot by shot.

These artifacts can affect ANY picture profile on the GH4 but they are most prominent with V-Log L when shooting internally on the cam. During this test shoot, I did a factory reset on the camera as some people were saying that helped. I don't see much difference.

Workflow: 1. Shoot ETTR 2. Import files into After Effects 3. Switch to 32-Bit Mode 4. Apply Panasonic LUT to V-Log L Footage 5. Add Curves to adjust color

Please, if I am doing something wrong or there's a better way to handle this, let me know. I would love to be able to use V-Log L but I'm not seeing a lot that gives me trust in it.

Granted, this is a nightmare scene for V-Log L, and other environments may not show these artifacts as much.

If anything, all this V-Log L stuff has given me more validation to thought that you should get it pretty close to final in camera. I've been shooting Cinelike V for awhile and I think I'm going to stick with that. But like I said, I'd like to be proven wrong.

http://www.camerastuffreview.com/news/panasonic-gh4-firmware-2-3-v-log-l

@shian, can you provide a short clip of the raw footage?

@caveport Could you send one frame of the original material of that shot. I would like to look around it with the x-rite Color Checker in it.

@shian I took a look at your software but I didn't quit understand how this software works. It would be interesting if you could share some of your techniques in theory, about what you are doing to save the footage. Are they kind of tricks you too do to the footage, like recreating some channels again with algorithms of some sort or is it careful translations between color spaces.

@robbin you can create gamma and gamut LUT's with a Software called LUTCalc, It's free in 8 bit and 3eur/usd as a standalone 10bit software. One reason why the v-log has better color is that it's coded in Panasonic v-gamut color space, witch is wider that Rec709 gamut space.

@Xenocide38 I'm trying to get my head around the macro blocking. Because it's rather easy to fix and because it always magenta/cyan, It just might be that it's located always in the same spot in the color space. I just need to find a way to see it and create a lut that might just fix it independent of the v-log footage it's been used. And of course I'll share the lut here, if I can get it to work.

I don't have enough technical knowledge about color, but the one thing keeps me trying V-Log is color... to my eyes color is just fantastic.

I also see a green cast in Alexa LogC (easily compensated with some magenta) and the greens seems to have too much lightness (almost neon like at times).

The noise, not only macro blocks, is much worst than Natural in same ISO setting (and I still can use ISO 200 to lower it further...).

If only joonas_t could get a LUT that eliminates macro block problem in most circumstances... :)

@caveport you are right I use terms wrong, because this all is rather new to me. But I'm quit positive that V-log records to Panasonic V-gamut. The colors are totally off If I only correct the gamma and leave the gamut alone when translating v-log to Rec709 with a lut. Do you get the colors to be precise with the Color checker with out a gamut translation lut? So you use any luts?

Could you just render a frame for me in jpg format from the video. It doesn't matter if it low res or jpg compressed.

@joonas_t The GH4 does not have V-gamut at all. It has only sRGB and Adobe RGB. When shooting video it defaults to sRGB, and that is from the GH4 user manual, plus I have tested extensively. I don't know how you can be positive about something that you have not checked!!! Also the test was done at ISO 3200 not ISO 1600. here is the still frame for you.

As per the earlier post: NO LUT'S USED.

@Caveport thanks for the clip! I'll like to play around with it.

And I'm still quite positive that GH4's V-log gamut is V-gamut. Here is raw still as a reference (raws have picture profiles embed so I think we can use it as a reference of accurate color) and one video frame with gamut (and gamma) translation from v-log to rec 709 and one with only gamma translation from v-log to rec 709.

But this is so confusing and I'm trying to get my head around it still. V-log is v-gamut, but the codec in h.264 is Lab, or wait... sRGB or is it, is it rec709 or what!!! Confusing!

Most strange, at least for me, is where it appears: in mids/highlights.

@caveport

Are you sure those pictures are 3200 ISO? Do you want to exchange your GH4 with mine? :) :)