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GH4 Firmware 2.3, V-log for $99, Epic Panasonic marketing fail
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  • the_cubanerthe_cubaner

    Meteorite LOL, Vitaly, you made my day!

    but about the marketing-fail with the v-log. It is now hacking-time?

  • MckiniseMckinise

    There is a server maintenance message at the bottom of the download page. It only took an entire day for them to "Do Something."

  • chefchef

    can some1 post a downlodable dropbox of the firmware thx

  • Richard_BloodRichard_Blood

    @the_cubaner

    expect an actual answer to that? I don't.

  • shianshian

    preliminary tests with internal codec reveal:

    • Medium Gray - in-camera meter +/-0 reads 43IRE

    • Highlights clip at 79IRE and around somewhere between 4-6 stops over 0

    • Pure black - 10IRE (10bit external extends black down to 7.5)

    Histogram will show highlights bumping up against the right edge when blowing out, BUT shadows read perfectly ok even with lens cap on and completely black.

    ALSO even though image is completely blown out to white, the camera's Zebras and "Highlight" black flashing clip indicator will not engage at all.

    These levels are consistent across all ISOs

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/SCANNER-Digital-CAMERA-WEBCAM/Panasonic/Panasonic-DMC-GH4-Camera-Firmware-23.shtml

  • chefchef

    ty

  • MistasMistas

    I haven't played around with any recorded Vlog footage yet, but when using magnified view w focus peaking, there is tons of peaking in the shadows, very sparkle-y. Not sure what to make of this. I thought it could be that there is extra noise so the peaking is finding that...but when I switch to Cine-D even @ ISO 6400 in the dark you don't see the same peaking anomaly.

  • dialdial

    First impressions about V-Log are if you can't expose ideally 2 stops over then you will be completely consumed by noise and NR (internal or external) will not save you.

  • Manu4VendettaManu4Vendetta

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    I am closing my eyes and see a year or two ahead.... Active discussion of testing new cheap camera with 14 bit raw video. Usual "my backyard" and "puppies doing tricks" testing clips with many high prize responses... I open my eyes...

  • SoupertrooperSoupertrooper

    @Vitaliy_Kiselev

    We can only hope

  • Manu4VendettaManu4Vendetta

    And with GH5 pink edition. Lol.

  • MckiniseMckinise

    @Shian Have you tried tuning zebras down to 80?

  • Manu4VendettaManu4Vendetta

  • shianshian

    @Mckinise yup

  • plasmasmpplasmasmp

    I really like vlog. Works great with REDlogfilm luts. Highlight rolloff now more comparable to BMC cameras which has been bugging me since I switched from Canon to Panasonic back with my Hacked GH1.

  • discomandavisdiscomandavis

    So... first impressions.

    V-Log is pretty underwhelming to say the least. I don't know if anyone's experience was different than mine, but I'll lay it out there.

    V-Log in 1080p is unusable IMO. No matter how you do it, it's got a ton of noise and banding. A very undesirable image.

    V-Log in UHD/4k is good. While I can still see noise and banding, it is spread out better (likely due to the increase of pixels) to the point where it is almost unnoticeable.

    My verdict as of right now is that you really need an external recorder with 10bit for V-Log to really shine, but if you expose properly, you will be happy with V-Log color in 4k.

    I was very pleased with the skin tones that I get out of this camera!

    I varied a little from @shian when it comes to exposure. I am attaching a text document with a detailed exploration of exposure with V-Log, but the short version is this...

    White Clips at 75 Gray is 43 Black Clips at 11

    (Working on a video to demonstrate)

    Also I have attached my first version of an improved VLog-709 LUT, would love if anyone would test it out and tell me what they think, like/dislike to improve it.

    Exposure Research.pdf
    30K
    DM_VLOGto709_V1.zip
    188K
  • SoupertrooperSoupertrooper

    @discomandavis

    I Shot some v-log in 4k today and didn't see any banding. I shot some footage with my lens cap on and saw some very very very minor banding only when I clipped the whites and blacks to fit the waveform.

    I totally agree, external recorder would make log great. However, if you can't afford a $1200-$2000 recorder then the 4k 8 bit works great. I can't wait to see what people do with this.

    I did like the extra DR. I did some v-log vs cine-d (everything -5, no highligh shadow mods) and found that that extra dr made the image quality better not just in the luminance(? is that the right word?) but also the colors were more vibrant. I was using the ALEXA_Default_logC2Rec709 lut in premiere pro's color panel which worked really well for me.

    I can't agree with you that v-log is underwhelming. I was so happy with the results I got, but that might just be me. I've got a million more tests planned for the week.

  • discomandavisdiscomandavis

    @soupertrooper this is a fair statement. these were just first impressions. it is encouraging to hear that you had a positive experience. i should be more clear, my "first experience" was underwhelming. but I still have a lot test. I haven't gotten to do any dynamic range tests yet. keep us updated on how your tests go!

  • _OZ_OZ

    Wow, the banding is really bad during my initial tests.

    Here is an example. White banding creating halos around my dome:

    Shot two stops to the right. Auto White Balance. V35 Lut. No other adjustments.

  • Xenocide38Xenocide38

    @_OZ is that banding in your timeline or an artifact from the Vimeo upload? I noticed some slight banding in Premiere after applying a basic LUT but it was more pronounced upon export and upload to YouTube.

  • _OZ_OZ

    It's present in the timeline, in the rendered video, and in the upload.

    Here's a frame export in premiere:

    P1340410.00_00_38_20.Still004.jpg
    1920 x 1080 - 368K
  • belfrymanbelfryman

    @Vitaliy_Kiselev

    'And what about VLOG? Can your new friend bear horrible life like saturation and TV like picture of normal profile?'

    Tested it. They couldn't. I'm alone now.

  • belfrymanbelfryman

    @_OZ ooh, that's bad, but you look good!

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