Thx for reply. I see. Someone got a download link to gh4 firmware 2.3?

I know this may sound dumb but I was wondering if you can record the 4K output to a Ninja 1080p recorder just for the 10bit VLog?

For Android imageApp can be downgraded here. http://apkpure.com/panasonic-image-app/com.panasonic.avc.cng.imageapp What version would I need to match with v2.3?

Can someone clarify for me - unlike with the loop hole version 2.3 where zebras are best set to around 75%, with the V-LOG L paid version 2.4, the zebras are working correctly right, in other words is it safe to set to 100% and then expose the brightest highlights just shy of 100%? In the following examples that is what I did and the in camera meter showed plus 1 stop to 1 2/3rd stop over depending on the scene. The result then in the NLE, using the Waveform and RGB Parade scopes, showed an exposure ranging from 25 to 75 before grading.

I have listed the main LUTs used in the sample clips. In addition, there are further color and exposure grading adjustments. Comments and advise are appreciated…..like many, I see problems using V-LOG internally at 8 bits especially with heavier contrasty grades as follows. I have also included one clip using Cinelike D for comparison. Also of note, the model had applied sun screen and make-up applied unevenly and so there are resulting blemishes which might be confused with camera artifacts… yet the limitations of 8 bit V-LOG are seen plus Vimeo always seems to add magenta to the coloration compared to original!

@crowbar - the skin tests video look brilliant to me.. I think V-Log is fantastic when shooting outdoors for skin tones even internally in 8 Bit, when ETTR. Interiors are a bit trickier, white balance and ugly light sources can mess things up for internally recorded V_log very easily, but it was never great in Cine D either.

Is a 1080p recorder like the Atomos Ninja worth it for working with vLog? I mean, I could spend $295 for my kind of work (guerrilla filmmaking) but not $1k more for a 4k recorder. So, 4k internal vs 1080p external... What do you guys think?

@crowbar

Thanks for samples. I still cant understand the hype around V-log.

This example shows clearly the limitations of V-log. Results are rough, noisy and like 10th generation re-render. I dont like colors either. A bit odd contrasty feeling with blueish black tones. CineD clip is smoother and better but has that yellow/orange tint.

Why internal V-log? I think it may be OK for extreme dynamic range scenes like sunsets. Is the GH4 default colors so bad that one must use "7 bit raw" to get better image.

I think in generally GH4 suffers noise and high iso roughness. Colors and dynamic range are good. V-log makes these issues worse.

It may be useful in professional projects when using other V-log cameras (or ?log) and the goal is easy edit and grade using same LUTs.

V-log looks outstanding in some situations but it's just not useable for others which makes it not reliable and therefore not useable. Panasonic should just fix the blocking and banding and so many people will actually buy it.

@vesku - Thanks for your input, I had a much easier time grading the 10 bit ProRes ungraded samples that Driftwood provided earlier. With that footage I was happy with the graded skin tone results and posted my version on this thread. In my recent examples above keep in mind that many of the close up shots were surrounded by green and yellow forest, trees and grass which adds to the challenge of grading skin tones. My white balance was set at 5200, perhaps could've been dialed in better but even still I have always gotten yellowish tones out of cinelike D which has to be corrected in post. I do agree that there is something rough about 8 bit V log at least with my grading here but then I did go for a high contrast look. Or is this something you have noticed in general with many posted V-LOG samples? I think dialing back the opacity of the Luts would help with this perceived roughness...

For anything important I now use the natural picture profile setting which looks great right out of the camera and then with minor adjustments, film LUTs etc. it can look really good. However I must say that with my Blackmagic pocket I am able to get superior looking skin tones with it's great ProRes codec. Just something more organic and naturally film-like to its log footage once it is graded. If Panasonic's GH5 comes out with internally recorded ProRes, that will be worth getting really excited about!

@crowbar that's funny that Shane hates magenta leaning skin tones when Canon is exactly that. He's Canon's golden boy.

Whoops, please delete this post...

@Aria I use the Ninja 2 with the GH4 just for the 10 bit recording and it works great!

@Aria I have a Ninja Star that I've used with the GH4. The GH4 has an internal menu option in the HDMI output section. Internally it shoots 4K, down converts to 1080p and then sends that signal out to the recorder. I've found that it actually comes out a bit sharper (not digitally over sharpened, just clearer) than the GH4 internal 4K, down converted to 1080p in post, but that could just be a placebo.