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JVC 4K cameras, including GY-LS300 - 4K for $2995, GY-HM200 and GY-HM170
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  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @Robin

    It also has £500 for any accessories.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

  • MikeLinnMikeLinn

  • MikeLinnMikeLinn

  • belfrymanbelfryman

    This looks great, though lots of early footage looked naff since j log looks a lot nicer, but after all the firmware updates does anyone know what it's capable of, if it's still 8 bit 422 internally, what it is for 4K and 1080 and over HDMI which sounds worse?

  • LPowellLPowell

    @belfryman In 1080p, the LS300 can record internal 4GB MOV files in 8-bit 422 color at up to 50Mbps. Using the camera's ITU 709 profile, latitude extends to 400% above middle gray, while with the J-Log1 profile, latitude extends to 800%. In 4K resolution, it records internally in 8-bit 420 color at up to 150Mbps. HDMI output is limited to 8-bit, so an external recorder is not likely to produce a significant improvement in image quality. This camera is truly the 4K upgrade that everyone who owned the AF100 was begging Panasonic to make. While the LS300 lacks the 10-bit HDMI output of the GH4, its pro features and internal log recording quality are significantly better. (LS300 uses the full 108% IRE range compared to GH4's 79%.) If you'd rather have a pro 4K MFT videocam than a video DSLR with external rigging, the LS300 is your one and only choice.

  • belfrymanbelfryman

    @LPowell Thank you, you know more than the retailers! It is v tempting and specially with ND filters as well, frustrating as just bought the atomos assassin for the 10 bit out of the GH4 which, as you say, would be pretty redundant except as an expensive monitor. Wonder what it's like to grade the 4K, which I am now very used to being able to reframe. I think it will be about an £1800 trade up to lose 10 bit and may have to sell the assassin already and maybe even that H6 zoom I also just bought! But it saves a bit of hassle, just wish I'd seen footage that really blew me away, but hey, it's £2400, not going to be everything and my MFT lenses remain viable.

  • LPowellLPowell

    @belfryman Ungraded LS300 footage is not likely to blow anyone away, but it's not going embarrass you either. The MAJOR game-changer with this camera is the seamless 2.3x digital zoom, which turns any prime lens into a motorized parfocal zoom. The limitation, however, is that like 422 color, it only works in 1080p (1.25x zoom in 4K mode). So it's really a "4K-when-you-must-have-it" HD videocam, with exclusive 1080p features you won't want to give up.

    J-Log1 is virtually bulletproof, with nothing but white balance and exposure to adjust, and there is an auto-spot meter that seeks out the brightest area and displays its numerical exposure level. But the REC 709 mode is no slouch either, with adjustable knee, gamma, and black level controls you can use to craft your own gamma curve. REC 709 also allows you to completely turn off in-camera sharpening, if so desired.

    The major limitation with the LS300 is its limited ISO range and mediocre noise performance. With J-Log1 and REC 709 modes, there's rarely any good reason to shoot at anything other than minimum ISO. ISO 3200 is the highest I'd go and that's with the expectation of using Neat Video in post, which is essential for combining noise reduction and custom sharpening in one pre-editing operation. At this point, LUT's are still experimental, though grading J-Log1 is smooth as silk for anyone who knows the pedestal, gain, and gamma routine.

  • belfrymanbelfryman

    @LPowell Thanks again. Sounds great. Do you know if it would be technically possible for them to bump the 4K up to 422 in a future firmware update - though they've done their fair share of updates already.

  • zcreamzcream

    And the 150mbps is enough - no motion artifacts ? No mud in shadows ?

  • LPowellLPowell

    @belfryman JVC has been agressively updating the LS300 with new firmware features like J-Log1 and the upcoming 120fps firmware update. Not sure if 422 is technically doable in 4K mode (Bayer filter resolution could be an issue), but it's worth asking their marketing rep. For my purposes, I'd be zooming in and downsampling 4K to 1080p, and that fills in the 420 chroma gaps, as chroma is basically recorded at 1080p in 4K mode.

    @zcream 150Mbps at 4K is 50% more bitrate than the GH4 uses, and the LS300 handles motion and shadows without noticeable artifacts:

  • belfrymanbelfryman

    @LPowell Thanks again. Presumably not so useful for green screen?

  • belfrymanbelfryman

    You should be on commission! I'm v close to buying one.

  • belfrymanbelfryman

    Nice review...

  • belfrymanbelfryman

    Went to buy one at the good deal price - all sold out! The message is getting through!

  • IronFilmIronFilm

    B&H / Adorama / Amazon all have them in stock

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    image

    http://www.focus-numerique.com/test-3066/camescope-4k-jvc-gy-hm200-gy-ls300-caracteristique-1.html

    img190.jpg
    618 x 776 - 62K
  • zcreamzcream

    That is very impressive..

  • LPowellLPowell

    JVC LS300 Firmware Update 3.0 available here:

    http://pro.jvc.com/pro/attributes/CAMERA/soft/gyls300_firmware_v3.0.html

    Major new feature: 120fps in 1080p at up to 50Mbps

  • zcreamzcream

    50mbps.. Was hoping for 100.. Lets see how it is

  • belfrymanbelfryman

    The major good deal in UK disappeared over the days I was away filming, but have ordered one anyway, looks a lot of camera in a cheap, little package.

  • zcreamzcream

    @LPowell - what pedestal, gain, and gamma routine. are your referring to ?

  • LPowellLPowell

    @zcream Those are the fundamental exposure grading controls found in color correction tools.

    Pedestal - sets the level of 0% black.

    Gain - sets the overall amplification, i.e. the level of 100% white.

    Gamma - sets the relative contrast level of the midrange.

  • zcreamzcream

    Right - I have graded earlier. But you mentioned this is in a sentence as if there was a specific trick related to the JLog. Perhaps I misunderstood...

  • LPowellLPowell

    @zcream The trick with LS300 video is that video editors interpret it as REC 709 footage, regardless of whether you shoot in ITU709 or J-log1 modes. To recover the "superwhites", I first lower the pedestal to put black near 0%, and then scale down the gain below the clipping point. I then adjust gamma to taste. I prefer to operate directly on the Y component to do this, leaving the Cr and Cb components unaltered.

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