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GH4 4K Panasonic video camera, User reviews and opinions
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  • AronJAndersonAronJAnderson

    So I went out today to do some lens test and grabbed my tripod but unfortunately forgot the quick release mount. So I had to stabilize these shots in post. I love to take my cameras and film trees at some point because years ago I switch from Canon to the GH2 because I never liked the mushy trees that Canon would produce in my footage. So I know if a camera can make distant leaves on trees good, then I know It will be good to go. When I got home I wanted to see how some new camera settings and some new lenses will look with my filmic color grading treatment. I will post another video soon about my findings, right now I'm still testing. What do you guys think so far with this video. Do you like it the look. Panasonic GH4 Panasonic Lumix 20mm 1.7 lens

  • Ru_CRu_C

    Hello all, l'm relatively new to filmmaking (but a music production professional of 20+ years), but own both a BMCC & GH4 so i guess my opinion maybe of some use/interest.

    I was commissioned to make some budget music videos back in late April, & whilst holding off for the GH4 to actually ship, ending up getting at 2nd hand BMCC for a price I couldn't refuse. I bought the BMCC + Metabones speedbooster (which works fine on the GH4 as long as you put it on 'silent' mode !) so I could use my Nikon Lenses.

    Now I really want to love the GH4, but just prefer the look of BMCC footage.

    The GH4 is light, it has a replaceable battery that lasts ages, shoots 4k & 96fps slowmo…doubles as a still camera etc etc…..however, I just don't think its footage looks as film-like for want of a better expression.

    I've done a lot of real-life filming with both now, inside (with lights) & outside with natural daylight, & I still prefer the BMCC footage in 90% of situations.

    I even got hold of a Hyperdeck shuttle, so I could capture Prores from the GH4, & though it may be arguably higher quality if you squint (& probably grades a little better), it still does't fundamentally change the look of something that the GH4 sensor is doing.

    I guess many others prefer the GH4, as you could def. argue that the footage is sharper, & if so this is the do-it-all camera for you !

    This is an aesthetic problem I have with its images, that i'm finding hard to pin down, despite fiddling endlessly with the settings on it, using the same lenses as the BMCC, & grading the footage afterwards.

    I was really hoping to mix footage from both cameras, using the GH4 for slowmo stuff, but it just doesn't seem to be working out very well.

    Shooting purely in B & W, I have much more luck mixing the two, & intend to hang onto it for at least another 6 months just for doing some arty slow-mo B&W stuff.

    Would be very keen to hear the experience of others that have both, as the GH4 is more convenient in every single way to use, but i'd love to get better results !

    Cheers

  • nobbystylusnobbystylus

    @Ru_C I would agree that the BMCC has a filmic look - 'out of the bag'. Its a RAW camera and Pro Res is lovely. But i definitely think the GH4, when coupled with vintage or modern manual glass (SLR MAGICs or Voigtlanders), plus subtly using Film Convert can cut very nicely with it. I use cine D, 0, -3, -5, -3, -0 picture profile and get my white balance 'bang on' in camera. This makes all the difference. With a BMCC its much more forgiving in post. GH4 always get good white balance!!

    Once you nail the settings on the GH4 its a revelation!

  • Ru_CRu_C

    ok doke…downloading film convert to have a fiddle ! thanks

  • h2otarah2otara

    Shot with 2 GH4s in NTSC 4K, default settings, both mounted on spotting scopes. Keep watching until the last duck jumps...

  • PixCanFlyPixCanFly

    This one is nice!

  • rNeilrNeil

    @RU_C

    nobbystylus has a good answer. The GH4 is a different beast than from what many have tried to make it. Neither it nor the GH3 are really a "flat" raw/log type camera, so if one sets EVERYTHING to -5 to try and make the out-of-cam footage look like say the "film" mode of the BM cams, when you lift things back "up" you'll find oft some things you may not appreciate. I tried this at first. Not ... as successful as I would have liked.

    It's very easy to use both cameras and gut glutted saturation and VERY "video" look. To be avoided also.

    It's finding the sweet spot for your content & output needs that gives the best the cam can do. Probably quite minus on the sharpness, some minus on contrast & sat, probably a lot of minus on noise control in-cam (though some use this at 0). Somewhere in there, you'll find the settings you can work with in post & get repeatable and good results.

    But as noted in nobbystylus' comment, you MUST get WB and exposure nailed in-cam. Get WB at least very close, and nail that exposure. You don't have the latitude of a "deep" RAW file, but ... if nailed in-cam, it's quite a good bit of footage for grading afterwards.

    The histogram is sort of reliable in-cam, but it's best if you test test test with a meter and learn how to meter your cam so it gives you what you expect every time. Then these babies start to really sing.

  • itimjimitimjim

    43rumors on Twitter have stated the GH4 is going to get RAW in an upcoming firmware release...woah!

    https://twitter.com/43rumors/status/499969657013829632

  • nobbystylusnobbystylus

    @itimjim - wow. Yes please. That would be astonishing. But i'm guessing only to an external recorder.

  • caveportcaveport

    I think it may be a true log recording mode. I don't think it will be an actual RAW mode.

  • TATZUTATZU

    @h2otara That was a really good video! The gh4 has really good quality! Those ducks were really cute, i hope that gator didn't get any of the babys!

    Does anybody have any complaints with the dynamic range of the gh4? Because i still only have the gh2 and have plenty of complaints on the dynamic range with this one... I'm trying to make the choice between the A7s and the GH4

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @TATZU

    Get some school physics book, or if you are lazy, look at DR measurements, plenty of them are referenced in two main topics.

  • TATZUTATZU

    @Vitaliy_Kiselev Sorry great master for i have fallen out of line. how shall i be dealt with. Due to my cursed dynamic range questioning of the unquestionable, your noble sire.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Sorry great master for i have fallen out of line. how shall i be dealt with. Due to my cursed dynamic range questioning of the unquestionable, your noble sire.

    LOL

  • AzoAzo

    @TATZU

    Do you have any full frame cameras at the moment? If you don't I would say keep the GH2 and buy the A7S. If I didn't already have a Nikon full frame camera and video was more important then stills then I would definitely buy the A7S.

    However for stills, IMO Nikon still is king. If I was shopping for a full frame camera today and both video and stills were equally important I would buy the Nikon D810. Good luck on your decision.

  • tylerknighttylerknight

    This was my first chance using the GH4 with some talking head interview style shots. I am really happy with the way the skin tones look actually I don't see what all the fuss it about! I've only ever been a GH shooter as far as the DSLR form factor and they continue to blow me away each and every generation of bodies.

  • SuperSetSuperSet

    @tylerknight Looks great, man! CineV maybe?

  • tylerknighttylerknight

    Sorry should've given my settings! haha.

    -2 all across the board

    Cine-D actually colour corrected with 3-way colour corrector and then graded with a custom lut with the 3D Lut Creator program!

  • SuperSetSuperSet

    @tylerknight That is a surprise! Watched a few of your videos before and assumed that you were still using CineV. Great job on the skintones, especially using CineD.

  • tylerknighttylerknight

    @superset

    That's my fault actually! I have used CineD since the beginning I accidentally stated CineV on a few I keep getting confused on which name was for which until I told myself D FOR DESATURATED

  • Nigel785Nigel785

    Quick question on Synchro Scan...I chose this from menu and cycled to exactly 180 degrees. But now it's saying 180.1 or 180.2, like thats all that comes up when cycling thru. Just curious to know why this is happening?

  • caveportcaveport

    @Nigel785 That is strange. My camera does not show those values! Mine shows 179, 180 181.... etc. No decimal values at all & does not have any values missing.

  • EnoEno

    After some time spent and a couple of events shot with GH4 I have only very good things to say about it.

    First, the high ISO is great, I know other are complaining about it but is unrealistic to compare it with the best low light cameras that exist. For me, the high ISO of this machine is very good. If my target is full HD I have absolutely no problem shooting until maximum ISO of 6400. Noise is very organic and if I want noise free files I clean them in Neat Video (4K ISO 3200 cleans so well that it looks like minimal ISO). ISO 6400 on GH4 looks similar to ISO 3200 on GH3 (I have both cameras).

    The photo side is also great, finally I can shot in camera JPG's, GH3 was horrible in this regard, the high NR in combination with high sharpening makes a lot of nasty artifacts which I strongly dislike. Now I have absolutely no problem using GH4 for out of the camera JPG, I shot RAW + JPG and if I need speed, the JPG's are there and looking great.

    The AF is fantastic, after working with it for a couple of months, I tried a Canon 5D mark 3 and it felt like a old dog regarding the AF speed and accuracy.

    Everybody is praising the battery life of GH4 in 4K, actually it is not that great, in 4K the battery is depleted 40% quicker than in full HD. I have no problem with that, I have a lot of spare batteries but the internet is full of exaggeration.

    I use a couple of Rode stereo video mic pro's on the GH4's and GH3 and that particular mic works extremely well with the GH4, much better than with GH3, the sound quality is much deeper and clear (I think GH4 uses better preamps).

    This camera works the best for me on natural profile with a little bit of contrast dialed down. I tried to make the image falter and I irrevocably destroyed the files. I strongly remand, until Panasonic makes a LOG profile, to make the look only as flat as you need, making it flatter you only introduce artifacts and noise in grading.

    Best regards to you all, I hope I've been helpful to someone.

  • MikeLinnMikeLinn

  • MikeLinnMikeLinn

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