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GH4 4K Panasonic video camera, official topic
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  • I have Rode Stereo Videomic Pro with a +20db switch - when engaged I have tons of gain, had to turn down GH4 mic level all the way when recording near the sound of a running river!

  • @alienhead @crowbar as I can see low input level both on left and right channel I beleive this is some sort of grounding problem. The 3:d an 4 ring are probbably shortened with the Roede 3 ring plug. I will do tests later in the week with trs to trrs adepter. Qustion is what ring in the 4 ring connection that is ground, 3:d or the inner 4:th ring. The extra ring on the GH4 input is probably to controle the Panasonic mic functions.

  • Panasonic Lumix GH4 w/YAGH Interface Unit Kit at $3299 available at

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/351081807644

  • An urgent question: Has anybody ever tried out the analog AV out? Is there an SD Video Output while recording as well as the HDMI output? I don't have an analog monitor to check but will have to make this work. Thanks, DS

  • Ok ... I've seen a number of posts on the Adobe forums wanting to know how to get 444 out of a GH4. I have seen the statements that it is possible if starting from a 4k-10bit 422 out, such as the HDMI-out on the GH4 can provide.

    Questions ... is it only available from the HDMI-out recorded signal, or internal also? Second, for any doing this, what is your current workflow including software/codecs and all ... thanks.

  • I've read and puzzled through all this 444 internal stuff and here's what I believe to be true:

    You can get 444 1080P by downsampling internally-recorded 4K footage. The luma will be something between 8 and 10 bit but the color will still be 8 bit.

    If you start from externally-recorded 4K 422-10bit you'll certainly get 444-10bit on a 1080P downconvert.

  • @rNeil internal recording is 8-bit only, and if recording 10-bit (through HDMI or the YAGH) then you can't simultaneously record to an SD card internally.

    As I've gathered so far from postings here, no one has yet confirmed any external recording method firsthand except the 10-bit 422, and it only works in certain framerates according to what external recorder was used. No one has yet reported recording any 4k footage 10-bit 422, and it seems there's only one recorder on the market at the moment that would be capable of doing that.

    I'm not sure how people are getting the 1080/444 footage downconverted from 4k either, or seen it yet... it might have been posted somewhere hereabouts and someone said something about a Cineform app.

  • I had problems with ny Roede Stereo Video mic with very low levels into GH4 I have now been doing tests with different converter cabels TRS to TRRS connection plugs. You can read my findings here http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/172161#Comment_172161

  • @Alienhead ...

    I've not quite got the approval from the CFO for grabbing me own GH4, but I follow these & other threads closely so I'll hit the ground running when I do later this summer. Yea, you're right ... currently there maybe only be one or two external recorders that can connect directly to the HDMI outs and grab the 4k-10bit-422 that is necessary for a full 1080p-444 final. Spendy suckers too.

    Talking with Atomos at NAB, they said they were kinda caught off-guard by the speedy release of the GH4, and were having to really jump up their development to get a mod-cost recorder built & out that could handle that need. Taking one of the recorders that can only do 8-bit down from 4k to 1080p supposedly gives one the equivalent of about 8.67 bits mathematically. An improvement, but not really what we want, is it? And buying a GH4, that "brick", and the gear to do SDI connections is a TON of money. Well, still less than most other ways to get 4k-10bit 422, but ... not quite what it would cost for a lower-cost recorder that could handle the frame rate options from a GH4 at full 4k/10-bit ... sigh ...

  • "Miniature Effect" straight out of camera.

  • I had a couple of lock ups today when shooting in VFR 96fps after around 2 minutes or so. Ended up having to reset the battery as the camera wouldn't turn off with the switch. When I got back home I noticed that there were a couple of files named Pxxxxxxx.mdt, one is 985Mb and the other is 1.46Gb. Are these the files that were in prgress when the camera locked up? I'm guessing from the timestamp that they could well be. I have been using Sandisk Extreme Pro SD cards with no issues but today was a first try with a Transcend SDXC U3 UHS-1 95mb/s 64Gb card.

  • @trailer, try renaming the file extensions to what you usually record (.mov, mp4, mts, m2ts etc), then try playing them. They could also be plain H264 streams (often called .264 or .h264), but that seems less likely as the camera would have to spend time 'packaging' them into the container file at the end of the recording, which would be inefficient.

  • My first test 4K 24p
    nothing special , just outdoor shoot ,and some crazy stuff !!

    at 1:50 start the funny dumb part LOL

  • @valpopando ... loved the funny-dumb part! :-)

  • @_gl I tried changed the file extension to .MOV but no joy on playing them I'm afraid either in QT or VLC. Thanks for the suggestion anyway. I'll try again with the Transcend card and revert back to the SanDisk if required.

  • @valpopando Great test and thanks for the heads up on the Adobe Camera RAW update. Even though Camera RAW 8.5 is BETA for the moment I can report that it works perfectly on a Mac. Goes without saying, the RAW images on the GH4 are far superior to jpg. Love it. Thanks again.

  • @rNeil Thx @maddog15 thx mate

    yes i got mac too , and the RAW looks very nice ,especially at med ISO but still under dslr competitors !

  • @trailer, I bet the files can be rescued, but if it wasn't important footage it's probably not worth the time.

  • Okay so whats the better option, to shoot 4k 4:20 in camera to a card, or to get an external recorder and pull out 1080p 4:2:2 ?? I can't afford a 4k 4:2:2 recorder.

  • My cameraman just got back from shooting BTS on a feature with the GH4, he is raving about it, tomorrow I should be able to start playing with it in post, I will let you know how she handles, and hopefully post some samples ASAP.

    More importantly, I finally get to play with it!