TJB

"it only covers a center part of it, so you crop out the black area around it, and you get the native field of view of the lens as you do on a m43s sensor" Good to know there's someone out there that agrees with me. Good to know that JVC will do as they say and keep the native field of view of the lens. Not confusing or badly worded at all.

It's good to know that the native field of view of the lens will be preserved. A m4/3 lens will only use as much of the sensor as it needs to, to preserve it's field of view. In other words, my Panasonic 20mm f1.7 lens will have the same angle of view on the LS300 as my GH2. I wouldn't call this a "crop" because what we see won't be cropped. In fact I haven't seen anything re. the LS300 that mentions a "crop" - quite the opposite. It would be better to call it a multi - sized/ aspect sensor.

A "usable camcorder" like the FS100, bought used and applauded by some on this website. Anyway, I thought camcorders were supposed to have better ergonomics than DSLR style video cameras.

Angle of view with m4/3 lenses seems to be preserved without a crop according to bhphoto.com When the camera is used with MFT, Super 16, and other size lenses, using JVC's proprietary Variable Scan Mapping feature will allow you to maintain the lens' native angle of view. This gives filmmakers the flexibility of using widely available MFT lenses as well as high-end cinema lenses. It is also possible to attach the camera to microscopes and other devices using a MFT/C-mount adaptor.

When shooting SLOG I understand the base ISO is 3200. If so then that would mean doubling up on ND filters in broad daylight with a risk of reducing image quality. Any thoughts. Also, the A7s is full frame but only when using an adapter (metabones or Sony A-mount) - is this right? Otherwise, when using native E-mount glass - it's an APS-C camera. How does the ergonomics compare with the GH4? Many thanks!

"Shooting 4K for 2K on the Panasonic GH4" This is the title of this blog....however I've read the article and the comments and haven't found a definitive user friendly answer.

Totally agree.

Many thanks Andrew..... however - as embarrassing as this is to write in a virtual room full of amazing computer minds - I have to say that I have no idea how to run this application. I read the explanation and have to say it's about as easy to navigate as German grammar. Please give me drag n'drop and I'm happy. I must admit I tried this App once before - hence my wording - "user friendly transcoding app" However, much appreciated!

Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing. I'm considering the same workflow hoping to keep more colour info in the file (less banding) than if I shot 1080p. Wonder if there is a user friendly transcoding App that converts 4K 4.2.0 material shot in camera to full 1080p 4.2.2 or 4.4.4 ready for editing? Hope someone has an answer to this!

"This is something I’ve been really trying to draw a conclusion on in recent weeks for my own sanity!" Simply keep and use both cameras and keep your sanity. If it's not necessary, trying to decide between two totally different cameras is as silly as trying to choose between two totally different lenses. Why would you, if you didn't have to? If it's so essential to choose, then simply choose the camera that suits your visual style.

"However before you can splutter that old cliche ‘content is king!!’" I sat in on a production meeting once where the executive producer was expressing his desire for more success with his productions. He praised one particular director for his content and saw a particular type of content as a way of making more successful films. Unfortunately he missed the point. Content is important but the director (how the story is told) is more important. A great film maker can make good films with the lowliest tools and with the most mundane content. A great film maker can make even better films with the lowliest of tools and more interesting content. You get the point.

Anyone know if 4K footage shot internally to the GH4 replays (in camera) 1080p 4.2.2 via HDMI cable to a Ninja Star recorder? I asked Atomos support who weren't sure. For me this would be a great hardware means of transcoding selected 4K clips to 1080p ProRes 4.2.2 at the end of the day, without having the Ninja Star coupled to the camera during a shoot. And avoid slow software transcoding sessions. Please - I'm only interested in definitive replies.

Totally agree. Network television here in Germany still use Canon 5DMKII's for many of their more high profile weekly documentary series. One is "Zoom" on ZDF. The footage is of course riddled with aliasing and moire - but no one seems to mind - certainly not the audience. The story is the main factor and the "style" is of course dominated by shallow depth of field. When I watch a movie on AppleTV with my wife, she can't tell the difference between the SD and the HD version. I think it's worth the extra Euro per rental, but I imagine many wouldn't.

Pixel peeping always amplifies the effect. If you have a strong story to tell then rolling shutter won't get noticed by most of the audience. Even if they do notice - they probably won't care. You could alway try and hid rolling shutter with film effects like dust and scratches. An example -

In a few years time - the next generation of film makers will seek out plugins that will imitate all the video abnormalities we dislike today. Plugins like the film grain, scratches, dust and light leaks etc (over) used by those seeking the "film look" today. Looking forward to NAB to see Canon and Sony's answer to the GH4.

This is the year of 4K - even if you don't agree with it or need it - it's here. So I'm wondering what Canon and Sony are going to do. Everything I've heard about the GH4 sounds great - but Canon and Sony are sure to offer something interesting - aren't they?

Any camera using a mirror in 2014 is old fashioned.

I'm not sure I understand the effectiveness of the idea behind capturing a stills from video because when I'm shooting video I'm shooting at 1/50. Sure if the decisive moment (frame) on my video was recorded without blur then great but I wouldn't trust that all important shots especially anything moving - would be frozen at 1/50th. I'm not going to shoot 4K video at 1/500 of a second either unless I just wanted it for a spray and pray stills exercise. I find the GH series SH 40 frames/ second silent mode really a great compromise. It's not video but I can certainly capture the best stills shot in an action sequence.

Couldn't agree more Andrew. It is indeed very tiresome! What would be even more tiresome is only being able to use XLR inputs on a tripod with mains power or a battery brick attached. Was that really your idea?

This is a reply to forum member who made a comment about broadcast news and colour subsampling. I know this is probably the wrong website to make this comment - please excuse me. Generally broadcast News acquisition uses 4.2.0 chroma subsampling. Simply because News material is not graded or used for green screen before it goes to air. Some broadcasters request but don't necessarily require acquisition for longer format programs such as documentary material to be shot at a certain standard. This ensures that the material can be graded easily. The standard for SD or HD material is generally 50/100 Mb/s 4.2.2. DVCPRO 50 is one such codec which is accepted. Some programs have a lower ceiling on this standard and accept 4.2.0 material for documentary work. Think GoPro etc. It is very hard to see the difference between 4.2.2 and 4.2.0 and that is exactly why it is used - colour information is harder for the human eye to judge as luminance information. Therefore to compress the image further, codecs throw out half the colour information knowing we probably won't notice. Since the 5DMKII came about we've been asking for better image quality. This website is one of them. Andrew Reid particularly has called for higher bit rates and better codecs to improve image quality. This is now happening - however for those of us who grade material or simply don't care for banding on a blue sky for instance - a higher standard colour sampling codec is needed. Andrew knows this and so does Panasonic. I think the GH4 looks like a great camera however it is not a great camera if I have to bolt on two additional boxes which is clumsy and does away with portability just to get it to a standard that we have been pushing for for 6 years. I personally would not turn up to a paid job with a GH4 and XLR/SDI box and an external recorder. I would however turn up to a paid job with a GH4 if it had internal 4.2.2 recording and a simpler / smaller XLR adapter. For of us who make a living as videographers/ cinematographers/ cameramen/women - this is actually a big deal and not just an idle gripe for the sake of it. It's ok that the new GH4 doesn't record a minimum standard for broadcast HD requisition. Andrew and Panasonic clearly thinks it's ok as well. But it is one big reason why I and others won't be using a GH4 for work where reputations and day-rates are held accountable.

I'm with Tim as well. It's absolute non-sense that we can't have an internally recordable 4.2.2 codec with something like a GH4. Andrew says - "Most shooters don't give a rats ass about whether their camera is BBC accredited or not." Really? There are shooters that get paid for their work that care as well as independent film makers that read this site that understand the grading advantages of 4.2.2 that care - heck even students in schools and colleges doing green screen understand it and care. We are your readers - Andrew. To say "most shooters don't give a rats ass" is plainly wrong. Hence the support for Tim and other's comments. Andrew also says "Seemingly you're coming at this from the perspective of a professional and you want a broadcast ready 4:2:2 camera. The article wasn't quite aimed at you, more towards the affordable camera / DSLR crowd." But 4.2.2 is already in affordable cameras but unfortunately not in this particular affordable camera. Hasn't this actually been your argument all along Andrew? That Canon and Panasonic and Sony etc just don't get it and don't deliver on the needs of the under budgeted DSLR crowd you write your blog for?

I get your point -BUT the cameras you mentioned are not large sensor cameras. It's 2014 and we still do NOT have a DSLR form factor large sensor camera with broadcast standard (incl. 4.2.2) internally recordable codec + XLR audio for under $15K. We want large sensor. We want portability. We want a codec that's gradable. It is possible but sadly they just do NOT get it. Ask any rental house for a C300 and there is a waiting list. There are good reasons for this. Sadly for all - Panasonic just missed the reason.

Thanks Andrew, and well done Panasonic for giving it a try. When I was reading the rumours, I was wondering how this camera could be spoilt. Now we know. No internal 4.2.2 recording. The GH4 is a small, extremely portable camera that can only record 4.2.2 video from a tripod? Sorry, but I'm not going to attach all that non-sense just to get 4.2.2 when we know it's possible in 2014, to record a 1080p broadcast codec (which includes 4.2.2) in a pocket camera. Heck, I'd rather take out a mortgage and get the C300. At least I don't have to attach two boxes both with separate power supplies and cables. No internal 4.2.2 = No sale.

"I'd also like to know opinions of this camera (regarding video) vs. the Panasonic GX7. It also has IBIS -though not 5 axis- but, is it any good?" Unfortunately the GX7 doesn't have IBIS in video mode. Many have reported that the GX7 video quality is indistinguishable from the GH3. I, amongst others I'm sure, are interested in a test/review from Andrew on the GX7. Also, there is very little difference in stills quality between all of the cameras you mentioned.

I have a feeling the OMD E-M10 with 3 axis IS will come close to the E-M1 for both stills and video quality as well as effective IS. This is where marketing works in our favour - the E-M10 is slightly under spec'd and half the price just to fill a marketing gap. I bet DXO sensor tests will reveal the E-M10 to have very similar stills quality to it's big brother and most likely better than the E-M5. With the E-M1 processor, video quality may also follow suit.