MaxAperture Films

According to Amazon: This item will be released on April 30, 2014. I have heard Europe orders will begin to be released on May 5th.

Let's be frank, Edry, Canon has failed to innovate in the prosumer market since the release of the 5D Mk2, but you're still holding out hope that they will drop a high-value hybrid camera with an EF mount onto the market - which is why you still keep that glass around. After watching them continue to fail in that regard, my advice is don't hold your breath! ETA: Redrock already has an adapter for you if Canon glass is your holy grail. http://store.redrockmicro.com/livelensmft

Great job Thomas @ Rarevision... looking forward to seeing the results of 10 bit conversion. In theory the files should be able to be pushed further in color correction, now we'll find out if that is actually true. Any plans for PC supported script?

Good stuff... those Cookes are wicked! The dynamic range is immediately evident, a good foundation for the resulting color grade.

That certainly used to be the case in the past but to my eyes the 4K image doesn't seem to have the same overly "sharpened look" that the HD stuff shot on Lumix lenses produced in the past. And it appears to be naturally sharp when downconverted to HD rather than artificially sharpened due to camera processing. The character will obviously be different on legacy or cinema glass, but at the same time some glass may not be able to resolve 4K when shot at wide apertures and that could have the unfortunate problem of looking slightly out of focus... or perhaps not, we'll see soon enough.

This is the GH4 footage I've been waiting for... looks like a great landscape for an action shoot! A bit of a letdown on the overcranking but hopefully we'll find out that the Cine D profile grades nicely in 4K. Andrew, can you confirm that variable frame rate from 2-30fps is available in 4K? I'm thinking 2fps in 4K could make for some quick and dirty timelapse sequences when raw files are not a good fit.

Thanks for the info Adrian, that's exactly the kind of comparison I was hoping to see. Cine-D, while not log, looks like it will be a great option for grading. Frankly, I've always been concerned about the potential negative impact of recording with -5 contrast on my GH3 in an effort to gain latitude. Skin tones on some occasions appear to be adversely affected even after selective contrast is reapplied in post. It will be nice to have a factory "flat" profile that retains proper color science. I imagine it will pair very well with plug-ins like Filmconvert.

I took the plunge last night when the GH4 preorder went live on Adorama, so fingers crossed on making the first shipment. My local air taxi here has been extremely receptive to a partnership shooting aerial stock footage and I think 4K will be the best way to go in that regard (even at 4:2:0 8 bit).

Texas Media Systems posted this pricing page and has begun to take preorders. It appears buying the YAGGAMAWAG with the GH4 lands you a $400 discount.

Thanks for the feedback Bryan. I'm impressed that this was shot on the Standard profile, it gives me some hope that the Cine gamma modes will provide an additional bump in the shadow & highlight detail. That said, I'm already very happy with the images I see coming out of this thing... I must be destined to own every GH camera that gets released :)

Bryan, great job, I think you achieved the goal of showcasing 4K detail very nicely. The highlight gradation also looks very nice... what video mode did you capture in (Standard, CineLike gamma, etc)? Was this captured in 10 bit 4:2:2 or just internal 8 bit 4:2:0? Thanks, Todd

Forgot to add - Awesome review, Andrew!! ... You cut through all the bullshit and delivered the exact info I needed to know. The other GH4 hands-on reviews are pretty pathetic by comparison.

The GH4 will make a great A or B cam but there will definitely be an AF successor at NAB, this system looks made to compliment an A Cam with timecode output for multicam audio sync. A huge advantage of the GH4 is having a high-quality, modular run 'n gun DSLR tool on set, whenever needed, but also providing the burgeoning filmaker a full-featured tool that they can grow with as their funding and demands increase. I can see GH4's really kicking butt on action projects like 'Crank' or '24'. This is the kind of tool we've been asking for for a long time, it is only soured by the high-value of Blackmagic's image quality. If the dynamic range of the GH4 is approaching the same league as BM's 10 bit, I can surely live with it. Also hoping Blackmagic stuns with a 4K 4:2:2 HyperDeck release at NAB, perhaps something in the $499 range. Ironically, BM would then become enablers for more low-cost competition with their own 4K camera but something tells me they're not too worried about cannabalizing sales - the 4K cam still hasn't hit the street.

I'll have to split the gear/content difference with you guys after the experience I had this past weekend. I shot a Boudoir pictorial on the BMPCC in Raw with the little PL 25mm. The images are literally so amazing to my eyes that I almost can't imagine ever shooting compressed footage again. Of course I also came to realize that if the model had not also been a complete stunner it would probably not have been such an impressive result. So on the one hand I want the GH4K for it's competence in so many areas (if the rumors are true about overcranking and 4:2:2 color space), on the other hand I think selectiveness of location, talent and crew will still make more difference over the equipment being deployed. But also, when you put all of these things in play together ... holy shit, just watch the eff out! So gear progress is still as much a factor as it's been in the past, but we're really living in great creative times today and I'm trying my best to revel in it and convert the best content I can for my clients. And I'm really looking forward to seeing what Andrew and the gang shoot on the GH4K in the coming days and weeks!

My guess is that Panny didn't want to wait until September to unveil a GH5 with 4K and be last to the party with all these other 4K models coming out. So they put out a 4K version of the GH3 with solid codec and a price tag that's half that (maybe even less... $1499?) of the BMPC 4K and 1/7 the price of Canon's 1DC. I think it's positive that Panasonic is trying to usurp any perception that they're not going to remain competitive in the hybrid video value-performance area. The GH5 will probably adopt most of the base spec of the GH4K when it is announced in Sept., plus other features like IBIS, overcranking and more refinement in still imaging performance... making the GH4K nothing more than a stop-gap system for this part of the product cycle.

Great article... this is extraordinary!! (yes apparently I do live under a rock) I hope there isn't some catch like "current embedded processors require a heatsink the size of a watermelon to achieve realtime speeds." I can see a real bandwidth glut occuring if video and photos eventually go HEVC... Cisco and Juniper shouldn't expect a lot of growth in edge router sales.

Thanks for making the LUT available... can't wait to see your Pocket Raw footage!! Off to B&H for faster SanDisk cards now...

When the D800 was launched and became the first DSLR to feature clean HDMI out and a headphone jack, Nikon proclaimed that they were here to embrace the filmmaker by providing them with new and advanced features.  They wanted filmmakers to know that they were more commited to them than Canon was with the 5D Mk2 when that revolution began by accident.   They probably didn't know Canon would soon release the EOS cinema line and that a company called Blackmagic would show up to claim the $1K-$4K price point with Raw video features and 2.5K+ resolution.  And noone probably could have forseen Magic Lantern's Raw video accomplishments on the Mk3.   Now consider that the EOS cinema line is said to be overpriced for the codec and frame rates provided and the Blackmagic cams are sometimes said to lack robust features and ergonomics.  So to be truly competitive, Nikon would have to come to market with the feature set of EOS and the robust codecs of Blackmagic in order to be a category stand-out.  I don't think that's realistic to expect from a company that's been playing incrementalism with Canon for so many years and has no real experience developing a video system with professional features.   I agree 100% that they would be wise to diversify, but I think the real prize of joining the cinema camera niche for Nikon would be selling more glass.  I'm sure that part of the business remains highly profitable for most camera/optics manufacturers.  With new cinema customers they can even repackage their lenses and sell them with clickless apertures for twice as much.  Hell, Tokina charges 4 times more for a cinema optimized 11-16mm.   In my opinion they would be far better served to offer a cinema line of glass like Zeiss does in PL and F mount, but for less money.  If the customers materialize to buy their glass, then they can use that as a profit center to develop a video camera while also establishing credibility as a provider in the segment.  The great thing about buying Nikon F mount is that it can adapt to EOS, but not the other way around.  Why limit yourself to selling glass for your own camera when you can go after an entire market of cameras with a product that you already have the tooling to deliver.   I see the the Df release as partial appeasement to photo "purists" who think video is uncool and adds unnecessarily to the cost of a camera.  Now Nikon can at least say that they did what the purists were asking for and see how the actual sales numbers shake out.  Demand so far seems to show that video inclusion was probably NOT stifling sales and taking video out of the camera obviously did not lower the price - so go figure there.  

Man, what a difference... and the NR response is phenomenal.  My only hangup is the workflow and data requirements.  How does the raw image fare with a transcode to Cineform... is all the latitude still there in exposure adjustment?

  You said... "lets be realistic this wont have a built in ND - its a consumer Pansonic Product."   If the Sony RX10 can have built-in ND as a "consumer cam," your "theory" is already proven false.   And I simply said that the camera is said to come with an XLR option (and HD-SDI) which no consumer product would ever have.  Using critical thinking skills one can deduce that the inclusion of pro features means it's a pro camera and built-in NDs are an entirely possible feature for this class of camera.   I personally don't care what you like to shoot with, or what you need, as I never said it was something I needed to have included in the camera in order to buy it.  Do you think that because a person thinks your opinion is misinformed about a feature it's because they're dreaming about some features they just have to have in order to buy the camera?  That's not the case, I'm just calling you out for being a tool and using categorical statements in jest.

  If a $1200 Sony RX10 can have built-in ND filters, I don't see why it's impossible to expect it in a $3K camera specifically made for professional audio/video output.  Do you really think XLR connections are a feature of consumer cams??

  True, we could take it to that extreme but I think his point was more along the lines of shooting quality content within reasonable workflow contraints.  That rang true with me as I've gained more experience working with clients over that last couple of years.  I did not mean to imply we don't need progress in imaging, the pressure needs to stay on Mfrs and we should support the disruptive companies with our wallets when they succeed at delivering a good product.  The GH4K will be an ideal tool to add to the toolbox if it delivers overcranking and 4k together with good color space, reasonable bitrates and workflow...  I'd love for my GH3 to meet his big brother.   One thing Bloom said he liked about shooting with the 1DC was the ability to frame interview footage in such a way that he could creatively extract HD from different framing vantages in post.  That sounds like a very practical way to utilize 4K in such a way that boosts the quality of the content produced vs. simply upping the resolution of everything for the sake of sharpness alone.  If this "luxury" is bestowed upon us for a fraction of the price of the 1DC, it will be an even more exciting time to be a filmmaker!

Panasonic is taking shots at the BMPCC and the BMCC simultaneously, but I see no reason why all of these cams cannot coexist and share the market.  The Panny will have the better ergos and battery life, a reasonable and robust codec that also maximizes storage space, available XLRs/SDI, a high resolution viewfinder already built-in to the camera and hopefully 12-13 stops of DR... Minimal rigging required.   The Blackmagic family will retain the luxury of providing beautiful raw images in wide dynamic range but also the drawbacks of the storage, processing, some moire issues (correctable with mosaic filters) and external battery rigging...  Made for rigging in general.   As P. Bloom stated in one of his articles, you absolutely must have 4K and raw, but you don't need it.  The more I shoot with the ProRes BMPCC, the more I understand the real thing I prefer is the dynamic range and a solid codec for grading, raw really is not as much a requiremnt for most of my work.  I will use it when I want to go over the top on my own projects like shooting at Yellowstone or doing something extremely dramatic as a boutique piece, for everything else it will be 10 bit 4:2:2 or GH3 8 bit 4:2:0.  I will probably shoot mostly 10 bit in Yellowstone as well, so I can walk away with twice as much footage.   I don't think we would be at this place if it wasn't for Blackmagic and Magic Lantern rattling the big guys cages.  Red was seen as an entirely different market compared to the prosumer category and didn't strike as much fear into the hearts of Panny, Canon and Sony as what BM and ML have accomplished in a short period of time.

  I agree about the 10 bit 4:2:2, but it's more likely to record in Panasonic AVC Ultra or Intra codec than ProRes.  The engine should have no problem processing 120-240 FPS if it can process 4K at 30 FPS... unless it's reading the entire sensor (like the RX10).

John, make sure you are on AF-C and not AF-S.  When you press the shutter release you are not only triggering recording but also activating the spot autofocus function.  Use the record button on the back of the camera instead to avoid triggering the focus to rack as it looks for a focus point to latch onto.   I would also check the menu setting "Continuous Autofocus" to see how it is set as it allows you to bypass the focus mode in either AF-C or AF-S (I forget which one), highlighting the feature in the menu will tell you exactly what it does.