Jump to content

Buying a GH4 toward the end of 2016 pointless?


ThomHaig
 Share

Recommended Posts

EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
On 10/12/2016 at 10:19 PM, Richard Bugg said:

Also worth considering are either the Sony PCM-D50 or the updated D100 for a high quality hand-held audio option. They are bit more expensive than other recorders and lack XLR inputs, but they have a 3.5mm input that can be used in conjunction with wireless (e.g. Rodelink) and battery powered condenser microphones (e.g. NT4+ etc). Both have exceptional quality preamps and inbuilt stereo microphones and can be mounted atop the camera.

Does it really justify its $645.99 price tag???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Does it really justify its $645.99 price tag???

The reviews for the D100 ask the same question. My perspective - I bought a PCM-D50 about 10 years ago and I've used it quite a lot in that time and it still work perfectly. So it's really a well built piece of gear, and the audio is reportedly near Sound Devices quality. The handling is very good; the buttons and gain knobs are well made and smooth. Battery life is great (4xAA). Based on what I've experienced I expect it to last another 10 years and for it to sound just as good then. I don't know how many cameras or smart phones I'll go through in 20 years. So is it cheap or expensive from that point of view? Downsides: D50 is not quite as responsive as I'd like (it takes a few seconds to start up; however, the ZH1 is much slower by comparison), and I'd like it to switch from internal to external memory automatically and have larger internal memory. I believe the D100 update addresses some of these things but I feel no compulsion upgrade. If I want XLR, I'll stick something in front of it with XLR inputs, or use another recorder or just use a microphone with 3.5mm output instead. The Sony PCM D50/D100/m10 line are at the higher end of quality and expense, but they will hopefully last well and give good quality and trouble-free use for a very long time. So are they worth it when there are so many other options now available? Who knows. It's the perennial question for any equipment - expense vs value. If what is needed is XLR inputs or simply headphone monitoring, then perhaps look elsewhere. But as part of a more capable audio kit that includes a portable field recorder, then yes, I'd consider it even in today's market.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Cinegain said:

Yeah, or you might get you some of that!

 

oh cool, that might do the job for now.

Aha - I see. I was mistaken in thinking that people would intend to record 'good' audio on the camera (therefore warranting a headphone jack) - Whilst if you're shooting something where the audio is quite important, you'd have an external recorder anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Back to the main topic : 

With the GH5 annouced, is it a good time to grab a used GH4 ?

Let's be honest, I don't want to buy the new GH5 or any 2000+ camera ATM as I am good with the old gear I have. But with the GH5 coming, I think that many GH4 owners will switch to the GH5 (if they haven't switch to something else already).

The thing is, the GH4 ticks many boxes for me :
- 10 bit VLog in 4k via external recorder -> Great for narrative work
- m4/3 mount -> Great to use speedbooster and legacy lenses and the m4/3 lenses I already have in this mount
- 4:3 Anamorphic mode -> Great for anamorphic shooting

But the thing is : 
When the GH4 came out, many had good opinions about it and bought it.
Now, the GH4 is said to be noisy, have bad motion cadence and not so great colors.

So here is my question : 
Is the GH4 still a good option, especially for the used price it will get to soon (I'm gessing sub 800€ w/ V-Log ?)
Alternatives don't seem as relevant to me (GX80/85 has no V-Log is 8 bit only, no anamorphic mode, JVC-LS300 has no anamorphic mode, only 8bit and still expensive to me, BMMCC is no 4k)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Justin Bacle said:

Back to the main topic : 

With the GH5 annouced, is it a good time to grab a used GH4 ?

Let's be honest, I don't want to buy the new GH5 or any 2000+ camera ATM as I am good with the old gear I have. But with the GH5 coming, I think that many GH4 owners will switch to the GH5 (if they haven't switch to something else already).

The thing is, the GH4 ticks many boxes for me :
- 10 bit VLog in 4k via external recorder -> Great for narrative work
- m4/3 mount -> Great to use speedbooster and legacy lenses and the m4/3 lenses I already have in this mount
- 4:3 Anamorphic mode -> Great for anamorphic shooting

But the thing is : 
When the GH4 came out, many had good opinions about it and bought it.
Now, the GH4 is said to be noisy, have bad motion cadence and not so great colors.

So here is my question : 
Is the GH4 still a good option, especially for the used price it will get to soon (I'm gessing sub 800€ w/ V-Log ?)
Alternatives don't seem as relevant to me (GX80/85 has no V-Log is 8 bit only, no anamorphic mode, JVC-LS300 has no anamorphic mode, only 8bit and still expensive to me, BMMCC is no 4k)

I just bought a "new other, open box" for $799 from Samy's camera. Although I am planning on going all in with the BMPCC for future projects, my current project requires 60p and a smallish form factor. It will also be nice to have a 4K camera lying around if I ever need one. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LS300 is a proper video camera, not a photo/video hybrid. I would say it is very cheap for what it is, and it was 2500$ in B&H just before New Year's Eve. 

All the cameras are still relevant, if they do what you want to do, or are able to do. How many works do you deliver in 4K per year? (I haven't not even one yet)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Kisaha said:

All the cameras are still relevant, if they do what you want to do, or are able to do. How many works do you deliver in 4K per year? (I haven't not even one yet)

I don't deliver in 4k, but I enjoy having some room to stabilize or crop in post. I always deliver in FullHD or 2k.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • EOSHD Pro Color 5 for All Sony cameras
    EOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
    EOSHD Dynamic Range Enhancer for H.264/H.265
×
×
  • Create New...