Andrew Reid and Frank Sauer shoot with the Panasonic GH4 - Production Diary Day 1

[Andrew Reid]

 

Camera and lens? Loving the look ;) although the trees seem to have some purpel fringing?

Second is a very nice one

 

Canon 50mm F1.2L on full frame (5D Mark III). The only thing the GH4 lacks! I cannot get enough of that lens and the full frame feel it gives wide open on the 5D. Though on the 5D I can't use my Cookes, so swings both ways.

[Nikkor]

Heh, I was going to say 80 1.2, I use to avoid foreground blur but these pictures have a very very nice feeling.

I will keep an eye for some shot like this with the mamiya rz 110 2.8

 

btw, how do you think does the 50 1.2 compare with the nikkor 1.2 50. I'm loving the mamiya shots so much I want something "similar" to use on my small FF bodies, but they are all nikons.

[Andrew Reid]

The 50 1.2L has much better contrast and sharpness wide open than the Nikon. So it should do for the price.

 

The great thing about the Canon L lenses is that they maintain character, along with their high technical standards. The bokeh on the shots above has a slight curve to it doesn't it? I like it.

 

I can't wait to use my L glass with Speed Booster on the GH4 to get it closer to the 5D look.

 

WHERE IS THAT ADAPTER!?!?????

 

[johnnymossville]

Speaking of speedboosters, I've been thinking of selling all my canon FD lenses including my really nice 55mm 1.2 and investing in pana-leica glass for my gh4, but then I might just get a metabones speedbooster. Looking forward to your daily entries on the gh4 Andrew!

[Nikkor]

The bokeh on the shots above has a slight curve to it doesn't it? I like it.

 

Yeah it does. Actually it's funny how the last change between 1.4 and 1.2 seems so minor but in many shots it's the difference between nice and so so.

[Simon Shasha]

"I have just done a low-light test vs the GH3 and 5D Mark III (raw) at ISO 800 to 6400 which I’ll publish later on in the diary. It’s quite an eye-opener."

 

This has got me nervous! Hope the GH4 really did well here!

Also, Andrew, did you get a chance to test the 1080P in 10bit?

 

And did you manage to achieve a flat/log profile by means of one of the cine-like gamma options?

 

Would love to know!

[Sevenout]

Andrew, most of the videos put out to demo the GH4 so far have been rather bad.  Can the GH4 pull off a film look, or is it really just a great camera for wedding videos.?

I'm really excited about this camera, and have always been a fan of Panasonic products, but the footage so far just looks very video-y.

Also, do you know if the camera can output 1080p 10bit 422 over the HDMI, or is it just limited to 4k output.?

Thanks for the great reviews and I look forward to seeing your footage.

[Derek Weston]

Bit confused on time recorded as it relates to space on card.

 

You noted that it was around 100 megabyte per 10 sec of video. That's 600MB per minute. The math on 100mbps is 750MB per minute.

You then state that it's about a GB per minute. Was that just lazy rounding on your part or am I missing something?

Thanks.

[RobD]

I'm interested too in the mini stabiliser! What brand is it?

RobD

[Tone13]

Three questions all asking what handheld stabilizer is being used and not one answer?

[VanWeddings]

i'll help out the stabilizer questions. it's either a skyler or an xcam. looks more like the skyler as I have the xcam one and it doesn't look exactly the same.

 

works great with the gh3 and i'll assume the gh4 balances fine with it too

[MatthewP]

Bit confused on time recorded as it relates to space on card.

 

You noted that it was around 100 megabyte per 10 sec of video. That's 600MB per minute. The math on 100mbps is 750MB per minute.

You then state that it's about a GB per minute. Was that just lazy rounding on your part or am I missing something?

Thanks.

 

Could be that it uses VBR rather than CBR.

[Alcohotea]

Which manufacturer makes that mini stabilizer?  Thanks.  Can't wait for the footage.

 

 

what model stabilizer is that?

 

 

I'm interested too in the mini stabiliser! What brand is it?

RobD

 

 

Three questions all asking what handheld stabilizer is being used and not one answer?

 

 

i'll help out the stabilizer questions. it's either a skyler or an xcam. looks more like the skyler as I have the xcam one and it doesn't look exactly the same.

 

works great with the gh3 and i'll assume the gh4 balances fine with it too

 

Hi Guys, I think the stabiliser is from a Chinese manufacture called "ifootage" i have used this little thing for a while, very light and compact. The brand is quite famous in China, they have got some inovative video making gears, check link http://www.ifootagegear.com/en/products//en/products/

[johnnymossville]

yep,  looks like an footage wildcat. 

[jlev23]

oh well, actually this first report just made me cancel my pre-order, i think ill wait to see if they fix the slow motion function, since this is the selling point for this camera for me and most people i think. That and the hopes for a flat gradable picture style, which isnt even mentioned.

[FilmMan]

The pictures you took look excellent.  Look forward to seeing your video the camera.  Cheers.

[Guest Ebrahim Saadawi]

oh well, actually this first report just made me cancel my pre-order, i think ill wait to see if they fix the slow motion function, since this is the selling point for this camera for me and most people i think. That and the hopes for a flat gradable picture style, which isnt even mentioned.

Yes it's always better to wait until it's in the hands of reviewers to tell you every little thing about the camera, then you decide whether you'll live with the shortcomings or pass. That's for any new product, even when buying a car. (But no I don't think the major selling point of this camera is specifically the 96fps)

@Andrew 
"I have just done a low-light test vs the GH3 and 5D Mark III (raw) at ISO 800 to 6400 which I’ll publish later on in the diary. It’s quite an eye-opener."
An I opener? hmm So I would guess it's closer to the 5D the we expected?? That would be lovely!

[jonpais]

@jlev23 I wouldn't be so quick to speak for everyone. Of course, slo-mo is a feature we all look forward to, but it's not a deal breaker for me. As for a flat gradable picture style, why don't you hold off a bit? Andrew said he's going to continue reporting daily on the camera for the rest of the week. I'm sure he'll post results of the cinelike options in due time. 

[Andrew Reid]

Slow-mo at 60fps is better, the image is much sharper. Slow-mo at 96fps is ok for most stuff but you do notice the softness with wider shots and if the subject is quite far from the camera.

 

4K is the point of the GH4 for me. Slow-mo an unexpected bonus.

 

4K footage is very gradable... you will see. I have shot with every pic profile and will upload a comparison. I like CineLikeD the best.

 

Next daily report is being prepared now, just need to finish editing the footage and wanted to do the Digital Bolex piece first, so have a bit of patience and good things will come to those who wait :)

[dbp]

Very excited for the final report. This camera has me the most pumped I've been for a new camera in a long time. Definitely a worthy successor to the GH2.

 

That's too bad about 96fps mode, as I shoot a lot of slow mo. 60fps is usually fine though. In fact, my only gripe with this camera is that they couldn't do 60p at UHD/4K, but I realize that's asking a lot at this stage.