Just noticed a headline that the Blackmagic 4K is now shipping and they lowered the price to $2995. Competition is a good thing. :)

I have a feeling waiting until NAB to make a purchase decision is the right move for many of us who already have a workable camera solution. That said, if Panasonic would have included a 10 bit 4:2:2 HD in camera recording mode, I would be ready to sell off my BMPCC. Coming from a 1" sensor format, I like the fact that there is a bit of a crop to the 4k mode as I will just crop a bit more in post and be able to use my collection of 1" c-mount lens at a higher than HD post crop resolution from the 4k video mode. Anyways, I don't care as much about the specs as I do about how it stands up against a RAW HD workflow when delivering HD resolution. We shall see...

The wedding photographer's video was a little disappointing in video mode when be uses the steadycam around the couple. The sky is blown out which doesn't show a lot of promise for dynamic range. I know it's too early to say but that's what I see. If dynamic range is more important wouldn't the Black Magic cameras still win? Everyone is talking about sampling and resolution, but I really want the GH4 to improve dynamic range. Will it be 11 stops even, or closer to 10 at lower iso?

No sign of original files from that Yucatan vid eh? Either the grading or the white balance feels way off to me, so much so I can't even judge the camera (sooo blue at times).

Also, I (only half joking) say my slider shots on my @driftwood/VK gh2 from two years ago with a crappy 14mm pancake still win. ;-)

@Aria that's a +20 ...

People have been complaining about specs that are still well above what we've got unless you wanna jump several thou is cash outlay. And besides ... not all "specs" are equal or even near equivalent. We'll have to wait until a final production version is out and run through the mill by a number of people to determine how much of a "jump" this camera represents.

I'm thinking it will be a significant and very usable jump, but of course that's as much speculation as anyone here. Patience ... people ...

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20140207_634398.html

@stoneinapond

There seems to be some confusion about Timecode and the adapter. The adapter accepts Timecode from and external generator, usually a high-end audio recorder that outputs a stable clock that is then embedded in the video. And since the audio has the same Timecode, post sync is simple.

Especially in a multi-camera situation.

10-bit 4:2:2 was what i was hoping for out of the box.

Don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but wouldn't down-scaling the 4k and UHD modes to 2k give you a 4:2:2 8-bit image? So in a way, I guess it would have internal 4:2:2 recording if you're only doing 1080p projects...

Or is 4k 4:2:0 actually equivalent to 2k 4:4:4 image?

I'm already tired of the bitching about this camera and it's not even a week yet. Seems to me that we've been given MUCH more than anticipated with the GH4. The brick has features in addition to what most expected and it's use is clearly not going to be for the majority of users. This is a specialty item and not just an XLR box.

People are complaining about the 100mbps and 8bit internal 4K recording without really seeing much evidence yet of what it's gonna look like or be like to work with. There's a LOOONG way to go in terms of learning about this camera, it's strengths and weaknesses. I think people are putting too much into the 4K hype and not really looking at the camera as a whole. The camera is the core of a very powerful system that can be small and light or with the Brick built up to be more of a studio production unit. Those are totally different worlds and yet the camera can live in both at a reasonable level. That's really a nice set of options.

@stoneinapond +1

"...I think externally connected and recorded audio on a separate recorder/preamp is still the best solution for most people. Why invest a few grand in a huge brick that is limited to just that camera..."

There seems to be some confusion about Timecode and the adapter. The adapter accepts Timecode from and external generator, usually a high-end audio recorder that outputs a stable clock that is then embedded in the video. And since the audio has the same Timecode, post sync is simple. So saying the "brick" is limited to just the camera is just stating the obvious (limited being the silly word). You wouldn't put it on an Olympus or other camera. And for those complaining about the size, go into a audio parts store and have a look at the size of a female XLR adapter. Then imagine two of them, four BNC connectors and a 4-pin XLR power adapter. I challenge anyone to make something smaller while still retaining functionality.

Does anybody know if the screen info still disappears after 10 seconds? I have been reading as much as I can and can't find anything about it - really hope it is now a menu option...