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Ask developers of the Panasonic Lumix GH4, plus, answers about the m43 format
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  • hammyukhammyuk

    bit late but one good thing would be when in manual mode the camera should trigger the lens to reset the focus ring so its half way when manual fine tuning focus as sometimes the focus is right over at one end so you have to zoom the lens in/out then refocus, as a digiscoper this would be very useful theres a hell of allot of lumix m4/3's cameras being used on Swarovski scopes with a 20mm lens

  • edgenumbersedgenumbers

    When will we get 10bit 4:2:2 25p from the HDMI on the camera?

    What is the source of the audio problem and fix for the audio problem?

  • tychotycho

    I have been waiting on this topic to get a response for over a month now since my GH2 took a crap and requires $400 to repair from just a minor impact, since then I have been researching the Sony camera's for the first time and I am glad that I didn't jump on Panny again.

    The lack of response to this post from the developers speaks volumes.

    (And unless you are involved in M43 development, don't bother posting apologies or lame excuses, don't blame or explain unless you also speak Japanese)

  • RRRogerRRRoger

    My understanding is that a firmware update is imminent for the GH4. How about adding 1080 at 120fps or at least 720 P120?

    This would be great for shooting action video. I am getting a lot of artifacts when I raise the shutter speed to 1/640s. I would prefer to shoot 1080 P120 at 1/240s

  • HillTop1HillTop1

    @RRRoger, if I remember correctly, the Panasonic representative; Mathew Frazer-senior field trainer and product developer for USA said that there will be no form of 120fps firmware update because of "hardware limitations". I don't know where exactly in this video he said so, but some where it's there.

  • den59den59

    still no follow-up thread with answers?

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    ask @driftwood , as far as I understand it did not resulted in anything.

  • disordinarydisordinary

    Very bad form from Panasonic there.

  • driftwooddriftwood

    Basically, there were so many questions that it was proving impossible to get them answered in one go. Im waiting for Panasonic UK side to arrange a meeting with one of their technical guys involved with the GH4 project to answer the majority of them. More news soon.

  • driftwooddriftwood

    UPDATE NOTE: I have a face to face meeting with Uematsu from Panasonic in a weeks time. The best of the questions here will be asked.

    The meeting is specifically analysing 'Picture quality and feedback on future product development'. If you have any further relevant questions regarding the Gh4 and fixture products regarding this subject please ask them below this comment. Cutoff for questions is by saturday 11th Oct.

    Thanks

  • den59den59

    Any plans to develop: a) XLR inputs in a battery grip form factor (a-la YAGH but cheaper) for GH4 b) parfocal zooms with mechanical focus (no fly by wire) c) no AF100 successor based on GH4? Effectively, will Panasonic compete with Sony/Canon in docu/eng application within the m43 format.

  • nobbystylusnobbystylus

    @den59 would love a battery grip XLR input and an AF100 GH4! I'd like to ask about any kind of LOG mode on its way to the GH4 via firmware? Also - Scope (2.39-1) frame layouts? HDMI outputs on 4K picture modes (4:3, 3:2 1:1 etc) Also, any plans to improve upon the hateful micro HDMI port in future models?

  • TronTron

    Any chance we can see a future GH5 with oversized APS-C sensor stuffed into the micro Four-Thirds mount just like the JVC GY-LSX2 (m4/3 lenses run in crop mode)?

    IMO, this would be a near perfect camera allowing S35 DOF advantages with adapted glass in addition to the m4/3 native glass advantages we already enjoy (without the need for any speedboosters). It could also facilitate a multi-aspect photo and anamorphic mode without needing to reduce the frame size relative to the m4/3 image circle. The only other features I would like to see are 10 bit internal, 4K @ 60P & 1080 @ 120P.

  • joeshjoesh

    Thanks for the opportunity Nick.

    1. The GH4 has great skintones when the white balance is bang on. But they quickly fall apart with presets or auto-WB. Canon somehow prioritizes skintones so that, even without custom WB, they look good. Could you give the GH4 something like this? Either globally or via a mode (say Portrait or a new mode)? Skintone is the biggest indicator of "bad color" to most people's eye.

    2. Highlight clipping is often the Achilles Heel of digital. This is particularly true of the GH4. "ETTR" keeps the noise in check but makes highlight clipping all the more likely. Can you improve the highlight rolloff of the GH4 to make it more natural? Perhaps provide a mode where the highlights won't clip (at the expense of the shadows say)? Is bringing the Highlight curve down to -5 Panasonic's answer to this?

  • driftwooddriftwood

    This is all good stuff. Keep them coming please.

  • tetakpataktetakpatak

    My first question: I would be very interested in the legal investigation: Linux is open source and camera manufacturers are using Linux for their firmware. Linux is open source, freeware, shareware. So aren't they also obligate to publish the sources according to Apache licence? Did anybody check the legal status of encrypted firmware of Panasonic and Sony cameras? Why does anybody have to spend countless hours of dirty work trying to hack the encrypted firmwares if it could be illegal that the manufacturers like Panasonic aren't publishing the sources?

    My second question, before Panasonic gets hopefully defeated in the court some day is: why Panasonic isn't providing besides its 30-min limit video recording time also a second model -without time limit- that costs 5% more and covers the additional tax f.e. like in the EU countries?

    For my own use cameras with video recording time limit are simply useless. I need simultaneous multicam recordings of long events so I have six hacked GH1 and GH2 cameras, but I won't upgrade to the newer models anymore unless the GH3, 4, 5 or 6 get hacked- or Panasonic publishes open firmware sources so video recording time limit can be removed.

  • edgenumbersedgenumbers

    @driftwood At the moment we are able to get 23.98 and 24p out of the HDMI in 8 and 10 bit using the .MOV recording setting. When or indeed will we get 25p from this amazing camera? (It would also be nice to get 29.97p as well please but 25p is definitely a priority for PAL users)

    Also is there any chance of some sort of LOG? The 23.98 10bit from the HDMI is amazing and LOG would greatly enhance it's use.

  • VasilisVasilis

    1.Are there any plans of upgrading to a more efficient codec like H.265? If so, is it possible to give us 4K at 50p 100Mbps? 2. Are they thinking about changing to a lower megapixel sensor for improved dynamic range and lower noise like Sony A7S?

  • matt_gh2matt_gh2

    Canis Skin Tones Soft! Actually what I had in mind was if Panasonic would be amenable to opening up the cameras firmware/software either to the public, or perhaps working with talented guys like yourself. It would be interesting to see the GH4 develop the capacity to have a variety of image styles like the GH2 has, as well as maxing out bitrate and other capacities. So maybe you and a few select guys would work with a Panasonic engineer to really optimize the potential of the imaging from the GH4. That would be great for the users of GH4 and would increase sales of GH4 for Panasonic as it would become a more and more valuable tool as time goes on. So if they go for that, my first request would be to replicate the look of Canis Skin Tones Soft - using it now on GH2 and loving it! Great work - thanks!!

  • igorek7igorek7

    It's probably too late, but here is a few questions. Most of the questions are for the future Panasonic cameras, as many of the requested features would require a hardware upgrade. But who knows?

    • Will we see in a future Lumix cameras a Multi-Aspect sensor with a size larger than the current GH4-kind of sensor (akin to GH2)?

    • Any chances of the AVC-Ultra, and/or ProRes, and/or H.265 codecs coming to GH-cameras?

    • Any plans for implementing an HDR-Video capabilities?

    • Would it be possible to implement ability to record in cinema aspect ratios such as 2.40:1?

    • A possibility to implement a continuous lossless zooming during video in to the current 1:1 of the ETC (Extended Tele Conversion)?

    • Will Panasonic be including video editing software or partnering with any other company on that front?

    • Can we expect in the next Lumix camera support of the USB3? Support for USB-microphones, and charging via USB? Support of Blue-tooth?

    • Possible improvements for electronic (rolling) shutter limitations (ISO<3200; exposure time < 1sec; no flash)? Global shutter? BTW, what is the GH4 sensor+ADC read-out "scan" time and is it done in 10bit or 12bit?

    • How about to add a possibility to obtain HDR Pictures in RAW-format? Extra options for the in-camera created HDR-images from more than 3 images, and various bracketing setting?

    • Which other weather (moister and/or dust?) lenses are planned to be released by Panasonic? Par-focal zooms with OIS for video? Adding in-body extra axis image stabilization to the in-lens OIS?

  • mpgxsvcdmpgxsvcd

    What is the new Auto Iso logic used in the new Photo from video Program Priority mode. The photo from video mode uses different Auto Iso logic from the photo only mode. I would like to know what the parameters are so I can predict what the camera will do.

    It appears that it always tries to use 1/120 shutter duration unless it runs out of ISO either too high or too low.

    Can you thank them for putting this in there. It works perfectly and was a huge benefit for my style of shooting.

  • mpgxsvcdmpgxsvcd

    24p and cinemaV for photo from video mode please.

  • JLemosJLemos

    I've been wondering about one point that @igorek7 also talks about, HDR Video Mode.

    The camera shoots at 96fps, so there's many frames per second to spare, could it be hard to them to make an HDR video mode like the one on Magic Lantern with option for 2 or 3 complementary frames but with the final file made on camera? The ideal would be to be able to control ISO, Photo Style and Curves in each complementary frame, a plus could be white balance control, it could give amazing creativity freedom.

    This would be great and a stand point over A7S.

  • driftwooddriftwood

    Great meeting with Panasonic tech guys and All recommendations and points within this thread have been delivered to Panasonic Japan. My meeting with them was confidential under strict NDA so I can't go into detail but rest assured ALL your thoughts and points have been passed on to them. They are listening to us.

    Pic: Mr Uematsu Michiharu - Advisor (Technical PR) DSC BU Panasonic with Nick Driftwood

    UematsuMichiharu-nickdriftwood-.jpg
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  • CFreakCFreak

    Thank you Nick!

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