Panasonic

GH4 for theatrical feature films?

DouglasHorn — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 22:34:21 +0000

It looks like the GH4 is a big step forward, but is it ready for theatrical feature films--even low budget, limited releases?

I know it's a big advance on the GH2--which I think is pretty amazing for $600 but which I still wouldn't use on a feature even after Upstream Color. But if it has advanced enough, there's a lot to like about the GH4--low cost for high quality crash cams, low weight for aerials and Movi-type work. 4K, etc.

It you were helming a 500K-1M feature that had a tight BTL production budget but also high expectations in footage quality, would the GH4 be your choice?

GH2 - Minolta Lens X mount adapter

taylor — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 12:50:17 +0000

I have a gh2, i'm a beginner and recently ordered a Minolta MD Zoom 35-75mm f/3.5-4.8 lens due to wanting to try something different apart from the kit lens.

I am wondering which mount adapter do i need to connect the lens to the gh2?

-Also is a depth of field adapter the same as a mount adapter? I'm wanting to experiment with shallow depths of field; for this would i need a separate dof adapter? taylor

Comparing the Auto White Balance of the Panasonic GH4 and LX100: Dynamic Test

markr041 — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 21:10:05 +0000

Two clips for each camera. Both in auto white balance mode. First, going from 5600K (daylight) to 3500K (incandescent), then going from incandescent to daylight. The first camera for each sequence is the GH4.

You can see that the GH4 AWB never compensates fully under incandescent light. The LX100 nails it under both lighting conditions. The speed of adjustment is similar for the two cameras.

The GH4 uses the Lumix 12-35mm f2.8 lens. The LX100 lens is extended so that the f is 2.8. For both ev was set to -1/3.

Focus problem with my Panasonic 14-140 lens & Panasonic GH2

ezgirl — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 11:50:30 +0000

I have been using my GH2 exclusively for video 2 yrs. Normally when I begin to shoot I move in as close as I can get with the lens zoomed as far as it will go, focus, and then zoom the lens as wide as it will go and then begin shooting. I never have to focus again. I can walk in or out and focus remains sharp, just as you would get from a cine lens. Something happened yesterday while filming, and I don't know what. After setting my focus if I move the focus is blurry, unless I maintain the exact distance at which it was focused. I have been through the menu and the manual, I can not figure out what has happened. LENS: normally set OIS - OFF. I tried ON, same result. CAMERA: FOCUS MODE set at AFS, but no difference if set at AFC. AUTO FOCUS MODE DIAL set at 1 area. Makes no difference where set anyhow. It seems to me this is purely a mechanical issue, either the lens is working properly or not, should not have anything to do with the camera settings. Any ideas???

GH4 as a picture camera

eurocameraman — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 04:56:22 +0000

The GH4 is the first camera from the GH line up ( I got them all) and even the first mirrorless model ( I got the EM-1 and still have the Nikon1) that I would consider to replace my Nikon D800 for my paid job.

GH3 was too weak on the vie

wfinder and its pictures were missing something (compare to EM-1 or D800) to be pleasing out of the camera or after post processing.

This Saturday, I took advantage of one class I was orginazing for my students in Shanghai (China) to do some shots with the GH4 I was doing high speed shoot workshop (Freezing water with Flash or High Shutter speed) and the GH4 did great.

It is the first camera I am using, for that type of topic, able to take so many jpg+Raw continuous fast shots without filling up its buffer too quickly. Much better than any of my students camera (Olympus EM1, Nikon D800 and D7100, Canon 700D and 70D...).

I used an Olympus 45mm f1.8 for that series of pictures (Manual focus)

From the GH4, I like the lasting Battery (5 times more duration than the on in the EM-1), the comfortable viewfinder (size, sharpness, shape), the peaking assitance for MF and the overall ergonomy of the camera. I sold my EM-1 as I couldn't cop with its weird menu, its poor battery life and one important missing feature: A physical switch to quickly change focus mode. I get it on the GH4 at the exact right position.

The EM-1 still produce more vivd and natural color, but I also like the signature of the GH4. Smoother, but great.

Only one things is still not good enough is the Dynamic Range (or Contrat ratio) of the viewfinder which is too contrasty; highlight are too easilly overexposed in high contrast situation, which is not visually accurate and comfortable to use.

Panasonic G3 official topic

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Thu, 12 May 2011 08:35:42 +0000

More details at - http://www.43rumors.com/continually-updated-panasonic-g3-announced/

To be short:

* Less buttons (you do not need AEL, right?).
* No eye sensor (You like play quest games enabling EVF via touch menu?)
* Noisier sensor compensated by math (read - more details blur).
* Intelligent resolution (read - more sharpness accentuating even minor flaws).
* And this magic button, ouch forget how it is called, something like Super-Druper-Auto-Everything-Intelligence-Not-From-This-Planet.
I think that it decides then you must take your pictures and prevents you to take any picture if it does not like this sour mugs ;-)
But I may misread something.

Overall, looks pretty cool for young girl.
Panasonic, why we don't see it in pink? Look at Pentax!

It'll be so better!

GH4 2-axis digital level is wrong

Steven — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 19:18:23 +0000

I got my new GH4 from B&H yesterday and the 2-axis digital level is incorrectly reporting the horizon level. If I set it on a table, it reports the horizon level as being somewhat off balance while the GH3's level is proper. I tried resetting everything and the problem, defect, or glitch still exists. I believe the firmware version is 1.1; if there's a newer one, I could try updating, but I have doubts it'll fix the problem. Has anyone experienced this problem? Any suggestions? It looks like I may have to send it back and exchange it for a replacement.

Gh4 Repair Sites

dallas — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 12:36:15 +0000

I own a couple Gh4s. One of them is covered for three years, the other only the standard 1 year. Does panasonic have decent repair outfits for these cameras if I ever need them. Im hearing people tell me things like their an electronic company camera repair isnt any good at all with them. Any opinions? Thanx for sharing

GH3 Wi-Fi Questions and Apps discussions

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 23:28:07 +0000

Intended to discuss all the wi-fi related things only.

Plus AppStore and Android apps.

Panasonic LX100 - How to change language menu on japanese model

chatxxnoir — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 15:14:49 +0000

Is there any solution to unlock the menu ?

Wonderful site... Thanks for what you're doing... I sure hope I'll install a hack myself ...

Thanks for helping / advising, Chatxxnoir.

Sony FS700 vs GH4 - owners chime in?

SuperSet — Sun, 09 Nov 2014 12:36:54 +0000

Very happy GH4 owner here but wish it had more slo mo options. I'm seriously considering upgrading to the FS700. Can anyone who owns both chime in here and offer some pros and cons?

Nissan Flash with GH4 force flash

dallas — Sun, 09 Nov 2014 16:40:18 +0000

I am new to photography. There is a color profile that I really like to use on the GH4 called Bleach. The cameras on board flash wont fire in that mode, nor will the NIsaan in any mode I try. Is it doable or is this color profile not going to allow flash under any circumstance. Thanks in advance.

gh4 4k frame grabs video useability

dallas — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 11:27:23 +0000

I WANT TO FILM IN 4K AND BE ABLE TO USE FRAME GRABS AND VIDEO. I DONT WANT TO USE PHOTO MODE JUST WITH INTENT ON FRAME GRABS. ALL THE LITERATURE IVE READ SAYS IN THIS MODE THE VIDEO IS OPTIMIZED FOR STILLS, DOES THIS MEAN VIDEO QUALITY WILL SUFFER? IM THINKING OF ROLLING IN 4K WITH A SHUTTER PRIORITY SET AT 60. WILL I HAVE USABLE VIDEO AND GOOD FRAME GRABS IN THIS CONFIGURATION OR AM I ASKING TOO MUCH. IN OTHER WORDS IS THE 4K PHOTO MODE ONLY FOR STILLS?

GH2 electrical interference

TimeEchoProductions — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:56:07 +0000

Hello, I am an audio engineer who is a newbie with video. I bought a GH2 and I have my first real project coming up in two weeks shooting some interview footage. I have been doing some tests and I noticed this interference pattern on the screen. I searched for this topic and found some info but I wasn't sure if the posts I found were speaking about this same issue. I want to know if this is a normal issue to work around or if there is a problem with my camera. I noticed that the interference pattern is different depending on the light source, and does not seem to occur with incandescents, which make sense if this is an issue with flicker rate of lights and the interaction of the shutter speed. I noticed how the interference changed with shutter speed but the only setting where it went away was 1/40 shutter speed. Oh, I was wondering too if firmware hacks have any effect on issues like this. I am currently running Sanity X, but in my test footage it was Sanity 5.1 setting. I apologize in advance because this test footage is ridiculous. It was not meant to be good footage in the first place, I was simply trying to show the interference pattern. Then I compressed it way too far because I wanted to make a small file for upload to be quick. It is terrible, but I think it will show what I am talking about good enough.

What advice is there for dealing with this issue? Just change lighting? Do CFL have this problem as well. Would 1/40 shutter speed be ok at 24p or will the motion look weird? Sorry for my ignorance, and thank you for your patience.

Looking for some advice regarding headshots

sjkToday — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 16:01:35 +0000

One of my buddies who's an actor asked me if I can take some headshots for him because he's short on money and can't afford professional headshots atm. I really want to help him but I don't know if I have the necessary gear/skill. I have a gh2 and I'm planning on using the Sigma 60mm f2.8 lens. I am debating whether I should shoot inside or outside. I have quite a bit of indoor lighting equipment but it's all pretty amateur gear that has it's limits. I researched quite a bit and for what I understand it is important that acting headshots come with a shallow DOF. What settings would you suggest to create a shallow DOF? And is it even possible to shoot acting headshots with a f2.8 lens(I know it's possible to a certain extent but is it sufficient to reach industry standards?)

I'll appreciate any help from you guys.

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

driftwood — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 15:35:57 +0000

Still toying with the idea of your next camera purchase - the GH4, GH3, GM1 - or other? Are you worried about the future of micro four thirds? Want to know why Panasonic have chosen the GH4 as their next model in the GHx Lumix series? Why the YAGH? Have a concern? Have a recommendation? Want to know more about the future path of the GH series? Then this is your chance.

We're giving all our personal-view members the opportunity to put their questions regarding m43, the new Lumix GH4 plus more to a certain Mr Koyama - the man in charge of the whole GH4 project and product concept, product planning and support.

We will then collate all your questions and the best of them will be put to Koyama this week in which he has promised to answer as best he can. Deadline for your questions is this Friday, 4th April.

Write them below. Please stick to questions only - no comments off-hand or discussions. Don't be shy. Ask away!

Questions only - no stupid stuff - it will simply be ignored.

G6, timelaps, WiFi.

OldBob — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 06:54:14 +0000

Hi frends! I heed start timelaps record used WiFi remote control. How can I do this?

The Long and Widescreen Road - My 3rd Anamorphic exercise with GH4 in Photo Mode

izash — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 20:03:16 +0000

My 3rd anamorphic test.
This afternoon I took my unfinished contraption (still waiting for the proper clamp) on the road, straight into the Tel Aviv Saturday evening traffic.

Shot in Tel Aviv, Oct. 25th, 2014 using a Panasonic GH4 in 4K Photo Mode, 3:2 aspect ratio, Cine D.
Lenses: Helios 44/2 58mm, Rectimascop 48/2x anamorphic.
Music by Jimi Hendrix.
Edited and graded with FCPX.

GH3 + Ninja Blade

belfryman — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 07:36:23 +0000

Apologies if this is covered somewhere else but I've not spotted it, have seen issues with GH4 and had my own with the FZ1000. I've just been recording with the GH3 and Ninja Blade. I'm set to record 1080p25 (am in UK) on the GH3 with HDMI out set to auto (if I set it to 1080p I get no input on the Ninja). The Ninja Blade says it's receiving 25p but when I take out the SSD to edit in FCPX the footage I'm seeing looks mostly progressive but parts are very obviously interlaced. Anyone else had this, know a fix?

My Impatient GH4 Anamorphic Lens Test (4K Photo Modes)

izash — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 13:53:32 +0000

The Rectimascop 48/2x Anamorphic Lens arrived in the mail today.
I'm still waiting for the clamp to properly connect it to the GH4 lens, but I couldn't wait to try it out, so I did some test shots in my living room, connecting the Rectimascop to a Helios 44/2 lens using a reverse macro ring.
It's not properly aligned, as you can see from the flares, but I love the character and the new artistic possibilities opened by the new 4K photo mode with its new aspect ratios (1:1, 3:2, 4:3).
I'm also waiting for a diopter from Ebay to shoot closer objects.

GH4, Cine D profile, Helios 44/2 lens, Rectimascop 48/2x Anamorphic Lens
Music by me.
Edited with FCPX.
All flares were done in camera. :)

GH3 and GH4 alligning the timecode

olli66 — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 11:15:18 +0000

hey guys, any tips for me how I can perfectly match my gh3 and gh4 timecodes? I do multicam concert shoots. some cams only film parts here and there and I'd love to have all footage automatically synced in Premiere. no miliseconds drift picture wise. is it possible? plural eyes or premiere's own sync features always fail on some clips and I always need to double check each clip and adjust most manually so in the past I did it all manually. would save me a lot of time to get it in perfect sync with the timecode... (there is no fw for the gh2 that offers timecode, too? then I would only have to manually sync my gopros)

Mac OS 10.10 Yosemite quicktime player and GH4 footage

nobbystylus — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 14:44:32 +0000

Wow. Just installed Yosemite and opened up a bit of DCI 4K .MOV GH4 footage, which was previously totally unplayable on my MacBook Pro in Quicktime Player (used to have to open premiere to playback at all), and now plays absolutely perfectly in the latest version of quicktime player. This is a big bonus for viewing and checking out rushes when you don't want to open up FCP or Premiere pro and enables quick and dirty edits.

Great news!

4K Photo Mode Bird Examples

ragnar — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 12:58:23 +0000

Here are a few examples of 4K Photo Mode frame grabs. I say frame grabs because I did the choosing in Premiere and not in the camera as I found grabbing the jpegs in camera too slow. Anyway, I recorded both regular and loop 4K Photo Mode video in both 30p and 24p. I then put those clips in Premiere and found the ones I wanted to export as frame grabs. I exported these frame grabs as .tiffs but I'm not sure that makes them any better than if I had just used the in-camera jpegs. For someone like me that basically takes pics of birds and insects in his backyard, this 4K Photo Mode is really something. It's an embarrassment of riches, it is. I can grab just that right shot for a high-resolution still. Thanks, Panasonic for this innovation.

GH4 and composite video out

crunchy — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 02:04:47 +0000

Does anybody know if composite video out signal (via DMW-AVC1 audio-video cable) on GH4 is active permanently or we have to switch it on somehow? I know that on GH1 (and possibly on GH2 as well) I had to press Basket button for about 10 seconds if I wanted video composite signal to be permanently on in all the modes (recording, playback).

Which 4K to choose on GH4? (Too many notes, Mozart!) Talking heads shoot for 1080P output.

mschubb — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 14:06:25 +0000

I'm an experienced shooter (GH2, EX1, Canons, etc.) and just got a GH4 this week. Was expecting to ease into 4K, shoot camera tests, try out workflows and then do something "real" in 4K somewhere down the line.

BUT - an unexpected project just came up and I'll be shooting doc interviews straight away. Producer just found out I have a GH4 and asked about shooting 4K -- mostly to have better reframing options in post.

My first (and second) instinct is to say "not a good idea" because I know I can deliver beautiful 1080P with no surprises in post. And no one on this project has 4K experience. Post will be quick: Adobe Premiere CS6, 1080P timeline and minimal grading if any. All the shoots will be interviews, interiors, nicely lit. SD cards limited to existing Sandisk Extreme Pro 95mb/s.

Frankly, the real problem is that I'm overwhelmed by the number of 4K recording options for resolutions, recording formats and data rates, with little time to figure things out. (And no time for testing so I can have my own professional certainty.)

Anyone with GH4/Premiere experience have any wisdom or suggestions about "safe and easy" 4K recording format settings for this situation? Or links to good discussions/posts about merits of the various 4K format choices on the GH4?

Any advice, help or links will be much appreciated. Thanks!

So this happened...

rockroadpix — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 20:59:01 +0000

Panasonic HX-A500H Wearable 4k Recorder...

http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/HX-A500H

I can't describe it, I have to link it! lolz

GH3 - "Please turn camera off and then on again"

OBgene — Sun, 05 Oct 2014 04:54:22 +0000

Anyone know how to deal with this problem? I've changed battery, SD card, and nothing but this screen shows when I turn the camera. Not sure what to do.

GH4 recording cap

pietz — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 10:46:49 +0000

I live in Germany which is why i got an european GH4 and as it turns out, it does have a recording cap of 29min59sec. when recording 4k it will create a new .mov when the file reaches 4GB, but it only does that so often until the recording time reaches 30min.

i contacted Panasonic to see if i can download the US 1.0 firmware and reinstall it as a firmware update, but thats not supposed to be possible.

so im asking you. do you have any ideas to get around this boundary?

Thank you very much

G6 Basic Movie Mode & Legacy Lens Questions

redstar17 — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 15:11:19 +0000

Movie Mode Question: So I'm setting my REC FORMAT and REC QUALITY on the touchscreen MOTION PICTURE screens. All set, now ... I want to set the ISO and shutter speed. Can I do this and shoot a video in Shutter priority (S)? Or do I have to shoot in Manual or Movie? Can I set the settings as if they were a stills setting and then push the red button and these stills settings will control video also? I'd like to avoid Movie mode so that I can allow the aperature to grab the correct light. I'd also like to avoid Movie mode because I need to snap stills while shooting videos (I know the video interruption danger). What I need to do is to keep the big stills button active so that I can shoot stills while shooting (ending) a video record. And a crazy thought -- can I set video and stills at different settings? ANOTHER way of asking -- When I set up settings for still photos do those same settings become part of the video recording set up?

Legacy Lens Questions: I have three Oly M3/4 auto-focus zooms that I want to use with my G6. I have a Lumix Pany-to-Oly adapter. Do I lose the ability to auto focus (it seems like I do)? If they should zoom and focus correctly what settings on the camera will make this work? THANKS!

GH4 viewfinder not updating on iso and shutterspeed?

albertdros — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 16:15:28 +0000

I had this today and Im not sure how to turn this off or on. Camera is on full manual and when i change the iso or shutter speed, the viewfinder does not update accordingly. Any fast help is appreciated. Doinf this from my phone bcs I am on holiday and need to frame the milkyway in high ISO