Popular Post Dave Maze Posted May 1, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted May 1, 2016 Humbled this week while I am in Nicaragua using an older camera that would never be my first choice...the GH4. I have been pleasantly surprised by the image quality once I figured out how to dial in the picture profile. Shooting on Natural with contrast, saturation, sharpness down all the way and using filmconvert to bring the image back to normal. Shooting mostly with Sigma 18-35 with speed booster on a MoVI M5. Love the long battery life. The very efficient 4k compression. The audio preamps for in camera audio. Weather sealed body. Great slow motion in camera. My previous experiences with the GH4 SUCKED. Hated the IQ and never gave it a chance. I think once you dial in a solid workflow and picture profile...you have a killer video machine! More to come later. Ill post in this forum post. Should have a video soon. jonpais, kidzrevil, Vurhd and 11 others 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Maze Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 I have been shooting a7s ii for the last few months because of....mainly peer pressure... Hate the IQ. The sensor is just total crap IMO. Never ever looks right. Natural PP on the GH4 I am getting colors I never see on sony sensors. Even a7R II in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbp Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Natural is the best profile on the GH4, hands down I think. Perhaps not as much grading room as V-Log or Cine-D, but the colors are usually pleasing. GH4 is a hell of a workhorse camera, no doubt about it. kidzrevil, Lintelfilm, JazzBox and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonpais Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Looking forward to seeing the video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcs Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 The GH4 appears to be sharper 4K vs. the A7S II. I used to prefer the GH4 colors for skintones vs. the A7S, however the A7S II with SGamut3.cine and Slog2 or Cine2 gamma has better skintones vs. the GH4 (Natural or Portrait). Post-sharpening the A7S II looks similar to the GH4. I recently did a test trying to get the GH4 (Portrait) to match the A7S II for skintones (SGamut3.cine and Slog2/Cine2)- couldn't do it in a reasonable amount of time (colors seemed limited, perhaps related to DR, like comparing near-B&W to color). The GH4 footage looked very nice and detailed, however the colors were very limited compared to the A7S II. Cranking up the saturation or vibrance didn't help. I use the ARRI Alexa SL profile Input LUT in Lumetri (PP CC) to get really nice skintones with the A7S II and SGamut3.cine+Slog2+16 Saturation (exposed 1.7 over). This combo is so nice for skintones, as good or better than 5D3 RAW, along with 4K, amazing DR, and tiny files. Doing a multicam shoot with the C300 II soon, it should match very well (static cameras; the A7S II has poor RS compared to the C300 II, and of course very poor AF compared to the C300 II's PDAF (A7R II's PDAF is much better than the A7S II's)). I wanted to use the GH4 for another camera angle, next I'll try the old A7S or FS700. Without doing comparisons, the GH4 is a nice compact 4K camera, especially for outdoor, well-lit shots. With the Voigtlander 25mm F.95, it's not too shabby in lower light shots. Dave Maze and kidzrevil 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vurhd Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 3 hours ago, DaveAltizer said: I have been shooting a7s ii for the last few months because of....mainly peer pressure... Hate the IQ. The sensor is just total crap IMO. Never ever looks right. Natural PP on the GH4 I am getting colors I never see on sony sensors. Even a7R II in my opinion. Are you using an external recorder for 4k with the GH4 currently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Maze Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 2 hours ago, jcs said: The GH4 appears to be sharper 4K vs. the A7S II. I used to prefer the GH4 colors for skintones vs. the A7S, however the A7S II with SGamut3.cine and Slog2 or Cine2 gamma has better skintones vs. the GH4 (Natural or Portrait). Post-sharpening the A7S II looks similar to the GH4. I recently did a test trying to get the GH4 (Portrait) to match the A7S II for skintones (SGamut3.cine and Slog2/Cine2)- couldn't do it in a reasonable amount of time (colors seemed limited, perhaps related to DR, like comparing near-B&W to color). The GH4 footage looked very nice and detailed, however the colors were very limited compared to the A7S II. Cranking up the saturation or vibrance didn't help. I use the ARRI Alexa SL profile Input LUT in Lumetri (PP CC) to get really nice skintones with the A7S II and SGamut3.cine+Slog2+16 Saturation (exposed 1.7 over). This combo is so nice for skintones, as good or better than 5D3 RAW, along with 4K, amazing DR, and tiny files. Doing a multicam shoot with the C300 II soon, it should match very well (static cameras; the A7S II has poor RS compared to the C300 II, and of course very poor AF compared to the C300 II's PDAF (A7R II's PDAF is much better than the A7S II's)). I wanted to use the GH4 for another camera angle, next I'll try the old A7S or FS700. Without doing comparisons, the GH4 is a nice compact 4K camera, especially for outdoor, well-lit shots. With the Voigtlander 25mm F.95, it's not too shabby in lower light shots. Interesting finds. I have done loads of tests with a7s II with PP doing everything you mentioned and the thing that I found really helped was when I adjusted the color depth. I did a commercial shoot in Vegas during NAB week with a7s II and was finally pleased with what I got. BUT STILL it's too much tweaking and it still just doesn't feel right like Canon color science. I'm not saying GH4 is near Canon or Arri colors... But I love the 4K IQ and with Natural the colors are more than enough for average clients. Plus you could buy 3 gh4s for the price of 1 a7s2 at the moment. Honestly my recent findings from this rediscovery has only made me more excited for GH5 than anything. I'm still renting the Gh4 on this trip. Not planning on buying any time soon. Here are some before and after grade with the picture profile I have been using on a7s II internal that I really like. Found it on dvxuser and did some modifications to it. Found it to lean towards the green tint so I had to dial that out with white balance shift. Best a7s II 4K internal profile I have used: Black Level: 0 (it's disabled in s-log2 anyway) Gamma: S-log2 Black Gamma: Range- Narrow, Level -7 Knee: auto Color Mode: sgamut3.cine Saturation: +32 Color Phase: -2 (this is for a7sII, for original a7s use -5) Color Depth: +6 (all of them) Detail: -6 Expose 1.5 to 2 stops over. 1 hour ago, Vurhd said: Are you using an external recorder for 4k with the GH4 currently? Nope! Just internal 4K. I'm exposing to the right as far as I can without clipping and that helps keep the noise down when I pull the exposure down a bit. Vurhd 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jase Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 6 hours ago, DaveAltizer said: Shooting on Natural with contrast, saturation, sharpness down all the way and using filmconvert to bring the image back to normal. Exactly the same how I used my GM1 when I had one, although i chose the Standard Profile with everything all the way down. This in combination with film convert is really a good combo! Love the shots btw. 2 hours ago, jcs said: However the A7S II with SGamut3.cine and Slog2 or Cine2 gamma has better skintones vs. the GH4 (Natural or Portrait). Interesting find. You got any shots to share? Dave Maze 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Maze Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 I need to try Standard next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcs Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 25 minutes ago, jase said: Interesting find. You got any shots to share? When we do our next shoot (vs. just me doing tests), I'll get some footage with the GH4 along with the A7S, A7S II, and C300 II. Dave Maze 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcs Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 46 minutes ago, DaveAltizer said: Interesting finds. I have done loads of tests with a7s II with PP doing everything you mentioned and the thing that I found really helped was when I adjusted the color depth. I did a commercial shoot in Vegas during NAB week with a7s II and was finally pleased with what I got. BUT STILL it's too much tweaking and it still just doesn't feel right like Canon color science. I'm not saying GH4 is near Canon or Arri colors... But I love the 4K IQ and with Natural the colors are more than enough for average clients. Plus you could buy 3 gh4s for the price of 1 a7s2 at the moment. Honestly my recent findings from this rediscovery has only made me more excited for GH5 than anything. I'm still renting the Gh4 on this trip. Not planning on buying any time soon. Here are some before and after grade with the picture profile I have been using on a7s II internal that I really like. Found it on dvxuser and did some modifications to it. Found it to lean towards the green tint so I had to dial that out with white balance shift. Best a7s II 4K internal profile I have used: Black Level: 0 (it's disabled in s-log2 anyway) Gamma: S-log2 Black Gamma: Range- Narrow, Level -7 Knee: auto Color Mode: sgamut3.cine Saturation: +32 Color Phase: -2 (this is for a7sII, for original a7s use -5) Color Depth: +6 (all of them) Detail: -6 Expose 1.5 to 2 stops over. Hey Dave your A7S II footage looks better to me than the GH4 footage you posted here. I don't change Color Phase, Color Depth, or Black Gamma, and use Detail -3. The ARRI SL LUT in PP CC gets the skintones looking nice with one click (sometimes need to increase Exposure in Lumetri after this LUT). I expose in camera similarly (typically +1.7). I still prefer the C300 II color, detail, and of course the PDAF, however the A7S II is very impressive considering the cost. Sony will probably have another A7x out by the time the 5D4 is released, and if Sony has further improved the color and PDAF (A7R II descendent), Canon will have its work cut out to compete. The 1DX II looks nice, but nothing I've seen so far is better than the A7S II in terms of skintone color (from my own tests side-by-side with the C300 II), highlights, and low light (A7S II has poor RS, AF is almost useless, can't do 4K60, though it does have IBIS (OK but not great)). Dave Maze 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronChicago Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Ole trusty GH4. I can always count on her. JazzBox 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Maze Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 7 hours ago, jcs said: Hey Dave your A7S II footage looks better to me than the GH4 footage you posted here. I don't change Color Phase, Color Depth, or Black Gamma, and use Detail -3. The ARRI SL LUT in PP CC gets the skintones looking nice with one click (sometimes need to increase Exposure in Lumetri after this LUT). I expose in camera similarly (typically +1.7). I still prefer the C300 II color, detail, and of course the PDAF, however the A7S II is very impressive considering the cost. Sony will probably have another A7x out by the time the 5D4 is released, and if Sony has further improved the color and PDAF (A7R II descendent), Canon will have its work cut out to compete. The 1DX II looks nice, but nothing I've seen so far is better than the A7S II in terms of skintone color (from my own tests side-by-side with the C300 II), highlights, and low light (A7S II has poor RS, AF is almost useless, can't do 4K60, though it does have IBIS (OK but not great)). I will personally disagree. I've looked through all my a7sii footage and am not happy with it at all. Total shit sensor in my opinion and should only be used when needing low light. Gh4 is so easy and clients don't know the difference. Everything about gh4 makes more business sense. 1/3 of the cost. Longer battery life. Easier to grade. I'm DP for a possible feature length theatrical doc this year. Still in development. We will be shooting on C300 II but that's a different thing really because we have budget and it's being released in theaters. To own and operate your own camera I feel you should only get what you can afford. I'm a 26 year old newly wed with debt and a puppy. $1,200 camera vs a $3,000 camera that has a worse workflow and minor upgrades over a $1,200 isn't appealing to me in my situation. I need the most bang for buck. I'm still considering getting a used C100 mk1. Great work horse My opinion which has matured over the last 6 years in the industry is you own the camera that you can afford that get 90% of what you need done and done easily and well. You rent the rest Ricardo Constantino and tomastancredi 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidzrevil Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 GH4 Is such a great camera dude! I'd run out and grab all the m43 mount voigtlanders if I were you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidzrevil Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 Shot this with a gh4 and some voigtlanders a while back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 46 minutes ago, kidzrevil said: Shot this with a gh4 and some voigtlanders a while back Man!!! That looks great. Sharp as shit. And the grade. Really good stuff. The perfect amount of contrast and DR in the blacks. kidzrevil 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 1 hour ago, kidzrevil said: Shot this with a gh4 and some voigtlanders a while back Love the framing in the interview. Kind of off topic nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidzrevil Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 @Liam @mercer thanks guys I appreciate it ! Looking back at this footage really makes me miss that GH4 man. I kinda prefer the motion cadence it has. It has energy, same with the g7. And those voigtlander lenses were hella sharp even with the pro mist diffuser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRenaissanceMan Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 I'm a fan of the SLR Magic primes, myself, but the Voigtlanders are boss too. Nice work, kidzrevil. Cinegain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidzrevil Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 @TheRenaissanceMan slr magic makes great wide angles. Love the close focus of their lenses, it def comes in handy ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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.