Richard Gillespie

My Panasonic UK saga regarding the GH4 audio issue. 2 weeks ago I called the Panasonic UK service centre to ask them if they were aware of the problem, they said they had a bulletin from Panasonic and were aware of the problem. They suggested I send the camera in for repair with a 7 to 10 day turnaround. As of this morning, 2 weeks later, Panasonic have still not been able to provide them with the part. I have suggested that they replace the camera but Panasonic have said any new cameras in the UK would still have the problem. They are suggesting that the part will not be in the UK for another 2 weeks. The service centre have been good and have tried their best to keep me informed. I do feel that Panasonic UK are seriously letting me down, along with this problem and the fact there is still no 25p from the HDMI on the camera, my advice to anyone in the UK buying the camera for video use would be don't buy until all of these problems are fixed on units in stores.

It's a real pain in PAL world at the moment. If only the camera would output 1080p25 10bit 4:2:2. I hope Panasonic get it sorted.

You might find this useful http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?303559-Measuring-rolling-shutter-put-a-number-on-this-issue The same thing goes for the GH4 in 1080p mode, much less rolling shutter. It has a very stable frame. The ExTele mode which is effectively a digital 2x converter works really well in 1080. The GH4 is proving to be a great 1080 camera for me.

This has to be about the most important and interesting pieces of information I have seen posted for ages. The GH4 in 1080p as less rolling shutter than the C300, amazing. Thought to Panasonic though, you need to get the HDMI output in 10bit sorted or the A7S is what people will be pulling off the shelves.

Thank you guys. I take your point Andrew but I rarely do any of the post-production on what I shoot, on a 90min doc you end up with a lot of rushes, at the moment no one I work with wants 4k because of the additional cost in storage and post. It would be fantastic to deliver rushes that are either DNXHD or PRORES, ready to edit, no transcoding. I have been shooting recently with a C100 and Ninja and deliver ready to edit files. I have never had a great deal of confidence in the Canon 8bit 4:2:2 codec. Could the GH4 and a Ninja be a great documentary solution? I'll be trying it out next week but appreciate your input very much.

Anyone tried this yet? Andrew, with your experience so far can you recommend the best way of doing this?

Have you considered the Sigma 18-35 f1.8? Get the Nikon version with a Metabones Nikon to M4/3 adapter and you have a 36-70 f1.8 (35mm full frame equiv) and with a Speedbooster you have a 26-50 f1.2 (if my calculations are correct). The best thing is that you have a nice smooth iris control, not so good for stills because there is no automation of any kind but for me it's essential for filming.

This is such a step in the right direction. It seems that Panasonic have really listened to their customers and thank goodness for people like Andrew who do the talking for us. I remember as a kid pretending to make movies with a DSLR camera and now I use them for work in the same way. I am so used to the form factor and lens choices I find it hard to go back to shooting with a more conventional TV camera. When I travel it's usually just me shooting, so Micro 4/3 has been liberating to say the least. This ultimately means more shooting days, more bucks on screen and hopefully better docs. I said to a director the other day, there has to be something wrong when you are spending more money on the kit than you are on the person using it, the GH2 and now this, have changed that for me. All this and House of Cards, series 2 next Friday on Netflix, it's all too much, I need a lie down! Andrew, one question please, I am led to believe the sensor has been developed by Panasonic for the GH4, does it have the look and feel of the GH2 or the GH3?

These look lovely, I remember Cooke lenses from my Aaton LTR experiences, they used to make a beautiful short zoom for Super 16 but haven't used them since. Look forward to seeing some stuff with them mounted on Micro 4/3.

Funny how design can come full circle. The trouble is, I don't know anyone shooting the documentaries making a difference at the moment who could actually afford to film with this. It would be a dream to pop it on your shoulder, pull it up to your eye and enjoy yourself. Plenty of room to strap the radio mics on too :)