Groundless

There seems to be various pissing matches concerning specs of this camera and that. At the end of the day, does it produce an image you like and how useable it is? I'm in prep for a movie I start in a few weeks. Intended for theatrical release we need IQ that'll hold up to the big screen. So we tested F55 vs Dragon vs Alexa. The tests were precise and extensive: ISO, over / under exposure, all with people and Macbeth Color Charts. Because of the tight schedule, I wanted the smaller cameras (f55 and Dragon) to be as good or better than the Arri. So we graded and projected the results at a full on commercial grade suite with a 15' screen.
 
The producer and director immediately felt the Arri was a hands down the better image. They couldn't quantify it. Being a tech, for me and the colorist, it all came down to flesh tones and color grade across the entire exposure range. When we wrestled with the F55 to get a rich honest flesh tone, the color chart was completely off (read: extra time in post keying and windowing that no one wants to pay for). The Epic came close, having quietest noise at all ISO's, but it too had some flesh tone issues as well as color aberrations in clipped areas. Worth noting, we shot the Alexa at 444 Pro Rez, not Arri Raw. How does it retain its amazing colors? Trading pixels for color space, instead of spreading your butter too thin.
 
Why do I bring this up? Because much of the conversations here obsess about pixel count, DR and other specs but few mention how well it grades the human face and how the grade effects your back ground colors. When I compare cameras, it's the first thing I look at (and what audience's pay the most attention to). The F55 despite it's stellar specs is dead to me as a feature film camera. We don't make movies for techs.
 
So I'm holding my judgement on the GH4 until I see some footage, not of rocks, bridges and buildings at night, cars, aggressive music video LUT's but just attempts to shoot faces, graded as naturally as can be. This is what attracted me to the BMC line up. I felt the colors were honest, requiring little work out of the box. I believe this is much of the success of the C300/500 line (see Hurlbut tests) despite being 8 bit and clippy on the high end. The F55 held highlights 6 stops over key. Insane DR. But specs do not a great image make. We also tested Scheider Xenars vs Cooke S4's vs Super Speeds. The sharpest of the bunch, the Schneiders were the F55 of lenses. Soulless paperweights.

Yeah stills are APS-C quality from the GH4 but without that flappy mirror or the silly optical eye glass thing from 1890!
 
Sensor has a very fine noise in the raw files which is very film like, and ISO 6400 is perfectly usable. I also find the electronic shutter very nice, and once you go back to mechanical shutter on other mirrorless cameras, that feels really dated somehow.
 
Sharpness is outstanding... no AA filter blurriness at 1:1 so the 16MP is easily a match for the 22MP on full frame cameras like the 5D Mark III.
In particular all the things that make the GH4 useful for video like the live view system, articulated screen and EVF are just as helpful for stills. I find I shoot better with it than a DSLR, it helps composition to have the DOF preview with the EVF and the tillable screen for low angles.
 
AF is amazing on this beast too... better than a Nikon D4 in most cases actually...
 
You can't say that about live-view AF on a DSLR haha!

Here is something else to love about this GH4 it does the stills thing pretty darn nice....this is a highly compressed jpg. cheers!

For me, I'm sticking with my GH4 preorder for a number of reasons.
- Articulating screen
- Touch screen
- better grip/more comfortable to hold
- established lineup of lenses (Nocticron looks amazing, as does the new 15 f/1.7)
- internal 4k
- cheaper most likely

Sony does this to us with every release. They come so close to making a complete, breathtaking product but leave something out of it that makes you scratch your head. Almost makes you wonder if they're purposely holding back to get you with the next product. It started with the NEX line (molasses slow lens release), went to the RX1 (sluggish AF, external EVF), then to the a7 line (slowish AF, no touch screen, loud shutter, limited lens release). Not everyone adapts manual glass and some rely on fast AF since it's not all about landscapes and architecture.

Another thing that I haven't seen brought up us ergonomics. Yes the a7s is more compact but look at the layout, it's the same as the other a7's. What I mean is by all reports the video record button is in an odd place, offset to the side like that. People either comment how it's too easy to press and they end up accidentally recording a bunch of grass and the inside of the camera bag or it's too difficult to reach comfortably for the times that you want to shoot video. The GH4 like the 5DM3 seem to have it in the right place, not somewhere where you would accidentally press, but easy enough to reach when you want to.

What will Canon do....10 grand DLSR 4K doesn't look so good sandwiched between the GH4/A7S and the BM line up & AJA CION?
AJA always seems to go the extra distance for quality and UI. 
I think I will now just get the GH4 for it's small footprint on board 4K and upgradable flexibility. And just rent the big guns when the job needs it. Fun times...indeed. 
 
Really you should check out Andra.com ....they can keep a .95 300mm in perfect focus with no rehearsal, no choreographed marks to hit, no measuring,  that emerald on her finger will just magically stay in forces wherever your actress chooses to move it. And then when you want to go to her eye with the reflection of her glass of wine in it...one tap on your iPad instant no breathing focus. The system is built for HD to 6K for now. enjoy.

If you want to see some new GH4 footage...including the 10 bit 422 via 'break out box" i.e. DMW-YAGH Interface Unit... to AJA recorder....
I
 
Published on Apr 6, 2014
Adorama TV presents the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 and Interface Unit. Join Michael Artsis as he explores the features of this new 4K camera and showcases its stunning footage.
 


AJA Ki Pro Quad
http://www.adorama.com/AJPAK256.html
   

Sorry for the multi-images....I am post challenged...

Ha ha ....I will comply! But you can't really call what i wrote poetry! That would be an insult to poets! cheers.

4K  mirror-less 
creating a verbal mess
to shoot or snipe?
to hoot or gripe?
4k may it liberate 'ess
 
Andrew let the B.S. dissolve into whence it came.
Keep sharing...
 
Your intention is the most important thing! You are not trying to deceive anyone.
 
It's wonderful how crazy we all become about 'new' gear and it's pro & cons. But they are simply tools to show & tell....
 
So sorry for the very poor 'almost limerick! I did not fact check any of this either.
 
cheers,
 
 Here's to the year of affordable 4K possibilities let the shoot outs begin!