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I analyzed the GH4 audio buzz issue yesterday. While I couldn't find any issue with the internal mics, the external circuit is picking up camera electronics, primarily the electronic shutter (buzz varies predominantly with shutter speed). I tried a few mics with TS, TRS, and TRRS plugs. The problem is not with the plug itself- the buzz is the same with them all. If the Panasonic DMW-MS2 with TRRS plug really works without the buzz, then there's something going on with resistance and/or capacitance/grounding (or more). Reviews of the DMW-MS2 appear to show that the mic is both noisy and not very directional. It's a mid-side mic however decoding is only available on the mic (and controlled with camera settings). I use an Audio Technica BP4029 stereo shotgun on the FS700 (mid-side) and it's great being able to control the stereo field in post varying from pure directional shotgun (mono) to a wide stereo sound stage, and everything in between. The stereo is so good that listening with headphones on you'll turn around sometimes thinking the sound is live- it can be that 3D (similar to binaural). The current workaround is going back to the standard DSLR method: setting in-camera gain to the lowest and using a preamp. For the GH4 that means setting mic gain to -12dB. At -12dB, the buzz is still present, however when testing with a Sennheiser G3 wireless system starting at -30dB receiver output and going up from there, the buzz seems to take a sharp reduction at around around -18 to -12dB G3 receiver output. Perhaps the GH4 has some form of AGC going on? In any case, at around -12dB (or higher) G3 receiver output, the SNR is high enough that examining the waveform in post shows the buzz is inaudible and audio is then usable. When testing with a Rode NTG-2 on battery with a TRS connector, the noise floor (white noise) isn't that bad on the GH4 (compared to the 5D3 for example). However the motor-boat buzz renders the audio unusable. The buzz is a triangle wave, about 2x the amplitude of the noise floor. More info and waveforms + spectral plots here: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?324401-External-Microphone-Solutions-for-the-GH4-(avoiding-the-buzz) A low-cost, reasonably small and lightweight solution is an iRig Pre, for about $33. Along with a splitter cable (or with the soldering mod) it is small enough to attach to the back of a shotgun mic with Velcro or a rubber band. With a 9v battery, it supplies phantom power and sufficient gain for clean, high-quality audio.

Honoring My Father is the story behind Keith Kadoyama attending the Lantern Floating Ceremony every year. The Lantern Floating Ceremony honors our loved ones who have passed away. Keith honors his father Mitsuo Kadoyama, and he tells his story. Thanks to my good friend Keith for doing this. I conceived of the idea when I saw the announcement just 2 days before, and I'm glad he was up for the challenge. I shot all of this myself, so it was a lot of hard work! Shot on a Panasonic GH4, 4K with Panasonic LUMIX 12-35mm X lens and SLR Magic Anamorphot and Tiffen Vari-ND Filter GH4 shot with CinelikeD Contrast -2, Sharpness -5, Noise Reduction -5, Saturation 0, Hue 0 Master Pedestal +15, Highlight -4, Shadow +3, 0-255 F2.8, 1/50 sec, ISO 200 w Vari-ND, ISO 800 without Interview Audio: Rode NTG-2 shotgun mic with Rode Blimp on a Tascam DR-60D Music by Escape Club - "I'll Be There"

Our first shoot with the GH4 in 4K, edited and delivered in 4K (everything played in real-time in PPro CC ("Full") during editing; 2010 12-core 24GB MacPro and Quadro 5000). Watch in full screen if using a >HD monitor (1440p and 2160p available): Audio recorded with the FS700 (Audio Technica BP4029 stereo shotgun (Mid+Side)). Close ups with FS700. Background plate shot with GH4, JPG, full auto. Keyed with Ultra Key. Since many of the items were also green, I had to perform a bit of post work using Track Matte keys to mask off areas from the green screen keyer. A couple areas with motion not masked off and those go transparent (can be fixed by animating a Track Matte key). Could use a bit more color work- ran out of time. Everything done 100% in PPro CC- no round-tripping. File rendered to a custom profile at 3840x2160 32-40Mbit/s 2-pass H.264 MP4.

I've decided to buy a GH4. I think I should possibly buy it today, so I really need some advice. I have an insanely full month ahead - we're buying our first house next week and moving in the week after. Then it's my son's 2nd birthday the weekend after that, then the weekend after that we're getting married followed by a short honeymoon! My girlfriend has a promotion interview sometime in June too, and my family and the in-laws will be staying for the birthday and wedding. I know, I should probably scrap the GH4 idea and spend the money on drugs to help me cope. Once the dust has settled in July, I've decided to make a serious attempt at setting myself up professionally as a videographer (I've already done some paid work for community groups and private commissions over the past year or two). Plus I'd like to document my momentous month ahead as best I can (my G6 isn't my favourite stills camera, and my D5300 is impossible to use for stills with my manual glass). So I need to buy the GH4 very soon (I'll be too busy in a matter of days I think) Here's my situation: If I order the camera here in the UK before Monday (2nd June) I'll get a free battery and grip with it - not essential but I'm stretching myself to afford the camera so this would be quite handy. The big question for me is, should I do that or should I wait for a 'world camera' (i.e. no time limit and NTSC/PAL switchable) from B&H to arrive from the US. Again, this is not an essential but the GH4 seems relatively future proof and I see it fulfilling my needs for several years so I'd like it to be as versatile as possible. More seriously, it seems that there is a big difference in what can be recorded via HDMI to a Ninja in PAL vs NTSC. Anyone know more about this? The option of 10bit in the future is important to me. Anyone have any opinions on all of this? Andrew, I know you bought the US camera - I'd really appreciate your advice if you read this? By the way, I'm going to list my G6 and D5300 (with Z-Finder Jr) on ebay UK tomorrow night (Sun 1st) and possibly my Roland R26 audio recorder and Rode NTG2 mic, which I hardly ever use. I want to streamline my workflow, and using just one superb and easy to use camera with onboard sound (Rode VMP/Rode Lav) is just far too attractive to me right now. I may also sell my MonoCam CF pro (awesome Glidecam style stabiliser) as i don't use it often enough to justify keeping it. It's all in great condition. Let me know you're interested. Thanks guys :)

Hey everyone, I got my GH4 the first week of May here in the UK and so far I've been blown away by the image. I came from a 5D MKIII and I can't say that I feel like I'm missing much at the moment. Although I did shoot ML RAW on the 5D, I can't say I miss the workflow and the occasional camera crash... its so good to be shooting 4K without worrying that its going to crap out during a take. I think I will add a Speedbooster and Sigma 18-35mm next! Anyway, here is my first few days out with the GH4 around some famous London landmarks. Hope you are enjoying your GH4's!

The Northrup video (thanks KarimNassar for posting) got me thinking about the following math to match a crop sensor to an FF sensor camera (this was also helpful: http://www.josephjamesphotography.com/equivalence/#introduction ): Multiply the focal length by the crop factor Multiply the f-stop by the crop factor Divide the ISO by the square of the crop factor The first two equations deal with the difference in scale. The physical aperture (light opening, "entrance pupil") will be exactly the same: Given: f-stop = focal-length/aperture-diameter aperture-diameter = focal-length/f-stop GH4 Lens: 25mm f2.8 5D3 Lens: 50mm f5.6 GH4 aperture-diameter = 25mm/2.8 = 8.93mm 5D3 aperture-diameter = 50/5.6 = 8.93mm Thus, the aperture diameter or entrance pupil will let in exactly the same amount of light. The 5D3 sensor has a focal length that is 2x farther from the entrance pupil, and since the sensor is 2x bigger, it captures the larger projection of exactly the same amount of photons. Since we've spread the projection of photons out with a 2x larger area, the sensels will get 2*2 (area) = 4 times less light than a 2x crop sensor. So, we have to boost sensor gain 4x to match the crop sensor. Now, if due to manufacturing or technology advantages the full frame sensor is more sensitive per sensel vs. the crop sensor, then a 4x gain boost to match cameras won't be accurate. FOV and DOF will be exactly the same regardless of sensor technologies. The only differences will be sensitivity, noise, and color characteristics. After starting with a 5D Mark II, then going to a 5D Mark III, then adding a FS700+SpeedBooster, I began to suspect that there was nothing inherently special about FF. After reading about and understanding this math and physics, it's clear that there is no mathematical or physics-based advantage (in terms of light and photons) to FF over smaller sensors. Only when a larger sensor can be made more sensitive, less noisy, and/or provide improved color processing can a FF sensor perform better than a crop sensor. The main reason the 5D2/5D3 became so popular was due to Canon's superior color processing. The 5D3's softness combined with low aliasing and excellent color processing for skin tones helped make it very popular as that is similar behavior to film. The ARRI Alexa has the best color processing and until the Dragon was released, the most dynamic range (not clear yet if the Dragon has matched or passed the Alexa, however it does an excellent job with skintones). If we consider the SpeedBooster, using the same lens on both cameras, so the entrance pupil is the same size and the focal length is the same, then we'll have exactly the same FOV and DOF when the focal reducer shrinks the image circle down to the crop sensor. This means the f-stop is not changed, just the t-stop (the SpeedBooster for Canon EF to NEX is really a 1.1 crop, however the bokeh was nearly the same in testing between the 5D3 and FS700 with the 24-105mm F4L lens). This is one case where the smaller sensor has an advantage: since we're shrinking the photon projection area, we are increasing the amount of light to the sensor (thus gaining the ~1 stop of light increase in the EF to NEX case). A current market advantage for FF over 2x crop is that there are more fast lenses for FF. We had to get a Voigtlander 25mm F.95 to come close to a 50mm F1.4 on FF. We'd need a 25mm F.7 to match the 50mm F1.4's entrance pupil size and thus bokeh. To match the 50mm 1.2, we'd need a 25mm F.6! Other than available/affordable lens choices, sensor technologies and color science, there's no mathematical or physical advantage to FF over crop sensor cameras. The noise characteristics of the GH4 are finer and nicer than the 5D3 and FS700 in low-light testing so far. The detail captured by the GH4 exceeds the FS700 (and slightly passes the C100/C300 (for 4K downsampled to 1080p)). 5D3 RAW still has the nicest skintones, however we're still learning to use the GH4. Understanding that there's nothing magical about FF got me more interested in giving a 2x crop sensor camera a try- so far the quality is impressive.

Very useful videos for people just starting out with a GH4. Best tutorials I've seen so far for shooting flat.

Hi All, New to the forum but have been following the blog for years. I was hoping to find a centralized place to discuss workflow for GH4 4K files inside Premiere. Pardon my ignorance if this has been discussed (as I know Andrew has talked about changing previews to ProRes). What settings have people been having the most success with? If your final output is 2K for the web what have you have found to be the most efficient codec while still maintaining quality (ProRes LT maybe?). I appreciate any and all help, - Pete

Hey GH4 owners, could one of you upload some 4K (24p) footage straight out of the camera? Or point me to some online? So far I haven't found a reliable source where it hasn't been processed in some way. Does the 4K come in mp4 and AVCHD options? I would like to test the work flow on my editing system a bit before deciding on the camera. Thanks in advance.

I just secured an Iscorama 36 and I want to be able to mount it to rails so I can swap cameras and lenses easily, as well as use a follow focus. I have a vid-atlantic adapter to mount on the back that makes it a 52mm rear thread. But I don't want to screw it onto taking lenses. I'd rather just mount it on rails, makes everything easier. I was thinking of using lens collars like I do with 2x adapters, but the 52mm barrel size is quite small and I'd have to make a spacer of some kind. Any ideas are very welcome thank you!

Just some test footage for now...I'm shooting a 3 min. short next Sat to test skintones, DR, + 96fps:

Does the A7s' high-ISO capability effectively negate the dof advantage I’d otherwise get by choosing a Micro 4/3 camera? (Assuming I’m trying to achieve maximum dof.) In other words, shouldn't I be able to match even the deepest dof I could get with an m4/3, just by stopping-down and boosting the ISO…and of course changing the lens to match perspective, etc? Here's the thing: I'm bumping up from teeny-chip camcorders with 10x (yes, that’s double-digits) crop factors, and from this point-of-view, and in light of the A7s, the dof advantage of a 2x crop vs. FF seems almost non-existent. I’m wondering if I shouldn't skip over the m4/3 sensors and go with the A7s. (I’m usually in low-light, high-contrast environments, so the appeal of the A7s on other fronts is obvious.) There are a boatload of questions about the still-unreleased A7s, but in terms of dof, does my thinking make sense? Thanks.

I've been trying to edit some 4K GH4 sample footage in Premiere Pro CS6 and it continually crashes my system. I'm using a 2.6 GHz i7 Macbook Pro with 8GB of ram on Mountain Lion. I realize that's not the most robust system, but considering what some other people have said they're using it doesn't seem like I should be having the amount of issues I am. I can drop the 4K footage into a 1080 timeline just fine, but as soon as I scale the footage to the frame size - or sometimes once I try and play it back - Premiere says "Sorry, a serious error has occured that requires Adobe Premiere Pro to shutdown. We will attempt to save your current project." I get the same error if I try and create a sequence with the native resolution. I don't even get the chance to change my playback quality before it crashes. I can never open this project again without immediately getting this error. Premiere will prompt me to save a copy of the project and use that from then on, but this copy opens to the same error. I've seen this error on my system before, but maybe like once or twice in the last 2 years. I've searched around on the internet for other people with this issue, and they seem to be everywhere, but I can't find an adequate solution. Has anyone else had this problem, 4K footage or not? If I'm an idiot and this has been answered plenty of other places, please link me. Super annoying thing that's making me doubt the GH4 right now... definitely don't want to have to upgrade my comp or to CC just to see if that resolves the issue...

Hello everybody! New to the forums. I am about to buy the GH4 but I have a question that was probably posed already (I just couldn<t find the answer). I own a 5D MK II and these are the lenses I have: Sigma 70-200 1.8 - Canon 17-40mm - Rokinon 85 mm - Tamron 28-75mm. I would like to know if it is possible to use them with a speedbooster (on the GH4) AND keep the autofocus option that comes with the GH4. If it is possible at all, which speedbooster? Thanks in advance for your help!

Hello, First of all, sorry if I didn't post in the right place.. Does anybody knows if the external 4K 4:2:2 recording with the forthcoming Atomos Shogun will require the YAGH or not? Already having sound recorders so I'll rather pass on the YAGH if 4:2:2 is available thanks to this new magical device that seems to be the Shogun! Thanks for your answers

My first shot with the new camera and this lens adaptor. I am still learning. Cannon 50mm 22/f 200 ISO San Disk Extreme Pro card - 95MB/s (1) Afternoon light on a hazy day, no filters. Love the camera. Let me know what you think. Thanks, RJett

Hello everyone, My first post. I'm about to buy BMPCC or a GH4. I'm not sure of which one would suit me best, and I´d like to hear some comments. I'm interested in the experience of everyone who is kind enough to share it, and I don't expect a consensus. Let me pose some questions and add a few details about the problems I'm planning to face with either camera: - I'll be delivering purely HD for at least two or three more years (I live in Mexico, a country that's usually a few years behind the US and the first world...). A 4K ready camera is not a bad thing, but it's not essential. Is the scaled image noticeably better than that of the BMPCC in either ProRes or RAW? Specially in low light. In a few months I'll be shooting stuff for TV, and I´d like to take one of these gals as a B-Cam for an XDcam and a Varicam in different productions. - Shadows. Which do you think is the least noisy of them? I've used DSLR for most of my very few years of shooting video, and I'd really love to see something with clear shadows instead of those pools of dark noise. I know it's not only the camera, any tips on technique for getting nicer shadows would be welcome. - I've decided to get a Speed Booster for whichever I buy (and the 1+2/3 exposure increment for the BM is specially tempting...). I'm not saying goodbye to my Nikon glass nor bokeh in general, and the chance of adding some Canon lenses with another adapter in the future would be lovely - specially if my wallet ever does thicken. - Dynamic range and the quality of color in low light. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if the BMPCC is a native ISO 800, the SpeedBooster would de facto turn into a native 2,500 ISO - great for carrying smaller lights if not competing with the sun or windows. ND is not an issue that bothers me at all. How does the GH4 fare against it? Which do you like the most? Once again, I'll be using a Speed Booster, so I'll gain a full stop over my chosen ISO. - I shoot an awful lot of weddings and independent stage shows. I don´t think either of this cameras is proper for it, though both look like a decent and gradeable B-Cam (yet another reason for low light decency). Which one would you take with you if you had a varicam or a canon XA20 as an A-Cam? Sound and timecode are not issues I'm concerned with. Thanks for reading, I know I lack a lot of reading about these cameras, and I appreciate your patience towards my ignorance. PS - sorry for my wacky english, I'm not used to writing in this language.

I had my GH4 with me Friday night at a concert and shot some semi low light footage. Most shots are C4K scaled to HD with a 2.35:1 crop. A few shots are FHD 60p slowed down. Shot in Cinelike D -5,-5,-5,-5. Graded with FilmConvert. You might see a few strobing lights due to dimmed LED's on stage. It showed up no matter what shutter speed I used. Overall I'm loving it.

GH3 vs. GH4 vs. BMPCC Comparison

Recently I got a cat, so now I can make proper test videos :P Panasonic GH4 firmware 1.0 Lens: Minolta MD 28mm f/2.8 + >Petit Cinevision 1.5x anamorphot 4K @ 24 fps (3840x2160) Cinelike V profile, ungraded All shots at f/2.8, 1/50. ISO around 4000. Soundtrack: "Menehune Dance" by James Pants (jamespants.com)

I don't know, maybe it's too soon to tell, but I've been following their posts since the beginning of NAB and there is not a single post about one of the most exciting products this year. In one video on Teradeck Booth they had Panasonic representative siting there with GH4 in his hands and all they talked about was GoPro, Ninja Star and DJI Copter, not one word with the guy from Panasonic. Cinema5D show On The Couch had representatives from Sony and Canon on interview, why not Panasonic(GH4, VariCam - very hot products for comparison with Canon and Sony from my point of view)? I don't know maybe it's not their fault, if that's the case I apologize, but to me this is very strange.

Not sure if this was posted anywhere, but great test footage of the GH4 4K + Sankor 2x Anamorphic from Martin Wallgren:

I am not interested in that product anymore! Check this video and you will understand why: The Aputure Smart Lens Adapter Controller: Andrew, thanks for the many useful information, and your devotion! Regards from Budapest...