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GH4 V-Log $99


Jimmy
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GH4 now is in my opinion a legendary hybrid camera. 5D Mark II, 7D, GH2, possibly BMPCC. A few may be moving up the ranks like A7S and 1DC. What else?

A hybrid camera is one that does both video and stills at a high level of proficiency. The BMPCC is a video camera, not a hybrid. Cameras like the 5D2 and 7D were primarily stills cameras with a video function (that was not that good) tacked on. They excelled at stills, but not so much at video. In that sense they were no different from prosumer camcorders of the day, which excelled at video but not so much at stills. I would place the GH3 and 5D3 in the "not there yet" category, since they required hacks to get decent video.

The first real hybrid was the GH4, but, that no one buys that camera for stills, so it is not quite at the level required to be a class leader. The same argument applies to the A7S, which is primarily a video camera but lacks the resolution to compete as a stills camera. The first camera to tick both boxes really well was the NX1, and it remains at the top of the class today. The only real competition for that spot is the A7RII, which is not available yet and in any case is quite a pricey piece of equipment.

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EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs

A hybrid camera is one that does both video and stills at a high level of proficiency. The BMPCC is a video camera, not a hybrid. Cameras like the 5D2 and 7D were primarily stills cameras with a video function (that was not that good) tacked on. They excelled at stills, but not so much at video. In that sense they were no different from prosumer camcorders of the day, which excelled at video but not so much at stills. I would place the GH3 and 5D3 in the "not there yet" category, since they required hacks to get decent video.

The first real hybrid was the GH4, but, that no one buys that camera for stills, so it is not quite at the level required to be a class leader. The same argument applies to the A7S, which is primarily a video camera but lacks the resolution to compete as a stills camera. The first camera to tick both boxes really well was the NX1, and it remains at the top of the class today. The only real competition for that spot is the A7RII, which is not available yet and in any case is quite a pricey piece of equipment.

Even though it isn't hailed as a great stills cameras, GH4 shoots some great stills as well, and therefore is a hybrid in every sense of the word. 

One doesn't need a Medium Format Camera to shoot film stills. 16 MP is more than sufficient for that purpose. 

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A hybrid camera is one that does both video and stills at a high level of proficiency. The BMPCC is a video camera, not a hybrid. Cameras like the 5D2 and 7D were primarily stills cameras with a video function (that was not that good) tacked on. They excelled at stills, but not so much at video. In that sense they were no different from prosumer camcorders of the day, which excelled at video but not so much at stills. I would place the GH3 and 5D3 in the "not there yet" category, since they required hacks to get decent video.

The first real hybrid was the GH4, but, that no one buys that camera for stills, so it is not quite at the level required to be a class leader. The same argument applies to the A7S, which is primarily a video camera but lacks the resolution to compete as a stills camera. The first camera to tick both boxes really well was the NX1, and it remains at the top of the class today. The only real competition for that spot is the A7RII, which is not available yet and in any case is quite a pricey piece of equipment.

True BMPCC doesn't shoot stills so I guess it doesn't count in that category. I'm not talking about quality either, just well known and common. 4 years ago you'd always hear about 5DII, T2i, 7D for video. Of course in today's standards the internal recording is not that great compared to the newest cameras, but they were still legendary.

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The GH2/3/4 series definitely earned a place in the hall of fame of legendary hybrid cameras. That there are newer cameras that in some respects are better is irrelevant - they are making improvements, sure, but Panasonic really paved the way, after the hacks of 5d mk2 in terms of making a hybrid camera with exceptional quality for the price, great usability and so on.

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What "prosumer cameras" where available when 5d ii, 7d and T2i where the rage??? There where no cameras that gave you the "cinematic quality" of the Canons... Super35?? Interchangeable lens?? 24p??... There is a reason people in the video business have EF glass, and it was BEFORE the c300... how quick and easy we forget!!

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So just in case anybody was wondering. I just tried to order the V-log from the Panasonic website. I chatted with a representative and the lady said that the VLOG update can be bought and applied to GH4s even if they were bought from outside the United States. HOWEVER, you cannot buy the VLOG from overseas, even if you have a US mailing address and credit card. The website does not allow purchases made from overseas at all. Here's the transcript of my whole chat.

Jessica: Hello! I am a Panasonic Product Specialist. How may I assist you today?
You: Hello, I'm wondering if i purchased my GH4 when i was in vacation in Asia, am i still able to buy the VLOG update and apply it to my camera here?
Jessica: Thank you for visiting Panasonic today! It would be my pleasure to provide you with information about the GH4 Vlog update.
Jessica: You can purchase both of them here, since you do not ship to Asia.
Jessica: Also, the Vlog may not be available in any stores in Asia, so the best place you can purchase it is here in the website.
You: Ok i see. So i should be able to use the code on my camera even though i bought it in asia.
You: the camera i mean i bought in asia
Jessica: Yes, that would be okay.
You: Great! Thank you
Jessica: The Vlog update only costs $99.99, before taxes! We provide FREE Shipping if we place the order today, too!
Jessica: Let's go ahead and add it to your cart! Do you have any other questions before we proceed with the order process?
You: I'm good thank you! I can take things form here!
Jessica: To help speed things along, please let me stay with you throughout your purchase, that way we can ensure you complete the order successfully.
Jessica: Let me send you the link here in our chat where you can download the online manual for your product.
Jessica: You can Click Here to add the VLOG update to your cart.
Jessica: In your cart, you’ll see the items added during your visit today. The quantity, price per unit, and total price will be listed, along with the shipping times and any discounts applied to your order.
Jessica: When you’re ready to continue, please select the checkout option at the bottom right that you’d prefer. You can check out with PayPayl, or press ‘Checkout’ to continue along the standard checkout process.
You: Ok got it
 
Jessica: When you’re ready, you can press ‘Place order’ to complete your purchase.
You: oh it said there was a payment processing error
Jessica: May I know the exact error message?
You: It just said "There was a payment processing error. Please contact Customer Service at 1-800-405-0652."
Jessica: I am sorry to hear that. May I know from what country are we trying to do the order?
You: I'm in thailand right now
You: but all my credit card and address are from the states
Jessica: You are shipping it to US, right? Is your credit card issued in the US?
You: Yes
Jessica: Do you have a PayPal account connected to that credit card?
You: No not yet
Jessica: I am sorry but there seems to be problems when the order is being placed overseas. I would advise that you call in to the number.
You: I see ok no problem. I can get my sister in the states to order for me
You: Thank you for your help
Jessica: Were there any additional questions that I may assist you with today?
You: I'm good. thank you again!
Jessica: Should you have any questions in the future, please feel free to chat with us again!
Jessica: Thank you for visiting Panasonic.com.

I thought they wouldn't ship to you because you live overseas and your credit card has a US billing address. That's standard procedure for most shops, unless I am misunderstanding something. Anyhow, I'm going to try ordering mine and making a wire transfer to B&H. And yes, if that fails, I'll probably do like another reader already suggested...

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This GH4 V-Log L night test came up in my Vimeo feed. Shot at ISO 800 or below. Not mine...


"We really tried to push the camera in the low light arena with the new v-log firmware. Shot in 4K - downconverted to 1080p"


Voigtlander 17mm f0.95
Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95
Canon 50mm f1.8

 

 

 

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Man that's a great look...the GH4 definitely has some Varicam DNA now. Looks fairly clean, too; we lose a bit of color integrity--although that might be because he missed white balance on most shots--but noise isn't an issue. We'll see how it handles 1600 and up. 

I'm pumped to see someone record some 10-bit V-LOG so we can see what this baby can really do. 

Sigh...just when I'd decided on the G7, Panasonic twists my arm. Time to sell some gear...

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A hybrid camera is one that does both video and stills at a high level of proficiency. The BMPCC is a video camera, not a hybrid. Cameras like the 5D2 and 7D were primarily stills cameras with a video function (that was not that good) tacked on. They excelled at stills, but not so much at video. In that sense they were no different from prosumer camcorders of the day, which excelled at video but not so much at stills. I would place the GH3 and 5D3 in the "not there yet" category, since they required hacks to get decent video.

The first real hybrid was the GH4, but, that no one buys that camera for stills, so it is not quite at the level required to be a class leader. The same argument applies to the A7S, which is primarily a video camera but lacks the resolution to compete as a stills camera. The first camera to tick both boxes really well was the NX1, and it remains at the top of the class today. The only real competition for that spot is the A7RII, which is not available yet and in any case is quite a pricey piece of equipment.

They were very, very different from prosumer cameras. Their video functions were magnitudes better than prosumer camera's still functions. 

They've since been eclipsed and they weren't without flaws, but this idea that Canon DSLRS produce awful is a little much. 

Even stock 5D3 is better than 'decent'. Have we become so spoiled?

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This GH4 V-Log L night test came up in my Vimeo feed. Shot at ISO 800 or below. Not mine...


"We really tried to push the camera in the low light arena with the new v-log firmware. Shot in 4K - downconverted to 1080p"


Voigtlander 17mm f0.95
Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95
Canon 50mm f1.8

 

 

 

There is still this noise in the dark areas, that gets compressed in some weird macroblocks :/ 

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There is still this noise in the dark areas, that gets compressed in some weird macroblocks :/ 

Could you point out during which sections of the video? 

There are strange window and mirror reflections in the video too. Do you think you may have confused those with the noise perhaps?

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True BMPCC doesn't shoot stills so I guess it doesn't count in that category. I'm not talking about quality either, just well known and common. 4 years ago you'd always hear about 5DII, T2i, 7D for video. Of course in today's standards the internal recording is not that great compared to the newest cameras, but they were still legendary.

Not really. Most high end prosumer camcorders were much better as video recorders than the 5DII/T2i/7D cameras. It is not as though that functionality couldn't be done at that time, but it simply wasn't (and for the most part in Canon cameras, still is not even today).

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Could you point out during which sections of the video? 

There are strange window and mirror reflections in the video too. Do you think you may have confused those with the noise perhaps?

Sure, check out the girl in black at 0:18
At 1:05 the traffic light (the one who's turned off), is very noisy, and then when graded is heavily "macroblocked". 

If the original file was available for download, I would gladly take a look at it : )

Also the GH4 is just noisy in dark areas. Like, always. So I'm not surprised, but I'll be very curious to see how much dynamic range is actually usable after using v-log. May I also say that I own a GH4 myself, so I'm not trying to be overcriticizing just for pleasure ; ) And I'll probably upgrade to V-Log, at least to try and have some fun with it !

Any shadow compression you see can also be solved with external recorders, which are being released every month lately. It'll also give you an upgrade to 10-bit 4:2:2, which is huge for LOG footage.

I agree with you, but for me GH4 + external recorder gets immediately compared to Sony a7s + ext recorder. And personally I would then choose the later option... Also external recorder are like as expensive as the camera... So almost 3.500$ / 4.500$ if you add the price for medias, accessories, etc. Its the price of a Ursa Mini... : / 

For me the GH4 is a fantastic "run & gun" small - compact- super easy to use setup... But that's just me : )

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I agree with you, but for me GH4 + external recorder gets immediately compared to Sony a7s + ext recorder. And personally I would then choose the later option... Also external recorder are like as expensive as the camera... So almost 3.500$ / 4.500$ if you add the price for medias, accessories, etc. Its the price of a Ursa Mini... : / 
For me the GH4 is a fantastic "run & gun" small - compact- super easy to use setup... But that's just me : )

I see what you're saying, but the GH4 has 10-bit, external recorders are getting cheaper than ever ($1300 for 4K, $500 for 1080p, and SSDs/SD cards are cheap), and the GH4+recorder combo still comes in a lot cheaper than the A7S+recorder; buy a Blackmagic Video Assist and you could be off recording 10-bit 4:2:2 ProRes HQ on the same cards you're using now for just an additional $500. That's to say nothing of the obvious color advantage of V-LOG over S-LOG2, way better battery life, and nicer ergonomics. In my mind, the only reason you'd want to go with the A7S is low light/high ISO and FF/shallow DoF. 

After downsampling your external recording to 1080p and running through post, I think the shadow noise is pretty negligible at 1600 and below--which is almost exclusively where I shoot.

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