Anyone here using a Panasonic GH4 ?

[Filmer]

Hello IndieTalkers

I am planning to buy this Lumix GH4 as my main Video Camera.I haven't got a chance to try it out yet.So,anybody here using it as their video production unit ?
I want to know about it's features ,while i am on a run and gun situation.I'l be getting a 12-35mm f2.8 glass with it.
So will i get the Shallow depth of field without using a Speedbooster ? I've heard M43 cameras cannot produce good shallow depth of field.

And is the Vlog L is better than Cine D picture profile ?

Also Panasonic might be releasing GH5 in September. Should i wait for that ? will that be a better option ?

I know this is whole lot of personal doubts.Still i hope for solutions.Thanks for your time.

 

[film_autre]

I co-own the Gh4 and I cannot recommend it for run and gun unless you are doing day time shooting only.. otherwise invest in a proper camera that has ND filters, or perhaps a second hand A7S for that low light capability.

V-log for Gh4 is a pile of crap unless your in 10 bit even then its a bit shakey..

 

[Filmer]

Wow! Thank you for your advice! .I will probably use it in daylight mostly.

 

[matsqwe]

GH4 experiences

I have used the GH4 for 2 years, before that Canon XHA1, XA20, Sony EX1, 60D, 5D2, 5D3, GH3, Blackmagic Pocket, Blackmagic 4K.
Occasionally i use Ninja2 external recorder
Setting I use: Video Cinelike with sat, Sharpness, Contrast set to -3

Strongly recommend cold light 5500K to get proper skin tones (use kinoflo and/or LED panels) , with tungsten light, skin tones doesn't look good (And imo the reason why people say that the GH4 skin tones look plastic)

I use the 2-35 -2.8 lens and several primes. Interviews i shoot with Zeiss 50-1.7 och Distagon 28-2.8, a real bargain if you can fint it.
In low light i use Voiglander 17 and 35 mm -0.95 , with these you get decent low light performance., and shallow dof.

Regarding Vlog, tried it but don't bother using it, I disturbs my production flow.

For editing I recently migrated from Adobe CS6 to FCPx. In my mind FCPX is superior and you can edit 4K material even on a mid 2012 iMAC (If using a raid or SSD drive)

Hello IndieTalkers

I am planning to buy this Lumix GH4 as my main Video Camera.I haven't got a chance to try it out yet.So,anybody here using it as their video production unit ?
I want to know about it's features ,while i am on a run and gun situation.I'l be getting a 12-35mm f2.8 glass with it.
So will i get the Shallow depth of field without using a Speedbooster ? I've heard M43 cameras cannot produce good shallow depth of field.

And is the Vlog L is better than Cine D picture profile ?

Also Panasonic might be releasing GH5 in September. Should i wait for that ? will that be a better option ?

I know this is whole lot of personal doubts.Still i hope for solutions.Thanks for your time.

 

[movie-grinder.com]

i don't own a GH4, i have a 5D but a friend of mine has a GH4 and i borrowed it a few times. i think that the GH4 is a very good dslr style camera, when i see the price of this camera in the used camera market then i think it is still very hard to find a better camera for this price. but the tech specs of the GH4 look way more impressive than what the camera can actually deliver. i.e. the 1080 mode is just not very good. it is not very sharp, it is highly compressed, imo in 1080 a GH2 looks better. even worse when you shoot slomo, shooting 96 the image quality drops massively. and all the log color recording is a total disaster. but having that said, wen you use the GH4 in 4k and then scale it down to HD the quality is very good. same with the color, when you shoot rec709 the color is really good. the gh4 is not a low light wonder like the sony, but usually you don't want to shoot in total darkness, so imo it woks ok, it is as good or as bad as my 5D, for me that is not a deal breaker. the mft chip due to its small size requires good glass. (the smaller the pixels the higher quality glass is needed) so use the 2.8 lenses or better and not the plastic 5.6 kit lenses, it will pay off. having the option of a clean hdmi out is a big deal for me, coz the atomos ninja is so cheap and works so nicely in post, that i don't want any camera anymore without this feature. the GH4 is one of the very few cameras that is not only offering a clean hdmi, it also provides hdmi in 10bit.

imo the GH4 has weaknesses, and it is not as good as may people think, but it is still a very good choice for an excellent price.

oh one last thing, i think it is very reliable and it has a very long battery live, two very important features in my opinion, especially when comparing with sony. with a sony you can shoot in total darkness, but you have to change the batteries all 10 minutes, or rebooting coz it is crashing, or wait coz it is overheating. none of these problems exists on the GH4.

 

[Filmer]

I have used the GH4 for 2 years, before that Canon XHA1, XA20, Sony EX1, 60D, 5D2, 5D3, GH3, Blackmagic Pocket, Blackmagic 4K.
Occasionally i use Ninja2 external recorder
Setting I use: Video Cinelike with sat, Sharpness, Contrast set to -3

Strongly recommend cold light 5500K to get proper skin tones (use kinoflo and/or LED panels) , with tungsten light, skin tones doesn't look good (And imo the reason why people say that the GH4 skin tones look plastic)

I use the 2-35 -2.8 lens and several primes. Interviews i shoot with Zeiss 50-1.7 och Distagon 28-2.8, a real bargain if you can fint it.
In low light i use Voiglander 17 and 35 mm -0.95 , with these you get decent low light performance., and shallow dof.

Regarding Vlog, tried it but don't bother using it, I disturbs my production flow.

For editing I recently migrated from Adobe CS6 to FCPx. In my mind FCPX is superior and you can edit 4K material even on a mid 2012 iMAC (If using a raid or SSD drive)

Awesome.Nice to know that you have used a wide variety of cameras prior to GH3.So, what surprised me is that,there is no Nikon's in that list.And i have seen that ,Nikons are poorly left off in video category.And why is that ?

In my country, including shipping and customs charges a metabone speedbooster will cost around ,$1051.
So,a GH4 with kit lense + SpeedBooster is the Same Price as Nikon D 750 + 2x 1.8 Prime Lenses.
That is also a Micro Four Thirds X Full Frame dilemma.

I am still researching to fine tune my decision.Thanks for all your outputs.

 

[Filmer]

i don't own a GH4, i have a 5D but a friend of mine has a GH4 and i borrowed it a few times. i think that the GH4 is a very good dslr style camera, when i see the price of this camera in the used camera market then i think it is still very hard to find a better camera for this price. but the tech specs of the GH4 look way more impressive than what the camera can actually deliver. i.e. the 1080 mode is just not very good. it is not very sharp, it is highly compressed, imo in 1080 a GH2 looks better. even worse when you shoot slomo, shooting 96 the image quality drops massively. and all the log color recording is a total disaster. but having that said, wen you use the GH4 in 4k and then scale it down to HD the quality is very good. same with the color, when you shoot rec709 the color is really good. the gh4 is not a low light wonder like the sony, but usually you don't want to shoot in total darkness, so imo it woks ok, it is as good or as bad as my 5D, for me that is not a deal breaker. the mft chip due to its small size requires good glass. (the smaller the pixels the higher quality glass is needed) so use the 2.8 lenses or better and not the plastic 5.6 kit lenses, it will pay off. having the option of a clean hdmi out is a big deal for me, coz the atomos ninja is so cheap and works so nicely in post, that i don't want any camera anymore without this feature. the GH4 is one of the very few cameras that is not only offering a clean hdmi, it also provides hdmi in 10bit.

imo the GH4 has weaknesses, and it is not as good as may people think, but it is still a very good choice for an excellent price.

oh one last thing, i think it is very reliable and it has a very long battery live, two very important features in my opinion, especially when comparing with sony. with a sony you can shoot in total darkness, but you have to change the batteries all 10 minutes, or rebooting coz it is crashing, or wait coz it is overheating. none of these problems exists on the GH4.

Thanks for your suggestions.I would like to upgrade my camera to something more suited to my purposes shooting both high-quality photo and video (Nikon D750). I am really confused between these two.As you said,4k is a big plus in GH4 and so does the 120fps. But i am more confused in getting the shallow DOF in GH4,where as it is easier in Nikon D 750.I have seen amateur footage from GH4 look like shots from an old galaxy smart phones.No significant distinction between background and foreground.Which is not good for close up shots.