There have been three new arrivals at JHWF HQ this morning, three beautiful Panasonic Lumix GH4's!
I've had the opportunity to check out the GH4 at Park Cameras a few months ago, so today was a great opportunity to get proper hands on with the new camera system!
We didn't have time to do a proper test, so I took a few shots to demo the 4K at 100Mbps AND the 1080p 50fps features that are currently exporting in Premiere now.
Out of the box, holding the camera using the viewfinder seems so natural for video, as well as the OLED live screen which produces a clear as day image with overlays.
Using the stock lens 14-140mm F/3.5-5.6 (equivalent to 28-280) the image was sharp, with very minor chromatic aberration at 140mm. I am used to a 'full frame' look, but remembering that the Arri Alexa has a similar sensor size the the GH4, what lacks in the stock lens can be gained using the wide range of primes available for M4/3 mount.
The OIS stabilization was actually incredible. This being hand-held, the shots were very shaky at the long end, but the OIS did a brilliant job of stabilizing the image.
Another fab feature is the variance in recording formats, whether you are shooting on a green screen, or footage that is live streamed, the data rates are manageable and not small enough for heavy compression meaning grading the footage should be a breeze. (In my test video coming very soon I have NOT graded any footage).
Things to make note of: If you are going to purchase a GH4 but currently shoot with Canon EF lenses, do not worry. Lensadaptors have developed a M4/3 to EF adapter, there is also one from Blackmagic to Nikon G mount, and rumors are circulating that Metabones are working on a direct M4/3 to EF lens as we speak!
Well, there will be LOTS and LOTS more to come as I continue to play and test out the GH4 so watch this space!
BASIC TEST VIDEO -
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/93516685]