Just tried the GH4 on a concert, all handheld, but resting on a rail. It works OK

BYMT Symphony Orchestra filmed on a GH4 on Vimeo

Thanks for sharing this.

I left this question on your video's Vimeo page, but thought it might also be appropriate to ask here.

Was the audio from the camera's basic internal mic? I was pretty impressed. I am considering getting one for overseas travel to South America this summer. The audio seemed more than adequate for ambient sound (i.e., a marketplace or jungle).

Hi Phil,

Yes the audio was just straight from the camera, no editing on either video or audio. This was just a rough test to see how well the camera copes, normally I would use a more precise setup for this type of work.

My only gripe with the camera is the 29min limitation, especially for concert and stage work. I would have gladly paid the extra tax to have this feature.

The other real advantage with this camera is that it has a totally Silent mode for stills, a god send for photographing a live performance or TV studio work (I do a lot of stills on productions). With normal DSLR cameras you can only shoot during a camera rehearsal, due to the click of a camera. With the GH4 you can shoot at all times.

My only gripe with the camera is the 29min limitation, especially for concert and stage work. I would have gladly paid the extra tax to have this feature.

You could order one from a US vendor or private party... frequency is switchable, so it's the same camera aside from the limitation (or lack thereof)

Hi Phil,

Yes the audio was just straight from the camera

The gh4 internal mike is a major improvement over the gh3 which sounded quite bad.

For almost all stage and concert work, I will still use external recorders. However, the GH4 audio will be used as a reference track. This video was an interesting experiment which proved to me that this camera can be used for either an A or B camera.

Just as an interest, the featured orchestra (Bromley Youth Symphony Orchestra) is formed of local children living in the Bromley area (South London). The local council decided in their wisdom to cut the funding from £300,000 per year to £0.00. An on-line petition was set up and thousands of people signed up to it, including several high profile soloists. This resulted in a change of mind from the council, although the funding wasn't fully reinstated, they made sufficient funds available to keep the Bromley Youth Music Trust going.