GH4 in the Field: Cambridge, UK in 4K

[Mark Rosenzweig]

Panasonic GH4 Video: Cambridge, UK in 4K on Vimeo

Lenses: Lumix 12-35mm f2.8, Lumix 45-175mm zoom. ND filters.

Edited to 4K in Sony Vegas Pro 13. 4K video available for download.

[Noa Put]

Looks very good Mark and a very sharp 1080p output, I do however notice something that has been discussed before which is these small micro jitters in the image when shooting handheld with stabilized panasonic lenses, is it something that is worse when you shoot in 4K?
Do you have a gh3 to compare? I actually have not noticed this on my gh3 but I only have a 12-35mm to compare, it looks like the same issue I have with my sony rx10.

[Mark Rosenzweig]

I think 4K does make jitters worse. The jitters, however, look worse if you look at the streamed version compared with the original 4K version (which can be downloaded). I am not sure why that is.

[Ronald Jackson]

1080p only though, a major limitation of Vimeo,


Ron

[Mark Rosenzweig]

Originally Posted by Ronald Jackson

1080p only though, a major limitation of Vimeo,


Ron

If you are really going to assess video quality, you do not want to stream even at 4K (given the high compression used for streaming). An advantage of Vimeo is that you can *for free* download the original 4K file and see it in all its glory (or not). I pay for this feature. Playing a 4K file is a lot easier than streaming one, given available bandwidth.

And viewing 4K video at 1080 clearly shows its advantage over native 1080 video (in resolution and color), because downrezzed 4K has higher resolution (it's actually 1080) than native 1080 video from almost all cameras (that are not really 1080).

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Ronald Jackson

1080p only though, a major limitation of Vimeo

Almost no-one has a 4k tv or pc screen today, not counting a few enthusiasts, furthermore looking at 4K on the internet is a low bitrate file anyway. I don't see it as a major limitation at this moment, Vimeo will probably implement 4k streaming this or next year, if I want to view 4K I want to see the native file at it's highest bitrate on a 4K tv, not a low bitrate one on the internet and on my 1080p screen. And even if I try to view 4K on youtube my internetconnection chokes on it and I have a "normal speed" internetconnection like most have in my country, I think it will take quite some time before all providers are up to speed, even today I still need to pay extra just for a few HD channels and just a few are included in my tv package, since HD is still not a common way of delivering content I don't see 4K making it into households much faster.

I already find downsized 4k to 1080p from vimeo more then sharp enough on my pc screen.

[Ronald Jackson]

This iMac 27inch plays "2.5K" which quite a bit different to 1080p even if not full 4K.


Ron

[Pat Reddy]

Nice footage, Mark. My Panasonic 45-175 seems particularly prone to the jitters. If you hold the lens really still, it seems that the OIS actually stops working for a few seconds.

How do you like the GH4 compared with the AX100?

[Noa Put]

That "jittering" worries me a bit, might be a bug that can be sorted out with a firmware update but it doesn't seem normal to me that the image shakes in this way, just check out following link: (vimeo.com/96854363) where you see the same issue even on a tripod, to me it looks like there is a problem with stabilised panasonic lenses and how the body communicates with it.

[Mark Rosenzweig]

Originally Posted by Pat Reddy

Nice footage, Mark. My Panasonic 45-175 seems particularly prone to the jitters. If you hold the lens really still, it seems that the OIS actually stops working for a few seconds.

How do you like the GH4 compared with the AX100?

Yes, the 45-175 does not do well at telephoto lengths in terms of stability. I am still deciding on the relative merits of the two, shooting this as an aid (with the better 12-35mm f2.8):

Panasonic GH4 and Sony FDR AX100 Comparison in 4K: Bright, Contrasty Light, Locked Down on Vimeo

GH4 clips first in each scene. There is still some GH4 jitter, but the OIS was on and the tripod was very light and easily picking up vibrations.

[Dan Carter]

Originally Posted by Mark Rosenzweig

Yes, the 45-175 does not do well at telephoto lengths in terms of stability. I am still deciding on the relative merits of the two, shooting this as an aid (with the better 12-35mm f2.8):

Panasonic GH4 and Sony FDR AX100 Comparison in 4K: Bright, Contrasty Light, Locked Down on Vimeo

GH4 clips first in each scene. There is still some GH4 jitter, but the OIS was on and the tripod was very light and easily picking up vibrations.

Many thanks for the comparison Mark. I'm trying to like the GH4 image, but it is too soft for my taste. IMO: the AX100 has the better image, but am disappointed it doesn't have the RX series, or any, Creative Style adjustments.

[Ron Fabienke]

Wow. How do you come up with "soft" in describing the 1080P footage in the 10 minutes of that Cambridge clip? To each his own, but my impression is the exact opposite and it is being up converted to the 2560 x 1440 of my 27" Apple monitor I'm sitting 18" from. A whole lot sharper than most demo clips you see, again….just IMO.


Edit. Although, :) I did just go to the Vimeo site to watch in the same up converted manner on the Apple display, the Boston Harbor footage from Ken Ross shot with the AX100 in that thread in the Digital Video Industry News Forum here. And it looks really good as well, just taking their stream…..not having downloaded either one of them.

[Jeff Harper]

I agree with Dan, image is soft in Cambridge video. I'm curious as to why that is.

[David Dixon]

Interesting - I found the GH4 footage fantastic and sharp in the Cambridge video, but oddly not as sharp in the comparison video.

Was the GH4 footage shot with CineD and graded, or shot in CineV? In general, I find the Sony footage stunning and in-your-face, the GH4 more subtle and cinematic. And the bokeh is more attractive on the GH4.

From what I've read, both are pretty good but not fantastic in low light. Autofocus is a definite need for me, but the "Camera Store" footage has me concerned about that on the GH4. On the other hand, the 96 fps @ 1080 is a strong draw for me with the GH4.

Do both cameras do 720p120fps???

Oh, and was the sound in the Cambridge video the basic built-in GH4 sound or something like a Rode videomic on-camera? I hope it was the internal, because that was definitely decent enough for casual/family things.

Thanks for any info...

[Noa Put]

I too wonder how the internal mike has improved on quality on the gh4, the internal mike on the gh3 is crap, you need to use a ext mike for decent sound.