3. High Speed Response Required for Professionals and Practical AF Options
All cameras of LUMIX G adopt Contrast AF for its focus system. Compared with the Phase difference system AF, the Contrast AF boasts higher accuracy especially in shooting with bright lens with small F value. With the LUMIX G digital interchangeable lens capable of digital signal exchange at max. 240 fps, the focusing is stunningly quick and smooth. The Contrast AF system in the DMC-GH4 is furtherenhanced by Panasonic’s integration of DFD (Depth from Defocus) technology which even shortens the time to set focus. It figures out the distance to the subject by evaluating 2 images with different depth of field while consulting the data of optical characteristics of the using lens in a moment. As a result, the DMC-GH4 achieves ultra high speed AF of approx.0.07 sec*. This improvement benefits more as focusing distance increases. The speed of burst shooting is dramatically faster than the predecessor DMC-GH3, boasting high speed burst shooting at 12 fps (AFS) up to approx.40 (including RAW) / approx.100 (excluding RAW) and 7.0 fps (AFC) to capture fast moving subject just in-focus.
Not only these, stability of continuous focusing is improved focusing is now even smoother by minimizing wobbling in both photo and video recording. Together with the quick start-up and short release time lag, the DMC-GH4 never lets photographers miss fleeting shooting opportunities.
In addition to the conventional Face Recognition AF, the DMC-GH4 newly incorporates Eye Detection AF which automatically sets focus right on the eye of human face. Focus point is increased from 23 (DMC-GH3) to 49 points for more flexible composition together with Custom Multi AF mode in which users can freely select the blocks to focus out of the 49 focusing area. Now the 1-area AF area can be seamlessly magnified not only in manual but also in auto focus mode. Tracking AF is also advanced in the point of tracking accuracy by estimating the subject’s movement.
Focus point can be set on any part of the 100% field of view. The time to show magnified image can be selectable in Pin-point AF. Focus point can be magnified either with MF ring or with cursor key in MF Assist mode. In the Touch Pad AF, the position can be set either on absolute/relative coordinate. Together with the Eye Sensor AF which starts focusing by just looking into the viewfinder, the AF/AE lock button works for AF for quick auto focusing even when using LVF.*
*In AFS, With LUMIX G VARIO 14-140mm / F3.5-5.6 ASPH. / POWER O.I.S. or LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm / F2.8 ASPH. / POWER O.I.S.
4. Stunning Mobility Supported by Mechanical Advancements
The DMC-GH4 boasts newly developed high-precision, high-speed dual OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) displays for LVF (Live View Finder) and rear monitor. Increasing the resolution of display area to 2,359K-dot, the new 16:9 Wide Screen LVF boasts approx.1.34x / 0.67x (35mm camera equiv.) magnification and 100% field of view and eyepoint of approximately 21 mm. Thanks to the newly designed large eyecup, the visibility of LVF is dramatically improved. The image output between the LVF and the rear monitor is switched automatically with the eye sensor on the LVF, which features options of sensitivity – high, low and off – to reduce false operation during touching on the rear monitor. The 3.0-inch 1,036K-dot free-angle OLED rear monitor (3:2 aspect) with wide-viewing angle rotates 180° to the side and tilts 270° up and down offers approx. 100% of field of view. This rear monitor adopts static touch control for more smooth operation either in shooting or in playback. Both LVF and rear monitor adopts OLED to achieve high speed response with minimum time lag while enhancing the resolution. Notably, the OLED for the LVF in DMC-GH4 boasts 10,000:1 high contrast for superior color reproduction. Now the excellent visibility comes closer to OVF. On the other hand, live view image can be displayed in monochrome through LVF which enables shooting concentrating on contrast.
Even a moment’s waste matters in professional shooting condition but it is possible to make target setting intuitively with DMC-GH4. The 3 dials are equipped on the top and back of the camera and the main dial is now comes with lock structure. A dedicated button allows direct reach to exposure compensation, white balance adjustment or ISO setting and max.5 settings can be assigned to the Fn button. All these external components are designed to be operated easily without taking eyes off through the viewfinder.
To be tough enough to withstand even heavy field use, the main structure of the DMC-GH4 is composed of magnesium alloy full diecast front/rear frame. It also features splash / dustproof construction thanks to the sealing onto every joint, dial, and button. The shutter unit is also redesigned to be even more durable for approx. 200,000 times release*. It offers highest shutter speed at max. 1/8000 not only to capture spur-of-the-moment of fast moving subject but also to use high-speed lens with open aperture even in outdoors to give impressive defocus. Both built-in/external flash can be synchronized with max.1/250 second shutter speed*.
*Panasonic in-house examination.
5. Expandability for A Variety of Workflows
Easy Wireless Connectivity via Wi-Fi® / NFC with Smartphones
The DMC-GH4 integrates Wi-Fi® connectivity (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n) with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology camera to offer more flexible shooting experience and instant image sharing with easy operation. With Panasonic “Image App”, remote shooting of both photo and video* is available by using the smartphone/tablet for a remote shutter with a monitor. Not only releasing a shutter, zooming, focusing and settings of shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation are all controllable with a smartphone / tablet. All these flexible shooting / browsing / sharing style are made possible with the DMC-GH4 and the Panasonic’s dedicated application software Panasonic Image App for iOS / Android smartphones / tablets. It is also easy to embed geotag in the image after shooting. For the smartphone / tablet without NFC, the camera displays dedicated QR code on its monitor to complete pairing easily by reading the code.
Output/Input Terminals
The DMC-GH4 comes with a variety of connection terminals for more flexible shooting options. The 3.5mm microphone jack is for high quality audio recording using an external microphone and the 3.5mm headphone jack which enables monitoring the recording audio while shooting video real-time. It is also capable of real-time image output on the external monitor via an optional HDMI micro cable simultaneously while recording video. In addition to these, the DMC-GH4 complies with AV outputs (Audio 2ch, Composite), flash sync terminal and 2.5mm jack for remote controller.
