One of my good sources told me something very intriguing about the next GH 4K Micro Four Thirds camera. He saw a camera prototype having a partial modular design. With “partial” he means that some camera components can be changed and upgraded. I have no further detail yet.
The source also said that the GH 4K camera still has no fix announcement date but it’s likely to be announced in Spring 2014.
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70 Responses
That would be sweet. I would hope that there is no built in EVF or LCD. When put in a rig, you often don’t want those devices placed where the manufacturer would place them. No grip, no built in battery, no nothing except a cube with connectivity ports and lens mount would be even sweeter. For standalone use, of course the beauty of modular is that you can put all those items back in place if needed.
Please no ports or anything at all on operator side of camera. The bottom should also be clear, nothing more irritating than having to pull off of a tripod in order to access media slot, etc… TIMECODE – please!
Nope, thats not what I expect from a photo camera.
This I believe is as close to a no-holds-barred video product, unless I’m mistaken. There’s stills options out there, hybrid stills / photo, but this one I believe will be purely for the videographer / filmmakers.
yeah screw stills for once and just go balls to the wall for maximum video performance. there are plenty of cameras catering to the stills crowd. with 4k, if a still is needed in an emergency, just do a frame grab
The GH3 already has timecode, why would the GH4K not have it?
Tom I think you want the Panasonic 4K Varicam and not the GH4 http://vimeo.com/74624976
I wonder if it would be that hard for them to make the USB port able to work with USB audio interfaces? Would make audio input infinitely versatile without adding much in the way of hardware cost?
I would vote for timecode as being more important. That way you can synchronize with professional recorders.
That’s clearly a camera for videographers, it won’t look anything like GH3, more like AF100.
I think this camera will be a new line above the GH3 if it is partially modular…
Modular design is a great thing but depends how much it will affect the price. Coupled with the 4k video it could go in 2000 euro territory which will be a new record for MFT cameras. And not a good one.
Actually 3000 euros if the first rumors where correct, although I hope hot!
And I bet the semi modular thing refers to optional grips. One with XLR audio, which should have been available with GH3, a grip with two batteries and probably one with SSD for high bit rates 12 bit 4:2:2 video or whatever.
Andrei – look at it from a different perspective: If a manufacturer decides to open a higher-class product line within the same system it’s hardly a bad thing – quite to the contrary.
For now the Panasonic “Mirage-cam” seems to be more of a fantasy than a reality – but a system that would deliver some kind of a “skeleton” (probably more the mechanical parts) that could be fitted with changeable electronic modules appears to me – while being extremely hypothetical for now – an interesting concept.
Anyone shooting 4K should have a valid reason for shooting 4K. Soccer game with kids, friend’s wedding, kids playing in back yard are not justifiable reasons for shooting 4K. Yes it will be expensive, yes it should be expensive, but considering even $90,000 cine cameras couldn’t match todays sensors a few years ago, it will actually be cheap depending on your perspective. Anything under $20K is cheap. If it’s under $3K, then its mind-blowing.
Well…. we did say the same thing about 1080p 7 years ago. And 7 years from now, you’ll expect 4K on your camera.
If this GH4 camera starts off with US$3999 just like Black Magic 4K cinema camera. I’ll definitely go with Panasonic, because I just hate internal battery 🙂
Don’t get me wrong, I dislike a lot of things about BM cameras, but in their defense, the internal battery was never meant to be a primary power source. A proper approach would be to put rails on it and a V-Lock or Gold mount plate to accept standard camera battery packs. On the cheap you could wear a battery on your belt and just run a cable up to the DC plug. I would just think of the internal battery as an always on backup so you can hot swap batteries without powering down.
I thought my E-M5 was already some kind of modular, okay just the HLD-6 following the modular idea, but still, unlike the E-M1 you can make a body only plus pancake setup, for low profile shootings in public places, or choose to inlude the landscape grip part, for more secure grip, or go fully dressed with the complete HLD parts and a 45mm 1/1.8 to do lengthy model sessions. Different idea prob then this upcoming GH4…but i had to think loudly somehow…….
Thats what I thought too. And I like the idea.
Agree, first “modular” (read almost everything is optional) is the E-M5, grip is one part, vertical/battery another, flash is included, but has to be mounted and the Olympus port support external mic, macrolight and even external viewfinder if you want a second one on the camera.
Spring means NAB show.
jeez if u compare the innovative impact of m4/3 (and mirrorless in general) those years with the one of Nikon or Canon, it is very impressive..
True indeed…add Sony to the inovation list. I’m also very curious to see the Canikon move regarding the Sony ff mirrorless cameras and the new high end E-M1 (both 3 cameras are selling very well). Also I truly hope that Ricoh will make a smart move and go mirrorless with the more than 10 years rumored Pentax ff. More players, more to choose from a consumer perspective! And yes, the future is mirrorless!
Speaking of Ricoh..their GXR modular system kicked off interestingly, especially with that A12 module, but nowadays its rather quiet. I did shot alot with the A12 plus CV 50mm f/1.1 and seperate Zacuto LCD Magnifier (2,5x magnifier gave a cinema effect lol) but found the base module(bodypart without sensor)below my needs(slowish release and small buffer). If they could update that module plus some extra sensor units (Pentax mount?)it would get some attention again I am sure.
There’s the just-announced Nikon DF, but that’s more of an über-retro SLR design still saddled with the mirror box, but hardly the sort of forward-thinking camera we m4/3 users would prefer.
The Sony A7 ticks a lot of boxes in that regard. I think the version 2 will be better and more interesting. Hopefully Sony will be able to solve problems with M mount wide-angle lenses. As is, it’s pretty compelling.
First camera with Partial Modular Design… After the RED.
Red makes a micro four thirds camera? Now this is news!!!
http://www.cameraquest.com/rol3003.htm
Oly style 5-axis Ibis would make it a killer unit in my eyes
admin….speaking of Lumix …is there any word on the Panasonic Nocticron Lens?
Can’t wait.
Yesterday I saw on am instagram site someone who made a shot of the Noctiron lens mounted on a GX7, the lens already seemed finalized as the glass hadthe coatings on it…I asked him about the photo but no reply and the pic seems to be gone.
Ulli what’s your nickname on Instagram?
Marco, its a local german instagram site, i just signed up to able asking that poster about the pic, but somehow the link does not show anything anymore except my question. But i did save the picture before and put it on my facebook page as a public post so you can see it there:
https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/p480x480/1461074_10201603630105468_1282517803_n.jpg
Thanks Ulli! It looks like a great piece of glass, can’t wait to use it!.. (I thought you had pics on Instagram too: I use it to keep in touch with friends, and I post low res photos)
I dont use Instagram Marco..already too busy with facebook 🙂 I just saw the lik i gave was a direct link to the picture only, but here is my facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/UlliMan
Haha! Ulli, I don’t have a Facebook account! 😉
Ulli…
THANKS for posting that ….lens looks huge (but I think they shot it with a wide angle and exaggerated the size)….sharp photo.
Bet it is going to be VERY expensive!!!!!!
Sometimes modular is not good, too many parts, too much needless expense, weight, redundant functions, too little functionality out of the box. There must be a sweet spot with some modularly but not overdoing it (RED). Partial modularity sounds just fine to me – a great start to something I might want.
A good all-round modular camera shall be designed to function very well in the default configuration and provide additional functionalities with the extra modules.
A module for the memory cards might be a requirement… Dual or more SDHC cards in a module for raid 0 for keeping up with 4K data rates with a thunderbolt port in the module for offloading would almost be a requirement.
400 Mbps video is still only about 40-50 MB/s. Current top end SDXC UHS-1 cards can handle that, and that’s assuming a camera manufacturer would allow that high of a bitrate, considering the GH3 is maxed at 70 Mbps for 1080p (70*4 = 280 Mbps).
Now if you want 4K ProRes, then that’s about 900 Mbps, which would be around 100 MB/s. That’s right around where the Sandisk Extreme Pro card sits. Even still, what’s the point of a 128 GB SDXC card that will be filled in 21 minutes?
4K is good as long as it’s not only 8bit. ITOH 14bit RAW is a necessity if pany wants to stir up the market.
14 but would be a little extreme, but I could see 10 bit 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 being a good sweet spot. I would actually be ok with only compressed in-body recording, something like Pro-Res or Avid, even some sort of 4K AVCHD. For raw recording, attach an optional DVR accessory or 3rd part recorder, much like the C500 or FS700. Raw recording capability is great, but I wouldn’t need it all the time. It would be nice to have a body that is still compact, cheaper, and without a massive loud cooling fan just to support a feature that I don’t want all the time. Shifting the heavy duty recording capability off-body would be a great way to keep it agile and powerful (when you need it).
At first I could care less about RAW but after reading Andrew Reid’s article and seeing the differences between RAW and compressed 8bit codec from the 5Dmk3 I changed my opinion. RAW codec brings your footage to a whole new level in every aspect of videography.
Why shouldn’t pany put all that stuff into a dslr-shaped cam. I wouldn’t even mind if the GH4 is a bit bigger than the GH3 just to have enough space for a cooling device.
For family footage i got my e-m5, for serious videography there’s a GH2 and the GH4 would be for kickin’ butt footage 🙂
But again, everyone can choose the m4/3 gear that suits him/her best. And that’s the wonderful thing about this beautiful system 🙂
Oh man, moderation again!?
Am I not allowed to write butt? Shall I write derrière instead? Is that expression more sophisticated?
🙂
Of course, it’s French! 😉
If the camera is technologically capable of providing RAW (at least with extern. recorders), why not to give us this function?
If you do not need it just shoot with a decent compression and that’s it.
This will most likely be some flavor of AVC-Intra. There is no way Panasonic is going to license a codec from Apple or Avid, when they have their own that is almost universally recognized by every NLE on the planet. And since Panasonic has said their pro-video line is going to cater to broadcast, I doubt you’ll see anything like RAW or 4:4:4. This will most likely be AVC-LongG, which is 10bit 4:2:2.
My bet is this also means it’s going to be P2 (most likely micro-P2). SDXC if you want AVCHD, Micro-P2 if you want to use the “pro” codecs (though, really, AVCHD would be fine for most folks, especially if the DR is improved).
I should have said “AVC-LongG or AVC-Intra 100”.
Yesterday I was in the high tide in Venice, trying to dodge tourists, and I met a friend: he was standing in the water, with high boots, rucksack, tripod, his d800 lugging from a shoulder, and mounting a Hasselblad on the tripod.
Someone could be happy about the Lego experience, but I don’t see myself looking inside the well of a wanna-be Hasselblad clone while walking around..
Don’t Japanese manufacturers avoid using the number 4 because of the connotation of “death”. Wouldn’t this be a GH5?
It is not the general “rule” but just sometimes you see they avoid using it.
It’s not just Japan, but Asia. If you have a business, you don’t want a couple of “4”s in your phone number. So, we’ve all assumed that the GH3 successor would be a GH5 or GH7, or even a GH8 (the number considered most lucky). However, some have argued that if the next camera (or one of the next successors to the GH3) has 4K capabilities, that might be included in the name despite the regional feelings about the number four.
And yet another expensive toy camera from the M43 factory.
I don’t care.
it’s sensational buzz only.
Just wait until CP+. You’ll see what should be.
I remember, just few month ago, we danced with “hybrid mount camera” of OM-D rumor.
I just need truth. no buzz.
I thought this site is called 43rumors and not 43truth? 🙂
I just want all of the features of the GH3 stuffed into the G6 body and add built in stabilization like the GX7. That camera would sell like hotcakes.
panasonic also makes dedicated video camera’s like the AG-AF101EJ.
as far as I can see it uses a m/43 mount 😉 price is about 4K euro. and i am not even shure if it can do 60P
I suspect it will be a modular processor – the only advances made in recent years are software ones, lenses won’t do anything more, viewfinders have changed little. Newer cameras are essentially the same as older ones, but with faster everything enabled by having a more powerful processor. Want more fps? – need a faster processor. Want higher res for the same fps? – need a faster processor. Want movie HDR? need a faster processor.
What are the current bottlenecks in producing video – is it the sensor refresh rate, the bandwidth between the sensor and the processor, the processor, or the memory, or the memory bandwidth?
BRING US RAW, Panny!!!
Sorry Panny Man. Too little too late. By Spring 2014, unicorns will fly and pigs will speak and Sony will introduce a 4K Alpha to deal the final blow to you. You had your chance. I gave you an opportunity to introduce 4K with the GH3 but your greed got the better of you. Incremental upgrades my arse. Even the mobile phones are sporting 4K nowadays and teenage girls in skimpy outfits are walking around with 4K Gopros.
Good riddance.
Haha!
Pffft and what are you doing with 4k? NOTHING, that’s what. And all those other imaginary scenarios you came up with? What are they doing with 4k? Uploading skateboarding footage to facebook? What a load of horseshit – 4k is not mainstream and won’t be for a few years yet. Your pointless hand wringing just makes you look like a fkn twit – ‘haha’.
Thumbs up for RAW, even 1080p would suffice for now and have a module to record 4k RAW on to SD drive….
e.g. the RAW recorder coupled with the battery/grip unit
That would be really a great move. I personally think however that the concept will be more fruitful on smaller m43 cameras (like GM1, GX7, PEN E-P5).
Promising directions for the GH series:
* interchangeable grips with additional controls
* external RAW video recording/battery/(grip) modules
* removable viewfinders (already available on GF1/PEN) – imo optimal for the GM series though
Will it have a global shutter?
How about 2k or even 1k with raw and higher frame rates instead of 4k with a crappy codec. Throw in global shutter and I will love it.
wow 4K, so cool, it may take longer to be used in other models, though, of course it is still rarely the use of 4K. thanks for the info.