That’s likely the most spectacular “vertical grip” ever 🙂
The new interface unit will be announced along the GH4 in a few hours and this is how it will look on the GH4. Images have been already posted at Panasonic’s website (Click here).
Specs:
• XLR (monaural, 2ch)
- – Line / Mic / condenser mic input (+48V supply) switch
- – Volume control for L / R, separately
- – Audio level display monitor
• 3G – SDI terminal
- – 4K2K (YUV = 4:2:2/10bit) video output
- – FHD (YUV = 4:2:2/10bit) video output
- – Monitoring through with time code
Reminder: Follow the announcement live on 43rumors at 4am London time. That’s 5:00 in the morning in Berlin, 11pm in New York, 8pm in Los Angeles and 13:00 in Tokyo.
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Thanks Darktide!
81 Responses
Optimus GH4K! Pimp my mirrorless!
+10 WOW! . . . What a gadget!
Wow, talk about a hand grip. LOL
Totally surprised on one hand how shitty the xlr-1989 Box looks like and on the other how the body stayed the same.
But if any of those techspechs are for real its still a good deal.
WOW! My Beachtec and Juicedlink mixers now have battery grip envy!
wowzers in ma trousers!
Very few feel the need for portrait format for video, don’t think they had “vertical grip” in mind.
Millions of crappy YouTube videos would prove otherwise.
yah, was kind of a joke mine 🙂
it’s not a grip. it’s not meant to be gripped at all or even held in portrait mode. it’s a “dock” with connectors for serious movie makers. it has zero photography purpose. this camera is not for taking pictures.
To say that dock has no purpose for photography, thats a good grasp of the obvious. The GH4 was built with serious video in mind. I believe that is the general consensus. Now, to say that this camera not for photography is one theoretical leap too far I am not willing to make. I expect the GH4 to be extremely capable and to handle well without those attachments. Also, just like for the GH1, Gh2 and GH3, I expect a subset of the users to use it (also) for stills.
Well, you figure pros are going to rig it up a ton anyway, so at least you get a head start with this guy.
I do foresee 3rd party manufacturers utilizing that new dock interface to make a much more svelte XLR preamp though.
Heck, maybe I’ll make one…
Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?
No, I just like carrying around a ‘bazooka’. 😉
So wait, it blocks the battery compartment, but provides no additional battery compartment on its own? I hope they’ll be providing some kind of DC power interface that makes use of that 4-pin connector.
The 4-pin connector IS the power interface. Remember this thing is on another level. If you’re using this, you’re going to be going for the big brick professional video batteries.
4-pin XLR is an industry-standard power connector for pro video gear. Cables & adapters are readily available from B&H, etc.
battery could go underneath
A real possibility. Probably at least two GH3-style batteries could fit in there, loaded from the bottom.
I m happy to ser how panasonic did a big esfort un gh4. They werent playing when they said that gh4 would be a camera for vídeo entusiasts
when i look at those connectors, i think its overkill for the enthusiasts, more for real pros.
SGI 4:2:2 10 bit…. Shit yeah!
Finally a camera that allows us to record pro footage. This really made my decision to buy this camera and grip.
The only minor thing is the lack of a 5-axis stabilizer, but gee whatever 😛
This thing will scream with this baby:
http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/hyperdeckshuttle
How does it compare with Atomos samurai blade that has a nice monitor on top?
Look at their specs. Both are very good at what they do. The Samurai has many more features than the HdS, and as expected the Samurai costs much more, too. There are many excellent external video recorders available, including the Atomos’ Ninja 2, Convergent’s models, etc. However, most don’t record 4K, or are HDMI or SDI input only, etc., and are priced accordingly.
Model name DMW-YAGH (according to the linked Panasonic site). I wonder if that stands for “You All Got Hernias”? 🙂 Just kidding, it looks like a professional unit all the way around. If you were expecting a fashion accessory to look cool with instead, tough luck.
This camera is gonna be bigger that bmcc
Well, with this adapter, it already IS way bigger than BMCC! 😉
Oh, I forgot to mention – word is that this adapter box is going to be more expensive than the camera itself, which seems appropriate for the level of features.
The Panasonic box apparently includes an active (not passive) XLR audio interface with metering and phantom power for pro mics (Panasonic audio can be very good!), a HDMI to SDI converter plus SDI distribution to multiple outputs, a pro timecode input for synching multiple pro cams, plus more.
I wonder what the 2 round holes are on the front? I can’t tell if they’re the right size or location for standard 15mm threaded rods for use with a matte box. Interesting …
That’s what I and others assume those holes are: 15mm rod mount points.
WTF ! Speechless ! I’ll let others try and describe this !
My only question is can it record 10bit 4:2:2 internally without this thing ?
Yes, it can, if you want to buy only camera and The memory card, you can make vídeos like you do un gh3, bit at 10 bits
Well you don’t know that for sure?
4:2:2 8-bit for internal recording (to internal SD)
4:2:2 10-bit for external recording only.
Can’t tell you my sources, but those are the facts.
Quite pricey end result, if i need 10-bit:
Cam + sdi-Box + Atomos Samurai :/
I believe you can just record straight to your Atomos at 10-bit 4:2:2. It seems to be more about recording externally rather than having to go through the interface unit.
If i cant récord 10 bits on the inside memorycard maybe i wont purchase it!
Neither!
Yeah if it only does 8 bit onto those new fancy sd cards I might be out too. I love that they made the box but I don’t want *have* to use it (or any external recorder) in order to get 10 bit.
I wonder if the adapter’s SDI output is 8-bits padded out to 10-bits?
In other words, not 10-bits of color data, but only 8-bits of color in a 10-bit data stream?
I hope it’s real 10-bit 4:2:2 … I guess we’ll know for certain soon.
No they look too small to be 15mm, look at the holes in relation to a button, also they dont exit through the back of the block which wouldnt make much sense. I think this might however be one plate hole and one register pin for mounting vertically on a tripod perhaps? Not sure
The threads on the tips of 15mm rods have a smaller diameter. The holes don’t exit at the back because they are threaded holes for screwing rails to the front.
The “Beast” has rails! ( the two holes on the front are for optional 15mm rails )
ya know I think you might be right!
If they’re for threaded 15mm rails, they have to be 85mm below the center axis of the lens mount:
http://www.ocon.com/inspiration/labs/rod-standards-explained/
Will be interesting to see if this is the case or not.
For me it looks like they are using the 15mm studio standard.
Looks like Panasonic has a serious tool for the job. Finally something to replace my beloved GH2.
I LOLed at the word “monstrous” in the title. 😀
I really hope that the recording performances without that “growth” will be as good as with it. I’m shocked… It doesn’t really with the design of the camera. I have a GH2 and welcomed the GH3 body. Now I’m kind of happy I went with the 1DC for 4K…
Also, that was clever to put that connection on the side for the usb, which could have been done below like the rest of the connection!!!!
Now you cannot rotate the screen and this is a shame because on the GH3 it’s good screen so I presume it’s a least as good….Seriously, I usually welcome new things but here, it hasn’t been well thought out.
The LCD can still be rotated, but not quite as much, and “selfie” view is partially blocked. Seems a small trade-off for everything else the camera & XLR/SDI adapter is designed to do. Importantly, it also allows Panasonic to keep the price of the GH4 camera down, or their profit up (no retooling of the GH3 form-factor).
maybe that part can be removed? it seems to be detachable…
As a Panasonic Owner, User and Lover of the GH3 and GH2
I’m going to call this one, sorry but I have to.
IMO this (Adaptor ONLY !) is the first huge fail of 2014.
I love the look of the G4k but what were they thinking of producing this ?
It’s like a Frankenstein nightmare, Seriously after seeing this
who among you really thinks this is the future ?
I own and love Panasonic equipment but the designer, and person
who gave this the go ahead should be fired.
OK again why not produce a:
1-2 XLR or 3.5mm audio inputs.
1 x 6 gbs SDI to accomodate 4K
1 x Mini HDMI
1 x TC/ Genloc
EVEN IF THEY OFFERED IT IN A BIGGER FORM FACTOR THAN THEIR CURRENT
GRIP (TO ACCOMMODATE THE INTERNALS) IT COULD NEVER BE SUCH A
MONSTROSITY.
I REALLY HATE TO SAY THIS (AS A LOVER OF THE GH3) BUT WHOEVER DESIGNED
THIS IS GIVING SONY, CANON, RED THE AMMUNITION THEY NEED TO DISS A
GREAT CAMERA THE G4K
PANASONIC DO NOT RELEASE THIS, CLAIM IT WAS A HOAX
IT’S YOUR ONLY WAY TO SAVE FACE.
Contact me at :
tillhavis@hotmail.com
Idiots will be ignored.
With 4:2:2 10-bit recording only available through a monstrous interface,
I predict Panasonic are going to have one of the worst PR disasters for years.
It’s going to be a train wreck of the highest order when they announced that 10bit
recording is only possible through a monstrous interface will cost nearly as much as the G4K
But nobody at Panasonic will step up to the mark, like Jobs did at Apple
This is the difference, in order to care you have to care.
Non-sense.
4:2:2 8 bit to cards is better than all other DSLR/hybrid stills cameras. Don’t see that as a PR nightmare. Don’t need 10 bit, don’t buy the box.
From an ergonomic standpoint the box is poorly designed though…no 2 ways about that.
>>>>From an ergonomic standpoint the box is poorly designed though
Compared to what? …Please name the better external solution that is currently on the market?
I am very curious to see what this GH4 “Beast” will do to the Canon C100 market, as it will do a bunch of things that C100 currently doesn’t do, at a significantly lower price.
Just saying…they designed this for THEIR OWN CAMERA and it doesn’t match up to the body at all. Not complaining, just saying it’s not ergonomically great, really no arguing that it is. There’s lumps everywhere from every side of the body, it’s a Frankenstein.
I believe it’s 10-bit to external recorder in general, not just the interface unit.
This was a missed opportunity to have an SSD option in that grip. It has the right size for it.
Other than that I can already see this as one of the most important cameras released since the 5D Mk II. An instant classic if leaked specs match real world.
>>>>This was a missed opportunity to have an SSD option in that grip
An standard 2.5″ SSD would make the base even bigger, and require more room for a bigger battery. File integrity with a standard SSD might be a bit iffy too.
It would make more sense to produce a dual microP2 recorder in the base, which would guarantee your file integrity and not alter the size of the AV Base. ( it’s not a grip, it’s an AV Base )
Maybe, but compare the apparent size of the GH4K’s XLR/SDI adapter and, say, the Blackmagic Hyperdeck Shuttle. The GH4K adapter includes many things the HdS does not, such as XLRs, knobs, meters, a HDMI to SDI converter, a SDI distribution amp, plus more.
I agree that it would be way-cool if Panasonic could’ve also shoe-horned a removeable SSD drive in there, too, but I suspect the adapter might then have to be larger (or maybe more expensive). Hard to know for sure until perhaps tomorrow or so.
I thought that the P2 cards were for the 10-bit internally, could accept that but not anymore if it’s only 8-bit. Then i wan’t use sandisk 95MBs or something.
Any way, how do we benefit from scaling 8-bit 4k->1080p, will there be less sky gradient/banding?
>>>>I thought that the P2 cards were for the 10-bit internally
We will find out in a few hours. I would be very happy to buy microP2 cards if this was the case, otherwise they seem like over-kill compared to other UHS-II high speed cards.
I can’t wait to shoot 4K with the GH4 and my Voigtlander Nokton 25 mm f/0.95 ! I hope B&H has the GH4 up for pre-order tomorrow.
Anyone figure out if an GH3 will fit on that? those pins don’t look like it would be on the bottom of the GH3….
>>>>Anyone figure out if an GH3 will fit on that?
The pins don’t match ( and the GH4 has two sets of electrical contacts, while the GH3 only has one ) so I would say it’s a big NO. This AV Base thing is a whole new design.
No internal 10bit. FAIL!
Not for 4k but 4:2:2 1080p scaled down from 4k should yield 10bit 1080p 4:2:2
Cant wait for the unveil!
Think of it as a throne the GH4 sits on.
haha, yes that is a nice way to view it!
This made my jaw drop kinda like how the first time I saw this happen: http://static1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130512113114/powerrangers/images/8/87/MMPR_Dinozord_Ultrazord.jpg
I’d be more interested in an external coffee machine interface for long shooting sessions
No dangling pinkie fingers to be found anywhere when using this thing!
Terrible. What’s the interest of the GH4 with a beast like that ?!
The adapter is a monster. That does not mean it is monstrous. The word monstrous has a very negative connotation. Maybe that is what admin intended, and maybe not.
Looks great for documentary film making.
Panasonic on the rocks.
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/attachment.php?attachmentid=82003&d=1391794449
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