Hard to believe it but the Panasonic GH4 has been announced in Japan today only! And the only new info we got here is that the camera will start shipping on April 24 (Source: Panasonic Japan). The camera can be preordered at Mapcamera. Panasonic also announced the price of the Leica 15mm lens (70,000 YEN price without tax).
P.S.: The Gh4 preorders at Amazon are still good and the camera holds the position around place 22th (Click here to see full ranking).
North American preorders, shipping date and price:
GH4 camera at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), and Panasonic (Click here). Price: $1,698. In Canada at Vistek (Click here).
GH4 camera with interface unit at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). Price: $3,298
Interface unit only at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and Panasonic (Click here). Price: $1,998
Europen preorders, shipping date and price:
Germany: Wexcameras, Marcotec-shop.de.
UK at Wexphotographic, CameraWorld, UKdigital, CVP, TipTop.
Holland at Fotohanskeuzekamp.
Belgium at Fotokonijnenberg.
Norway at Fotovideo.
Sweden at Cyberphoto, Skandinavianphoto.
Finland at Telefoto, Topshot, Verkkoauppa.
France at Photocineshop.
55 Responses
This is looking to be a good video camera for professionals, not enthusiasts. Although relatively affordable, the best quality can only be obtained with the bulky and cumbersome YAGH interface or some other external recorder. That, along with a dearth of compatible 4K equipment, will likely leave many enthusiasts waiting for a body that can encode their 4K in-camera. I guess that means waiting for the GH5.
And thus you will be waiting for awhile whilst missing the ball game. Sometimes we have to sacrifice holding out for the best tool in order to play the game. This camera like every camera has pitfalls but at it’s current place in time rivals none. We are truly excited for our preorder and this tool will take our content to a whole new level!
I think the deciding factor depends on whether you lean more towards the professional or enthusiast camp. This camera will be huge for the indie filmmaker, or those who get paid for their work. Probably less so for those that value portability, smaller file sizes, and compatible playback. 4K is definitely the future and will one day be like what HD is today. But I don’t think we’re quite there yet for this camera to appeal to the broader market.
You may not be an early adopter, but others are. At a cost of only £1299, early adopters don’t have to be professional Directors of Photography. This is a hobby price for enthusiasts like me. The in-camera recording (100Mbps for 4K, 200Mbps for 1080p) is fine for my needs, but I may get an external recorder in future if I ever want to play with 10 bit 4:2:2. I guess the YAGH interface is actually aimed at pros, not enthusiasts.
I definitely agree with you there. I simply don’t see enthusiasts as willing to lug around that huge interface even if it means superior quality. I guess you are right, for enthusiasts, this will primarily appeal to early adopters and not the broad market.
@sqweezy, you’re speaking for yourself. Don’t pretend to speak for the rest of the enthusiast world, because you don’t.
Of course I’m speaking from my own opinions, as are we all. My comments about enthusiasts are just one man’s prediction about the market. No different that anyone else’s.
Sqweezy, not to put you on the spot but what kind of work are you performing that you need 10-bit 422 color internally? Can you share some of your work so I can have a better understanding? No sarcasm just genuinely curious. Thanks!
Agree!
Sqweezy, there is nothing special about 10 bit and 4:2:2, it only makes a difference when you shot extremely flat and you have the skills to grade it. Not everybody i interested in this, and if you know what you do, you can manage very well without it.
And stop complaining, if you want “cinema quality” or convenience, you must be wiling to pay for it, is that simple!
Complaining? I think the GH4 is a great device for professionals, just not quite ready for the majority of enthusiasts, that’s all. It is simply an opinion of the current state of the market. I also don’t think it’s unreasonable to suggest that the current technology we have now will become commonplace in a few more years. That’s when I will be planning to buy into it.
I disagree with you about 10-bit though. The ability to grade it is what makes it special in the first place! Sure, you can attempt to do the same with any other subsampling, but the results will be vastly different!
Yeah I absolutely agree, I believe this camera is geared towards a niche market of professionals. I wouldnt say this is for enthusiasts though I would question why an enthusiast is educated on bit rate and color space or rather the bigger question.. concerned by it. Typically these are secondary specs to an overall image that does not hold any weight in the grand scheme of home movies or fun experimental videos. Simply put, 8 bit vs 10 bit internal recording wont make or break a purchase. For a person like myself and my studio who is making great money off the backs of Nikon d3200-d3300’s a jump like the GH4 in versatility for national broadcasting is right for the money and for the image. I would argue that if you are looking at this camera for an enthusiast level I would urge you to move along much like photographers looking at it. This simply is not a photographers camera nor is it a camera for the faint of heart, it will take time to get the best quality image out of it by shooting c-log, externally recording and adjusting your pedestals… but when you do… you will know the debt has been paid 😉
Ah, but some enthusiasts are educated about bitrates and subsampling! I myself, have been waiting for the day that 10-bit would be offered in an enthusiast-priced camera for the flexibility in editing the footage. I had once considered the BMPCC, but it also has its own set of shortcomings. Instead, I was hoping for 10-bit to finally occur with the GH4 but was crestfallen by the news that I needed an external device to achieve this. It must be said that, at the base price range, the GH4 body alone caters to the enthusiast user. Once you add everything to achieve the best quality, however, its price sways more to the professional camp. But I guess that is just the nature of where we’re at right now. Like everything else technological, there will be a trickle-down effect and the very best today will be standard issue tomorrow. It should only be a matter of time for the capabilities of the YAGH interface to be available in-camera. I hope this happens in a couple of years with the GH5.
What?
lol… Just watch this camera FLY off the shelves.. from Proffessionals, Semi Pros, students AND enthusiasts.
I’ve been reading how some pros are buying Two!
its been getting thumbs up by reviewers, it’s going to sell, maybe you won’t buy it, but you’re just one person, you don’t matter.
It does do 4K internally. It just doesn’t do 10 bit internally. You don’t need the YAGH for that either. You’ll just need an external recorder that will likely be on the market in a matter of weeks. You’re basically complaining about a camera that gives you functions that A) No other hybrid camera even comes close to and B) No other video camera (except maybe the Blackmagic production camera) can give you for less than $20K.
I know it can do 4K internally, but it’s still true that the “best quality” footage requires an additional accessory. The camera is ahead of its peers, no doubt, but it’s shortcomings as a pioneering model are too limiting for non-pros like me in the current environment. I’m sure I’m not the only one. In a couple of years, there will be a plethora of 4K devices in the market and the new GH camera should be able to deliver 10-bit subsampling in-camera over SDXC. At that point it will be a matured product with much greater appeal to the enthusiast user.
Non-professionals have no need for 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 imaging, so they will be more than thrilled by 4K 8-bit 4:2:0 video this camera records.
They have no need for high-quality 4K but will be thrilled about low-quality 4K? I guess people don’t really “need” this resolution at all, but it’s reasonable to believe most would favor better quality over worse. The “thrill” of 4K is questionable at this point to the average non-professional since 4K-compatible devices a prohibitedly expensive.
4K 8-bit 4:2:0 is NOT low quality…
Almost every video camera under $10K shoots 8-bit 4:2:0 internal footage, and almost every HD TV set on the market also uses 8-bit 4:2:0 imaging, so the quality will be exactly like everything people are used to, but only with 4 times the resolution.
So yes, pretty much every consumer is going to be thrilled by 4K 8-bit 4:2:0 shot with a $1700 m43 camera. This camera will completely blow-away all consumer level competitors.
…And I predict that Canon and Nikon are going to be left with their pants down for at least one year or more, before they have a 4K camera on the market.
Here, the use of the term “low” is relative. Surely it is “lower”, at least, compared to 10-bit 4:2:2.
I guess we simply disagree at this point about how “pretty much every consumer is going to be thrilled by 4K”. Maybe one day, but not right now.
…When you can walk into a big-box retail store and the 4K TVs are selling for the same price as the 1080 HD TVs, then I think 4K will be a big deal to the consumer. I think that day is almost here.
Exactly!
But, looking back, it took time for even 1080p to get firmly established with the broad market, despite the appearance of a few HD-capable displays and recording devices. Big-box retailers are much like that today with 4K instead. For instance, look at how many years consumers clinged on to their DVDs. The practice still occurs today, with those redboxes in every supermarket, despite viewing only an SD resolution! But I agree with you, once 4K can be seen and bought everywhere, with showroom floors as a good indicator, will 4K become mainstream. I just think it will take a few years to achieve that saturation level. By that time, a much more capable GH5 should be available, and only then will et fully realize the 4K environment.
At the local store they are the same price, starting at the 55 inch size. Or rather a 55inch 4k LG is the same price as a 55 HD Samsung.
How do you know about people needs??
Even non professionals prefer 12bit, with a big difference on IQ over 10bit
Many consumers have trouble distinguishing good quality DVD video from HD video, so I can’t imagine many being able to tell 8-bit from 10-bit graphics.
I remember when the 8-bit 4:2:0 AVCHD CODEC was first introduced and many professionals were dumping on it as a crappy un-professional CODEC, UNTIL they actually shot video with it and saw that in most instances AVCHD was a very good low bit-rate CODEC.
Then if you start to look at how many professional video cameras have 8-bit internal recording ( Canon C100, Canon C300, Sony FS-100, Sony FS-700, etc… ) and you see that most people are happy with the footage their camera shoots, you begin to realize that 8-bit video can be very high quality. Yes, 10-bit is better for more demanding situations, but high quality 8-bit video still produces professional results.
If its limiting, then WHAT camera are you and the other non pros out there?? Mr
The GH4 does record great 4K video internally, though you have to use an external recorder for 10-bit 4:2:2 video.
I doubt that the GH5 will have 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 internally, but maybe a future AF-200 camera priced in the $6K+ range might have this.
In two years, you don’t think we’ll be able to get encoding that only the interface can deliver today? Can’t say for sure myself, but I sure hope you’re wrong!
The only other feature that would be icing on the cake is for the next-gen device to offer IBIS. Now that would be a perfect hybrid cam!
You can buy it today, but it’s going to cost you more than $20K for a camera that can record 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 internally. ( with the exception of the Blackmagic 4K production camera, which has it’s own set of problems )
I think our best bet is a small external recorder that can record 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 from the GH4 micro-HDMI socket, which might just show up at NAB this year.
You’re totally missing the amazing 1080p quality, variable frame rates up to 120 fps for 1080p, etc. This camera is awesome without the 4K, honestly. As you have said, it’s too early for 4K, anyway, but the YAGH is a nice way for a professional to get high quality 4K out of the thing. Not something I’m interested in, but it’s there, and I’m sure it’s just a first step.
Yes, everything must start somewhere, so a good start for Panasonic. However, I wonder how far behind the competition is. Sony is rumored to release their own 4K hybrid cameras a bit after the GH4. If the short delay allows it to have YAGH-interface capabilities processed in-camera, then Panny will look foolish for rushing the GH4’s release this soon.
96 fps in full HD to be more correct, not 120 fps as you sad…
Not true…
It can record 4k at 4:2:0 internally and output 10 bit 4:2:2 from the HDMI out port even without the grip. Straight from the horse’s mouth: http://www.43rumors.com/first-look-at-the-panasonic-lumix-gh4-with-zacuto/
Can’t do 10-bit 4K in-camera though, which is what I was referring to. For that you need an additional accessory. Hoping the GH5 won’t require one and record 10-bit 4K straight to UHS-II sdxc cards.
I think you’ve got it backwards. There are professional 4k solutions already. Or are you trying to say the only thing that marks an enthusiast camera is zero difference apart from price? Anyway… great option for those without 20 grand.
Sure there are other pro options, but lower-end pros would appreciate saving money too. At the cost of renting something like an Arri Alexa, they could buy a GH4 and, depending on how particular they are, achieve similar results. As for enthusiasts, will there be a step-up in quality? Sure. I just don’t think the value proposition is relatively high right now. There is a much better case for 4K a couple of years down the road when 4K compatibility will be ubiquitous. Make no mistake, I know all products are bound to get better in the future, but I think this is especially true for the currently nascent 4K environment. In a few years, the GH5 will be the fulfillment of this potential.
The doomsday of dslr is approaching sooner, thanks for the news.
Does this thing really cost as much as a 6D? And how much does the Nicticrap cost again? LOL yes DSLRs are old but M43 is doomed.
You can’t be serious about this comparison. The 6D? You can’t even compare this camera to the 5D MKIII. If you want to compare this camera you would need to look at bodies that cost five figures. This is not debatable by the way. Just facts.
he’s trolling. Ignore.
You people are taking marketing lies to a whole new level. I shoot stills and this gizmo makes me laugh just by looking at it.
I’d wager that this camera has the best IQ for M43 cameras, even over the E-M1.
If it’s as good as the E-M5 in low light, it’s certainly better than the GH3 and the E-M1.
“DSLRs are old but M43 is doomed”. True but sad though, isn’t it? Can’t we really get any proper innovation here? The trouble is, these are elephant things only elephant companies can do, and they are always the dumbest and slowest.
Is there any word on the low light capabilities of the GH4 in comparison to full frame 35mm dslrs for video?
I’m interested in how it does compared to the Fujifilm X-T1. 🙂
Thats on my b-day, damn! 😀
Panasonic cant compete on a photography level since the GH2. Now marketing camcorder specs for a LESSER INTERESTED crowd, at astronomical prices.
DSLR sales are plummeting & m43 also on a slump. Video hardware lags far far behind (since no one NEEDS 4K).
Sadly, smartphones are all the rave in both photo & video.
Another panny failure.
Get help: http://americablog.com/2014/02/dark-psychology-internet-trolls.html
Another troll!
The only fear I have is that I have to wait to long to get my Gh4 cameras, not that they won’t sell!
Maybe is not a highend camera, but sure is aimed to do professional jobs. I work on music video clips, corporate, documentaries and tv spots, i’ll been usign Lumix line since GH1, even a commercial spot made with the GH1 was transfer to cinema, so? i think is not a camera for everybody needs, of course there’s many more and excellents photo cameras and video ones, but for what this camera offers and at this price point i think it will unbeatable, at least for this year.
Note that in the Japanese official announcement, it states that the monthly production quantity is 1000 units. Get your pre-orders ready!
If your information is correct then Panasonic is stupid, it needs to produce a lot more to satisfy all the people who want to buy the Gh4. But I hope you missed a 0 ore two 🙂
That is what it says on the official announcement. Go check it out for yourself. The link is just above.
GH4 is mostly likely in production for a few months now, so they should have adequate supply for initial demand. But 1000 units a month is what it is.
I pre-ordered my GH4 from Hot Rod Cameras. They are in the USA and a GH4 pre-orders is only $25 with free shipping. Way better service that box shops like B&H and the others. Also they know more about 4K then everyone in those 3x companies put together! If you call them tell them Tim Betz sent you!