Next week Panasonic will release the firmware update for the FZ300, G7 and GX8. It will add the post focus firmware. And Panasonic Australia just posted that video you see above which explains how it works.
Also the GH4 will get the same update in a firmware coming within the next few months.
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He shows how to use it, but not how it works… ? Any downside?
8Mpix JPEG still extracted from 4K video with compression quality of JPEG 60-75 of 100.
That is the downside, it is like “4K Photo” and has same limitations and downsides. This time you just don’t choose frame where something interesring happens but you choose frame that has the focus plane moving over your subject.
Can I take my post-focus frames of an insect from my GH4 into PS and stack them for deep focus?
Or use https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.minaxsoft.gsimplerelease to remote control your cam with full resolution.
No. You can extract only a single frame of a time and can’t control exactly the frame counts or positions. Olympus allows you to set the 999 frames if wanted and so on works much better for macro and landscape as you get more accurate focusing, 16Mpix RAW and even get to process all frames at computer if wanted.
I guess it takes multiple shots at different focus then you select one from them…
First time I thought the camera covered all focus distances from close-up to infinite using multiple shots.
But now I think that rather all focusing areas from the scene are covered by multipe shots. Though
1. It might be much slower as it needs AF for every individual shot,
2. Assuming that the camera is capable of just 30 fps in 4K it would need more than 2 seconds to cover a number of more than 60 zones.
So I’m not really know how it actually does work.
When you look at the first post-focus change in the video you can see the leaves on the tree move around which supports your assumption.
It is like “4K photo” mode.
You enable the “Post Focus” and when you press shutter button, it will take 50 frames 4K in 30fps frame rate, so 1.6″ time is used to make capture.
Camera doesn’t autofocus on each frame, it simply moves Focus Plane from close to far in 50 steps and captures a 8Mpix video frame in each of the step. So you get like JPEG with 60-75/100 compression quality.
In camera you then need to play back the “video” and choose the frame that is extracted.
Olympus Focus Stack and Focus Bracketing is different. Camera takes series of frames (your pre-defined) and moves Focus Plane as well from close to far instead focusing each frame. And then you have X amount of 16Mpix stills with your chosen shutter speed. And then at home on computer you can stack all together (focus stack is in-camera) and choose multiple frames or so if wanted to be in single frame.
Olympus is for special photography use, Panasonic is for video users and more like hobbyist for very quick situations (well, Olympus allows that too!)
So it might result in a picture where the thing you want in focus is not in focus on any of the pictures. 50 steps is not that much, especially in macro or with long zoom, or with bright lens.
1.6 sec. too long that i.s. of camera might faild to manage.
i wait for more detail.
The Panasonic explains it!
The mode takes 50 images, at 30fps rate. And it is exactly same as “4K Photo” that is highly compressed 8Mpix JPEG frame.
50 frames at 30 FPS speed is same as 1600ms. And Panasonic if even shows that in the video.
Its fancy part is that you can on screen just point area to be in focus and camera with DFD does the magic to pull the frame with sharpest focus.
Olympus for special photoghrapher.
really ? i never had friend that was photoghraperer used Olympis,lol ha ha
I feel bad that you don’t have friends 🙁
my friends used Lumix and FujiFilms,don’t worry I have a lot of friends.
This feature feels a little bit like a misdirection: “Hey everyone! Look over here! Don’t pay any attention to the new megapixels race!”
Regardless, it sounds cool and happy to see ongoing innovation. But still hoping for that Yun sensor breakthrough! 🙂
Yes, Yun needs to be able to do 300DPI prints at least 200cm by long edge!
Seriously, 16Mpix is far more than enough! There is more cropping capabilities than ever on film era with the Crop Format, requiring to go to medium format or large format to beat it!
no,if 8K complete we had 33mp for still image.
Don’t know if I will use it, but happy it is a free update.
I don’t get what’s the idea? You get a 4k sized photo with more compression instead of a full resolution jpg with less conversion. You get to pick the area in focus, but why can’t you just focus where you want in the first place and take a single photo? Seems like a gimmick like the in camera Diorama art filter. Is focus stacking the goal?
Plenty of useful applications for this feature and it’s free, so why the hell are you complaining?
I think it’s a nice feature in some instances where you are shooting action and just HAVE TO GET that shot. you can shoot and find the good focus one later. Neat feature.
Shooting action and you have a 1.6 seconds delay? No thank you!
It captures 50 frames at 30 frames per second rate in 8Mpix resolution (UHD) and JPEG is compressed around 60-75 of 100 levels.
Better to use C-AF and high sequential shooting to capture the acrion moment, than miss 100% the moment with this!
where is 1.6sec ,it can take less than 1sec ?
pleas,up this firmware and try!
do not lie with your stupid calculation.
I’m glad they’re offering new features in free firmware updates. I’d use this… if it didn’t degrade the image quality.
BUT, why isn’t Panasonic uploading 4k videos?! You’re Panasonic!
You don’t benefit from the 4K unless you stand too close of too big screen. And you actually have a 4K capable TV instead just UHD television?
Same thing as with noise, when you enlarge the image A 2x more than image B, the A will have 2x more noise regardless both were shot at same ISO.
4K is only for cropping in post production. Even movie theaters are just 2K (slightly bigger definition than FHD) and even IMAX theaters audience that sits further than 5-6 first rows doesn’t benefit anything compared to 2K theaters.
http://site.i-techcompany.com/images/resolution_chart_small.png
AHHH!!! The M43’s devil!!
That’s great Panasonic, now can we get some non fly by wire lenses with focus scales please. I love micro four thirds, just hate that most of the glass is terrible for manual focus and video.
Get the Olympus PRO lenses. You get MF via FBW (it means in cameras Focus-by-Wire and not FLY-by-wire) that has hard stops and focus ranges.
And I prefer FBW for video and manual focus as it is easier to get accurate focusing. Just learn to have first some patience and hand control and you don’t look back to mechanical couplings!
Glad to hear it’s working for you but I can’t consider it accurate focusing when the focus isn’t repeatable, sure you can dial it in by staring at a screen but it’s difficult to set a lens to it’s hyper focal distance or to any specific distance. There’s no precision to it.
But it is repeatable. In fact when you use the snap focus ring it goes to exactly the focus distance you had it at previously.
All these little features and a thousand other ones would have been developed for free or nearly free if the camera makers created useful on-camera interfaces for developers.