Jordan Drake from TCSTTV just got a GH4 with a yet unreleased new firmware update. The firmware contains the latest version of V-Log L. Let’s just hope it will not take long to release it to the public!
Jordan Drake from TCSTTV just got a GH4 with a yet unreleased new firmware update. The firmware contains the latest version of V-Log L. Let’s just hope it will not take long to release it to the public!
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58 Responses
this is welcoming news.
We must thank Sony for this. 🙂
That’s the advantage of competition. A monopoly would bring stagnation. Now, if it could happen also with sensors… 🙂
It also happens with sensors, it’s just Sony invested a lot in new and good tech, and their sensor are the best on the market (for the moment).
I personally can’t wait for the new Panasonic/Fuji organic sensor to arrive in a m4/3 camera. 🙂
sound good,and pany compose v-log to G7 on final firmwre please
Thank you Sony.
Now Panasonic can hold nothing back if they want to stay in the game.
Someone explain this non-video shooter what’s V-log?
Goes well with anamorphic format, unmotivated slider moves and nasal voice overs 😉
So low budget indie hipsters can pretend they’re shooting super flat LOG like a real cinema cam.
Only problem, when they come to grade the thin 8 bit image disintegrates and looks like crap.
Compressing an additional 2 stops of highlight/shadow DR into the full luminance range does not degrade the footage, it enhances it. Get a clue, Jr.
He has no clue, he’s here only for the trolling. 🙂
He actually is not really wrong. You only have a certain amount of brightness levels per color that you can differentiate with 8 bit (256). Log is just a different way to distribute these 256 steps along your exposure. You can fit in more extreme values and therby increase the absolute dynamic range of the 8 bit signal. But it also means your range transitions are less subtle and if not carefull when grading you can introduce ugly banding etc.
So log enables you to be more creative but you should really know what you are doing.
You are also wrong, Gh4 is capable of 10 bit external recording.
All the Canon pro Cxx series which have S-LOG (and cost a fortune) record internally only in 8 bit.
You are pretty quick in accusing people to be wrong. Where did i state anything specifically about GH4 or 10 bit? Sure 10 bit can help you a lot in that regard as it gives you more possible differentiations. The general purpose and functioning of log stays the same.
i don’t say log isn’t helpful but it is not the holy grail some make it out to be AND you have to know how to handle it!
First you tray to explain how useless is a log on 8 bit for GH4, than state that 10 bit is not such a big deal. Make up your mind. Normally people who shot LOG know very well what are they doing (most of the time :)).
Yes, you can compress the full DR of the sensor into a very flat profile, and you can call it Log or whatever you like.
But when you apply LUT and grade, the 8 bit image will quickly break apart into banding and blown highlights.
V log for GH4 is a gimmick and doubt it will ever appear.
I once thought like you, but I have since rolled back my assumption in that department. TCS TV compared Cine-D to V-Log and the highlight detail increase was huge. There was no banding, just a nice cinematic look. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A3Y2l1Ou6U (View at 0:47)
You can be sure that they would have mentioned banding in the review if it was posing a major problem in post. Most banding viewed in footage these days is due to tacky, over the top grading (way too flat or way too crushed) by self-professed “cinematographers” who don’t know the limitations present in the files they’ve recorded.
Hell, I’ve shot 10 bit ProRes and 12 bit raw files edited in 32 bit color space that still exhibited some minor banding after a relatively modest grade and output to H.264. In contrast, my DJI 4K 8 bit log files from the Phantom 3 show absolutely no banding after a pushed grade and these are coming off a “lowly” 1/2.3″ sensor. It just demonstrates that there are no absolutes when it comes to editing 8 bit, log or whatever.
I have a question for you. Do you own a GH4? If not, what camera do you own? The GH4 8-bit H.264 handles grading surprisingly well for and 8-bit codec. Look at the majority of GH4 video out there and you will see how it handles pushing around.
Maybe your particular camera’s 8-bit codec falls apart quickly, but that just ain’t the case for the GH4. More importantly, only a handful of cameras in this price range give you a 10-bit option. If you for some reason need to push your footage around like a school age bully, then by all means add a Ninja to the GH4 with 10-bit and push away.
‘Log’ finds a way(there are some extreme mathematics stuff) to squeeze a great amount of information about the dynamic range and colour in the available video bitrate.
You need a certain level of skill to work with that kind of material, but it can reward you with vast video quality improvement.
Goodbye GH4, hello RX10II
With Sony’s announcements Panasonic really needs to release a GH5 with a new sensor, a firmware update on the GH4 might not be enough.
What did Sony announce????
http://nofilmschool.com/2015/06/sony-new-a7r-ii-internal-4k-slog-5-axis-sensor-stabilization
3 very good cameras: http://www.eoshd.com/2015/06/finally-something-worth-talking-about-sony-a7r-ii-with-internal-4k-rx10-ii-with-980fps-slow-mo-watch-the-sample-footage/
Sony just announce 2 cameras with tiny sensor (1″), Rx1 mk4(again?? the 4th around 3 years?) and rx10 mk2. And FF one, the expensive a7rII 5500$
Actually the A7000 / A6100 is still missing.
So there´s no new direct competitor to the GH4.
(The A7r II is just too expensive – But VERY nice features yes!)
> The A7r II is just too expensive
But considering that one doesn’t need any “speed booster” for the A7…
You don’t ‘need’ a speed booster, period.
Don´t oversee – Only in Super 35 mode the A7rII is very good for video. As only in that mode it´s not pixel binning (it´s instead scaling the whole APS-C area of the sensor) – So less (to none) moiré and aliasing problems. Also only in that mode they advertise the “way reduced” rolling shutter (which is essential for the full frame Sony cams – As for example the A7s also suffers from a severe rolling shutter in full frame mode – Only in APS-C mode it´s also better).
In direct comparison an A7000 / A6100 would deliver (theoretically) the same video performance (if they implement the same system on the full APS-C sensor area of the A7000 / A6100). And as “Altaic” wrote already – You CAN buy a speedbooster – But you don´t NEED to do so ^^. Even the native APS-C glass is way cheaper – And you can also go with not that perfect vintage glass (as you only use the APS-C area of the vintage full frame lenses). ^^
Yeap, GH5 with new sensor and IBIS (!)
IBIS would kill any pretense ar video capability, my E-M5ii can only shoot 4Gb of video (5-10 minutes) because the sensor cannot have a heat sink. Sensors for video must be kept cool with a heat sink.
Panny’s LMOS still has lower noise than the CMOS in some of the Ollies, my GH4 has far better lack of noise at higher ISO than my E-M5ii and that’s just stills.
leak it!
Can it be leaked?
I thought the GH4 was weather proofed.
Reading the a7rII announcement form yesterday I couldn’t help but think, “Panny better release V-Log NOW”
The A7R II will come out in August, so there is some time for Panny 🙂
gx8! ,i think can not compare FF to M4/3 and where APS machine Sony?
v-log will good enough to response Sony 4K war,but i expect more impressive feature
come from GX8.
look something advantage of Panny.
– 10/12 bit color
– lens
– Continue auto focus on video.
🙂
You’re right you cannot compare FF to m43, FF is falling way behind in so may areas, like DR and low light.
Does anyone think G7 will get vlog in a firmware update also, considering it has cinelike D and V?
i hope that.
That did look impressive I must say. Look forward to testing it.
Just so sick of Panasonic and their games and excuses with V-Log. This strategy was not well thought out. I would have preferred having V-Log when it is ready without the 8 months of teasing the public at trade shows and online. As far as I care they can have it. I already sold my GH4, and have an Ursa Mini on pre-order. Never going back to panasonic, but Sony also has some new cameras that look like they also will work for B cams for TV work.
I’m thinking about switching to Sony A7rII now. Although I’m developing a cinelike d to log workflow it’s still a pain grading GH4 footage while knowing this camera could do much better!
If you only need very, very good 1080P: Just wait for the V-LOG L release and then use the new (upcoming) video assist screen / recorder from Blackmagic Design. That way you would get way more “room” to play with the files (trough ProRes 422HQ or DNxHD). And you even get 4:2:2 10bit instead of only 4:2:0 8bit internally (or 4:2:2 8bit if you want to record 4K internally – For cropping for example). Sure – It´s not 4K anymore (externally). But you´re still WAY WAY cheaper compared to the A7rII. And you don´t get any time limits while recording (plus you get a 1080P resolution external screen with the “focus assist” from BMD ^^).
Btw.: Lenses are also a little bit of a problem with the A7rII. Good full frame glass is quite expensive (at least the native ones) – Even very good vintage glass is quite pricey. For me personally only the (hopefully soon upcoming) A7000 / A6100 would be an option (as for APS-C you can still use a SpeedBooster on Vintage glass to get the full frame look – IF you really want that). And even native APS-C glass is WAY WAY cheaper. The A7rII is btw. also only perfect for video in Super 35 mode (aka APS-C mode) – As only in this mode the rolling shutter is minimized AND only in this mode there´s the full resolutoin scaling to 4K applied – According their data sheets and actual info. IF there´s an new APS-C version coming, it´s for sure the way better way to go (and to wait for). At least if it´s also coming with all the nice new features: In body OIS, internal 4K with full sensor scaled image, MIC input, the new phase AF system and S-LOG2 (and so on).
Waiting on Panasonic to release V-Log L is like waiting for a Unicorn. Don’t hold your breath either. No official release date from panasonic. Panasonic keeps making up excuses just as canon did years ago after shocking the world with their cameras. The market has changed now and people want log codecs, low light capability, etc. all at a great price, Sony has stepped up out of no where, along with Blackmagic and Samsung. Don’t count on the GH4 being the wonder camera it is today in about six months. They could have released V-Log last year and they’ll find out how much a mistake that was this year in 4th quarter sales!!!
Well – It´s not THAT long since Panasonic send out a few beta cams to testers (with the new V-LOG L) – Developing also takes it´s time. Sure. A true LOG mode on the GH4 was missing from scratch on. But at least they are working now on the V-LOG L mode (and not bringing out a new model just to include that – Like Sony is doing quite often – Nearly every year ^^).
Btw.: S-LOG2 is also not perfect if you´re honest. Even if you only consider the 3200 min ISO of the A7s in S-LOG2 mode for example. It´s quite annoying to ALWAYS need ND filters to shoot S-LOG2 – Even indoors. Well – Let´s just hope, the new A7rII, RX100M4, RX10M2 and (hopefully soon coming) A6100 / A7000 will have lower ISO for the S-LOG2 mode.
About Panasonic (Q4 sales): The GH4 is already quite cheap – Sometimes even below 1200€ here in Europe. So by bringing out the V-LOG L update they can easily push the sales.
By the time V-LOG L comes out Panasonic will need to find fixes for low light and may need to add internal 4:2:2 and RAW video just to keep up with the competition
Low light is the big problem yes. But hey – You cannot have everything at that price point. Don´t oversee – Sony is also still not offering 4:2:2 internally (not even 10 bit externally). And RAW internally is only possible with the Blackmagic cams (in the lower price range).
But with the BMD cams on the other hand you have to live with many different limitations / problems (like battery lifetime, disk space / card space, card speed issues (according frame drops), black orbs / purple orbs, fixed patterns (on the pocket for example), they are even worse in low light AND if you want to have 4K you need to invest quite alot in accessories (as it´s eating A HELL of disk space for example – Even with the new lossless compressed RAW mode) ^^.
Well – Let´s see what´s coming the rest of the year. Who knows – Maybe Panasonic is also pushing the development of the GH5 (so it´s coming the end of this year instead of the beginning of 2016). ^^
Hey Dennis, I even purchased your GH4 LUT, very nice stuff. I’m curious as to what CINELIKE D to Log workflow you come up with. I even use your LUT on my BMPCC, great stuff!!
hey,guy new thing look more interest always & forever.
but not mean panny will do nothing.
m4/3 had advantage about lens ,accessory.
color deep,and video quality on lumix still good.
panny had excellent team of video camera.
if you had much money can change you system now.
but you choose best value i still support M4/3 system.
Did you really expect your $1600 m4/3 GH4 to act like and compete with fully featured cine & broadcast cams? I could understand if you were a Canon user mad about withheld features, but Panasonic on the Gh4? Last time I checked it was the very first to give us affordable 4k and anamorphic shooting. But I’m happy you found a solution of grabbing the brand new Ursa Mini for 3x the price and never going back to panasonic lol.
@Carl…Too bad you missed my entire point. We use broadcast cameras already and never expected a LUMIX to compete with pro cameras. My comments are directed at the poor release strategy that has forced adopters of the GH4 for pro B cam use move into an entirely different direction. V-LOG L should have been released in 2014 when it first appeared instead of having customers wait for the V-LOG L Unicorn while the rest of the industry pulls forward at light speed. BTW,,, The Blackmagic Ursa Mini we pre-ordered was $3,000, and we already own glass and batteries, sold our GH4 with lenes and accessories for $2700, so we’re happy to keep investing in Blackmagic since our other cinema cams have been rock solid. Not to mention we may also purchase one of new Sony cams just announced. August is going to be a good month to buy cameras.
You mean your point that you bought the GH4 for “pro B cam” work despite your belief that it’s not good enough for “pro B cam” work without V-Log? Lol. I hope you’re not the only one in charge of the purchases wherever you work. Why don’t you get some more cheese to go with your whine.
Again you’re far off topic. As a national TV network. We own legit broadcast equipment. The point was how poorly panasonic leaked vlog last year with photos etc, while it was well known a log codec is what was missing for a lot of users. If it wasn’t ready for release then it should have remained out of sight. Money is not the issue, we were speaking about marketing, and nothing else. Don’t make assumptions
Well, people are doing quite well already with V-Log L…look at this!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OY59UbvFVk
I like many of the comments here on this page! Be thankful!
GH4 probably has the best low light capability there is. I say this as I customarily shoot rock gigs in low/horrible lighting. GH4 battery lasts all night but the 4-track dies regularly.
I shoot and process in 4k but upload at hd as none of my viewers have that viewing capability.
Storing 4k is a pain but having downsized, hit the delete button.
Well understood that no camera is perfect. That’s why we are not brand loyal. It all boils down to customer service and how we feel the company treats us. Left canon years ago only using the left over lenes we had. Now panasonic is dead and gone after using the GH2 and GH4 on set. Blackmagic has been stellar, each time we talk to them we get answers and fast firmware upgrades. Are they perfect no, but they make Panasonic look like chopped liver. We are debating adding Sony back to our line up.