For a short time Phototools unveiled the price of the GH4 camera. We don’t know yet if this si the correct price or not. What we know for sure is that preorders will be accepted from March 17 only at Amazon US (Click here). That’s a fair price considered the only compettitor right now is the Blackmagic Design Production Camera 4K which sells for $2,995.00 at BHphoto (Click here).
Thanks Marco for finding this!
Note: The current GH3 price is $980 at Amazon.
68 Responses
Fair enough. $1700 may sound expensive from m4/3 perspective, but it’s very competitive in the professional video market. Just for comparison, the new Black Magic Production Camera will cost almost twice as much.
But at Blackamgic Production Camera you can put SSD out of the box. On GH4 you have SD cards
Yes, and it’s a big advantage that you can record on a pretty cheap and even more important light and small SD card(although not 4:2:2), and when you want to record to SSD just connect a optional SSD recording device.
This is right. Having an option for both SD compressed, and 4:2:2 output is a big advantage for GH4 in my opinion.
Is the extra US$1000 for the interface unit a huge drawback to getting 4:2:2? I’d think that those who want it were ready to pay more.
How many photographers care about all the fantastic video features?
How many people would pay $1699 or even $1199 for a camera with the same still photo IQ as the E-M10, E-PM2, E-PL5, E-P5, E-M5, GX7?
This camera will sell even less than the GH3. Panasonic might as well put in the videocam section, as few normal photographers would bother.
Are you considering professionals?
Most with whom I’ve had discussions are doing hybrid work now and would be thrilled to have equipment with such capabilities, rather than carry two discrete sets of equipment that aren’t interchangeable should there be a failure of some sort.
It’s truly amazing how a person can say a product will flop when they don’t even have slightest clue what it will be used for or possess the skill to master it’s power. Forgive Matt, he must still be at the adolescent stage of mental development.
I am a photojournalist who works out of small bureaus in very harsh conditions. My requirements for a camera are as follows:
– shoots quality stills
– shoots web-quality video without any arbitrary (tax law) limitations on recording limit, etc.
– weather sealed (or highly durable, at any rate)
– high photo burst rate
The GH4 will be my next camera. I’m currently using a 5Diii for most of my work but the video is too finicky/hiccupy and I would be happy to be able to use smaller, easier to maneuver lenses. GH4 + the 12-35 + the 35-100 + the 20 prime. That’s my next kit.
I would get the GH3 even if it did not shoot still photos since I have a full frame for that but the GH3 shoots the same Cinema 4K 4096×2160 4K video as the $12,000 Canon 1D C. The BM 4K shoots only 3840×2160 and has no viewfinder.
Price per GB, SSD is cheaper and quicker to handle (SATA/Thunderbolt vs USB 2/3). I’m not knocking either format, I like both.
4K RAW will take up far more space, so strictly speaking on that, I think the Panasonic is still cheaper. That said, I would have loved the option of Raw on GH4… (at the very least 1080p RAW in camera)
-Tom
I think the Blackmagic and GH4 to some degree is aimed at different uses/people.
Now with the price-drop, if you want RAW, bm 4k may offer a similar or even lower price than GH4 (since you need the attachment for that to output 4k raw). People using the bm (often indie movies I suppose) are probably ok with doing audio separately and syncing in post too.
GH4 has a lot more potential to integrate in a more seamless production flow (multi-camera, synced audio etc) if you use the attachment, and even without it, for quick shooting, it is easier to work with the compressed format on the GH4 than the format on BM 4K, making it more suitable for high quality home movies, event coverage etc.
$1700 = £1050 at today’s exchange rate…
GH4 body pre-order price is €1.499 in Holland INCLUDING taxes. Thats €1.238,84 without taxes, and thats 1691,60 dollars right now.
In the EU the taxes are higher than the US so my advice is to never use the exchange rate because the price won’t reflect the exchange rates. Wait for the UE prices. Usually the prices are 20-40% higher in the EU than the US…
what an incredible price
+ 20% VAT and other taxes. I’m expecting around £1300-1400.
how much you think it’s take till there is a price drop on the GH3?
i want to buy the GH3
how much time i need to wait for price drop?
and in how much money you think the price will cut?
check ebay, I saw a few GH3 today.
B&H has the GH3 for $998 right now
If the rumor is correct, then it is a fair price and I will gladly buy it, the 2000$ rumor was a little too much.
Personally I think for the GH4 to really fly, is to have raw video recording. Need not be high end like the Sony F65 with 16bit raw video or BM cinema cam with 12bit raw video, just a typical 10bit raw video would be excellent. That’ll make Panny sell truck loads of it 🙂
I do not think it is possible to record 4K raw on a SD card yet.
Most of the people will be satisfied with the 10 bit and 4:2:2 internally recorded.
It is doable. You just need more compression, the 4k part can still be maintain. Eg. our HD tv broadcast, very highly compressed yet maintain 1920×1080
Yeah, I agree most people will be satisfied with 10bit 4:2:2, but by being normal, Panny won’t sell much of the GH4. It needs a uniqueness & the ability to shoot raw at this price, is unbeatable… at the moment of course 🙂
No, to get 10bit 4:2:2 must be recorded to an external through HDMI, not to SD cards (but the interface won’t be necessary for that).
What I want to know is why none of the “reviewers” who have handled the camera have said nothing about the subjective quality of the evf compared to the GH3. Did they not notice any difference?? Did they forget? Wtf?
I was telling that “Most of the people will be satisfied with the 10 bit and 4:2:2 internally recorded.”. It was a wish expressed, not a fact :).
Panasonic omitted this feature because it wants us to buy the big ugly extension grip. Shame on them but I pray for Vitality to be able to hack this little baby and enable this option internally.
I don’t see Vitality hacking it anytime soon, possibly never. He has been trying to hack the GH3 over a year now. I would think his knowledge from the GH2 hack would enable him to hack the GH3 quicker. I am going to assume, my opinion, that Vitality got paid of by Panasonic.
(Different Tom)
I don’t think he got paid off. Maybe he has just not good enough to do it, or he has not had enough time.
Do not forget, the hacks for the GH1 and GH2 didn’t come out until a fair while after the release of the cameras.
I see it differently.
There are options now, and the GH3 already delivers (unlike the GH1/GH2 which were severely bitrate limited) so I guess the demand for a hack was much more pressing in those early days.
Perhaps Panasonic just wouldn’t record 10bit 4.2.2 internally in a small body of GH4 because the technology isn’t mature enough the result could’ve been unsatisfactory e.g. heat problem, short battery life, files are too large to be deleted like BMPCC? There is a reason why some other capable cameras have bigger and heavier body. Just a thought.
Sorry but GH4 is capable of recording 10 bit and 4:2:2, there is only the matter of writing the information on the SD card. They don’t want it, this is the fact!
4:2:2 will require approx 30% more space (and bitrate). That is pushing it for sdcard speed, and possibly processing power. Panasonic also claims that not all consumer equpiment is able to play back 4:2:2 content, but that may be just an excuse.
I’ve seen several reviewers state that the EVF is greatly improved over the GH3 version.
All I’ve read are statements re-stating the new improved spec, not any fist-hand accounts of what needs to be known- mainly, can you easily judge focus by looking at it?
Phototools may have jacked up the price. Some of these vendors do this early on. The actual price might even be closer to $1499 or $1599. I’ll wait to see what B&H and Adorama charge for it.
its so refreshing that for once, we dont complain about the price. We have to thank the videographers for that(plus a few lost photographers :-)…)
I think they might reserve 4:2:2 for AG100 successor?
Or for GH5 🙂
The guy at http://www.thecamerastore.com confirmed it was $1699 and I even pre-ordered it.
Can I have two please 🙂
Kudos for Panasonic!
Good strategy, excellent implementation.
This year, I am finally leaving Canon. No bad feelings, they just don’t deserve my money. Not because of the 4K but because of the proper HD!!!
Vistek, a canadian store, has it for $1599.99 CAN for pre-order on their site. The camera store is charging $100 more?
The $1599 Vistek price would be a special bargain for Americans just now because the Canadian dollar is only worth 90-91 cents US at the moment.
1,599.00 CAD = 1,450.85 USD !! Great deal if you can avoid customs duties at the border.
Under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), photography equipment is duty free on the Canada US border. As for EBay and UPS’s extortionate customs clearance fees, well that’s another story….
US$1699.99 doesn’t seem outlandish, especially when you consider that the Olympus E-5 was selling for this price with an older sensor and barely any video support.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ll see several prices while Panasonic attempts to find a level of resistance before the actual pre-order date.
Price seems okay. I’d probably pay as much as £1300-£1500 in the UK but only if there is no recording time limit. If there is the same limit as GH3 of 29m59s there’s no chance me buying this camera anytime soon. I know it’s a tax thing so Panasonic, pay the tax, charge the difference and all is well!
Did anyone notice the $2199 price for the DMC-YAGH brick add-on?
Click on “Select Accessories”
That’s a pretty high price if you ask me.
The unit you refer to is for professionals. In the U.S. Professionals can depreciate their work tools on their taxes.
If this unit were needed for a studio situation it’s quite within reason.
If that is the actual price, I fully expect it to be reverse-engineered and miniaturized by an accessory mfr and sold for less than half that.
The $2199 YAGH probably means GH4 body plus the YAGH as one unit.
If the actual YAGH unit costs $2199 + $1699 = $3898. Panasonic just shoot themselves in the foot with that pricing.
For $2199, why does it not contain a battery or recorder?
It would be a real bargain if it contained both.
$1699 = AU$1880 but will probably be $2400 in Australia (rip off nation)……..
No it doesn’t.
$1699 plus tax equals $2070AUD.
The $1699 US price doesn’t include state tax, and if you buy from the US, customs will charge you 10%.
I expect to pay around $2099 in Australia.
totally acceptable price. even $2000 would be a steal for this feature set
@admin, Found on a website the GH4 Presentation from Panasonic. Is very informative.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cn0rev9fy5kumfv/GH4_Presentation.pdf
The cheapest GH3 is £780 with DigitalRev, then £830 at Park Cameras in Burgess Hill, West Sussex. Hopefully if the GH4 is £1400, then GH3 may drop more.
I dont get this camera -Obese four thirds?
They’re still making point-and-shoot sizes, Danonino, so don’t get stressed. Best Buy is probably having a sale next weekend, including a free wrist strap.
Is there any other difference than the recording time limitation when buying from the UK or the US? This is a deal breaker for me, but would be worth buying on a trip to the US to removed this limitation 🙂
Sounds to me that the new GH4 can record either:
PAL limited to 29.9 minutes or
NTSC unlimited recording at 60, 50, 30, and 24fps
Who needs 4K? Bigger files, more HDD space, expencive cards, … All economics. Lots of TV stations ain’t even broadcasting HD yet… GH3 will still do just fine for a long time IMO. Grtz
Says the guy that just bought a GH3 before hearing about the GH4.
People who don’t see the difference between 4k and 1080p are the same people that don’t see the benefit of RAW over jpeg. Sure there are more factors at play, but come on people.
It’s more like people who don’t see the difference between a 2mp image and an 8mp image.
this is correct just placed a pre order at b and h
We got ahold of a prerelease gh4 for a few hours and shot this comparison. Its a very exciting camera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7ASoxytKzfU