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GH4 - Best Video Settings
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  • @zachasurp thank you that is awesome news, 99% of the time I downscale the 4k anyway. One thing regarding having no monitor - isn't there an HDMI out for loop through to a monitor on the Ninja star?

  • Many monitors including my 7" MustHD have both in and out HDMI ports I assume that the passthru is 100% clean, and what you see (on a good monitor) is what you record.

  • Hello all - We've just used the GH4 for an in-water segment on a low-budget feature (couple of stills here - one from the GH4, one from the BMPCC). It's ridiculously difficult to gauge exposure and best settings when you're in the water, so we did it a bit by eye and a bit by guesswork. Looking forward to seeing how it compares to the BMPCC though when we get to the grade. Any tips on best settings for future in-water stuff? You tend to get massive variations in exposure, as half the lens is under the surface and the other half is often seeing a huge amount of sky! The Facebook page for the film is www.facebook.com/dsrmovie - which will have more GH4 in-water pictures at some point, and a trailer that will use that footage quite heavily.

    Cheers,

    Alex.

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  • @zachasurp so to achieve the 4k downscale do you have to set the camera to 4k - or to 1080 and the select 4k > 1080 in the HDMI output in the cam? Thanks

  • There is a GH4 menu setting to downsample 4k to 1080 I am not sure how it works

  • @theconformist - There is a Mini HDMI out to go to a monitor for playback with the Star, I just don't have one. If you do that, you might just want to get the Ninja Blade instead of the Star as it has a monitor built in. I had trouble the first time recording where things didn't end up recording and I didn't find out until the end of the day, but haven't had trouble since, once I understood how to use the Ninja Star. Which is why you should always test first.

    To achieve the 4K downscale you just go through the menu settings, and choose that 4K to 1080p 422 10 Bit setting (like you said), also turn off the info setting that it would send out to a monitor (though I think it does that automatically).

    If you want to record internally 4K at the same time, you have to choose 422 8 Bit, but you gain the ability to have the same shot in 4K if need be, or backup.

  • I record 1080 P60 internally but use a MustHD 701 to monitor and for focus assist. I let the info show but it is adjustable with the camera display button. At any rate, in this case the recording to the SD card is clean.

  • Another Ghost Town discovery ! Thx to Giuseppe Spagnuolo the last Inhabitant of this place

  • GH4 test

    GH4 settings:

    Cinema 4K (4096x2160) 24p

    Natural - 0,0,-5,0,0

    Highlight-0, Shadow-+1

    Master Pedestal +6

    I-Resolution-Off

    I-Dynamic- Off

    Voigtlander 25mm f0.95-shot @ f1.8

    Contax Zeiss 85mm f1.4-shot @ f2

    Custom White Balanced

  • cinelike v, -2,-5,0,-4,0 4k & 96fps 1080p only sharpen added in pp cc and warp lens oly 12-40 f2.8

  • ^They look like a bunch of stills to me.

    This is mine:

    I'm still getting used to the GH4 coming from a Nikon, cineD and Cine V used at defaults, graded in pp using curves.

  • Not claiming these are best settings just the settings I used thought I'd share as I hadn't seen a lot posted with old fd lenses waiting for my fd lens turbo to try next :)

    Just testing a few old FD len's on my GH4 4k original re sampled to 2k Cinelike D -2,-5,-5,-2 No sharp in post either, iso 400 - 1600 can't believe how sharp the 85mm f1.8 is also used 50mm f1.8 and 28mm f2.8 nothing exotic lens wise pretty pleased with how they look and fun to use putting together a cheap set for a small project I have in mind that may or may not see the light of day :)

  • VisionColour Impulz LUTs for FCPX/Resolve etc in action (using FCPX to test) for the GH4 Cinelike D. http://www.vision-color.com/impulz/

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  • Shot this week using the GH4 with the 14-54 MK II zuiko 4/3s lens and Hoya ND filters on a corporate film project and I have to say this camera can create a wonderful image.

    I've settled on Cinelike D 0, -3, -5, -3, -0 plus +2 shadows -2 highlights, 16-235, Master Ped 0, IDynamic OFF, iResolution Low. Its so flexible in the grade and DR is actually very good as long as you expose correctly and use an ND outside. I've realised that shooting faces its best to use normal ND rather than Variable ND (so no polarising effect, which means faces have a depth of tones and luma). Getting Exposure bang on - not overexposing at all, and if needed just underexposing skin by a stop or two (max) to protect highlights.

    In post I've been adding Film Convert (with GH4 - cinelike D settings) with the Grain turned down to 5%, Curve down to 40% plus saturation pumped back up to 125%.

    Skin tones look awesome.

    This camera isn't 'sharp' with these settings. Its 'detailed' and can always be blurred slightly in post creating a more 'canon' look.

  • I just got a new lens and tried it out real quick. https://vimeo.com/m/107365566

  • I've read most of the post, but it seems most is about the picture settings, while for best video settings other things are important for me as well. Perhaps this is not the right place, but I sincerely hope some one can help me.

    I know I should record in M (manual) mode and manually put the iso, aperture and shutterspeed (50 for 25P or 100 for 50P to have the 180 degree 'film look') But most of the times this is not possible for my run and gun situations with light changes. So I want some auto exposure settings (with a littble bit less exposure, as it normally brightens it a bit too much) I'd think I'd need to use S (shutter priority) and put the shutter on 50 and the rest on auto. The big issue I have in this case I also had on my GH2:

    Changes in light result in exposure or aperture 'steps' Not gradually / stepless at all.
    What is the best way to fix this?

    The only stepless video I get is on P mode, with no control over aperture or shuttter speed. Is this setting bad for the shutterspeed? (as it is supposed to be locked twice the frame rate)? Will it first open up the aperture before adding 'iso/ gain' and how low will the shutterspeed go?

    It is for professional use.

    (P.s. I have the old 14-140 mm lens and the 20 mm pancake. The pancake aperture steps seem even bigger)

  • Tommy, Most of us shoot in Manual Movie Mode not M

    If you use AutoISO (I have mine set for max 6400), you can adjust everything else where you want them and the camera will adjust ISO for light changes.

  • Rrroger Auto Iso is not work in 4k. This procedure it is only available in FHD

  • UHD 4K, CINE D -2 -2 -2 -2, MP 0, High/Shad 0 (Some random GoPro 2.7K thrown in) More and more I'm leaning toward the middle ground vs trying for that "All Flat" setting we used to rave about. I'm yielding better results in post as the noise is unbearable in some -5 settings on the GH4.

  • Tommy, Are you using a variable ND filter? I shoot in horrible light (open water middle of the day changing clouds and reflections) but can usually get decent shots in manual mode (using ND filter) and tweaking the minor changes with the ND filter. You will lose some shots when conditions change and you forget to check exposure. Another idea (not mine I learned it on this forum someplace) is to mount a GoPro on top of the GH4. Shoot with both. Do your best to get it right on GH4 in a "creative" way but if the manual setting make you miss a shot on GH4 you will still have it on the GoPro.

  • paglezpaglez 9:10AM

    Rrroger Auto Iso is not work in 4k. This procedure it is only available in FHD

    If it does not work, I did not notice it. Are you sure you are in Mmovie on your top dial? The few times I shot 4k, I had no problems with lighting changes.

    I just tried it in MP4 recording 4k mode and I could pan from a light bulb to the dark hallway without the shutter speed or f-stop changing.

  • @tommy

    GH cameras uses exposure somehow crippled. Automatic aperture leeds to jumpy steps in exposure (why Panasonic??) . Auto S is smooth and stepless and auto iso too is stepless. P mode uses mainly auto S and auto iso for exposure changes so the result is stepless but it can use very high shutter speeds and you never know because GH cameras never shows automatic values in video recording. M with auto iso would be optimal for small light changes but that is not possible. Auto iso upper limit would be nice too but Panasonic has decided not do it. It is a mess because you mostly dont know what the camera is doing and when you are in danger zone with shutter, aperture or iso. Maybe GH5 is more clever.

  • Thanks! @RRRoger: I always use Movie Mode (top dial wheel with "filmcamera with M") When I set the exposure mode to M (in the menu), there is no auto ISO available.

    @paglez : it does not matter if I put Rec quality to FHD 50M 50P or 4k 100M25P. In both settings the ISO starts at 200 (and there is no auto ISO available)

    I just had a first look in the "M" dial ring (manual picture setting, top dial , so NOT the movie mode) Then I see it correct: Shutter+ Aperture is fixed and there is an auto ISO. If I put recording video (small rec button right from the viewfinder) it records movie, but the shutter speed+ aperture disappear and the same steps in light occur.

    So the only step less exposure I have is in Movie mode (top dial camera) >menu exposure mode P (or in A(perture) setting sort of, but this also is less gradual) in both cases there is no clue what the shutter speed is. (Synchro scan has nothing to do with this I suppose).

    What am I doing wrong? What lenses do you have? Could it be lens thing ? 20 mm pancake, 14-140 mm old Panasonic lens. Firmware 2.0

    @kendalloz I have a variable ND filter. I use it when its bright outside. But prefer to not have more glass as necessary in front of the lens. And still would want (some) auto exposure. GoPro will not do it (not good enough, for professional documentary.)

    I can still return the GH4. I'd love to have the GH4 in a normal video camera body, such as the AF100, with xlr

  • I can still return the GH4. I'd love to have the GH4 in a normal video camera body, such as the AF100, with xlr.

    No camera is perfect, not the AG AF100 or even the new HC-X1000 that does 4k at 60P The GH4 comes closest to my needs until something greater comes out later.