I am having an issue with 4k footage that I need a bit of guidance with. It seems if I put 4k footage into a 4k timeline in fcpx and then render out to 1080p the final output seems strangly sharp, sharper than the raw files on the sd card?. I dont have the same issue if I render to 1080p from a 1080p timeline so I wonder what fcp x is doing in the 4k timeline that is different?

It also takes an AGE to render anything when using a 4k timeline, even if rendering down to 1080p, rendering from a 1080p timleine takes no time at all?

@azo I have the lumix 14-140 3.5-5.6 and the Voigtlander 25mm F0.95. Obviously the Voigltander is manual lens but would not class it as a classic old soft lens...

Ideally I want the right balance, I don't want to lose clarity and detail in the image but I don't want it to be too sharp and digital. I also dont have the time to mess around with sharpness in post so i need to go with the image out of the camera. I was thinking maybe -5 sharpness for the lumix and -3 for the voigtlander ?

@Imackreath

I do it for several reasons. The main reason that I do it is to match other cameras because the GH4 is really sharp at the stock settings. The other reason is to reduce the chance of moire/aliasing. To give you and idea how sharp it is I set the GH4 at -3, GH2 to 0 and my Nikon D750 to+3 to try and match the cameras. Prior to purchasing the GH4 I used -2 for sharpness on the GH2 and thought that was really sharp. The sharpness setting of +3 for the D750 is pushing the limit almost to the point of aliasing. So yeah the GH4 is really sharp but if you have nothing to compare it to its hard to tell.

The main thing to me though is what kind of lenses are you using? If you are using native lenses then you may want to consider setting it to -5 but if you are using older softer lenses then -3 or 0 might suffice. I don't use native glass on the GH4 I use older Nikon AIS/D series lenses as well as some G series lenses which are softer then using native glass.

Really though it all boils down to what you think looks good, because if it looks good to you and the setting achieves the overall look that you are going for then its all good. I personally think each scene or shot will need different lenses and sharpness settings depending on what you are trying to achieve.

Example lets look at photography which is very similar to video. Lets say I have a model that is in their mid 20's and they are in the fashion industry. Well I would setup my studio with my 28" beauty dish or 59" parabolic with out the front diffusion panel because I want a contrasty sharp image. Now on the other hand if I had an older lady lets say in her mid 50's there is no way that I would use the beauty dish or parabolic. Instead I would use my 60" soft box because I want a softer image to hide the wrinkles and such. Then from their in post I would work on the image further to perfect it to what I am trying to achieve in terms of the overall look.

I have developed LUTs to transform Cinelike D footage and V-Log footage into a fully logarithmic working color space optimized for color correction. In this color space, you can perform exposure compensation and white balance correction just as easily and accurately as you can with raw images.

Read more and download the LUTs

it says only the quatro and higher priced models offer 10bit

here comes a total stupid question: I never worked with 10bit footage I only have a Geforce GTX970...10 bit not possible, am I right?

OK, after reading this http://nofilmschool.com/2015/09/v-log-l-workaround-panasonic-gh4-firmware-imaging-app it seems they have disabled the firmware link to make it hacker-safe first? Hopefully they just drop the 100-buck price tag.

New V-Log LUTs available now from AriColour! This includes all further updates and tweaks!

https://sellfy.com/p/3Jmc/

@CapionStudio What resolution are you set at on your Image & Color Video in the Aerials? Are you shooting 4K/24 with the Cinelike D settings and than render out to 1080p/24? Great video.

@Jazzwalker - great work, thanks for sharing. Nice framing and camera movement, well balanced stylistically. Looks really good, directorially and cinematographically. I think the thing which felt under-developed for me was the sound design and music. I think it could really of done with a subtle score and the SFX could well of been developed a lot more. But, well done its a great little piece.

@lmackreath I mostly use Natural with everything set to 0. I grade all my shots with DaVinci Resolve after editing I use the standard 12-35mm f2.8 Panasonic zoom (very sharp), Pentax 50mm SMC 1.4, Pentax f2.8 28mm & Pentax F 35mm - 70mm f3.5/4.5 zoom with macro. The Pentax lenses are fitted with cheap adapters.

I do adjust the highlight curve to -2 in bright sunlight and also adjust the colour tone towards yellow occasionally to warm up the image; mostly on cloudy days. I carry an X-Rite colour chart and use a white card to do custom white balance in camera. Getting the white balance correct in the camera is the best way to get nice looking and easy to grade images.

I thought 'Supertone' sounded interesting but after trying it I went back to Natural. I also find Natural or Standard the best for grading to get a nice balanced look. Using LUT's for grading will not give very good results unless you really know about the technical side of video. I would reccomend using the standard grading tools you have and learning how to use them properly. BTW I earn my living grading TV programs.

typo, I meant: + in de shadow - in the highlights (curve adjust). The fact that you want "best colour rendition" while capturing has as a result a colourful picture out of the cam.... and thus less grade-able. Thats always the choice you have to make. Colourful and accurate representation out of cam..... or easy and flexible with latitude in post.

I'm still happy with : Natural -5 -5 -5 -2 0

and in the curves +1 shadow en -1 highlight. Gives a clean output, put not highly gradable.