GH4 4096 or 3840?

[spaulgal]

We've elected to shoot a new TV series with GH4 cameras instead of our Scarlet. For this particular show, the GH4's compression, compact size and workflow lend itself nicely.
It will ultimately be up to the network, but we are looking for input on whether should shoot in 4096 or 3840. Conventional thinking is that we should stick to 16x9, but with web distribution and Netflix here, conventions are changing.

Just wondering what others are doing....

 

[Jaime Valles]

Isn't the vertical resolution the same when shooting with either mode? If so, you should shoot in Cinema 4K (4096) and then crop the sides to 3840 if you need to later on. Best of both worlds.

But someone check me on whether the vertical resolution stays the same between the two modes. I'm not 100% sure about that.

 

[Rowy]

Aren't you limited to 24fps in 4096 mode rather than the TV friendly framerates. Although as you say everything is changing.

 

[spaulgal]

We've been shooting 24fps for TV on Red for years. Yes, vertical res is the same

 

[wwjd]

I swing both ways. 4096 visually changes the crop* of my lenses - little wider view and that might be desired. And 3840 has other frame rates.... overall, I prefer the 4096 for the extra free pixels because I use aspect 2.40:1 The minute changes when scaling from one to the other are too small to affect quality unless pixel peeing... to me anyway.

*it just shows more/wider so I am probably using the wrong term or description