GH4 Best setup for video

Michael Erlewine

Michael Erlewine

Well-known member
I am not new to video (FS700, BlackMagic, etc.), but I am a new convert to the Lumix GH4 and just received my copy. I sold my HVX200 years ago.

So i am a newbee with the GH4. Would someone be so kind as to point out what settings make the most sense on the GH4. I am shooting documentaries, lots of interviews, and I would like to try out 4K and somehow get it to 1080p.

Right now we are shooting in 4K>4:2:2 on the FS700 into the Odyssey 7Q, so I am wondering how to best setup the GH4 for:

(1) The Best 1080p

(4) 4K to 1080p

Thanks for any pointers.

P.S. I know the Odyssey 7Q is not yet working with the GH4, but I have a Sound Devices PIX 220i, which should be able to capture ProRes 10-bit 4:2:2, right?
 
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TheDingo said:
Take a look at Bruce Allen's i-Dynamic thread, lots of good info there.
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Awww!

Add to that: shoot 4K mode all of the time and resample. The 4K mode resampled is dramatically better than the internal 1080p modes.

If your destination is 16:9 and you don't plan on doing fancy post stuff, QHD is probably easier and better than C4K. It is identical to C4K, except that it just crops the sides off to make an image that fits your destination aspect ratio.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com
 
bruceallen said:
Awww!

Add to that: shoot 4K mode all of the time and resample. The 4K mode resampled is dramatically better than the internal 1080p modes.

If your destination is 16:9 and you don't plan on doing fancy post stuff, QHD is probably easier and better than C4K. It is identical to C4K, except that it just crops the sides off to make an image that fits your destination aspect ratio.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com
Click to expand...

Bruce - did you look at BenJobe's video thread showing some of the noisy shadows? I'm wondering if the Shadows adjustment in Shadows/Highlights is causing it but haven't had the time to test yet. Did you see the same thing?
 
SuperSet said:
Bruce - did you look at BenJobe's video thread showing some of the noisy shadows? I'm wondering if the Shadows adjustment in Shadows/Highlights is causing it but haven't had the time to test yet. Did you see the same thing?
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Yes, sadly. Bringing up the shadows reveals the camera's dynamic range limitations to a certain extent.

Although it does help - because at least then you have less crushing of blacks and also the fact that those tones are brighter means that the compression engine puts more priority on the detail of those areas. That means that you don't get as much of an issue of compression trying to handle the noise with an inadequate bit budget.

We did some extensive tests (and pissed a bunch of people off with our choice of fruit as subject matter, apparently) here:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?322885-Lots-of-tests-with-the-new-GH4

This is with the stock Cine-D setting. EG before I went in and started playing with i.Dynamic, Contrast, started turning Sharpening down, etc. And I personally have more lenient interpretations of DR (and greater willingness to use Neat Video)... so I would probably give it another stop or a bit over what my friend Mac rated the camera at.

But the fact that the out-of-the-box Cine-D setting is so contrasty does hint that this camera is not going to give you an Alexa / Dragon / F35 style DR and that you're going to have to get crafty when shooting it (and be careful about exposure, especially when some highlight values don't look great either).

Again, I'm not selling my 2 cameras! I'm just being realistic about how to get the best out of them.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com
 
All of this is fascinating. I was told by someone who should know from a company that builds high-end equipment that they found the DR in the GH4 less than they had hoped, after being given an early copy.

For those of us who want to learn to use the GH4, please outline what settings would give us the best general image as you understand it at this point.

I am just doing documentaries, for example, and much in the studio, so the lack of a wide DR does not trouble me as much.

I am a little confused as whether to use Cine-D or not? Could use some clarification.
 
I can add one. Shoot legal Rec. 709 luma values (16-236 and not 0-255).
See tutorial link. Outside values may be truncated by your editor.
That craps all over dynamic range which apparently is only so-so :(
I don't know gh4 defaults to so it might be something to check.

https://vimeo.com/92613144
 
Michael Erlewine said:
For those of us who want to learn to use the GH4, please outline what settings would give us the best general image as you understand it at this point.

I am just doing documentaries, for example, and much in the studio, so the lack of a wide DR does not trouble me as much.

I am a little confused as whether to use Cine-D or not? Could use some clarification.
Click to expand...

Nothing will help you dial in the settings that work for you like testing. Seriously, you've dropped close to $2k on a camera, spend some time with it. Get a model or a friend and setup the type of scene you shoot regularly. Use all the videos & reviews you can find as starting points, but test test test. Besides getting a feel for what different settings do, it's a great way to get that "second nature" thing going with a new camera - where you don't have to think much when changing a setting and just do it.

Nobody here can tell you what settings will suit your work. Anything you find online for a camera with this many parameters is just a starting point.
 
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