GH4 downconvert 4k to 10bit 4:4:4 vs external 4:2:2

[stoicc]

Hi I'm doing some research on whether getting external recorder or not, I'm like a hardcore hobbyist, I just want to get some great footage on my workflow right now and am trying to learn anything necessary to create some stunning footages and aiming to get that cinematic look. Anyway I liked color grading in DaVinci Resolve and would like some opinions of the more experienced user or pros out there when it comes to color grading.. I heard that down converting your 4k res to 1080p gives you 10bit 4:4:4 does it dramatically improve the clip when grading? or is it still better to grade the footage shot on external 10bit 4:2:2? I'm not really an expert in this regard but 4:4:4 should be better than 4:2:2 right? Another thing I'm wondering is since the final output I have in mind is 1080p then there is no point in getting the shogun right? And should probably stick with ninja blade if it is indeed better to grade footages on external 10bit 4:2:2... This might have been answered in some other post but I still wanted to ask this in my own words... Will really appreciate your response regarding this. Thanks !

 

[MarcusWolschon]

It's not the same as 4:4:4 10bit but definately better then the original 8 bit 4:2:0
* internal 8bit recording allows the Wifi remote with live image and focusing, 10bit doesn't.
* external recording to ProRes doesn't have as many MPEG artifacts. This also means a finer, more film-grain like and less blocky noise.
* The external 10bit 4:2:2 can be edited right away without transcoding and without ingesting SD cards.
* it can still be downscaled to FullHD with the same positive effects on color sampling.
* not down-scaling has the really big advantage of taking fullHD crops out of your 4K frame in post.
* V-Log only really makes sense in external 10bit as the gamma curve is streched so far as to cause visible banding in 8bit.
* You won't see a visual difference between 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 unless you do heavy greenscreen work. (Only ProRes 4444 is 4:4:4 sampled. ProRes 422HQ isn't.)