GH4 External recording examples

improser

improser

Active member
Hi there, Im looking for files created by external recorders from the 10-bit HDMI feed of the GH4. I cant found over Internet.
I want to see and pixel peep the compression in the shadow areas and overall detail retention vs. internal recording.

So, summarizing:

- .mov or .mxf ProRes or DNxHR, 4K files at 10-bit output from GH4 (without recompression of any type)
- If are posssible, the same scene but recorded internally
- Better in Cine D (no VLog)


Thanks in advance... from this I decide to buy or not a external recorder :)
 
I've just got my Flame (for my GH4) - might be able to get some clips for you in a couple of days, alas still waiting for a replacement SSD, so can't record anything at the moment externally.
 
Keep in mind it is the types of shots that will determine an advantage with an external recorder. A locked down camera shooting a static scene will likely not show as much advantage because H264 does an exceptional job with little to no motion.

Shoot an exploding car and the 100 mbps H264 codec will fall apart. I don't expect people to find a random exploding car to shoot but that was just an example of how H264 handles predictable motion.

Beach waves or lots of blowing tree branches will fall apart faster on the Gh4 vs ProRes. It really is about the level of random moving detail in the shot that will determine an advantage of ProRes vs internal. ProRes is about consistency. We want the low detail, high detail, low motion and high random sudden motion shots to all look equally clean. That is why a format like ProRes is used. It isn't an efficient codec at all but it has the bits there when it needs them when you need them. Thats what a professional codec is about. It doesn't decide to cut corners when the situation gets complex.

This is why most external recorder reviews online have failed epically. They only ever compared locked down still life type shots. I understand it's hard to capture random motion of that complexity during a review but thats really where an external recorder is going to shine the most and what it needs to show off it's advantage.
 
Thomas Smet said:
Keep in mind it is the types of shots that will determine an advantage with an external recorder. A locked down camera shooting a static scene will likely not show as much advantage because H264 does an exceptional job with little to no motion.

Shoot an exploding car and the 100 mbps H264 codec will fall apart. I don't expect people to find a random exploding car to shoot but that was just an example of how H264 handles predictable motion.

Beach waves or lots of blowing tree branches will fall apart faster on the Gh4 vs ProRes. It really is about the level of random moving detail in the shot that will determine an advantage of ProRes vs internal. ProRes is about consistency. We want the low detail, high detail, low motion and high random sudden motion shots to all look equally clean. That is why a format like ProRes is used. It isn't an efficient codec at all but it has the bits there when it needs them when you need them. Thats what a professional codec is about. It doesn't decide to cut corners when the situation gets complex.

This is why most external recorder reviews online have failed epically. They only ever compared locked down still life type shots. I understand it's hard to capture random motion of that complexity during a review but thats really where an external recorder is going to shine the most and what it needs to show off it's advantage.
Click to expand...

Hey, Im aware really of that you say. Im looking to really fine-grain structure of image, Im thinking in a narrative project for cinema where this is important in postproduction and the "soul" of the image, the H.264 eliminate this fine detail always. All motion related is that you say of course.
 
improser said:
ProRes or DNxHR, 4K files at 10-bit output from GH4 (without recompression of any type)

Thanks in advance... from this I decide to buy or not a external recorder :)
Click to expand...

Do realize that both of those are compressed formats.

My 2 cents..... Don't buy a piece of gear based on somebody else's work.

Do your own testing!
 
Thanks for all advices. This request is based in my current possibilites (cant rent/test one). With the files may be sufficient to inspect specifics questions I have about the image recording.

Waiting for files :)
 
I just got a flame and it is worth it. Images are thicker. The only thing I don't like is the stupid mini hdmi, but with a good mount it should be fine. The other thing is that a minute of recording is 4 gigs, so I will need more hard drives. I think it is pretty sweet though. I will upload some footage asap.
 
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