GH4 GH4 (and GH3) Ultra-slow Shutter Speeds - for effect or speed boost.

[Peter Berry]

One interesting thing I've lately noticed about the GH4 (and GH3) is that with manual aperture adapted lenses - and only in M mode, not S - shutter speeds down to 1/2 sec. are available for effects, as I assume Ben Brown used in his excellent night video test, evident when the cars whizzed by, or for low ISO noise-avoiding shooting at night with static subjects. Possibly this is common knowledge, but I've not seen it mentioned before. Nothing doing with native m4/3 lenses in any priority mode, as lowest SS available is 1/30 sec (NTSC).

Shot with a locked-down camera and static subject, playback is entirely seamless and transparent. I suppose that at 30p, 1/2 sec, cloning of 15 identical frames each 1/2 sec is what's happening. And at 1/2 sec, you're shooting five stops faster than 1/60th, or the equivalent of shooting a nightime scene at ISO 6400 vs 200.

This works in all GH4 4K variants, and with FHD/MP4 & MOV formats at all frame rates. But with AVCHD/FHD, only 60p. Seems to work with all formats and frame rates in GH3. Without an adapted lens handy, you can see the low shutter speeds by simply taking your lens off (if "shoot without lens" is on in menu).

 

[Rowy]

Well this was new to me, thanks.
Like a lot of GH4 shooters, I'd set the SS/Gain operation to display angle. The longest exposure you can get with that setting is 360 degrees (which for me was 1/25 sec)

 

[aldolega]

A shutter speed that's longer than your frame rate would just give you an open shutter (aka 360-degree shutter angle), wouldn't it?

 

[tacotim]

A shutter speed that's longer than your frame rate would just give you an open shutter (aka 360-degree shutter angle), wouldn't it?

technically yes, but in the case of the gh4 it actually drops you to 2FPS but records the same image over several frames, only changing actual images twice per second. then in post you speed it up for a timelapse effect. Another option is to put it into VFR mode in 1080, then you can actually select 2FPS and 1/2 shutter, in that case it only records 2 actual frames each second.

A third option is to put it into timelapse mode and record whatever frame rate / shutter speed you want.

 

[Peter Berry]

technically yes, but in the case of the gh4 it actually drops you to 2FPS but records the same image over several frames, only changing actual images twice per second. then in post you speed it up for a timelapse effect. Another option is to put it into VFR mode in 1080, then you can actually select 2FPS and 1/2 shutter, in that case it only records 2 actual frames each second.

A third option is to put it into timelapse mode and record whatever frame rate / shutter speed you want.

But keeping it in real time in either slow-shutter 4K or FHD is simple as long as you are shooting with an adapted, manual aperture lens. Otherwise, with a native m4/3 lens one of the other solutions would be needed.

 

[Bern Caughey]

technically yes, but in the case of the gh4 it actually drops you to 2FPS but records the same image over several frames, only changing actual images twice per second. then in post you speed it up for a timelapse effect. Another option is to put it into VFR mode in 1080, then you can actually select 2FPS and 1/2 shutter, in that case it only records 2 actual frames each second.

A third option is to put it into timelapse mode and record whatever frame rate / shutter speed you want.

+1