GH4 Custom Setup is confusing me

[guyburns]

I'm trying to setup a GH4 so that C1, C2, C3 correspond to taking movies in the format MOV with settings such as:

C1: 1080P, 50Mbps
C2: 1080P, 100Mbps
C3: 2160P, 100Mbps

The GH4 is new (from B&H), and I've spent a few days reading most of the 420 page PDF, making detailed notes of how I will setup the camera, then I actually set up the camera with the dial set to Creative Video.

The manual (p321) was not clear on how to set up the custom menus, so I went to three websites that had instructions how to do it. They were also unclear. So I've come to the experts.

After setting up the camera, this is what I did:

1. With the dial still set to Creative Video, I went into the "Cust. Set Mem." menu.

2. I clicked on C1 and it asked me: "Overwrite current camera settings with Custom Set 1?"

That is not what I wanted to do. I did not want to overwrite my camera settings with whatever already existed in C1. So I've come to a halt. Maybe the wording is back-to-front, and they actually mean: "Overwrite Custom Set 1 with current camera settings?"

This leads me to a few questions:

Q1: Is it possible to set up C1, C2, C3 with various video frame rates, bit rates and so on, so that when I press the shutter when the dial is set to one of the C positions, it's as if I am in Creative Video mode and the camera starts recording video?

Q2. Or can I only record video when the dial is set to Creative Video?

Q3: Is that message "Overwrite Custom Set 1…" the wrong way around?

Q4: How do I set up Custom Set 1 so that it becomes my Academy-Award winning film setting?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Batutta]

Q1: Yes, you can do that. Only caveat is that you can't switch between System Frequencies (59.94hz, 50hz, 24hz). You have to switch that setting in the menu, and turn the camera off and on. However, In 59.94hz, you can select 23.98 fps, so if you are going to be bouncing between frame rates I'd leave it at this system frequency. In 24hz you can't go any higher than 24fps recording (although you can do slo-mo up to 90fps).

Q2: No, you can record video in any of the C settings.

Q3: Yes, it's the wrong way around.

Q4: I like Cinelike D (0 Contrast, -3 Sharpness, -5 NR, 0 Saturation, 0 Hue). Highlight Shadow I keep default. idynamic and i.resolution off. Another setting I used is Cinelike V (-1 Contrast, -3 Sharpness, -5 NR, 0 Saturation, 0Hue) Highlight 0, Shadow +3. idynamic Low, i.resolution off. I moved away from the Cinelike V setting when I noticed at higher ISO, above 800, it made things excessively grainy in low light situations. Works great in daylight though.

Another note, C3 has 3 settings (C 3-1, 3-2, 3-3), so you actually get five programmed sets.

 

[guyburns]

Thanks, Batutta, for the answers. They put me on the right track and my Custom settings are now operational. That back-to-front message from the GH4 made me very wary.

Something else you might be able to answer. The FN3 button takes you to "AF Mode" where you can set the size of the focus area, "1-Area" for example. But I can't find "AF Mode" anywhere in the menus or in the PDF, other than being associated with the FN3 button. Is "AF Mode" only available via the FN3 button?

 

[Batutta]

Thanks, Batutta, for the answers. They put me on the right track and my Custom settings are now operational. That back-to-front message from the GH4 made me very wary.

Something else you might be able to answer. The FN3 button takes you to "AF Mode" where you can set the size of the focus area, "1-Area" for example. But I can't find "AF Mode" anywhere in the menus or in the PDF, other than being associated with the FN3 button. Is "AF Mode" only available via the FN3 button?

As far as I know.