GH4 GH4 EVF Good Enough?
- Thread starter Redoak
- Start date
Stephen Mick
Totally Usable
Personally, I find the GH4 EVF to be perfectly fine for accurate focus, with peaking enabled. I always try to have an external monitor for locked-off setups, but for run-and-gun shooting, the EVF seems perfectly fine.
Thanks Stephen. I had purchased a Z-Finder but because I am using a DSLR cage and a matte box the Zacuto frame will not fit without all kinds of extra adapters so I'm going to return it. I will be doing a lot of locked-off setups so as you say maybe a external monitor is a good idea as well..
With Lumix lenses or with wider focal lengths, the EVF and focus peaking are fine. However, I have found that the focus peaking doesn't activate as well (or at all) in certain situations. This includes:
Low light
Low contrast scenes
Vintage lenses which aren't as contrasty as modern lenses
So, the lack of contrast in the above situations makes it very difficult for focus peaking to latch onto anything. In these cases, it's much better to have an external monitor or some kind of solution beyond the Gh4's focus peaking.
Low light
Low contrast scenes
Vintage lenses which aren't as contrasty as modern lenses
So, the lack of contrast in the above situations makes it very difficult for focus peaking to latch onto anything. In these cases, it's much better to have an external monitor or some kind of solution beyond the Gh4's focus peaking.
stoneinapond
Veteran
Personally I avoid focus peaking (it get's in the way and is at times inaccurate). I find focus assist to be far more useful and the EVF is more than sufficient for my purposes.
Interesting! Yes Ive been trying focus peaking and find it quite distracting. I'll check into the focus assist feature.
Cosimo Bullo
Veteran
I love the GH4 EVF. Very sharp.
henryfilms
Member
If you have time to really tweak focus you can get by with the vf, but I've been using the gh4s on commercials and a tv show for the last 4 months and I wouldn't personally want the vf to be the only focus. The Zfinder or even something like a smallhd dp4/AC/7 should be fine. The focus assist on the small hd monitors is very good.
The GH4's built in focus assist is fine, but it doesn't work while recording. So, as long as your subject never moves, and you use focus assist before hitting the record button, it's great. But in a run and gun situation, or even when the subject takes a half step forward or backward during a shot, the built-in focus assist is useless.
Last week I actually purchased a Z-Finder Pro but found that it was incompatible with my cage and 3x3 matte box. To make it work I would have had to purchase another $100+ worth of adapters. On the advice of a cameraman friend of mine I ordered a Lilliput 1280x800 7" monitor which will be great for interviews and other lockdown shots. A Z-Finder may yet be in my future as I devolve further towards the need for reading glasses but perhaps not just yet..
Bruce Foreman
Veteran
A very inexpensive solution I've found is the QV-1M loupe by Kamerar sold by Photography and Video. The base is Manfrotto 501PL compatible (I use mine on 501 and on 701 heads). The loupe mounts and unmounts from the base magnetically and if you use some other head system than Manfrotto 501 compatible, any other quick disconnect plates can be mounted on the bottom of the base.
Watch the video on the linked page, look at the many illustrations, and if you order be sure it's the "M" version you order (sized for M4/3 cameras.
http://www.photographyandcinema.com/collections/lcd-viewfinders/products/qv-1-m-lcd-view-finder
Watch the video on the linked page, look at the many illustrations, and if you order be sure it's the "M" version you order (sized for M4/3 cameras.
http://www.photographyandcinema.com/collections/lcd-viewfinders/products/qv-1-m-lcd-view-finder
Thanks Bruce, the QV-1M looks great. My challenge however is whether it will have a proper fit to the LCD screen when the GH4 is inside of my DSLR cage. Based on yours, do you think that there is room for adjustment of the frame bracket to allow for the 1/4 - 5/16 inch thickness of the cage?
stoneinapond
Veteran
You plan your shots. Does "run and gun" really need that shallow a DOF? Not sure of your point here.
I merely meant that there are common situations where the GH4's Focus Assist cannot help because it is disabled during recording. There are times where you must re-focus a shot during recording, e.g. if the subject moves toward or away from the camera.
Certainly, there are a variety of shooting requirements and styles. Your needs and style are served by Focus Assist. That's cool. Mine are too, sometimes. But let me give a quick example of when it doesn't work for me. Let's say I'm shooting an interview subject on a 35mm lens at f2.8 and they are 5 feet away. They have about 4 inches of acceptable focus in front of them. If they lean forward for emphasis, they are out of focus. I can't use Focus Assist to help me in this situation, even though I have planned my shot and am not shooting at f1.4 or something considered ridiculously shallow. That's all I meant.
stoneinapond
Veteran
Fair enough. So what is your solution for refocusing while recording? Is peaking sufficiently accurate in this scenario?
Most of the time, yes, peaking is sufficiently accurate. Especially if it's a well-lit situation then there's enough brightness and contrast for peaking to have something to latch onto. But it can be distracting. I have peaking set to a function button on the back so I can quickly toggle it on and off.
My wish is that someday the magnified Focus Assist will function during record.