GH4 gh4 shooters: how do you use your camera?

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robfilms

Veteran
gh4 shooters: how do you use your camera?

those who are using the gh4, what are you shooting?

docs? corp promo? event? music vids? interviews?

do you shoot 4k and down-rez internally to 1080?

what do you do for sound?

sound person or you handle your own double system?

do you rig up your gh4 or are you primarily on sticks?

biggest drawback using the gh4?

greatest asset of the gh4?

thanks in advance for any and all info.

(and i ask as a sony fs100 shooter of mostly indoor interviews)

be well.

rob
smalltalk productions/nyc
 
We mainly shoot lens tests of cats in the garden with the GH4 mounted to a SuperTechno crane using fully repeatable robotics.

Just Kidding! :laugh:


I mainly shoot TV commercials with whatever camera is needed for the job, including the GH4. We almost always shoot in 4K now, and post in HD. For sound I use a Sound Devices mixer/recorder, but also send audio to the GH4. We mount the camera as needed for the shot. Biggest drawback with the GH4, The HDMI port/timecode. Greatest asset, very low cost 4K camera.
 
1080-60p ETC mode at 100mbps. There is no camera ever made at any price that can compete with this feature for wildlife video. Here's a frame grab from 600 yards with a 100-300mm at 300 for an equivalent focal length of 1500mm. My complete package with two lenses ultra light tripod, fluid head and stabilizer weights 7 1/2 lbs. There's nothing even remotely close to this capability in any other system. 4K, 96fps, cinelike profiles, luminance levels, etc... are all great, but the GH4's image quality per dollar and per pound you have to carry is simply untouchable anywhere at any price.

Cheers,
Pete
 

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To use my camera, I pick it up, turn it on, and hit the red button while pointing at things of interest, occasionally fiddling with various buttons and knobs to ruin otherwise perfect shots at the appropriate time.

I shoot: scientific/medical demonstrations, verite documentary, commercial/promotional, and interviews aplenty. Very rarely stage performances and presentations.

Frame size/rate always hinges on client needs... one client still insists on 1080p30 AVCHD, and they get it. Somebody actually wanted interlaced a while back. A sports client enjoys the 96fps. Much of my interview and doc stuff is shot UHD 24p.

For sound, I have a Rode VMP and a Sennheiser G1 lav, each of which I plug straight into camera set at -12dB gain and modulate input on the mic itself. I also have a padded XLR-to-3.5mm cable to run a wired lav in frequency-crowded environments. For top quality sound, I hire a sound guy or shoot 2-cam with my AF100, or to a Marantz 660 recorder with sucky battery life - again, that all hinges on client budget/needs.

While I'm often on sticks/slider, I have a supremely simple handheld rig consisting of a Gorillapod Focus (the heavy one) and a ballhead: two of the legs serve as dual shoulder supports and the third leg is a moveable handle, and it can all be quickly reconfigured to a 'fig-rig' style if needed (as well as tripod, gripped to railings, etc). Very travel-friendly.

Biggest drawback: between three contenders (not very light sensitive, lack of well-integrated XLR solution, glitchy timecode), I'd have to say the timecode in my use. Sensitivity is good enough and onboard audio is pretty decent, but TC is effectively useless for multicam use because it introduces an arbitrary delay each time you trigger recording.

Greatest asset: between three highest contenders (image, compact size, wide feature set), I'd choose the incredible flexibility of its features... VFR, great stills, high internal frame rates, 4K, 60p, codecs, zebras, peaking, etc etc etc. I have more "professional" cameras but this is one package that I can use on pretty much every project.

(and i ask as a sony fs100 shooter of mostly indoor interviews)

rob
smalltalk productions/nyc
Click to expand...

Having used the FS100, I'd say you'd miss the solid timecode (yeah, harping), integrated XLRs, ability to change WB while recording (not really an issue for indoor interviews), and zoom-to-focus while recording. GH4 4K image is superb (downrezzed is good as almost anything), 1080 is about comparable to FS100, FS100 is more light sensitive, GH4 is more compact UNLESS you start adding on XLR doodads to compensate, in which case that advantage begins to evaporate, FS100 doesn't do stills very well.

I still run an AF100 and it's good to have the two, although GH4 kicks its ass on most image fronts... I'd say GH4 would match well with an FS100 as a flexible, compact 2-cam package to throw into a backpack and tool about NYC. Honestly wouldn't be too certain of swapping the FS100 for the GH4 for interview work, largely because I'm cheap and use equipment until its beaten to death (hence the AF100), unless you could really use the novel stills feature on Panasonic's lovely little video camera.
 
I will only work in FICTION: shorts and features, or I'd sell everything and find a new hobby. I will never do weddings, corporate, docs or commercials. Zero interest there, and plenty of better people have that covered.

Staying in 4K for everything. will downrez for Vimeo and 60p youtube, but I'm focused on delivery in 4k final.

Doing my own sound for now: on cam, Zoom H2, r24, boom rode mic, Sennheiser LAV

Rigging and use: stabilzer, tripod, sliders, roller dolly, jib/crane with pan/tilt head, shoulder thingy, car mount

GH4 drawback so far:
HDMI port - buying special cage just to support that :( Pathetic
"Noise" not a deal breaker, it's just there

greatest asset?? Man... everything else! :D I'm just digging 4K
 
I am shooting documentary videos for the Oregon Historical Society. subject matter is architectural. I shoot and render in 4K for the extra resolution which enhances architectural documentation. sound is mostly small stereo mic mounted on cam, but I don't use much of it, unless there is something specific which enhances the shot. I don't find any drawbacks to the GH4 - mostly it is perfect for what I am doing. light, fast to setup and use, and the quality is superb. all footage is done on tripod with video head and short slider.
 
how do you use your camera?

I use it like I would motion picture camera. I have only shot a handful of stills with it.

those who are using the gh4, what are you shooting?

I'm shooting a web series that's really a series of short films that are all connected together. I also shoot music videos with it.

do you shoot 4k and down-rez internally to 1080?

I shoot Cinema 4k with it and the workflow changes depending on who is cutting it. I have cut in 4k.

what do you do for sound?

sound person

do you rig up your gh4 or are you primarily on sticks?

I had it on a decent slider on my last shoot. Really enjoyed it on that.

http://instagram.com/p/uqt29mlt0A/

biggest drawback using the gh4?

Many people still haven't even heard it of. It shouldn't matter what camera we shoot the project on, but sometimes people get wrapped up in that nonsense. I am also still missing full log, but cine d is pretty awesome.

greatest asset of the gh4?

So many: size, cinema 4k, 96fps@1080, focus peaking, zebras, mobile phone/tablet viewfinder/camera remote, evf for shooting hand-held in the sun, editable filesizes, etc. This has been such a treat to use after owning a 60d and shooting with a Scarlet.
 
robfilms said:
gh4 shooters: how do you use your camera?
Click to expand...

Very carefully. :)

My HMC150 is my cheap, easy events camera where no one cares about depth of field, and also for sports.

My AF100 is what I shoot most of my medical stuff on... we shoot a lot of more run & gun style, but still need shallow DoF. This plus the 12-35 X/35-100 X lens combo is great for this.

My GH4 is my travel and non-run & gun camera. Prefer the image to the AF100, but the lack of features and external controls means I move a lot slower with it, making it impractical for a lot of stuff.
 
i have spent the past 2 weeks lurking/looking at various blog & forum posts extolling the virtues of the gh4.

i had the camera in my hands briefly while i was at the b&h booth during this week's ccw and liked the feel but did little else.

i am still worried about finding an adequate audio solution even though i own and use both the tascam dr60 and the sound devices mix pre-d.

from what i have seen on the web, i'm impressed.

i have seen footage that leans more towards "video" and footage that screams "film".

i shoot mostly for the web, public presentation venues (museums/hotels) and occasionally, broadcast.

i shoot lots of talking head footage, often working with smallish crews. most of the interviews are lit even though the lighting often mirrors the look and feel of "natural" or "ambient" light.

i cut in fcp7 on a mac pro running 10.6.8. this is the year i want to leap into mavericks os and finally decide between fcp x or premiere cc.

i'm getting closer to buying but feel no time pressure. i am much busier in the spring/summer/fall than in winter. i would like to be fully adapted to a new rig by the end of the march 2015.

i very much appreciate those who have shared their thoughts.

be well.

rob
smalltalk productions/nyc
 
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