GH4 GH4 V-Log FREE !!

But here's the thing... We didn't steal it. It was there on their own fault. We updated out camera and used their app to get V-log. Nobody cracked anything. So be it as it may, let panasonic learn from this. Should have been free in the first place because I'm a bit underwhelmed by it. Works decently in 10bit out to recorder but is basically garbage internally.

So you can give your $99 bucks (because you preordered it) as a donation. Do you think Panny is going to say, "That's it! No more bells and whistles in all future cameras" because THEY screwed the pooch? When we can turn to ALL of the other cameras that have a LOG profile. Samsung gave out a LOG for free. JVC updated a LOG for free. Inspire one camera did a LOG update for free. Panny screwed the pooch themselves and we got a LOG for free. End of story. If that makes me a jerk then so be it. After playing with it, I saved $99.
 
dustylense said:
Should have been free in the first place because I'm a bit underwhelmed by it. Works decently in 10bit out to recorder but is basically garbage internally.
After playing with it, I saved $99.
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Yeah I tend to agree with this....I have only internal recording, I tried it out, personally I am kinda underwhelmed too...maybe that might change in a few days I dunno, one good thing tho..I was expecting a lot more noise based on what I have read, but it looks pretty clean to me..I overexposed it a bit tho.
I was going to buy it, but now I have second thoughts, at least I'll have time to try it and make up my mind this way!!
Also I think its kinda poor that even tho they are charging for it they dont even have a custom LUT for the GH4, and really they should really have several...even if it costs a little more, plus no real GH4 LOG documentation either, and not even a properly mapped GH4 LOG, instead just a cutoff version of the Varicam minus the extra stops in the high end...its kinda like they are shooting themselves in the foot several times
The whole exercise feels like a bit of a $99 stuff up to me...
 
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Nope I take that back, did some comparisons to portrait and natural shot under video lights etc...V-LOG looked noticeably better, nicer highlights...looked a lot less like a camcorder video.
Shadows do retain some noise, but its easy to clean.
A few more tests and I probably will buy it...
 
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refocusedmedia said:
It should've been free from day one. Why? Look at all the time and resources Panasonic wasted trying to make it a paid upgrade only to screw it up. Should've saved everyone the headache, including themselves, and just released it to help sustain GH4 sales while focusing on GH5 development. Any money they spent developing the profile itself will be recouped through Varicam and DVX200 sales, I'm sure.

The whole V-log release went from an exciting prospect to a long-delayed boneheaded eventuality, and they have only themselves to blame.
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Yes it should have been a free upgrade for the growing loyal GH4 customers. With Samsung releasing NX1 updates by the month Panasonic should do the same to "attract more buyers and sell more cameras"
 
Guys, here's the thing. If you want a camera that's releasing better free firmware updates, get that camera by that company. Just because I think a thing should be free doesn't mean I get to take it without paying if the opportunity provides itself. I promise you we are killing the potential for future innovation on this existing camera - we are guaranteeing that any other ideas they have will be held off until the GH5. My issue is that I can't justify purchasing a new camera every year or so for a few new features, but I can sure as heck justify $100 every now and then for a few new stellar (and optional) features.

Samsung's dedication is awesome. But I don't have their camera. Switching over would cost me a grand or so, right? But I really think that should be what Panasonic does. So am I justified to just go get one for free? It's this kind of entitlement that is destroying us as a culture. If you disagree with a company charging for a thing, it's simple: do not buy that thing. If you want to make sure a company never makes a thing again, it's simple: steal that thing and make sure all your friends do, too.
 
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Brandon Freeman said:
but I can sure as heck justify $100 every now and then for a few new stellar (and optional) features.
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Yeah, no thanks. This is the same mindset behind DLC in video games, and look what it's done to that industry.

If you have product out there, you should be fully supporting and updating it as part of its life cycle. This includes adding features, supplying firmware upgrades, and releasing bug fixes. Panasonic developed V-Log for another camera, adapting it for the GH4 was a drop in the bucket for them and is the perfect example of adding features to sustain sales of a product nearing the end of its initial life cycle. Charging for it was a stupid decision from the get go.
 
“Opinions are like . . .” It’s common knowledge we ALL have one of those.
This discussion could become heated as people defend/justify their actions.
My hope is that it won’t become personal.

While something of a surprise (to me), it’s clear there are at least two camps on the question.
Panasonic “could” have, as (manufacturer name removed) , simply waited to introduce this feature in the next camera . . . GH-5.
I guess, moving forward, that’s still kind of an option?

Anyway . . .

You’re walking down the street and notice that the person in front of you has dropped their wallet.
As you bend over and pick it up you notice that there’s $99 in it.

What is your next action?
 
dregenthal said:
You’re walking down the street and notice that the person in front of you has dropped their wallet.
As you bend over and pick it up you notice that there’s $99 in it.

What is your next action?
Click to expand...

Bad analogy. A better one is more like, I'm giving you a safe, you own it and I'm putting some diamonds in there. If you give me 99 dollars I'll tell you how to open it. I then proceed to open the safe because it was left unlocked and take the diamonds.
 
Thing is, the person dropped a wallet, told everyone on the street to take the wallet, its free! Then the person teases the one who picked it up, "hey if you give me $99 I'll tell you which pocket in that wallet contains a map to a treasure!", the person who picks up wallet says, "that's ok I like the wallet as it is." he goes home and cleans the wallet and found the map anyways. I mean, how many pockets can a wallet have? duh.
 
I'm kind of surprised DVXUser is letting this thread continue. I would think this borders on allowing users to participate in illegal activity.

As a app developer myself I would be pretty darn upset if people were sharing information online on how to steal something that I spent months developing. I understanding people on here were extremely upset at waiting as long as they did. I also understand that some people on here feel as though Panasonic owes it to them to give this for free but the reality is a decision was made to charge for it and it took awhile to get it right on a camera that frankly was not originally designed to be able to handle V-log. The development team clearly spent more man hours developing this then they would have liked and it could very well have taken away resources from working on a GH5 or other projects which would have brought in revenue.

Lots of company's charge for new feature updates like this. Sony does all the time with firmware updates that add new features.

Sure somebody at Panasonic made a mistake but that doesn't change the legality of what everybody is doing. Just because a safe is left open doesn't mean its fair game. Taking property that isn't yours or that you didn't pay for is still theft. And this thread is solid evidence as to who all participated in this theft. A lot of the people in my Dad's neighborhood never lock their cars or homes. Does that mean its fair game to walk into their homes and rob them?
 
Thomas Smet said:
Sure somebody at Panasonic made a mistake but that doesn't change the legality of what everybody is doing. Just because a safe is left open doesn't mean its fair game. Taking property that isn't yours or that you didn't pay for is still theft. And this thread is solid evidence as to who all participated in this theft. A lot of the people in my Dad's neighborhood never lock their cars or homes. Does that mean its fair game to walk into their homes and rob them?
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Still not a good analogy. This is my car. That I already own. Am I stealing from myself? That said, people hosting the old firmwares for download is probably illegal. I had already installed mine the day it came out, so this was as simple as opening the image app.
 
Now lets take this further, person who picked up wallet who was told by the owner to take it since its free, walks up the same street again and saw same guy dropping soo many wallets and lots of people picking them up, and he still teases everybody, "Hey everyone, those wallets are now yours! Take them! BUT if y'all give me $99 I'll tell you which pocket in that wallet contains map to a treasure!" Now the person who first found the map simply by cleaning up the wallet stands there, he saw all kinds of people picking up the wallets, some shelled out $99 some confused, he thinks, maybe I'll just shout, hey y'all, just go home and clean that wallet before using it!

And like Batutta, I already had 2.3 days before somebody shouted to "try using the image app to change settings." And I also had the app more than a year ago.
 
Thomas Smet said:
Taking property that isn't yours or that you didn't pay for is still theft...
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Except there's a strong implication that, outside of extraordinary updates, firmware updates for an existing product is simply a part of the deal. Does Microsoft charge for a weekly update? No. You purchase its operating system and the basic updates are included as part of the purchase price. Now, had someone been stealing a third party upgrade, then I am sure a lot of people would feel different. As it is, they feel they have already paid Panasonic a fair amount and Panasonic isn't exactly offering rebates to those who coughed up $1,700 for it, even as its current price hovers around $1,200 (from reputable retailers). And no one is asking for a rebate either.

Then add the whole activation scheme - which stinks - and there's a lot of schadenfreude from this mishap.
 
Thomas Smet said:
I'm kind of surprised DVXUser is letting this thread continue. I would think this borders on allowing users to participate in illegal activity.

As a app developer myself I would be pretty darn upset if people were sharing information online on how to steal something that I spent months developing. I understanding people on here were extremely upset at waiting as long as they did. I also understand that some people on here feel as though Panasonic owes it to them to give this for free but the reality is a decision was made to charge for it and it took awhile to get it right on a camera that frankly was not originally designed to be able to handle V-log. The development team clearly spent more man hours developing this then they would have liked and it could very well have taken away resources from working on a GH5 or other projects which would have brought in revenue.

Lots of company's charge for new feature updates like this. Sony does all the time with firmware updates that add new features.

Sure somebody at Panasonic made a mistake but that doesn't change the legality of what everybody is doing. Just because a safe is left open doesn't mean its fair game. Taking property that isn't yours or that you didn't pay for is still theft. And this thread is solid evidence as to who all participated in this theft. A lot of the people in my Dad's neighborhood never lock their cars or homes. Does that mean its fair game to walk into their homes and rob them?
Click to expand...
I would think it's allowed because users aren't doing anything illegal. They are using a normal function of an official app made by Panasonic. No one is hacking anything or using some shady third party app that unlocks parts of a firmware you aren't supposed to access or anything.
 
I bought it.... AND testing the free access.... does not look good.... but unsure on settings yet. not sure if Vlog will really benefit INTERNAL recordings... right now, I am doubting it.
 
People, people, let's calm down a bit. Panasonic made a mistake and users took advantage of it. Nobody stole anything. It was right there without the need of a hack or anything. Can we please move on ? It's not like Panasonic gave away (by accident) a coupon to get an Arri Alexa. it's a freaking firmware update!
 
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