GH4 GH4 V-log?

joe12south said:
I'll be really bummed if BH lags behind this schedule.
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Be prepared to be bummed.....:shocked:

With the imminent long term closings, even if the updates arrive in the 3rd week of September, the likelihood of them being shipped out at that point looks dim. And since B&H reopens on the 7th of October, which is also the date set for expected availability, it does look like you will have to wait, along with the rest of us who have ordered through the company.

It may happen earlier but just a heads up in case it doesn't.
 
TheTrickster said:
Why couldn't they:

1. Setup a webpage of some sort
2. Type in your Serial Number from your GH4 (found on the bottom)
3. Pay your $99 via credit card
4. Download your customised 'ACTIVE.LST'
5. Copy to SD card
6. Insert / Update

No issues with keys being shared online, as the ACTIVE.LST file is for 'that' GH4 only. Of course, people could share their 'ACTIVE.LST' file and maybe people will try and see if they can edit it in some way to work with others, but this can happen with the current process anyway
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Then I (oh, I mean the hackers) could get a few dozen GH4's and buy the encrypted ACTIVE.LST based on the serial number right? Then the key would use the serial number as the hash. Since the serial numbers are probably generated sequentially, it will be really easy to crack with a brute force attack. I kinda do this for a living at the day job...:laugh:
 
I've been following most this thread but not getting caught up in all the hype, technical wars, anxiety, ect... Is it possible this took so long because they had to formulate a way to protect this upgrade from piracy and make it an upgrade that requires a piece of hardware? Or is that the easy part?
 
STYLZ said:
I've been following most this thread but not getting caught up in all the hype, technical wars, anxiety, ect... Is it possible this took so long because they had to formulate a way to protect this upgrade from piracy and make it an upgrade that requires a piece of hardware? Or is that the easy part?
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No. I think you are spot on. When in the history of DSLR or mirroless cameras have you had something encrypted to your serial number? I think they had to build the ability to put an option into the camera, and then build the decryption/checking routine. Now for the new R version, it would just be installed so none of that would be needed unless they plan on future paid options. Unfortunately this could be the next software as a service, you buy the hardware that does very basic things, then pay for all the other stuff you really wanted.
 
They will supply Mission Impossible style plastic cards with the unlocking key that will self destruct 5 seconds after the upgrade is complete. I was told this by some bloke on the bus who said he had a Panasonic TV so I reckon it's the truth. :p
 
Anyone have any specs on the plastic card?

Font used, kerning etc.?

I'm not sure whether to buy it now or hold off until the plastic card on the GH5 arrives....
 
Greg_E said:
No. I think you are spot on. When in the history of DSLR or mirroless cameras have you had something encrypted to your serial number? I think they had to build the ability to put an option into the camera, and then build the decryption/checking routine. Now for the new R version, it would just be installed so none of that would be needed unless they plan on future paid options. Unfortunately this could be the next software as a service, you buy the hardware that does very basic things, then pay for all the other stuff you really wanted.
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Agreed. But that can be a huge bonus for future products of they allow additional features to be purchased after hardware as it can extend the usefulness of the body without having to purchase a new one. Another benefit is the market will decide what is an appropriate price for these upgrades, and they can be adjusted if Panasonic screwed up and try to rape the customer. I'd clearly pay $200 for internal 4:2:2 10 bit recording and another $200 for ProRes HD LT if the hardware could keep up, which I believe is possible since they already do 200Mbps (as opposed to ProRes HD LT's 220Mbps). I'd also pay $100 for scopes.

Now I just increased the out of pocket cost $500, but it's still $700 cheaper than a ninja assassin :violent5:
 
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FWIW, B&H has GH4 now for $1,397 but that includes a 32 GB Sandisk card, a $50 B&H gift card, a "free" three year warranty and a 4% "reward". I believe this adds up to about $200 off its stated price (which is how the retailers work around the MAP contracts).

Now, GH4 is still a very popular model, so there's no clear reason to just forfeit $200 in profit ... unless, you know ...
 
rob norton said:
Anyone have any specs on the plastic card?

Font used, kerning etc.?

I'm not sure whether to buy it now or hold off until the plastic card on the GH5 arrives....
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No info on that, but the 2.3 firmware is live! I just installed it and went through the process of creating my serial.lst file. Even that damn file is encrypted all to hell, :Drogar-Thinking(DBG looks like Panasonic has their bases covered against hacks.

I also went to the link to enter my serial with activation, but it wasn't fully functional yet.
 
Stupid question, please forgive me: Can I upgrade the firmware non-sequentially? IE: can I go from Version 2.0 straight to Version 2.3? Or do I have to do each upgrade in order?
 
got excited when I saw the download link for the V709 LUT labelled as "for GH4" but after unzipping it, it appears to be the exact same LUT we've had for the Varicam.
 
So now we all have our GH4's with V-LOG lurking inside, and have to wait for the printed code to be shipped...this is painful
 
Have also ordered the upgrade from the German Pana webside yesterday. I hope that it will be delivered fast - maybe it takes some more time to deliver that to Austria.

Edit: planned delivery date is shown as 24.9.
 
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Zak Forsman said:
got excited when I saw the download link for the V709 LUT labelled as "for GH4" but after unzipping it, it appears to be the exact same LUT we've had for the Varicam.
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Isn't that the very point of V-Log L?

If they had to design a separate LUT to transfer out of log, then they might as well have designed a GH4-specific log gamma that doesn't clip whites at 79 IRE, but instead uses the entire 8 bits of depth in the camera.
 
Here's some 8-bit V-Log L footage, from James Miller:

https://vimeo.com/139026519

"8-Bit internal record - You really get a much cleaner image if you overexposure by about 2 stops in general. Protect your mid-tones and forget the highlights. 10-Bit HDMI out only - You can get away with a little more under, but I like the tone on keeping fairly hot."
 
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