GH3 Panasonic Announcement Friday Feb 7th (GH4/4K)

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pulpfiction007

Veteran
http://www.43rumors.com/reminder-panasonic-announcement-next-week-feb-7-at-5-6-am-london-time/


Soon enough we will see where the GH series is headed. I've heard quite a few people with "inside" connections saying that it's a "game changer", "very exciting", etc.
Hopefully they aren't just talking about a 4K mode. While 4K is nice and all, I think many would rather see something truly game changing - like increased DR, global shutter, or a 4:2:2 codec on board.

(I get that 4K can theoretically make for great 1080...but so could an excellent codec, without having to reshuffle everything in post)
 
I think H.265 recording 10 bit 4:2:2 and 12 stops DR at maximum ISO for under $1,000 would be a "game changer".

4K isn't really a big deal.
 
Winter Olympics start Feb. 7th. GH4K announced Feb. 7th. Panasonic is an Official sponsor of the Olympics.
One more clue. Panasonic pays top photographers and videographers to use their equipment.
 
As this article makes clear - http://www.tvtechnology.com/acquisition/0190/panasonic-to-shoot-sochi-olympics-opening-in-k-/223409 , Panasonic have announced they intend to shoot the opening ceremony in 4K "as the company’s own video production materials". (By which I assume they mean for promotional use, as Sony have been doing with their Football World Cup 4K material.)

But surely it's more likely this is likely to be done with early versions of the 4K Varicam we heard about last NAB? If for no other reason than to give them promotional material in time for a release at this years NAB?

It's possible that a 4K GH type camera may get announced at the same time - but isn't that just likely to lead to confusion, maybe to the detriment of both?
 
harddrive said:
It's possible that a 4K GH type camera may get announced at the same time - but isn't that just likely to lead to confusion, maybe to the detriment of both?
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Not really. I think quite the opposite. It reinforces Panasonic's commitment to 4k. Anyone with a modicum of interest in these products will know what's what.

I think the biggest hurdle for this down-market product is overcoming people's unrealistic expectation.

For me, I'm very much looking forward to Friday, having skipped a GH generation.
 
Why is the Arri Alexa so popular? Why will the Arri Amira be even more popular even though it and the Alexa do not do 4K? Surely a $50,000 camera should do 4K?

Because Arri knows that professionals and people who use the medium as an art do not get caught up in silly hype like 4K. They just want fantastic images and easy post workflows. 4K does not guarantee good images and 4K at this level will involve heavily compressed codecs that are difficult to work with. High DR, proven codecs, good colour handling, bitrates and more, all combined give good images and we should all be chasing great images rather than higher resolution ones. Having seen images projected on a cinema screen shot with the Alexa that look fantastic, why do you think that you need 4K?

Amatures get caught up in hype like 4K and while the GH series of cameras could be greater than they are, ultimately they are aimed at amatures. 4K is being driven by companies like Panasonic and Sony wanting to create a new buzz to sell 4K TVs. They can make a lot of money on them if they fool you into thinking you need one. Panasonic could do great things by making a fantastic 1080p camera or even 2.5k with RAW/ProRes (or similar) codecs, higher DR, 4:2:2 sampling but they are not interested in giving the user what they want or need. Sony, Panasonic, Canon.......perfect 1080p and when you cant make it any better then think about giving us 4K

The GH4K could be a great camera if they improve the 1080p images greatly from what is currently on offer but if they dont and just give us a GH3 with 4K option then I will give the whole GH4K a miss.
 
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vtwiz said:
So, why do you need 4K? Surely if anyone should be shooting 4K it should be the top Hollywood productions.
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There is no logic to this statement. Do I need it? I don't know until I see what's coming. And who are we to say who should and who shouldn't film anything?

You don't want 4k? Fine. No one has a gun to your head. I want to see what's on offer.

Besides which, just because something does one thing doesn't mean you have to use it. There may or may not be side benefits. I'm open to seeing what Panasonic will do. Then I'll decide.
 
Stone, I wasn't having a go at you but there is a lot of logic in my statement.
So, big budget productions shooting images to be projected on the big screen are happy shooting at Alexa's 2K resolution but your average Joe needs 4K?

Im im just annoyed that Panasonic are nowhere near making a great 1080p camera but they are deciding to move on to 4K which is not needed.
 
So, big budget productions shooting images to be projected on the big screen are happy shooting at Alexa's 2K resolution but your average Joe needs 4K?
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Don't worry, you will see an Alexa 4K in the not too distant future. You can bet on that.
 
John Caballero said:
Don't worry, you will see an Alexa 4K in the not too distant future. You can bet on that.
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I know we will but Arri's priority is excellent images not high resolution which is why we haven't seen anything from them yet.

its funny, If you compare this 4k hype that starts at the bottom and works its way up to F1, It's like
Putting F1 engines in a cheap family car before the f1 teams get them.
 
vtwiz said:
Im im just annoyed that Panasonic are nowhere near making a great 1080p camera but they are deciding to move on to 4K which is not needed.
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But the prosumer and semi-pro market is driven by other impulses and the only thing we can expect is to find something that fits our individual needs better even when features are included we may find somewhat silly. People will shout "global shutter" or "240 fps" or "IBIS" or whatever. How shall a manufacturer address all of this to a reasonable price? So, yes, for me too 4K is not an important factor (for now) but you, me and the other 12 are not a big enough market and marketing argument for a company. I rather will have a look what other features are there in the new cam and then will decide if my GH3 is up for sale or not. And until we see what is really coming all is just a profound mirage..... :-)
 
Full fill the consumer market with a idea of the 4K need, and if accepted enough then the professional line will change to that request.
i personally would have prefer a improved HD image with 10Bit 4:2:2 and more dynamic range and maybe 2.5k than the 4K option, something like the Blackmagic cinema camera but made by Panasonic ;)
 
Considering how poorly camera sales are fairing, I think it's great that camera makers are continuing to push out new product instead of trimming down their offerings.
 
ErikTande said:
I don't care about 4K. I want a global shutter.
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vtwiz said:
Stone, I wasn't having a go at you but there is a lot of logic in my statement.
So, big budget productions shooting images to be projected on the big screen are happy shooting at Alexa's 2K resolution but your average Joe needs 4K?

Im im just annoyed that Panasonic are nowhere near making a great 1080p camera but they are deciding to move on to 4K which is not needed.
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Oh yes we do, you will be surprised at the 4k TV's that will be out this year and next! From what I have seen, the simple very well priced 4K camcorders from Sony produce some very very good 1080P video, so why is that bad, I don't get your logic here at all. You won't have any choice, all the major players are going to drive 4K down your throat! There profits are slim! New is better, and it should be! It's called progress!
 
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7DDude said:
Ok enlighten me, What is a global shutter, and why is it needed?
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Global shutter would render much better motion than the rolling shutter nightmare of most DSLR/Mirrorless cams.
4K is nice and all for down the road, but a better codec with better color sampling and/or a global shutter would make for a better overall image and camera. those things aren't consumer buzzwords though, so for business purposes, slapping a 4K label on stuff makes sense.
 
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