GH4 Settings for maximum DR (shootout tonight!!)

Samuel H

Samuel H

Major Contributor
I should have asked this before...

I'm conducting a shootout this afternoon: a7s, GH4, 5D3+RAW, BMC, pocket, D5200 and a6000 will be there.
I know which settings I want to use in most of those cameras, but it will be the first time I put my hands on a GH4. I guess the owner will have his preferred settings and that's what I'd tend to use, but the previous time I did this (in 2012, with a GH2) people later complained that I could have used different settings for a bit more DR. To avoid that...

Which settings should I use if I want GH4 4K video with as much DR as possible?


edit: the shootout has been postponed a few days, for work reasons (so, it's a good thing, plus you get more time to have a say about this).
 
Last edited:
U get the most DR by using CineD, curves and reduced contrast. This will also produce extra noise, but you will see the absolute DR. So if you want to measure absolute DR than I recommend u just create as flat of a profile you can. That is:

- CineD
- Contrast -5
- Highlights -5
- Shadows - 5

http://s29.postimg.org/w3m6yub2f/DR_TEST.jpg
 
IMO CineD mashed to -5 may get wide DR, but looks like crap (graded or not). I just don't think the GH4 is designed as a DR-monster (which is fine).
 
OK, I'll use KINOKS' suggestion for the DR test, and whatever the owner likes for everything else.

Thanks!!

edit: looking at those charts, CineD C-5 H-5 S+5 does indeed look unusable. I'll stick to CineD C-5 H0 S0.
 
Last edited:
Don't minus 5 everything. This is not a Canon 5dmk2. Shot the Cine D straight out at first and at most -2 contrast. In fact, do a real test with all the cameras at their supposed stock settings for widest profile then start tweaking the camera. Lets see how they all look out of the box and then lets see what goofy profile settings do to the camera. Then, make the goofy supposed high DR shots come back to life with your grading and lets see them all fall apart, full of banding and artifact. And if your blacks are dull and grey, like most are when people set cameras up like this, we can all get just a bit more tired of the flat washed out gloomy full sunlight shot.
 
dustylense said:
we can all get just a bit more tired of the flat washed out gloomy full sunlight shot.
Click to expand...


hahahaa oh man! I got tired of that the first time I saw it. I thought pics and video involved lots of COLORS!!! Heck, every movie I watch is a wash is colors to the point of crazy: yes every dirty garage has a super bright GREEN light spilling on every wall, and ALL battleship interiors are painted pastel blue... anyway, at least they are not dull, colorless looking.
 
Don't lower the contrast setting lower than - 2 and don't use any highlight/shadows/iDynamic/iResolution.

But set saturation to -5 to avoid blown out reds and set sharpness as well as noise reduction to -5 for a natural looking picture. ;)

Set master pedestal to 0 of course.

This is an example using my suggestions:
http://vimeo.com/109321719
 
Last edited:
wwjd said:
hahahaa oh man! I got tired of that the first time I saw it. I thought pics and video involved lots of COLORS!!! Heck, every movie I watch is a wash is colors to the point of crazy: yes every dirty garage has a super bright GREEN light spilling on every wall, and ALL battleship interiors are painted pastel blue... anyway, at least they are not dull, colorless looking.
Click to expand...

The finished films have vibrant colors, but they are all shot flat. Real, professional colorists do amazing things.
 
Before and after Test. GH4 Using i.Resolution, i.Dynamics, Master Pedestal Level, 16-235 Luma, CinelikeV with -5 Sharpness, -5 Noise Reduction, -5 Saturation.

I wanted to see what in camera colour profiling would be like on the GH4. For this test I put the Luminance Level to 16-235 opposed to the higher 16-255. Mostly because I want a simple path of handing on files to production without wording about Luminance clipping.
Starting at Cinelike V I reduced the sharpness to -5 to take the edge away from the USM style in camera sharpening. I also but the Noise Reduction to -5 to remove the plastic mush that can occur in the images. I set the Saturation to -5 and +1 on Hue for personal preference.

Next I pushed up the Master Pedestal Level to +15 the factory is 0.
I then brought up the i.Resolution to ‘Standard’. This helps reduce the noise a tiny bit, trade off is slight.

Finally I set the i.Dynamic to ‘Standard’ too. This will really lift the image. On exterior daylight shooting I have set to high with great results.
If you treat the image to be colour graded you can reduce the blacks and mid tones done a little for taste. Its a much cleaner way then pulling up in post.

This never used to be the way, especially with the Canon. anything adjusted in camera would result in image deterioration.
Have fun.
Click to expand...

 
renegadewill said:
The finished films have vibrant colors, but they are all shot flat. Real, professional colorists do amazing things.
Click to expand...

Right, I know, but he was talking about those washed out final videos you see everywhere now, because apparently it's a new thing to NOT be colorful with photography and video for your final product.

search "wedding" on Vimeo for examples :D
 
I think shooting flat with any of these dslr's is horrible compared to just shooting for the final image in cam. The dynamic range of the sensors is what it is. To me the final image is much more important. To get the most out of the 4K 100mbps codec on the GH4 you have to shoot in CineV or Standard with 16-235 luminance. Wasting bit rate on shadows and highlights that your just going to throw out in the end of the day just robs Peter to pay Paul, except that Paul won't exist in your final output and Peter ends up broke.
 
I figured there would be different answers. To use certain settings, don't use them, or it depends on the situation, I've been properly confused, and shoot standard settings for now. I guess it comes down to what your'e willing to trade for it (noise, banding, de-saturation). I love dynamic range though.
 
c3hammer said:
The dynamic range of the sensors is what it is. Wasting bit rate on shadows and highlights that your just going to throw out in the end of the day just robs Peter to pay Paul.
Click to expand...

Makes sense. My guess is people don't shoot flat expecting better DR in final output. They do it for the options (greater latitude) in post and insurance toward bad exposures. But yea in the end those bits get thrown out.
 
It's not just the DR of the sensor, the GH4 records video to a compressed format that is 4:2:0 8bit and while it does surprisingly well in post it cannot compare to the latitude that RAW offers. If you shoot in a flat LOG profile you'd wanna record in a less compressed format like RAW or at least ProRes so you gather as much info as possible to push and pull in post. Without that extra info that RAW provides you have effectively nothing much to push and pull in post.
 
c3hammer said:
I think shooting flat with any of these dslr's is horrible compared to just shooting for the final image in cam. The dynamic range of the sensors is what it is. To me the final image is much more important. To get the most out of the 4K 100mbps codec on the GH4 you have to shoot in CineV or Standard with 16-235 luminance. Wasting bit rate on shadows and highlights that your just going to throw out in the end of the day just robs Peter to pay Paul, except that Paul won't exist in your final output and Peter ends up broke.
Click to expand...

I think it is still better have 256 shades in image compared to 220.
 
OK, so that is CineD with -2 contrast and iDynamic off for all the tests except the DR one, which will be -5 contrast and not-sure-yet iDynamic.

I'm a DR nuthead, and the guy I'm shooting this for is even worse...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top