GH3 Will the GH4 XLR adapter cost $2200?!

Jaime Valles

Jaime Valles

Veteran
Hey, folks! I just saw this site:

http://www.phototools.com/product/LUMIX-DMC-GH4-Body-Black/DMCGH4KBODY/143526.html

If you click on the accessories, you can see that the price for the Lumix DMC-YAGH interface unit is listed as $2199.00! That seems really expensive to me, but then I'm not planning on getting the brick, so I don't really care that much.

Also, the price hasn't been officially announced yet, so this may change.

Just in case they change the listing, I'm attaching a screenshot.

Discuss.
 

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B and H still has it as an unknown price, don't know how these guys came up with that figure. In any case it was predicted by many the interface would cost more than the camera.
 
I think it will be at least $2K for the Lumix DMC-YAGH interface unit. Chatter is the GH4 will be as well.
 
Erik Naso said:
I think it will be at least $2K for the Lumix DMC-YAGH interface unit. Chatter is the GH4 will be as well.
Click to expand...

Preordering from some European retailers had the GH4 pegged at 1499EUR or $1599USD.

I'm guess that maybe the $2199 price could be... a combined price?
 
If it was an actual recorder, sure, I wouldn't mind paying 2,200 dollars, but for just an interface, it's a tough call. I think I will just rent it if I need to until the price drops some, which it will. I'm assuming the cost is for the software mostly, as it couldn't be to costly to build compared to the actual camera.
 
Hopefully the HDMI port on the camera will output 10-bit 4:2:2 4K, then you could skip the brick altogether and just use an HDMI recorder (which won't be cheap either for a 4K-capable model). And then you can use a JuicedLink or similar for audio.. This would all be more flexible for rigging than the brick, too.
 
aldolega said:
Hopefully the HDMI port on the camera will output 10-bit 4:2:2 4K, then you could skip the brick altogether and just use an HDMI recorder (which won't be cheap either for a 4K-capable model). And then you can use a JuicedLink or similar for audio.. This would all be more flexible for rigging than the brick, too.
Click to expand...


From EOSHD.com:

1. Does the GH4 output 4K over the micro-HDMI port?
When the camera is set to record in 4K internally the onboard HDMI output is down-converted automatically to 1080p. In playback mode the HDMI output is 4K capable (relaying the 8bit 4:2:0 footage from SD card). Only the DMW-YAGH add-on base can output 4K (uncompressed, 10bit 4:2:2) from the GH4. However the micro-HDMI port is 8bit / 10bit switchable and can deliver impressive 1080p in 10bit 4:2:2 format, uncompressed to an external recorder.
 
It would be nice if an aftermarket company designed a breakout box, and kept the camera height with it at the appropriate height to use rails/matte box and such.
 
David W. Jones said:
It would be nice if an aftermarket company designed a breakout box, and kept the camera height with it at the appropriate height to use rails/matte box and such.
Click to expand...

^^ This big time!

I want to be able to use my GH3 cage and not have to build up a rig higher than it has to and spread the ports back via breakout box.
 
Grisnjam said:
The breakout box has screw-in 15mm rail mount points on the front ... FYI.

View attachment 82280
Click to expand...

I don't want screw-in rail mounting.

I want to be able to use rods with a baseplate setup which run the length, so battery plates and the like can be mounted rear of the camera, and the whole rig can be moved on the dovetail to balance it out when using longer glass. This was not very well thought out!
 
David W. Jones said:
It would be nice if an aftermarket company designed a breakout box, and kept the camera height with it at the appropriate height to use rails/matte box and such.
Click to expand...
That will probably happen over some time since the contacts are on the camera. Like third party battery grip i have for a GH3. It functions perfect with all the same buttons the OEM has.
 
You know, looking at the pic with the gigantor breakout box, they could have just as easily expanded the camera side a little and added an ND filter wheel.
 
Personally I'm glad they kept the GH3 body and spent their development money/time on the internals (sensor, firmware, image processing, etc). This lets them keep the price low as there are minimal re-tooling costs, and makes the upgrade from a GH3 a no-brainer for video people as your rigging/support gear will all fit the same. Sure, adding an ND wheel would be easy, but it'd be expensive, and maybe it just wouldn't fit in a m4/3 photo-cam form factor (of which the GH3 is already the largest and heaviest). Remember that photographers don't have much use for an ND wheel, and this is primarily a stills camera, no matter how much it's touted as a hybrid. Or rather, its market is heavily photo-biased.
 
aldolega said:
Remember that photographers don't have much use for an ND wheel, and this is primarily a stills camera, no matter how much it's touted as a hybrid. Or rather, its market is heavily photo-biased.
Click to expand...

Remember? I think you're missing the point of the GH4.
It's specifically a modular 4k video camera that also shoots photographs.
 
I suspect that the "Brick" contains audio preamps, plus additional imaging processors to output the 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 signal, which is also why it contains a silent fan to keep the circuitry cool while it does it's thing.

An audio ONLY adapter, would likely be priced at half the cost of the "Brick".
 
jimagine said:
Remember? I think you're missing the point of the GH4.
It's specifically a modular 4k video camera that also shoots photographs.
Click to expand...

The "point" of the GH4 is to make Panasonic money. The "point" of the brick is to turn a hybrid(photo) camera sold to a large photography market into a serious video tool for a much smaller serious-video market. How many bricks vs. cameras do you realistically think Panasonic is going to sell? At any price?The photography market is much bigger than the video market, not to mention the large-sensor video market therein, not to mention the "serious user who cares about bit depth and color sampling" market within that again.

For that photographic market, the increase in the (rumored) price of the GH4 vs. the GH3 is already a pretty big risk, as the improvements have been mostly on the video side (and I believe are more than justified to video people), and m4/3s has a pretty hard time fetching a higher price than full-frame DSLR's. Panasonic has to maintain the camera's market share within the photo world because even a gushing response in the super-serious video world probably isn't going to make up the difference in lost sales to photographers if the GH4 is too pricey or bulky (which an ND apparatus may make it).

Personally, I think the rumored prices being leaked are just feelers for Panasonic. They gave themselves a month to gauge reaction to the product and see what it will be competing with. If the competition's too good and response to the prices too negative, I bet we'll see a lower price point on March 17th... more like $1499 for the body and $1799 for the brick.
 
aldolega said:
Remember that photographers don't have much use for an ND wheel, and this is primarily a stills camera, no matter how much it's touted as a hybrid. Or rather, its market is heavily photo-biased.
Click to expand...

Remember, I have been shooting still pics for 45 years, and have used a number of filters including ND filters in that time. A filter wheel would be a great convenience no matter what mode you were in.

All the best!

Dave
 
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