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Embracing 4K and micro 4/3.


The 2014 was a year of change for me. 4k acquisition was the buzzword and the Panasonic GH4 made a compelling argument for a major shift from my Canon DSLRs.

After using it on a couple of non-profit interviews I was convinced that the quality of the 4k image from this platform was good enough for me to ditch my 2 canon workhorses, the 5D mkII and the 7D. I felt that I have already extended the life of the 5DmkII twice already, first, when the issue of moire and aliasing almost made me ditch it for the more agressive OLPF of the newer 5D mkIII, I acquired the mosiac VAF 5D2 filter, it mitigated the issue and allowed me to skip investing on the next model. Next was when cheap raw video capable cameras came out, the Black Magic cameras almost made me ditch them, then Magic Lantern made the breakthrough of RAW video for the 5DmkII and eventually the 7D. Not only RAW video but Sound Recording as well! The RAW images from the 5D and 7D were beautiful, -they still are! The latitude and DR was beautiful. The file sizes however, were huge!The arrival of cheap Ultra HD capable mirrorless cameras finally made me bid good bye to the Canons. The LUMIX GH4 is now a compelling film making camera, it is a matured product coming on the heels of the successful GH2 and GH3. Among it's notable video features are; 4K video in UHD and DCI flavors, Variable framrates up to 96 FPS, though the image is soft after 60fps. Cine-picture profiles with a plethora of image controls like highlight and shadow curves, master pedestal control, etc. Then in a later update it was added with V-Log-L , giving a much flatter image for better grading controls, though this is tricky to use with internal 8bit recording. The GH4 allows external 10bit recording ideal for V-Log-L use. Even if you decide to use internal 8bit recording for your projects, the images hold up under reasonable grading adjustments. The small file sizes of the 4K video is also computer storage friendly. As a B-camera to the GH4 I acquired the Lumix LX100. A very capable camera in a small package. M4/3 sensor, a fast fixed leica zoom with the equivalent of 24-70 f1.7-2.8. Since the LX100 does not have Cine picture profiles, I used NATURAL with Cine-D on the GH4. Using custom LUTs in post, they match up well.

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