Black_White_Photography_-_Winter_2014

69

B+W

RATINGS

OVERALL

97 %

HANDLING 95%

PERFORMANCE 98%

SPECIFICATION 98%

VALUE FOR MONEY 98%

A very useful Silent Mode

can be assigned to any one

of a number of function keys,

switching the shutter from

mechanical to electronic, killing

all other operational sounds

and cutting the AF assist lamp

and flash. This makes the

camera ideal for special events

and occasions where total

discretion is required.

The GH4 is therefore an

immensely capable camera in

stills mode and even rivals some

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Sensor Micro four-thirds Live MOS Sensor, 17.3 x 13mm, 16.05Mp

HD Movie mode 4K, 2K, Full HD

ISO 100-25600

Shutter speed 60min plus bulb to 1/8000sec

Autofocus points 49

LCD screen 3in, 1036k dots

Viewfinder OLED 2359k

Card format SD, SDHC, SDX

Size 93.4 x 83.9 x 132.9mm

Weight 560g

The GH4 is a cracking micro four-thirds stills camera, but

the professional video features in this model are pretty

amazing at this price. The 4K video is really compelling,

even when down-converted to HD, but be prepared to pay

a lot more for storage and allow for the extra time and

processing power to render such high-resolution video.

The GH4 heralds the future. It may not be to everyone’s

liking, but selecting high-resolution stills from a virtually

continuous recording stream is now a reality with the GH4.

VERDICT

LIKES

DISLIKES

Great stills quality

Breathtaking video

Good build

49 AF points

Excellent battery life

Great lens range

Adaptability for other lenses

Very competitive price

Some may miss the smaller body

of the earlier GH2

No in-body stabilisation

Gannets swirling around the Bass Rock. In 4K video mode the GH4 crops

a bit more to an equivalent 2.2 crop, but a comprehensive range of lenses

such as the excellent G Vario 7-14mm super wideangle lens can help to keep

the perspective wide in video mode.

Panasonic GH4, still from 4K MOV file, G Vario 7-14mm lens, ISO 200, 1/50sec at f/9, handheld.

Stevenson’s Lighthouse, Isle of May. The GH4’s sensor can capture subtle

low light scenes thanks to a good dynamic range.

Panasonic GH4 with G Vario 14-140mm lens, ISO 200, 1/30sec at f/5.8, tripod.

top DSLRs with its 49 autofocus

points, but unsurprisingly the

video specs are what make this

camera, without doubt, the real

game-changer.

Video recording at 4K and 2K

are available and – unlike the

new Sony A7S – the GH4 can

record 4K straight to the internal

SD card, albeit with some

compression and in 8-bit. This

is sensational for anyone who

wants top quality results from a

discreet package that doesn’t

need any external recording

paraphernalia.

An amazing array of bit rates

and qualities are available, along

with pro features like zebras,

peaking, microphone and

headphone sockets. To round

off a fantastic feature set, the

camera also has time-lapse and

stop motion recording facilities.

I also noticed that real

advances seem to have been

made in power consumption

over the GH3, with the battery

seeming to last ages in both

stills and video mode.

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