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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Article just posted by No Film School Red Epic vs Panasonic GH4

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Brian Merlen

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If only it was more than 8 bits in camera, and could overcrank ...
 
Magic Lantern noise was intense...
 
Cool little cam. Wondering how it will intercut with Dragon for a cooking show I'm doing. Want to hang it from the ceiling for an overhead shot
 
Zeb B said:
Cool little cam. Wondering how it will intercut with Dragon for a cooking show I'm doing. Want to hang it from the ceiling for an overhead shot
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Cutting to something from the ceiling gives you carte blanche to shoot with anything! Even cell phones.
 
Bob Gundu said:
Cutting to something from the ceiling gives you carte blanche to shoot with anything! Even cell phones.
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Gotta say, when my iPhone finally catches focus, WB and EXP . . . it's hard to beat!
 
Bob Gundu said:
I guess people forget that RED footage has no sharpening applied in-camera? Full software debayer requires sharpening.
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Getting very tired always having to explain this and had to redo shots just to prove the point. Most of them of those who shot with Red in our region just transcode to Prores 4.2.2 and post from there - soft images included. No wonder they said the other cameras are much better even if they rented them at 3 times the daily rates.
 
Zeb B said:
Gotta say, when my iPhone finally catches focus, WB and EXP . . . it's hard to beat!
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Very true. I am consistently amazed by the stills/video quality of my iPhone 5. Might use it as a b or c-cam for a project
 
Figured I should post my thoughts here. We bought the GH4 to replace our Mark III as a BTS cam and a possible B cam. Did some testing to see how/if it would intercut and at this point we had really low expectations. Turns out it cuts together better than we though. Anyone that owns or has used an Epic knows that it being "overly sharp" isn't one of the reasons you shoot with it. This video was more to show people looking to move up from a lower end DSLR that the GH4 is actually a pretty sweet little cam!
 
Luke Neumann said:
Figured I should post my thoughts here. We bought the GH4 to replace our Mark III as a BTS cam and a possible B cam. Did some testing to see how/if it would intercut and at this point we had really low expectations. Turns out it cuts together better than we though. Anyone that owns or has used an Epic knows that it being "overly sharp" isn't one of the reasons you shoot with it. This video was more to show people looking to move up from a lower end DSLR that the GH4 is actually a pretty sweet little cam!
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Thanks for the test Luke. Just curious about the focusing, as it also seemed a little off on the RED footage. And also curious if you guys saw how the footage looked with some sharpening added? Something as you know RED cameras do not add like the others.
 
Bob Gundu said:
Thanks for the test Luke. Just curious about the focusing, as it also seemed a little off on the RED footage. And also curious if you guys saw how the footage looked with some sharpening added? Something as you know RED cameras do not add like the others.
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Hey Bob, we did other tests with different lenses. If you care to, here is a shot blown up to 400% with our sharpest prime lens (Nikkor Ai-s 50mm 1.2 set to f 5.6). The Epic obviously gets close when you add post sharpening and who really crops into their Epic footage that much? When all the way out at 100% with post sharpening they look pretty close. Given the fact that most don't like their footage that sharp the Epic image is the best in my book. Just nice to know such a cheap option can be a B cam if you need it.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/pcebss6ee6gdffa/Epic_vs_GH4_2.rar
 
Les Dittert said:
If only it was more than 8 bits in camera, and could overcrank ...
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what does it put out externally through hdmi or whatever ports it has? i think some of the cheaper cameras sometimes can output higher bit rates to a external recorder this way but i know it depends on the model.
 
It was mentioned in the post that the two RAW cameras, the 5D3 and the EPIC, are doing minimal processing in the cameras, but I mentioned it again with Luke's new test, that the EPIC usually requires a bit of sharpening. What's important to remember, is that this has always been the case with DSLRs. RAW images are left essentially unprocessed in the camera versus the JPEGs they take internally. That's why Adobe Camera RAW by default adds some sharpening.

It's really not that big of a surprise when you consider that the GH4 is more of a consumer camera meant to look good with minimal effort, and the EPIC is strictly a professional camera that is meant to go through a decent post-process where you color and sharpening if you want it.

I would encourage everyone to read past the headline, as I make it clear that there are many considerations that go into what makes a good image, sharpness and resolved detail only being one part of that equation. The test, to me, simply says that the GH4 keeps up with the EPIC image in some ways, at a fraction of the cost. That's a good thing, we want better imaging technology to continue getting cheaper and cheaper, because it benefits everyone who shoots.

Even though I've already mentioned it, I think it's worth saying again that I own a SCARLET, Luke still owns his EPIC, and both of us understand the value of such a tool. Image quality of less expensive tools can, and should catch up, but obviously there are many more factors that go into why you'd choose a particular camera for a particular job. Knowing that you can cut in GH4 footage with EPIC and stay in 4K is important to know, especially since it's a B cam that any RED owner could afford.
 
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