Panasonic GH4 Video Review 

Another loyal Canon user is leaving, is Canon watching this? Great review Caleb, I hope to have mine done pretty soon.

pressed LIKE even before I pressed PLAY..thats how confident I am about your reviews!

It’s June 2020, after Covid. I lost all my canon equipment to the pawnshop and I’m getting a GH4 tomorrow.

Wow. One of the best reviewers I've seen. Quietly spoken but articulate. Comprehensive. No nonsense. Straight shooter. (Pardon the pun)

Sitting here in 2019 at a Starbucks - my eBay order of a GH4 just got delivered and is waiting at home, but I'm watching this instead of going home and shooting. I am what's wrong with the consumer camera market.

I love this camera, especially with the Metbones for 35mm glass. Here is a quick test I did with a Canon 24-105mm L series lens. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8DBvsDb80dw.html

Welcome to the club. For those of us who were already here we know how wonderful these cameras are. I traded my Canon 3 years ago for Panasonic and have not looked back. I am glad this camera is making converts. I knew it would.

I'm not even sure I'm getting this camera yet but I watched every second of that video. Great job Caleb!

Thank You! I have read and viewed every GH4 review and this one blows all of them out of the water. It answers almost every question I have regarding the GH4. I really appreciate your time and expertise in your reviews. Look forward to more videos on GH4. Excellent Review

Really nice job on the review Caleb! Loving my GH4 so far but finding some funkiness on skin tones with most looking a little too orange or red. Haven't figured out whether it is the Cinelike D picture picture style but otherwise, quite pleased with that this little cam can do.

I got the G7 as my first cam back in Feb and I love it!!! Panasonic is a great starter brand

I'm selling my 5D Mark III and 21mm Zeiss f/2.8 in favor of the GH4 with a couple of Voigtlander lenses. Main reasons are: 96fps, 4K scaled to 1080p, and the overall compactness in terms of battery, sound, display and pure size and weight compared to the MkIII. Thanks for the amazing Review Caleb.

my only DSLR camera with video is my nikon D5000 but i now need to upgrade and the GH4 seems to me to be the right direction to go in. its videos like this one that is making my choices easier to make. good job and keep up the good work.

This is one of the most well made videos I've ever seen on RU-vid. Thanks

I am mostly a ground and aerial stills photographer and had to buy the GH4 for a gimbal on one of my drones. I use 5dmk3s for everything on the ground - but - once i started to get into the GH4 and buy the panasonic 12-35 and 35-70 lenses i was blown away by how versatile this camera is. I have come into video late in the day but I'm loving shooting video and learning the complexity of the new language plus final cut pro x too. Thanks for a great review of the mostly pros and the low light cons. Like you I'm now considering selling all my canon gear and going the panasonic route. If the GH5 has at least a 20mp sensor I think that will be the break point for me to do this. I took the GH4 on holiday with both lenses and a flash gun and it all fitted into a small bag, try doing that with my L series lenses! I'm now going to check out your other links - Nick

I own two 60D canon camera and they pay my bills, but I'm about to sell one for a GH4 and invest some cash into 4k. Downscaling the 4k 4:2:0 into 1080p 4:4:4 looks amazing and 96fps is beautiful!

Thanks for taking the time out to make this video.

Thank you so much for putting in the time and effort to make this *HUGE* review. I was thinking about this camera... but thought I'd be better off waiting for a Canon competitor. After watching this, I'm about to go and sell most of my Canon gear too! Can't wait to get my hands on this!!!

Nice review! The best I've seen about GH4! I'm looking a new camera for our vlogs. We are ok with our Sony a5100 but definitively we need a camera with external mic input in order to improve the sound. We have checked the Sony a6300 (no flipping screen) and the GH4, of course. I have some Canon lenses (24-70L f2.8 and 50mm f1.4) and I would like to use them with the Metabones+GH4, but do you think is it ok for vlogging? I mean, can the Canon lenses with Metabones autofocus and stabilize? Or do I loose control of the Canon lenses? Sorry if you talked about it in the video, but my English is really bad and I couldn't understand all the pros/cons of Metabones. Thank you!!

One of the best, detailed and well thought dslr tutorials i have ever seen, especially on the gh4. (Speedbooster and canon lens issue-) Content covered, spokes man, editing. A well argument based opinion but still inter-subjective enough to avoid the fanboy feeling. Keep it up like this!

Absolutely loved your review, as expected. You really covered so many significant lesser acknowledged points like bringing back detail from overexposure, EVF value vs Canon options, flip out screen, compactness, speedbooster, voigtlander lenses, etc. . Only thing is I think it would have been nice to mention how pleasing the noise/grain looks at 800 and less (with -5 noise reduction) and that the crop factor is actually 2.3 and not 2.0 in UHD and 4K mode. 2.0 in 1080p

Huge Panasonic fan way back to the SD days! Shot my entire low budget horror film on the GH2! Still using that little guy! Looking to upgrade to the GH4. Thanks for this awesome review!

What is the cage rig you have on the camera?

great review!....since i started to look up for a camera i was going for a mark 2 cuz budget but i found this treasure and my heart is now on this boat. Thank you Panasonic, and Caleb for the vid!

I need this camera in my life! Great review. Thanks for making such a high quality video.

You are such a great storyteller ! I'm not native speaker but I swear that,on the moments, I feel like one while listening these reviews. Thank you

So the Auto focus works for Video as well?

Cant wait to see more about the GH4 Caleb! Thank you. I bought this camera but have only shot 1 video with it so far. Been kind of lazy to figure everything out so your guides will help greatly :)

Caleb, I always look forward to your reviews because they are so well done. This is one of your best reviews because it mentioned almost everything I experienced when shooting on the GH4. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and expertise and I look forward to seeing more great videos from you!

Its 2021 and im still with gh4. Yes, there are nany other units out there that can crush it, but if you really no your lighting and push this thing to its limits, i think its still relavent in 21. If someone said I'll swap you for my gh5s, then offcourse i would, but for now I'm still happy with it.

Caleb-- Thanks for the review. One little correction though-- the Voightlander *OPENS UP* to .95, it does not *GO DOWN* to that number. When you are talking f-stops, the higher number is DOWN, and the lower number is UP. That is because f-stop is a ratio, and that makes the smaller numbers larger openings. That lens goes DOWN to f16.

By far the best review on this camera... Been watching vids on this camera for weeks and this one provides the most info and explanation of the video and features.

God man you got skills on video!!! GOD !! i am looking at all of your vids one by one trying to find a way to do some kind of those intros and those close ups with the red light you are making !! You got some serious skills man well done !!!

Really good. I like how you went into detail about the file sizes and SD cards. In the real world it's not all about pretty pictures, it's about details like that. Thanks.

Outstanding review. Long but informative and gives a good overall feel of the capabilities. I'm a Canon shooter and I totally agree with the "I'm sick of the Canon crap". It's like they have meetings and discuss how they will screw with their loyal clients. It's sad. This GH4 looks like an honest little trooper.

Fantastic and thorough review. I'm a bit late to the GH4 party, but thanks very much for sharing your tests and opinions. I'm also tired of Canon's artificial feature restrictions and the GH4 has me seriously considering selling all my Canon gear. My hesitations are things like low-light performance, shallow DOF, and wide angle framing; and you've addressed all of these in a lot of depth. Great job!

the best review i saw for this camera, and i saw a lot. great way of explaining the hardware and user point of view. keep it great man. take care.

Excellent review.. in all aspects and with great depth. I have a GH3 and love it. It does all that I want (for a serious enthusiast). The GH3 is a lot cheaper (about $650 less with lens) and does all that the younger sibling can do. For most of us, we do not really need to shoot 4K for good videos.

A great, great in-depth review. Myself I'm not giving up on Canon just yet, instead spending a little time and money on the ML RAW workflow until they shape up...

Hi Caleb, thanks for this.. i was a little apprehensive on this camera. The thing that most attracts me to this little number is the battery life that everyone is raving about and that creamy slow-mo for event work.. I've be getting more wedding gigs and this seems like a no brainer. especially coming from a T3i.. Great review!!!

Awesome review! I'm renting the GH4 tomorrow to use on a film shoot this weekend and this helped me so much in getting more acquainted with the camera.

As old as this video is, it has helped me out a great deal! I am on a fixed income and this is one I have been looking at.....Thank You for taking the time to do this review!

awesome review! Would love to see the next update to have the different picture styles compared.

When you mentioned the Metabones SB at 17:48 you said that it 'turns the m4/3 2x crop to an APS-C size sensor (1.62x crop).' From my research it seems that the crop factor is actually closer to that of a Super 35 sensor (1.39x crop). 2x crop (m4/3) * 0.71x crop (SB) = 1.42x crop (m4/3 with SB)

Thank you so much for this fantastic review, Yourself and Dave Dugdales Review of the GH4 have been some of the best (if not the best) reviews of a DSLR Camera. Both of you have solidified this as my next camera purchase. Thanks, SUBSCRIBED

Great review! Just purchased the camera but have been apprehensive about what direction to go with lenses - thanks for the overview. The speedbooster looks like it will be a must. I too am a loyal canon user in the midst of switching gear.

I'm enjoying my GH4 for non-cinematic projects, like interviews and sports and some wildlife. But for my narrative, I still enjoy the full frame DOF and I like to be closer to my subject, because I'm usually in tight spaces, or I don't want to be too far from my subjects out in public. Also, I don't like ultra sharp for people's close ups, and I like the option for low light. Well, I still prefer my 5d3 right now, I'm kind of interested in the a7s, but only time will tell. Thanks for this detailed review!

THX Caleb, You Killed it on this one! can't wait to see other videos on GH4

All reviews should be like this on the internet

Great Panasonic GH4 camera review Caleb. I bought the Panasonic GH4 camera and a Metabones Speedbooster so I can us my Nikon Nikkor lenses with it. I have't got rid of my Nikon camera bodies yet but I do love my Panasonic GH4 :-)

Awesome! Thanks Caleb, for the well thought out review covering a lot of subjects.

Thanks for the video! I love my GH4 and will be ordering your course on the camera.

Now Im getting a GH4 ;-) Thanks alot Caleb for being so thorough!

Thank you!!! I learned a lot - trying to decide which camera to buy....this really helped... I'm usually renting but want my own.... keep 'em coming!

Very informative, thx ! Very helpful. I agree on the Canon topic. Offloaded all my Canon gear, got good prices and now i feel as light as a feather !

It's here! YES! Huge THUMB UP for the hard work put into this, thanks!

Thanks to Caleb, I just picked this up. Keep up the fantastic work, my brutha!

Looking to purchase my first camera, and this video has been such a gift. Thank you so much.

As a lens option I don't know why you didn't mention Olympus MFT lenses. I have two Olympus lenses, both 1.8, one 17mm, the other 45mm: AWESOME results with either, but both relatively economical. Of course, I use them on my GH3, but there should be little to no difference between the GH3 and GH4 in terms of quality. Also, the adapters for the Minolta AF lenses yields great quality and sharp focus. I'd much rather use the minolta Af and M lenses with adapters than the Nikon...but, that, of course, is in some degree personal taste. There's nothing like having the right tool for the right job.

Fantastic. I'm a canon user and got my GH4 recently. Thanks for this in depth review. Awesome production for this review. Keep up the good work. I'm looking to jump ship from my 5d as well. Blessings!

Can i just say that i have never seen a review done this well! You are solid man! Very helpful! Biggest question: Can i fit my cropped sensor lens that i have for my canon 70D with the speed-booster and have access to the aperture in the GH4?

Awesome review! Love my GH4 & 12-35mm. Still hanging on to my C100, it's a beast in low-light.

Great review of the GH4 and why you are switching. The thing that bums me out the most is the ISO noise. I find it pretty bad at 1600 and barely acceptable at 800. I want to use mine as a B camera with the C100 and would like to be able to bump up the ISO to at least 850 to keep up. Other than that it really is a great camera at a great price.

Caleb, thanks for another great review. One question... In the DOF tests could you confirm how the crop factors affect the focal length and aperture? Please correct me if I'm wrong on this: In shot one, the 70mm @ f/2.8 on a standard adapter becomes 140mm @ f/5.6. In shot two, the 70mm @ f/2.8 on the Speedbooster becomes 105mm @ about f/3.2 (2.8 x 1.5 plus one stop). In shot three, the 35mm @ f/2.8 becomes 70mm @ f/5.6. In shot four the 70mm @ 2.8 is exactly that. I would love to see another test where the aperture and focal lengths are equal *after* applying the crop factor. Thanks again.

Great review!!! Especially for the section of lenses options / distance from camera to subject plus depth of field. Love it!!!

Awesome review, although I wish you could have shown us footage that had been recorded on a field recorder and been compressed in post rather than in camera but still I am definitely interested in what the GH4 has to offer.

Best GH4 review on the entire internet.

Would you at least want a low to high impedence adapter if you aren't going to buy a XLR preamp interface? Has anyone tried this with a dynamic mic straight into the camera, if so how are the cameras preamps, was there any hiss? For example, a SURE SM57 plugged straight in or with the use of an impedence adapter?

Great content. I hate the house music in the cut scenes though. I'm glad you went in depth on the lens options.

Great review! A couple of questions: - What was the cage you were using and does it work with all the GH models? - What was the mic you were using? - Any reason you didn't go with the GH4's interface? Cheers, Mark

Fantastic review Caleb! My biggest issue with it right now is focussing while shooting, and I can't seem to get the menu options right. Is there seriously no way to punch in (to focus) while recording? Thanks for the excellent info!

The GH4 really seems to be very different compared to the other canon cameras! Great video! Keep it up! Pursue your dreams!

Fantastic review! I am still shooting on a GH2 but will definitely be sticking with Panny when it's time for an upgrade, these features are amazing.

i have the 5 d mark iii and after seeing your review i couldnt agree more about the canon line......i am definitely buying the GH4

Great informative review! You have helped me a lot since I got to see your legacy nikon lenses video a few years ago. Thanks!

Thanks for the review… interesting to hear about the timeline settings when working with 4K and the downscaling etc. as well as the Field of view tests. I certainly agree with your view on the Canon product progression!

The best review of Panasonic GH4!

Excellent review, bro ! When will your video guide for the GH4 be out ? Can't wait ... keep up the good work, bro !

what an effort you put in your videos! Great review, thx a lot!

Awesome review! Makes me want it even more.

watching this in 2021 and still very useful.

Great review, so much information presented like a big infomercial for avid video enthusiasts. Go ahead and pull the trigger on the 12-35 Panasonic 2.8 you won't regret it I've been using it for about a year now on a GH3 and love it.

thanks for putting in the time for a monster review like this Caleb! I'd love to see some more examples of the speed-booster moire, I wasn't aware of that problem. Would you say the rolling shutter is noticeably worse than your 6D?

Really excellent, Caleb. Spoiled only by the fact that I now REALLY want it - more than I did yesterday :-) Speedbooster seems like a viable option for utilising existing glass. Looking forward to Dave Dugdale's forthcoming review, too.

Thanks for this review. I am a ex pro snowboarding/skate photographer back in the film days. Shot Canon 5 and still have a couple lense from then - a f2.8 70-200 Tonika. BUT I want to take that skill set into short form video grapher. The slowmo of this thing is a HUGE must for me, as I want to shoot action sports, plus Image stabilisation. A question is what lense would I need to match full frame super wide 18-35mm, 50mm and 70-200mm - I am a bit puzzled. I like the speed boost converter as fast lense and short focus is a cool tool. Thanks mate.

Amazing Review Just bought the GH4 !!

Another question - why are all the Speedbooster shots more cropped than the non-speedbooster shots? The speed booster is supposed to increase angle of view.

Nice review, but no mention of Olympus m4/3rd lenses; some really great glass there!

Very helpful, Caleb! I'm subscribing. I was especially intrigued that your mic did not go through a pre-amp and it was quite clean, to my ears. I've been reading and watching reviews for weeks that maintain the need for pre-amps and/or double-recording to an audio recorder. Any thoughts to share?

Great review! You really covered all the bases.

Nice GH4 review. The only issue I see is the low light performance, which isn't really an issue with my Voitlander lenses.

The lens / mount / adapter comparisons were super informative. Thanks!

Thanks, really excited for seeing more from this camera. Might be my next camera (upgrading from t2i). Losing my canon lenses will suck though...oh well if canon can't get it together.

Thanks Caleb! Very interesting (and thorough) review.

Tnx for the review. I've already seen many review but this one answers most of my questions!

Awesome camera. Panasonic actually cares and not trying to rip off customers like Canon. Canon doesn't even have clean HDMI out on any of the crop sensor cameras. They just don't give a sh!t anymore.

Ahh, man, great review Caleb. Only downside is the pricey cross grade with using my existing Canon mount lenses. The Panasonic MFT X lenses aren't cheap either! So, while I'd love to upgrade to buying one of these GH4 babies - in the back of my mind, Canon HAS TO compete, surely bring out a 4K equivalent with an EF mount at a similar price point? Wishful thinking perhaps.... The other option with the GH4 is to use Vintage manual prime lenses with a MFT adaptor, which are much cheaper and actually very good quality compared to newer lenses. Looks like an incredible camera though, so I'm sorely tempted!! Arrghhh lol.

This was such an awesome review, if I get enough people to watch my videos and get money i'll definitely be buying this camera!

finished watching the review - thank you so much - think you have pushed me over - to go and get a gh4

Joining to the team, going to sell my Canon set pretty soon. Planning to get this machine, put that sweetie booster on it, a Sigma 18-35 f1.8 CONVERTED TO 1.2 with a little cut which i also would be far ok with, thanks to that magic german stuff. And still I can get those tiny lenses, which is comfortable for travelling. Im impatient :)