(news & commentary)
Panasonic announced the GH4R and new firmware for the GH4 at IFA Berlin in August. The sole changes on the new version of the camera are that it allows unlimited 4K video recording and has a built-in V-Log recording mode. The new version 2.3 of the GH4 software adds the V-Log ability.
V-Log is a slightly different encoding of data that attempts to increase dynamic range of a video file by using a linearity curve that pulls deep shadows up a bit and places mid-tones slightly higher in the bit range. V-Log isn’t used for playback. Videos recorded this way have to be “graded” for final output, but there’s more data to grade, and the deep shadows aren’t as prone to blocking up due to lack of bit depth.
The 2.3 firmware update for the GH4 has a fee associated with it (US$100). Besides the V-Log change, it also supports the ability to pause Time-lapse video via a function button.
