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GH5 First Look

Mark Toal from Panasonic was at Kenmore Camera on January 23 to demo the new Lumix GH4. This is an exciting new camera from Panasonic introduced at Photokina and revealed at CES this January. This is a preproduction sample. He had 2 for being looked at. These cameras were still being finalized and had beta firmware. Some of the menu items did not work. The camera will be available at the end of March for $1999.99. The camera is bigger and a little heavier than the GH4. The camera no longer has a built in flash. They have added a … Continue reading

Blackmagic Video Assist 4K Settings, Audio and 720p on the GH4

In this second review I show most of the settings on the Blackmagic Video Assist 4K. Also the XLR adapter cable arrived so I could test out the Mini XLR audio. I did some tests in the most space efficient mode, 720P PR Proxy. 1 hour and 18 minutes is possible on a 32 GB HC card.  Also is shown how to format a SD card. A 32 GB HC or smaller cards need to be reformatted for ExFat from Fat32. They will no longer work in the GH4 formatted as ExFat. 64 GB XC cards are already formatted as ExFat. Cards formatted … Continue reading

Blackmagic Video Assist 4K UnBoxing and the GH4

The new Blackmagic Video Assist 4K was introduced at NAB2016 this year and is now available. Quite a lot of features for the money: UHD 4K recording, SDI and HDMI inputs and outputs, Mini XLR audio, ProRes Proxy, LT, Standard and HQ recording, Canon LP-E6 batteries, a mental frame all with a 1080p touch display. Watch this to see it on a GH4 and some early tests. This is the first video and covers some of the basic operation. There will be more that cover cards and audio. The Blackmagic Video Assist 4K can be ordered through Adorama for $895.00   … Continue reading

Panasonic GH4 V-Log Tests

Leica 42.5 Lens

Panasonic has released their version of V-Log for the GH4 to the world. This is some short tests of comparing it to the other Photo Styles. I choose to test it against: Standard, Cinelike V and Cinelike D. The Log color space is designed to increase dynamic range and roll off highlights better. Also it is great for matching with other cameras. If all the cameras are shooting Log, they can be matched better in Post. Keep in mind Log is designed to be used in Post so your workflow will increase. While you can get the camera in the … Continue reading

Swimming with sound: The Sound Shark

Half of what we do as media producers is record audio. The other half of course is video. Quite a few of us forget about that and sometimes something comes along that helps us record better audio. One of the most popular things to do when recording with a small mirrorless or HDSLR’s is to mount a short shotgun microphone on top of the camera. Most shotgun microphones are to be used vertically not horizontally like when they’re mounted on a camera. The microphone does not do the best rejection and does not give you the best audio in front … Continue reading

E-M5 Mark II does News

I have taken the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark 5 to do news reports for the local radio station’s YouTube channel. Most of the time the camera has behaved well. One occasion there was some moire, but minor. My bigger complaint with this camera is that the camera locks all the controls once you push the record button. The control wheels do nothing. The viewfinder does not change to the LCD when I take my eye away from it. If you are using the rear swivel LCD, one item (aperture, shutter, exposure compensation, ISO, audio volume) at a time can … Continue reading

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Arrival

Saturday was the Kenmore Camera Anniversary Sale. Olympus was on hand with the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. As turns out, they supplied Kenmore with some of the first cameras in the country. The official release date I was told was Feb. 27th. I bought one after putting it through it’s paces in the store. I took it home with me and opened the box and this is what I found. Flickr Set.

The Lumix 35-100mm F2.8 is Updated

Sorry for being away for so long. I had a very busy fall. A new important firmware update is available today from Panasonic. It address a problem that has had many owners unhappy. Some have returned the lens. I like my lens, but have noticed the micro-jitters people are complaining about. I even tested another lens at Kenmore Camera. The new firmware update for the Panasonic Lumix G X 35-100mm F2.8 O.I.S lens improves the stability of O.I.S (Optical Image Stabilizer) in Motion Picture recording. An important update when using Panasonic DMC-GH3 and the 4K video recording DMC-GH4 mirrorless models.  Details are at Panasonic support page. The … Continue reading