Leica 15mm review by Blunty. Best primes for the GM1 by DxO.


GH4 tease & Leica DG Summilux 15mm f/1.7 Review by Blunty.

The 15mm Leica is the latest new MFT lens and still not shipping. So if are eagerly waiting to get the lens you can kill the time by watching the brand new review by Blunty (video on top).

And DxOmark (Click here) posted the list of best primes you can use on your tiny GM1. Noctocron and Zuiko 75mm are on top of course. Followed by the new Leica 15mm.

15mm Lens preorders:
Black lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), Wex UK (Click here), Amazon Japan (Click here).
Silver lens at Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), Amazon Japan (Click here).

GH4 preorders now shipping at Amazon and Digitalrev too. First owners reports. And Spectacular new video.

Budapest Cityscape from Joe Simon Films on Vimeo.

Many readers told me that their Gh4 preorder has now been shipped via Amazon US (Click here). And the camera is still marked as in Stock at Amazon (via Cameta), BHphoto (Click here), Digitalrev (Click here) and Cameta (Click here). For now I have no reports from European or Asian stores having the camera in Stock. And here are the first new owner reports:

Eric Naso writes:

The EVF is so very nice. It’s OLED and really sharp. it doesn’t have the distortion in the corners like the GH3 did. At least I feel it didnt. I did do a rolling shutter test and it’s better. I scratched the surface and shared a few of the features I like. Is the GH4 worth upgrading to from a GH3? I think so. The internal 4K alone is such a big deal and image is very good.

Noam Kroll writes:

All of the issues that I had with the GH3 have largely been resolved with this new camera, most notably the terrible LCD and LVF that desperately needed updating. Overall I definitely recommend this camera if you’re doing any sort of narrative, documentary, or small broadcast project that requires an extremely high quality image with a small footprint, not to mention the fact that you can also get some incredible stills on this camera makes it even more versatile as well.

North American preorders, shipping date and price:
GH4 camera at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), and Panasonic (Click here). Price: $1,698. In Canada at Vistek (Click here).
GH4 camera with interface unit at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). Price: $3,298
Interface unit only at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and Panasonic (Click here). Price: $1,998

Europen preorders, shipping date and price:
Germany: Wexcameras, Marcotec-shop.de.
UK at Wexphotographic, CameraWorld, UKdigital, CVP, TipTop.
Holland at Fotohanskeuzekamp.
Belgium at Fotokonijnenberg.
Norway at Fotovideo.
Sweden at Cyberphoto, Skandinavianphoto.
Finland at Telefoto, Topshot, Verkkoauppa.
France at Photocineshop.
Spain: Fotoboom.

New GH4 test by EosHD and Focus Numerique.

EOSHD GH4 vs GH3 rolling shutter train test from Andrew Reid on Vimeo.

We have a couple of new GH4 tests:

Panasonic GH4  Slow-mo at 96fps and 4K rolling shutter test at EosHD:

Panasonic have made great efforts to speed up the sensor in the GH4 so in slow-mo at 96p and standard 1080/60/50p the GH4 has less rolling shutter than the GH3 thanks to a 50% faster sensor readout.
In 4K mode the sensor has to readout 4x the amount of data than in 1080p and the 50% increase in readout speed isn’t enough to compensate.
The result is that in 4K the GH4 has slightly worse rolling shutter than the GH3 in 1080p.

Focus Numerique (google translation here) tested the GH4 High ISO quality:

On the 100-800 ISO range, the images of GH4 are superb with a nice dynamic and bold colors. Only at ISO 800 the finer details (100% on-screen display) are slightly faded. Nothing so dramatic. At 3200 ISO, the GH4 provides the first signs of weakness with greater noise and greater detail and dynamics loss. Again, the images are usable, but beyond this sensitivity, the damage will be greater.

North American preorders, shipping date and price:
GH4 camera at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), and Panasonic (Click here). Price: $1,698. In Canada at Vistek (Click here).
GH4 camera with interface unit at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). Price: $3,298
Interface unit only at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and Panasonic (Click here). Price: $1,998

Europen preorders, shipping date and price:
Germany: Wexcameras, Marcotec-shop.de.
UK at Wexphotographic, CameraWorld, UKdigital, CVP, TipTop.
Holland at Fotohanskeuzekamp.
Belgium at Fotokonijnenberg.
Norway at Fotovideo.
Sweden at Cyberphoto, Skandinavianphoto.
Finland at Telefoto, Topshot, Verkkoauppa.
France at Photocineshop.
Spain: Fotoboom.

Good news: Panasonic says GH4 preorders exceeded the expectations. Will ramp up production.

Panasonic Japan announced that the GH4 preorders were higher than expected and that they will try to increase the current production to meet the unexpected high demand. Currently the only cameras that have been shipped were sold by US stores and this also represents a first strategy change at Panasonic. They are now trying to increase their visibility on the US market. UPDATE: Personal-View has some GH4 in Stock and shipping worldwide.

And Photographyblog posted the full GH4 review and they are impressed by the camera:

The Lumix DMC-GH4 is a major step forward for Panasonic’s flagship camera, not only in terms of 4K video but also for the still image quality, responsiveness and handling. Even the asking price of £1299.99 / $1699.99 body-only seems like very good value for money given all the extra features that Panasonic have added, which means that the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 is a very worthy winner of our coveted Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 Essential! award.

Camerastuffreview writes:

The Panasonic GH4 is, in terms of ease of use, construction quality and image quality, a professional camera for video and photo – given the speed of the contrast AF – also for action and sports. A couple years ago, this was thought impossible. That is a top performance from Panasonic.

And so far the Sony A7s doesn’t seem to be a real competitor of the GH4. While the High ISO performance of the Sony is impressive (and so the pixel per pixel readout) the A7s is twice as expensive, cannot record 4K internally and has no 10bit out. And of course the Sony A7 series is known to have a very slow autofocus system too.

North American preorders, shipping date and price:
GH4 camera at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), and Panasonic (Click here). Price: $1,698. In Canada at Vistek (Click here).
GH4 camera with interface unit at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). Price: $3,298
Interface unit only at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and Panasonic (Click here). Price: $1,998

Europen preorders, shipping date and price:
Germany: Wexcameras, Marcotec-shop.de.
UK at Wexphotographic, CameraWorld, UKdigital, CVP, TipTop.
Holland at Fotohanskeuzekamp.
Belgium at Fotokonijnenberg.
Norway at Fotovideo.
Sweden at Cyberphoto, Skandinavianphoto.
Finland at Telefoto, Topshot, Verkkoauppa.
France at Photocineshop.
Spain: Fotoboom.

First GH4 review by ePhotozine: “dream camera”. Five in Stock now at Kenmore!

[shoplink 45808 ebay][/shoplink]

The Gh4 is now in Stock and shipping at [shoplink 45808 ebay]KenmoreCamera via eBay US (Click here)[/shoplink].

And ePhotozine posted the first full GH4 review and calls it a “dream camera”:

The Panasonic Lumix GH4 introduces a completely new, cutting edge technology, namely 4K video recording. This is at a price point less than the RRP of the previous model, and is priced without it seeming like it’s been marked up at all, despite being one of the first cameras to offer 4K as well as stills photography.
This would make an excellent choice for those that want high image quality, but want a DSLR styled camera, with the improved (electronic) viewfinder making the camera enjoyable to use in a variety of conditions.
The Panasonic Lumix GH4 is a dream camera for the videographer and photographer alike.

Focus on stills: Panasonic GH4 image samples and tests.

Image courtesy: Imaging Resource

We talked a lot about the GH4 amazing 4K video quality. But now let’s focus on the brand new stills test:
Imaging Resource added the GH4 to their comparometer.
Photograhyblog posted a set of full size image samples and a short ISO test.
ePhotozine also posted image samples, ISO samples and White balance test. You can also download the RAW files.

Would be nice to hear your opinion about the GH4 stills quality. As far as I can tell there is small improvement over the GH3 and also a different kind of handling noise.

–

North American preorders, shipping date and price:
GH4 camera at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), and Panasonic (Click here). Price: $1,698. In Canada at Vistek (Click here).
GH4 camera with interface unit at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). Price: $3,298
Interface unit only at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and Panasonic (Click here). Price: $1,998

Europen preorders, shipping date and price:
Germany: Wexcameras, Marcotec-shop.de.
UK at Wexphotographic, CameraWorld, UKdigital, CVP, TipTop.
Holland at Fotohanskeuzekamp.
Belgium at Fotokonijnenberg.
Norway at Fotovideo.
Sweden at Cyberphoto, Skandinavianphoto.
Finland at Telefoto, Topshot, Verkkoauppa.
France at Photocineshop.
Spain: Fotoboom.

Panasonic GH4 field review at Luminous Landscape.

Panasonic GH4 Sample Images from The Luminous Landscape on Vimeo.

Michael Reichmann from Luminous Landscape (Click here) posted an initial field review of the Panasonic GH4. The first conclusion is:

To summarize the GH4 in a single sentence, I would say that this is a MFT system camera that is fully competitive in terms of features, functionality and image quality with anything currently on the market. It leaves little undelivered for stills work. If a 16MP image size is adequate for your shooting (and it is for mine), then you’ll likely find the GH4 a very practical and enjoyable stills camera.
When it comes to video, the GH4 is in a class of its own. There is nothing currently on the market, or even announced from any manufacturer, that can trump the GH4 when it comes to video in a DSLR / CSC form factor. This is the only camera of its type that can shoot 4K to an internal card, and which also features variable frame rates in HD mode. Note though that a U3 rated card is needed for the highest video bandwidth. These cards are still very pricy.
Oh yes – and at $1,699 the GH4 is nothing short of a bargain.

That’s a good start for a first impression review ;)

North American preorders, shipping date and price:
GH4 camera at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), and Panasonic (Click here). Price: $1,698. In Canada at Vistek (Click here).
GH4 camera with interface unit at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). Price: $3,298
Interface unit only at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and Panasonic (Click here). Price: $1,998

Europen preorders, shipping date and price:
Germany: Wexcameras, Marcotec-shop.de.
UK at Wexphotographic, CameraWorld, UKdigital, CVP, TipTop.
Holland at Fotohanskeuzekamp.
Belgium at Fotokonijnenberg.
Norway at Fotovideo.
Sweden at Cyberphoto, Skandinavianphoto.
Finland at Telefoto, Topshot, Verkkoauppa.
France at Photocineshop.
Spain: Fotoboom.

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