Cameras

Charting a course to balanced cameras (with a DSC color chart)

Posted by Michael

August has been a very busy and exciting month for me. I’ve had the opportunity to cut numerous promos for Discovery Networks. Unfortunately, amid all the hubbub, I was unable to attend the latest FCP X Round Table. Taking their rightful places at the table were FCPWORKS‘ Noah Kadner, editors Mike Matzdorff and Chris Fenwick, as well as trainers Mark Spencer, Steve Martin, and Alex Lindsay.

Last month, Noah Kadner asked if I’d be interested in writing up a guest blog for their site. I was happy to oblige and wrote up the following article about color matching my GH2, GH3, and GH4. It quickly became apparent that I’d also need to include a video tutorial to support the article. And so I did just that!

The article can be found here:

Michael Garber on the GH4 and FCP X

The video is here:

The difference between frustration and creativity.

Posted by Michael

It’s been a busy month and I’m happy to be working on a couple of projects, one corporate and one in news. On the news front, I’m now doing something that I think all editors should take the time to do: have a pre-pro conversation with the D.P. / cameraperson.

I’ve shied way from doing this for any of the news stories I edit since there was always a division between the shooters in the field and post. Also, in the days of tape, there were rarely any questions to ask as everything was shot on digibeta.

As you all know by now, I’m an advocate for merging the two worlds that are production and post-production. I finally put my money where my mouth is.

No matter how much I think I know about cameras and post, I’m always reminded that there are so many codecs, cameras, drives and connectors out there. The pipeline can be a pretty complicated system. What you don’t know is the thing that will add a roadblock to getting your work done.

The best thing that came out of the conversation was realizing that my edit system was not the only important step in the data chain. We also need to consider the system that the producer uses. Knowing that means that they will not shoot at 1080 instead of 4K since the producer’s computer won’t support it. This is just another reminder that we editors need to get outside our suites every once in awhile and talk to the folks in the field.

Considering and determining your workflow before you hit record is the difference between frustration and creativity. I’m now looking forward to the upcoming edit with confidence in what the crew will deliver.

GH4 Officially Pre-ordered

Posted by Michael

GH4 Invoice

As I  mentioned in my last post, I’ve officailly  pre-ordered the GH4. I was a little worried at first because it wasn’t available on Amazon last night. But at about 9AM PST, it came online. Now for the long wait!

Hopefully, it’ll actually arrive close to the promised date. The date happens to be very close to my birthday, so I’ll consider this my gift to myself this year!

Panasonic GH4 Available for Pre-Order tonight at Midnight!

Posted by Michael

GH4 Release

Exciting news today in the Panasonic GH-world! According to rumor sites, tonight marks the opening of pre-orders for the GH4.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 Camera Body, Black with DMW-YAGH Pro Audio Video Interface Unit $3298

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Only, Black – with 4K Video Recording $1698

Panasonic LUMIX DMW-YAGH Interface Unit, Pro Audio Video Interface for LUMIX GH4 $1998

I’ve been going back and forth on what camera I should get to upgrade from my GH3 – Blackmagic 4k, GH4, Digital Bolex, etc…? The GH4 is, for me, the obvious choice.

For starters, it fits perfectly in my existing ecosystem of equipment. If the batteries and body are the exact same, then it will fit inside my cage. I won’t have to purchase new batteries. And if shooting in 4K is overkill, then I can use my current batch of SD cards to shoot in HD.

I am also very happy that Panny is using it’s own CMOS chip instead of the Sony chip in the GH3. I always felt the GH3 suffered from poor image quality. On a recent shoot, I was plagued by moire issues and skin tone issues. In order to get proper skin tones, I’ve found that you absolutely have to white balance to a gray or white card.

Last, I’m impressed that they are also offering the DCP 4k standard of 4096 x 2160. This will be nice for getting just a little more resolution on the edges.

Of course, it’s easy to get excited about new cameras based on specs alone. Time will tell how good the camera will be. But I have decided that this is the camera I’ll be getting and most likely I’ll be pre-ordering it tonight.

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