Here is Panasonic's GH 4K Camera, Coming This February for $2,000 or Less

4K is the name of the game at CES this year, and that includes some new camera models capable of the format. Sony showed their hand with the $2,000 4K handycam, and now Panasonic has unveiled more about the GH 4K, which will fit into their mirrorless camera line. Engadget snapped a few photos of the new 4K cam at the Panasonic booth, and managed to get some new details from the representative there. 

Here is what engadget posted, followed by some photos:

UHD content can be recorded at 200 Mbps, and output in a full live feed via a mini-HDMI port (thanks to ALL-I Intra mode) to display on a computer or record to a hard drive. Of course, the Micro-Four Thirds shooter can save footage straight to an SDXC card — a UHS Class 3 prototype variant tuned for such a task was on display — though space will run out fairly quickly.

And on price:

More details are set to arrive with the camera’s official release in late February, when it’ll arrive with a price tag of $2,000 or less.

 
 

As a quick refresher, these are the rumored specs we got last fall:

• 16mp 
• 1/8000 shutter 
• 1mil dot OLED screen 
• 21mm OLED viewfinder, 3,000+ dot. 
• Time code 
• 200mbps mp4 All-i/100mbps IPB 
• 4k up to 30p 
• 4:2:2 10/8bit output 
• 3G-SDI and XLR adaptor (An adaptor that the camera sits on with XLR x2, HD-SDI x4) 

Seems that those rumors are right on in terms of specs, as the 200mbps intraframe codec was confirmed by the Panasonic rep. Surprisingly, the final price may actually turn out to be cheaper than the rumor at $2,000 or less — so this will be the most affordable interchangeable lens 4K camera when it is released (unless something is announced from another company sooner). Many aren’t crazy about the Micro 4/3 format, but it does mean you can attach all sorts of accessories, like the Metabones Speed Booster, and get more out of the lenses you already have.

The camera looks just like the GH3 at the moment, but we don’t yet know if this will be the final model coming in February. The full live feed mentioned may just mean a high-quality 1080p output, though it would be rather interesting if they were actually going to send out a 4K signal from the camera — as the current options for displaying and recording that kind of resolution are limited. I think many would be happy to see some sort of 10-bit log output from the camera that could be recorded onto an external recorder into ProRes or DNxHD (even better would be 10-bit internal log). That would add some size to the rig, but for something that’s going to be heavily color graded, a high bit depth 1080 image does more for you than a compressed and lower bit depth 4K image.

At 200mbps (25 Megabytes per second), that’s going to be 1.5GB a minute, or 90GB per hour. Just like shooting RAW on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, it’s a lot of data for SD cards, which is why Panasonic was showing a new SD card guaranteed to sustain the data rates. You may not actually need something like that though, as the Sandisk 95MB/s card can sustain RAW from the Pocket, which is actually recording at a higher data rate.

This could turn out to be a very interesting option with what is already going to be a very 4K heavy year. More details will likely emerge before the announcement — so stay tuned.

Link: Panasonic’s next GH mirrorless camera — engadget

Source: http://nofilmschool.com/2014/01/panasonic-gh4k-4k-camera-february-2000-or-less/

CES 2014: 4K round up

Things have now wrapped up in Vegas at CES. With an event deemed one of the largest consumer electronics shows in the world, it’s no surprise that manufacturers will be presenting their top of the line products, what they consider the ‘next big thing’. It’s again no surprise that we find 4K technology at the forefront. 

In this article I’ll aim to round up all the latest 4K announcements, starting with probably the most exciting and relevant to our readers – cameras.

Cameras

In addition to Sony’s latest 4K camera offering we covered in a recent article, we have a new 4K camera from another big player.
There was much anticipation as to when Panasonic was going to jump on the 4K train; it was heavily implied through online documentation that it would come from a micro four thirds mirror camera system, and it has. The GH 4k camera has been revealed, with little more than what seems a re-labelled GH3 to look at in a glass box. Confirmed specs are 200mbps intraframe codec recording, recording to SDXC memory cards and a mini HDMI for live view output. A list of rumored specs include:

16mp
1/8000 shutter
1mil dot OLED screen
21mm OLED viewfinder, 3,000+ dot.
Time code
200mbps mp4 All-i/100mbps IPB
4k up to 30p
4:2:2 10/8bit output
3G-SDI and XLR adaptor





CES 2013 saw debut of the Panasonic HX-A100, a waterproof wifi enabled wearable camera. This year panasonic has brought the POV cam up to date giving it a 4K boost. Like the GH 4k, the ‘prototype’ looks very similar to it’s predecessor. We also don’t have a spec sheet for this, but going by the HX-A100 I’d expect the 4K cam to shoot up to 120p at 720, reducing to at least 30p for 4K.



Televisions

Next we look at TVs; they’re not a subject we usually cover as the link with filmmaking is somewhat indirect, but when ingesting coverage from CES, it’s hard to ignore how many manufacturers have been investing in the technology. Fake 4K, quad 4K, curved 4K, projected 4K, we have it all.

Sharp Quattron Plus

This system is the aforementioned faux 4K; the television transforms HD content 4-fold by create sub pixels from real pixels. A cost effective way of viewing resolution greater than HD without hitting the bottleneck of limited 4K distribution. Does it work? Gizmodo were impressed when comparing it to standard HD side by side.



Panasonic Life+Screen

Panasonic’s offering combines a Smart TV with the latest 4K LED technology that they claim to be plasma-level image quality. They’re Life+Screen line includes screens from 58-65 inches, with also mention of an 85″ 4K LED screen in the future.



Samsung QUHD 8K TV

Is the whole 4K movement a little underwhelming for you? Try Samsung’s prototype 8K television. As it’s name suggests, this quad 4K panel displays a staggering 8K resolution display. The drawback (besides the astronomical price)? There’s no content that will truly take advantage of this. The prototype was displaying an image made up of multiple camera sources.



Sony latest 4K panels and show throw 4K projector

Sony has bolstered its 4K arsenal with release of two TVs opening up a new XBR X950B line. These 4K panels come in 85 and 65 inches, boasting features such as 3D, Wi-Fi, screen mirroring with NFC OneTouch and MHL 3.0.



The more exciting announcement from Sony comes in form of a 4K short throw projector. This stunning piece of tech takes the contemporary approach of less-is-more in its appearance; you simply place the projector close to any wall that can accommodate its 66-inches to 147-inch adjustable display. You’re not likely to see too many of these about, as the projected list price is under $40,000!

LG Flexible OLED 4K TV

We’ve seen curved TVs from



Samsung in the past, and to be completely honest, without experiencing one first hand I’m yet to gain an opinion on how effective/relevant these may be for filmmaking. The price like a lot of revolutionary tech will reserve the format for premium paying consumer users. I can’t see this affecting how we shoot anytime soon. CES saw LG present a prototype OLED 4K curved TV; the said inferior Samsung is not OLED. The LG is 77″ and won’t be available until a fair bit later on in the year.

When I saw the first television commercial for Sony’s 4K TV a couple of months ago, my initial thoughts we’re “way too premature”. And I stand by this. 4K content is currently still so niche. We don’t broadcast in 4K, there’s no 4K disc format, and online content is very limited. We still don’t even have a standardisation; there are two resolutions currently in use, ultra HD at 3840×2160, and 4K is 4096×2160. Investment in the format for end use can easily wait another 18 months.



Netflix’s latest announcement offers reassurance to the format however. CEO Reed Hasting’s was quoted at CES that all future original Netflix content will be shot in ultra HD. More news like this will provide relevance to the format, more desire to own technology that can cater for it.

Monitoring

For filmmaking, I stand by those who consider 4K’s primary uses not for final output. But for reframing, stabilizing, and downscaling to enhance HD. There’s many that will disagree. Either way, 4K has arrived and it’s building in numbers. Should we embrace, and get in line for the latest 4K consumer TV? Maybe not just yet. As filmmakers, more relevance lies in the form of 4K acquisition, and 4K monitoring. 2013 paved the way for the former, I’m excited to see more of the latter.



Asus has responded with announcement of a 4K 31.5″ monitor. It offers an UHD resolution at 3840 x 2160. It’s ultra thin and features dual HDMI for simultaneous output. Asus has a previous track record for good quality v price (I own an Asus myself as a result), with a price looking to be $799, one half of the formula is already complete.

Dell has released a few 4K monitors now;  

The initial two carried fairly steep price tags ($1,299 for the 24 inch model and $3,322 for the 32-inch). However their new 28″ display, the 2815Q is a little more entry level conscious, beating the Asus in price at just $699. Like the Asus, it will have a resolution of 3840 x 2160 via an anti-glare TN panel. The usual USB hub, HDMI and mini display outputs are included.

Last is a release from Lenova. The ThinkVision Pro2840m shadows the spec of the Dell; it has a 28″ 3840 X 2160 display. It utilizes an unknown panel however is said to meet a 72% color gamut. The monitor has edge-to-edge glass and features touch sensitive controls; I’m not overly fussed on this, I can imagine it being a heaven for greasy fingerprints surrounding your screen.



The next step from these computer displays would be reference monitors. This category can often make one wince when considering the damage a purchase can do to the wallet. Naturally, a 4K reference monitor is not going to let you off lightly.

Panasonic has recently announced a 31.5″ monitor entering this category. The Panasonic BT-4LH310E is a 2k/4k LCD reference monitor. Here’s an extract from Cinescopophilia:

“Boasting a 4096 x 2160 resolution 10-bit horizontally-aligned IPS LCD panel with high contrast (1450:1) and 178o degree vertical/horizontal viewing angles, the BT-4LH310E monitor supports 4K 4096 x 2160, QFHD 3840 x 2160, 2K, HD and SD work-flows.
A true cinema production tool, the BT-4LH310E supports DCI-P3 colour space, which is defined by more than 96 percent coverage of DCI-P3, and facilitates digital cinema workflow with a LUT upload function. The BT-4LH310E can also accurately display industry standard colour space with 100 percent coverage for ITU-R BT.709, EBU and SMPTE-C.”



At £28K, this won’t be at the top of many people’s realistic wish list. But this doesn’t come close Canon’s 40K offering. The DP-V3010, announced towards the end of last is a 16:10 4K reference monitor. It has a 30″ 4096X2560 display, providing a 2000:1 DCI complaint contrast ratio.

With the speed of the industry moving at its current rate, this article will undoubtedly become out-dated very soon. But with the doors just closing at CES in Vegas, it seemed only fitting to provide you with an overview of some of the current/future 4K products we have to look forward to.

via Gizmodo/ Appleinsider/ cinema5d

Lenovo takes a swing at MacBook Pro Retina with 4K Ultra HD Y50

Lenovo is entering MacBook Pro Retina territory with its new Y50 and Y40, a disk drive-less additions set of notebooks featuring Ultra HD 4K displays. 

Featuring an optional Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 screen, the 15.6-inch Lenovo Y50 is pegged as a lightweight Ultra HD 4K gaming laptop. The Y50 can be optioned up to a 4th generation "Haswell" Intel Core i7-4702HQ processor as well as one of the latest Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics card.

Of course the biggest change from Lenovo Y500 - other than that one less zero - is Lenovo scrapping the disk drive to make the new laptop just 23.9mm (0.94in) thin. The Y50 also comes with 16GB of DDR3L memory stock. Customers will have options to swap out the 1TB HDD for an 1TB hybrid drive with 8GB of SSD cache or a 512GB SSD with Windows 8.1 preloaded.

The Y50's 14-inch little brother, the Lenovo Y40, is similarly spec'd though it comes with a 4GB AMD Radeon R9 M270 dedicated graphics card. Both the notebooks also have a 720p HD webcam, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, HDMI-out, and a 2-in-1 card reader.

Lenovo stated the new ultra-portables will enter the market beginning in May starting at $999 (about £608/AU$1,115).Thin and light



The Lenovo Z40 comes in a trio of colors

Keeping in line with maintaining portability, Lenovo also introduced two other lightweight notebooks, the Z40 and Z50.

The 15.6-inch Lenovo Z50 features a 16:9 inch widescreen with an optional maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080. Underneath, the processor can be bumped up to a Haswell Intel Core i7-4500U processor, a 4GB Nvidia GeForce 840M for graphics, and 16GB DDR3L memory.

The Lenovo Z40, the Z50's littler 14-inch brother, comes outfitted with the same hardware. The smaller Z40 road-warrior also weighs a bit less at four pounds (2.1kg), where as the Z50 is a five pounder (2.5kg).

Windows 8.1 comes preloaded on the Z50 and Z40's 1TB HDD or 1TB Hybrid Drive with 8GB of SSD cache. Lenovo promises its Z-line of notebooks will have a battery life of five hours when they land later this March for $599 (about £365/AU$668).Space-saving All-in-Ones



Lenovos's WQHD AiO entry, the A740

In the last line of lightweight designs, Lenovo also brought out the C560, an All-in-One desktop bringing 23-inch touchscreen interactivity to the family.

With a 1920 x 1080 multitouch display, the C560 will swipe quickly through animations as it comes powered with an Intel Core i3-4130T processor and 1GB Nvidia 705A graphics card. On board, there's also 8GB of RAM and a 2TB 7200rpm HDD with Windows 8.1 preloaded.

Another ringer in the AiO line up, Lenovo also added the A740. The biggest thing about the A740 is its honking 27-inch, WQHD 2560 x 1440 desktop screen. There's also more than a handful of internals to gawk at, including the Haswell Intel Core i7-4558U processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics card, and 8GB of RAM.



Android comes to Lenovo's desktops

Moving Android to the big screen, the Lenovo N308 is perhaps the first time we've seen Jelly Bean blown up on a 19.5-inch touchscreen. Like a beefed up tablet, it's powered by the Nvidia Tegra quad-core processor and an integrated 72-core GPU, as well as 2GB DDR3 memory. We doubt it's for ideal carrying around at 4.6 pounds and a battery life of 3 hours, but at least it comes with a 320GB of base storage.

Lenovo has priced and scheduled the C560 to arrive in February for $659 (about £401/AU$735), A740 AiO this June for $1,499 (about £913/AU$1673), and the $450 (about £274/AU$502) Lenovo N308 in February.

It's a lot of AiOs and laptops to take in, but soon we'll get our hands on them and suss out the keepers in Lenovo's lineup here at CES 2014.