CES 2014: Panasonic Shows Off GH4K Camera Mockup

Panasonic turned heads today at CES by showcasing a mockup of their Lumix GH4K Mirrorless DSLR which has its main feature the ability to record 4K UHD video at 30 fps with 4:2:2 10/8bit output.  And because it’s aimed directly at ultra high definition runners and gunners, the big news is that the GH4K will be released along side, and not replace the current GH3.

Much like they did last year with a mysterious 4K DSLR camera mockup in the booth and no real announcement, Panasonic caught our attention with the Lumix GH4K mockup this year.  The talk from the booths is that the GH4K will record 4K video at 200Mbps and output live view through it’s miniHDMI mode or save directly to an SDXC class 3 UHS card.

Other features look to be:

• Micro four-thirds


• mirrorless


• 4K at 24/25/30 fps


• 16mp sensor with full pixel readout


• 10bit 4:2:2 codec (likely AVC Ultra)


• 200Mbit MP4 ALL-I and 100Mbit IPB options


• Adapter that sits on the camera has 4x 3G-HD-SDI and 2x XLR


• Up to 30fps in 4K mode


• OLED monitor, 1 million dot


• 21mm OLED viewfinder, 3 million dot


• Form factor similar to the GH3 but slightly larger, all output jacks facing out of the left side


• TimecodeIn addition, the GH4K will also be able to record to external devices, but whether it’ll be able to record in anything other than AVC Ultra is anybody’s guess.  It would be cool if they allowed for the open source DNxHD, ProRes or even Raw, but at 200MBps it’s going to be pushing plenty of data down the pike.  And even though Panasonic is sticking to the micro four thirds lens platform for what is certainly aimed at the professional crowd, users will be able to use the MetaBones Speedbooster adapter to toss one larger format lenses and get a boost much like you can with the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera.   And it looks to be even cheaper than initially rumored at under $2,000.
  

  And I think it’s a cagey move to offer the GH4K along side the GH3 and not replace it.  Although they are similar.  But if the price tag is going to be under $2K for 4K, that’s going to drive down the price of the GH3 substantially, I think.  Although the current $1,000-1300 price tag for the GH3 is pretty darn good as it is.   But if you can pay $700 more for 4K, why wouldn’t you future proof yourself?  So I think we’ll likely see the GH3 under $750 before it comes out.

  
  

  And while many are saying that the GH4K is aimed to compete with the Canon EOS Cinema Series Cameras, its closest competitor is really the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K, which will sell for around $3995 when it comes out.  So it’s going to be interesting to see how those two slug it out with the GH4K price tag believed to be half that.  How will Blackmagic respond?  Or will they look at it as apples and oranges considering they are now positioning their 4K BMCC as a general production camera?  I love this stuff!

 

 

CES 2014: Panasonic Shows Off GH4K Camera Mockup