Adds Post Focus and 4K Photo For Free!
The Panasonic GH4 is a camera that just keeps on giving and this latest firmware update is cool!
Post updated January 2018: I have had this camera for a couple of years now and still use it all the time. I used it today (March 21st 2016) to film the last flight of the "Junglie" Sea King helicopter in Weymouth. Plus a few days ago fitted to the DJI Ronin whilst filming a commercial property interior.
The stills specs are very good indeed with many features to shout about but the image quality isn't as good as it could be. I am used to full frame DSLR's but that is about to be...not changed, but enhanced. Enhanced to make shooting stills easier and more fun.
The Panasonic GH4's 1080p and 4K video on the other hand is exceptional and is why many people still rave about this camera.
Rather than spew out model after model, although I am still looking forward to seeing what the Panasonic GH5 has to offer. Panasonic kindly release new firmware every now and again that really adds more useful features to this wonderful little camera.
The latest firmware is actually a very big update which you would normally expect to come when the new camera is released. But no, Panasonic's loyalty to their customers means they have given it for free!
Panasonic GH4 Firmware V2.5 – Post Focus
This is a free update for the GH4 available at the end of March 2016 and includes a number of enhancements. All giving the GH4 more flexibility for photography and 4K video.
One exciting feature is Post Focus. This allows you to adjust focus points once the image has been taken and has been uploaded to your computer. So, you can change the focus point in shallow depth of field images after the image has been taken and offloaded from the card. Nice.
This gives photographers a whole new perspective of creativity as you can pull multiple images from one shot to ensure you get the photo you want.
Check out the video below (on the GX8) for more explanation on how this works and will work on the GH4…
4K PHOTO
(4K Burst / 4K Burst (Start/Stop) / 4K Pre-burst)
Also included, and taking advantage of the GH4's video capabilities, is the newly added 4K Photo feature. This enables three modes:
These modes will optimize 4K shooting for still image extraction, with the aim to help photographers catch those hard to get and sometimes fleeting moments. Firmware 2.5 will also enable consecutive shooting with compatible Panasonic external flash units:
For me this is quite ground-breaking and will allow anyone to capture the most amazing photos possible. Check out the video below which explains exactly how these functions work:
The Panasonic GH4 is an amazing camera and kudos to Panasonic for continuing to give us more and more features. Even years after we bought the camera.
Other manufacturers could, and should, learn from this.
The GH5 will be next with possibly 8K video and 8K Photo but I would say that camera is maybe a year away. With the price of the Panasonic GH4 dropping all the time, I would say grab one soon and start having fun!
Edit: The firmware update will be available at the end of March 2016 using the link below: