If you still haven’t got a chance to test out thoroughly the Sony A7S II’s S-Log3 gamma curve profile and see for yourself how it stacks up against the Panasonic GH4’s paid V-Log, the L.A. based independent filmmaker Noam Kroll already did that as he shares his insights on the topic in an in-depth article on his personal blog NoamKroll.com. Of course, this isn’t some sort of scientific test by any means, as Noam claims, yet it still provides some useful information.
Recently, Noam and one of his friends and collaborators filmed some quick and dirty test shots with the GH4 and A7S II side by side, both shooting in Log mode to find out what these cameras are really capable of. The two shooters tried to use the same settings whenever possible on both cameras using their native ISO’s to ensure maximum DR and image quality across the board. ND filters were also utilized to compensate for differences in exposure between the GH4 and A7S II in certain instances.
Below are some of the comparison shots:
Sony A7S II S-Log3 – Ungraded
Panasonic GH4 V-Log – Ungraded
Sony A7S II S-Log3 – Ungraded
Panasonic GH4 V-Log – Ungraded
To see those, along with more images in full resolution from the test, head over to Noam’s blog.
Unsurprisingly, in terms of dynamic range and latitude the Sony A7S II turned out to be the obvious winner as the camera managed to capture 2 more stops of DR than the GH4, which tops out at about 12 stops when using the V-Log profile. Plus, the A7S II footage clearly had more information in the highlights, while the GH4 had clipped completely. Noam also found out that neither camera produces great colors in Log mode. So, don’t expect to simply throw a LUT on the Log footage and instantly get perfect results.
Further, as the filmmaker reports, the GH4 Log footage tends to be a bit too saturated and punchy with skin tones often looking flat and green-ish. The A7S II, on the other hand, seems to be a bit too desaturated, and leaves skin tones looking cooler and even purple-ish at times, which essentially is the exact opposite of what the GH4 delivers. Banding artifacts are another issue you should be aware of. The workaround for this would be to use the 10-bit video feed out of the GH4. Unfortunately, you don’t have this feature on the A7S II as an option.
Noam did another test between the GH4’s V-Log and the Cine-D mode, where he found that even though the colors are still far from perfect, they do seem to be better, so upgrading to the V-Log would be still a feasible option for GH4 owners who are still wondering whether to upgrade or not. Ultimately, if you already had any experience with these two cameras, feel free to share your insights with the community in the comments below.
[source: Noam Kroll]
B&H Order Links:
Sony Alpha a7S II Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only)
Lumix DMC-GH4 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera (Body Only)
V-Log L Function Activation Code for Lumix DMC-GH4
Claim your copy of DAVINCI RESOLVE - SIMPLIFIED COURSE with 50% off! Get Instant Access!
That said, I have hesitated in buying V-Log for my GH4. I do a lot of run&gun ENG-stuff, so all extra accessories are just a PITA. The GH4 doesn’t have the SII’s LUT-preview on the viewfinder, so one would need an external monitor for that purpose, making it less ideal to use.
I love love love V-Log. It is, of course, more gradeable when you record 10-bit 4k Pro Res, but time and again I find that the internal footage holds up really well–much better than the 4-2-0-8bit-hating internet would have you believe. Shadow noise is no worse in V-Log than on ANY log profile, including Log-C on the Alexa. Shoot at ISO 400 and expose to the right and it grades into truly lovely footage. DR really is around 12-stops with V-Log, and more like a mucky 10 stops in Cine-D. That should be enough to warrant an extra $100 no matter what. But DR is not the whole story–V-Log completely changes highlight roll-off on the GH4, and to me this means more film like footage through and through, much more so than any other factor when it comes to consumer level cameras. Too often DR is measured by manufactures in terms of how far down into the shadows the log profile can technically take you (I’m looking at you S-Log 3). Great filmmakers have been using the impenetrable darkness of their compositions shadows to sculpt and mold their shots since the beginning of cinema, why must we burrow down into them now?
V-Log is great. The internally recorded 4-2-0 is actually very usable and grades pretty well which is great for all my run-n-gun projects. The only gripe I have is that the lack of LUT previews when recoding internally so I have to rely pretty heavily on meters and peaking to ensure that I’m shooting without an external monitor/recorder. However, that experience sort of reminds me of the old film days when there was still a sort of anticipation of seeing what your dailies would look like. This additional layer of mystery brings a lot of fun to the production process and simultaneously prevents me from under-shooting and winding up without enough coverage due to over-confidence.
From what I see, the Panasonic files are over exposed and this is why the author was getting the ugly banding. I think some people either don’t know how to use and expose the camera or they intentionally want it to look bad. I for instance believe eve after two years, the Gh4 is a formidable 4K camera, with beautiful colors and above all, at a very affordable price. I know, it’s DR is not as high as Sony’s (but 12 stops are not far from 13), it’s low light is worse etc. But man, it’s 3 times less expensive and those money can be invest in good lenses, a speed booster if needed and the gap between then becomes very narrow.
Gh4 is a beautiful camera that simply works, it doesn’t over heat, it’s battery runs 4 continuous hours, it’s construction is solid, the image quality is nice until ISO 4000, the audio is good and above all, it’s very decently priced.