Panasonic GH4: 4K Video and SDXC Card Speed
Get Panasonic GH4 at B&H Photo.
I was all excited about seeing 4K video out of the Panasonic GH4. But I did not realize that even my 95MB/sec (760 Mbps) SanDisk cards are deemed inadequate by the GH4, which dims its menus for the 4K choices. The GH4 manual states that a “class 3” card is needed for 4K video.
About the only card that is class 3 that I can find is the SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II Memory Card (the SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC/SDXC UHS-II Card Reader/Writer looks good too, for fast downloads. Update: does not perform well at all in 3 different card readers). The Transcend 128GB UHS-1 SDXC Memory Card is another option, but I am loathe to go 2nd-tier.
Until I can get ahold of a Class 3 SDXC card, no 4K video fun. And while I am impressed with the 1080p image quality, it is still pedestrian detail—and looks looks blurry on a 2560 display.
I read the manual about 4K, but not far enough it seems—
Jim P writes:
I’ve a GH4 and am successfully recording on the SanDisk card you mentioned. You just need to turn the top dial to movie and the gray options become available.
Indeed this is so: turn the top dial to movie mode and the 4K options become selectable. In any other mode, the 4K options gray out. As a non-video guy, this is pretty confusing.
In movie mode there is a way to change the aperture, as I suppose Panasonic shooters know well. Looks like I need to educate myself on the Panasonic approach to video, starting with reading all the sections of the manual having to do with video.