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Author Topic: Panasonic GH4 problems with 'stills'  (Read 27079 times)

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Panasonic GH4 problems with 'stills'
« Reply #40 on: January 15, 2015, 06:10:58 pm »

... Are you on a Mac?...

Yes, but that should not make any difference.

bengedlow

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Re: Panasonic GH4 problems with 'stills'
« Reply #41 on: January 15, 2015, 06:55:22 pm »

I'll try Lightroom tomorrow.  I've very curious to see if that still only needs a 2 stop adjustment - could be Adobe is reading it differently than Aperture.  Actually, I popped it into my brother's Photoshop several weeks ago, and it only took a bit of adjusting.  But I've got several hundred stills to tweak.  And I do Aperture in my sleep.  I wish Mac would stop killing off apps I've invested a lot of time mastering.     
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xocet

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Re: Panasonic GH4 problems with 'stills'
« Reply #42 on: January 15, 2015, 06:57:22 pm »

Thank you Mike.


I'm going to have to find myself a PC with a RAW reader installed.  One or two stops would have been acceptable, even expected ... as the light was very low and I was already shooting at very low speeds, 15th, 10th.  So I was expecting to have to bring some of the shots back up ... but on the camera they look like they are sometimes maybe a 1/2 stop or a single stop down, no more.  Most look very close to bang on.

I just opened the two images in RawTherapee (free, available on Mac, Windows and Linux), the RAW file seems to be just over 2 stops under exposed.

Can you shoot some evenly lit scenes with the camera set to shoot RAW+JPG, and provide links? Perhaps shoot the scene in program mode, aperture priority and manual, and check the exposure values the camera is choosing.

The other thing to do (forgive me if I missed that you've already done this), is to reset the camera back to factory defaults (make a note of your settings first!), then shoot RAW+JPG again of a similar scene.
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bengedlow

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Re: Panasonic GH4 problems with 'stills'
« Reply #43 on: January 16, 2015, 09:58:24 am »

I just opened the two images in RawTherapee (free, available on Mac, Windows and Linux), the RAW file seems to be just over 2 stops under exposed.

Can you shoot some evenly lit scenes with the camera set to shoot RAW+JPG, and provide links? Perhaps shoot the scene in program mode, aperture priority and manual, and check the exposure values the camera is choosing.

The other thing to do (forgive me if I missed that you've already done this), is to reset the camera back to factory defaults (make a note of your settings first!), then shoot RAW+JPG again of a similar scene.

Okay.  Will do this weekend xocet.  Thank you for the suggestions.  If I wasn't trying to finish a film on a deadline I'd be all over this immediately.  Will report back with samples by Monday.

All the best, Ben

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bengedlow

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Re: Panasonic GH4 problems with 'stills'
« Reply #44 on: January 16, 2015, 10:13:56 am »

I just opened the two images in RawTherapee (free, available on Mac, Windows and Linux), the RAW file seems to be just over 2 stops under exposed.


Mmmm.  I just downloaded and tried RawTherapee.  It opened the RAW file (the one we've been looking at) and it looks, actually, about a stop too light.  Wow.  I wonder if RawTherapee is doing some kind of auto-compensation when it opens the file?  I zoom in and the detail is clean, the same grain and texture as I'm getting when I zoom in on the camera, though about a stop or so lighter than what I see in the camera.  The mystery deepens.  Xocet, I'll read up in the RawTherapee manual, see if it does batching in and out ... must get to work on this film.  Very helpful, thank you kindly.  Will report back after a bit more experimenting.
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bengedlow

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Re: Panasonic GH4 problems with 'stills'
« Reply #45 on: January 16, 2015, 10:17:55 am »

Yes. The RawTherapee is auto-compensating when it loads the pic.  So the original may, in fact, be dark.  I'll do all the tests you recommend. 
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Borgefjell

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Re: Panasonic GH4 problems with 'stills'
« Reply #46 on: March 17, 2015, 07:50:01 am »

Some ideas: If the picture style for the in camera jpgs is contrasty & well saturated the displayed histogram during/after the shot might show overexposure even if there is none as the histrogram is based on the embedded jpg. This can easily lead to an underexposure of 1-3 EV if one is working with the raws afterwards.

About the +5 EV exposure compensation: Are you using any import-profile while loading the files into lightroom? Maybe some negative exposure compensation is stored in the profile and adds up to the -2EV other users are seeing.

Best thing would be to use spot-metering and take a picture of a i.e. white piece of paper without any exposure compensation. The paper should be neutral grey on the picture afterwards
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bengedlow

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Re: Panasonic GH4 problems with 'stills'
« Reply #47 on: March 17, 2015, 10:08:19 am »

Thank you Borgefjell,


I'm going to look at what you are suggesting here.  I also just got the latest Panasonic GH4 firmware update.  I seem to remember that I never had this 'dark shot' problem BEFORE I did the last update (2.00), only after.

Maybe the new firmware will make a difference.  If not I will certainly try your suggestions.

Thank you most kindly,

Ben
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Beau Nash

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Re: Panasonic GH4 problems with 'stills'
« Reply #48 on: April 01, 2015, 08:15:14 am »

Late to this but this thought comes to me having seen similar on my old Fuji X100.

Do you have some sort of "dynamic range improver" switched on? Fuji sneakily changes the true ISO from that indicated to "extend" dynamic range in the JPEGs.
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bengedlow

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Re: Panasonic GH4 problems with 'stills'
« Reply #49 on: April 01, 2015, 09:33:29 am »

Hi Beau,


Yeah.  I was looking, unsuccessfully, for something like that.  Couldn't find anything.  But.  Panasonic came up with a firmware update.  Which I installed.  And I think the issue has been resolved.  I seem to be getting the exposure I see on the camera LCD screen ... in the computer when I import the stills.  There is still a slight difference, a stop or so, between the jpg versions and the RAW versions.  Darker on the RAW.

So maybe it had something to do with the previous firmware update.  When I first got the camera there was no issue at all, regarding exposures.

All the best,

Ben
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Borgefjell

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Re: Panasonic GH4 problems with 'stills'
« Reply #50 on: April 08, 2015, 07:51:13 am »

Good to hear the problem seems to be solved! happy shooting :)
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eronald

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Re: Panasonic GH4 problems with 'stills'
« Reply #51 on: April 10, 2015, 01:03:00 am »

Late to this but this thought comes to me having seen similar on my old Fuji X100.

Do you have some sort of "dynamic range improver" switched on? Fuji sneakily changes the true ISO from that indicated to "extend" dynamic range in the JPEGs.

iDynamic?

Edmund
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