Panasonic GH4 review

Panasonic has given its top-end CSC a 4K revamp

Panasonic GH4
The GH4 looks very similar to the GH3

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We shoot a specially designed chart in carefully controlled conditions and the resulting images are analysed using DXO Analyzer software to generate the data to produce the graphs below.

A high signal to noise ratio (SNR) indicates a cleaner and better quality image.

JPEG signal to noise ratio

Signal to noise

This graph shows that the GH4 produces JPEG files that compete very well with the other cameras in the group, indicating that images are fairly clean. However, it seems that is at the expense of detail at higher sensitivtiy settings.

Raw signal to noise ratio

Raw signal to noise

The GH4 is the clear winner for raw file (after conversion to TIFF) signal to noise ratio, indicating that noise is controlled well. However, comparing its resolution scores with those of the Fuji X-T1, for example, reveals that it cannot record as much detail at the higher sensitivity settings.

JPEG dynamic range

JPEG dynamic range

These results show that the GH4 has a generally high JPEG dynamic range, but there is some variation which may arise from slight changes in image processing.

Raw dynamic range

Raw dynamic range

The GH4's raw files (after conversion to TIFF) are unusually consistent across the sensitivity range. This means that images captured at high sensitivity settings have only slightly fewer tones than those captured at low levels. However, the range of tones in real world images captured at the highest ISO values have a lot of noise which masks the tones and detail.