Can I edit 4K video on this machine?

[YT2002]

I am looking to buy a Panasonic G7 and was wondering if my current system is enough to edit 4K video. I will just be recording Youtube videos Here are my specs: (BTW sorry if I put this in the wrong section)

Intel Core i5 6400

Gigabyte H170 Gaming 3

2x4GB of DDR4

ASUS Strix GTX 960

Sandisk 128GB Ultra Plus

WD Blue 1TB

 

Thanks!

[The Official Czex]

Slowly.

[z97]

It'll be painful but yes

[Philcat101]

I am looking to buy a Panasonic G7 and was wondering if my current system is enough to edit 4K video. I will just be recording Youtube videos Here are my specs: (BTW sorry if I put this in the wrong section)

Intel Core i5 6400

Gigabyte H170 Gaming 3

2x4GB of DDR4

ASUS Strix GTX 960

Sandisk 128GB Ultra Plus

WD Blue 1TB

 

Thanks!

Get 8GB more of ram and an i7 6700k. There is no i7 6700 that I can recommend, as that SKU only comes in Prebuilt PC's.

[YT2002]

Slowly.

 

It'll be painful but yes

Do you think I should go with the Canon T5i instead, I will also be taking stills

[YT2002]

Get 8GB more of ram and an i7 6700k. There is no i7 6700 that I can recommend, as that SKU only comes in Prebuilt PC's.

I am unable to afford upgrades for my PC. Do you think the T5i would be a better option for now. I will also be taking stills.

[Philcat101]

I am unable to afford upgrades for my PC. Do you think the T5i would be a better option for now. I will also be taking stills.

What specs do you like about the T5i, because there might be a lower price alternative on the Nikon side.

[YT2002]

What specs do you like about the T5i, because there might be a lower price alternative on the Nikon side.

The ability to use an EF lenses. Apparantly the T5i beats the D5200. Also compared to the G7 I like that it has a bigger sensor

[Philcat101]

The ability to use an EF lenses. Apparantly the T5i beats the D5200. Also compared to the G7 I like that it has a bigger sensor

I have done my research. The T5i will be a great option.

[YT2002]

I have done my research. The T5i will be a great option.

So should I get it against the G7. I might record 4K in the future, but for now it will be 40% stills 60% 1080p video. If I got the T5i, I would wait 3-4 years to get 4K recording. Also the T5i costs $100 more than the G7 with a kit lens and mic.

[.spider.]

 Apparantly the T5i beats the D5200.

In terms of image quality no. 

[ALwin]

snip

 

If you're asking "Can this rig handle 4K video from a G7?" it can handle 4K video editing, but the performance will not be great.  I can't tell you how much performance you will get out of it, but the factors that improve 4K editing include:

• CPU core speed, and to a certain degree the number of cores you have.
• The bit rate and length of the 4K footage.
• The amount of editing you do. Color correcting, motion graphics, video transitions, etc. the more effects and edits you have the more power it will require to render out fairly quickly or you either do the render overnight.
• While GPU will certainly play a part in improving video editing and render performance, the greatest impact the GPU will have on editing will happen if you utilize effects that USE GPU acceleration.  Not every aspect of a video editing system such as Premiere Pro utilizes the power of the GPU and CUDA cores.
• I also recommend you add an additional SSD do your rig if you want to work with 4K video.  You can use your HDD for archiving original and post-edited footage.  But for the video footage that are part of an active project, put them on a SSD drive.

As for your camera choices, there are pros and cons to every camera.  Whether you choose a Panasonic G7, Nikon D3?00/5?00 or Canon T?i/???D.  Here are some of the considerations I would make:

• Panasonic offers high bit rate 4K, which neither Canon or Nikon offers at this price range.  With lens adapters you can utilize nearly every lens on the market.  But the downside is that MFT sensor is smaller than APS-C, so if you want cinematic very shallow DOF you need to utilize very fast lenses.  These lenses can be very expensive and even with such lenses you might not really get the extremely shallow DOF you want.
• Canon offers pretty decent video, though of course not 4K.  A third party firmware add-on like Magic Lantern unlocks/adds very useful features.  Flange distance is longer than MFT, but still shorter than Nikon, offering you the choice to use second hand F-mount lenses with an adapter.
• Nikon, personally I don't really see any advantage that Nikon has over Canon or Panasonic when it comes to video in their DSLRs.  Nikon has one of the longest flange distances of any DSLR system limiting the choices for lenses you can use.  Video bit rates tend to be consumer level 24Mbps at best on most of their cameras.  The only thing they offer over the Canon cameras of similar price ranges is 60p at FHD resolutions. Canon has a longer history than Nikon when it comes to working with video.  So does Panasonic.

Additionally keep in mind: Image quality of these cameras when taking still images (photography) and moving images (video) will be different.

 

A still image captures a single moment in time, allowing the viewer to scrutinize every pixel of that single captured frame in detail.  Video on the other hand, because it is capturing a sequence of moments in motion, the image quality even when extracting out a single frame will always appear worse than a still photo.  One of the reasons being, when you capture a still image you can set the shutter speed to be either as slow or as fast as you want to capture that instantaneous moment.  But with video, there are various factors to consider when selecting the shutter speed.  Unlike photography, the look and feel of the video will change drastically depending on the shutter speed selected.

 

So if you're in the process of choosing a camera with the primary purpose of shooting video, do not rely on the scores given by websites such as DxO Mark.  They are primarily focused on testing the cameras for still images, for the moment.

[nickl]

Another point I should make is that as mentioned in some LTT videos, you can transcode your footage into other codec's which can really increase editing performance, although it won't do miracles for performance.

[Electronics Wizardy]

So should I get it against the G7. I might record 4K in the future, but for now it will be 40% stills 60% 1080p video. If I got the T5i, I would wait 3-4 years to get 4K recording. Also the T5i costs $100 more than the G7 with a kit lens and mic.

The advantage of 4k camera's isn't usefull in lowend camera(under 3-4k) It makes a difference in something like a c300  mkii, but not on a sub 1000 dollar camera as the sensor and lens isn't good enough to make a big difference.

[ALwin]

The advantage of 4k camera's isn't usefull in lowend camera(under 3-4k) It makes a difference in something like a c300  mkii, but not on a sub 1000 dollar camera as the sensor and lens isn't good enough to make a big difference.

 

Yes and No.  Panasonic does make some pretty good cameras capable of recording 4K, like the popular GH4.  Sony also has some sub $2000 camcorders capable of 4K which are pretty good.  But as usual, because a camera is a "creative tool", what you get out of the camera depends not on the hardware specifications but the person who is using that tool.

 

It doesn't matter if you put a very good camera like the Sony PMW-F5 or F55 or a cheap 4K camcorder in the hands of a beginner, the footage that comes out of the cameras will still look amateurish.

[BallisticPeanut]

You could transcode it to 1080p or just shoot in 1080p.  The G7 doesn't have high bit rate 1080p like the GH4 unfortunately, but it's still probably better than Canon's 1080p which is known to lack detail (I know this first hand from owning a T3i). 

 

If you want a different camera check out the Sony A6000, it shoots in Sony's XAVC format and is know for having good 1080p.  The only downside is it doesn't have a mic jack so you'll have to use and external recorder like a Zoom H1.

[YT2002]

If you're asking "Can this rig handle 4K video from a G7?" it can handle 4K video editing, but the performance will not be great.  I can't tell you how much performance you will get out of it, but the factors that improve 4K editing include:

• CPU core speed, and to a certain degree the number of cores you have.
• The bit rate and length of the 4K footage.
• The amount of editing you do. Color correcting, motion graphics, video transitions, etc. the more effects and edits you have the more power it will require to render out fairly quickly or you either do the render overnight.
• While GPU will certainly play a part in improving video editing and render performance, the greatest impact the GPU will have on editing will happen if you utilize effects that USE GPU acceleration.  Not every aspect of a video editing system such as Premiere Pro utilizes the power of the GPU and CUDA cores.
• I also recommend you add an additional SSD do your rig if you want to work with 4K video.  You can use your HDD for archiving original and post-edited footage.  But for the video footage that are part of an active project, put them on a SSD drive.

As for your camera choices, there are pros and cons to every camera.  Whether you choose a Panasonic G7, Nikon D3?00/5?00 or Canon T?i/???D.  Here are some of the considerations I would make:

• Panasonic offers high bit rate 4K, which neither Canon or Nikon offers at this price range.  With lens adapters you can utilize nearly every lens on the market.  But the downside is that MFT sensor is smaller than APS-C, so if you want cinematic very shallow DOF you need to utilize very fast lenses.  These lenses can be very expensive and even with such lenses you might not really get the extremely shallow DOF you want.
• Canon offers pretty decent video, though of course not 4K.  A third party firmware add-on like Magic Lantern unlocks/adds very useful features.  Flange distance is longer than MFT, but still shorter than Nikon, offering you the choice to use second hand F-mount lenses with an adapter.
• Nikon, personally I don't really see any advantage that Nikon has over Canon or Panasonic when it comes to video in their DSLRs.  Nikon has one of the longest flange distances of any DSLR system limiting the choices for lenses you can use.  Video bit rates tend to be consumer level 24Mbps at best on most of their cameras.  The only thing they offer over the Canon cameras of similar price ranges is 60p at FHD resolutions. Canon has a longer history than Nikon when it comes to working with video.  So does Panasonic.

Additionally keep in mind: Image quality of these cameras when taking still images (photography) and moving images (video) will be different.

 

A still image captures a single moment in time, allowing the viewer to scrutinize every pixel of that single captured frame in detail.  Video on the other hand, because it is capturing a sequence of moments in motion, the image quality even when extracting out a single frame will always appear worse than a still photo.  One of the reasons being, when you capture a still image you can set the shutter speed to be either as slow or as fast as you want to capture that instantaneous moment.  But with video, there are various factors to consider when selecting the shutter speed.  Unlike photography, the look and feel of the video will change drastically depending on the shutter speed selected.

 

So if you're in the process of choosing a camera with the primary purpose of shooting video, do not rely on the scores given by websites such as DxO Mark.  They are primarily focused on testing the cameras for still images, for the moment.

First of all, thank you for putting lots of detail into your post. With that I decided the T5i would be better for me. I reckon I could wait 3-4 years to upgrade my camera to something much better in the future with 4K. Also haveing a better DOV in the sensor will be more important now. Then in the future, there will be cheap 4K cameras that have bigger sensors.

 

 

You could transcode it to 1080p or just shoot in 1080p.  The G7 doesn't have high bit rate 1080p like the GH4 unfortunately, but it's still probably better than Canon's 1080p which is known to lack detail (I know this first hand from owning a T3i). 

 

If you want a different camera check out the Sony A6000, it shoots in Sony's XAVC format and is know for having good 1080p.  The only downside is it doesn't have a mic jack so you'll have to use and external recorder like a Zoom H1.

I know I can transcode down from 1080p, but the smaller sensor on the G7 won't give me as good of a depth of field, so I decided on the T5i

[Dw136]

First of all, thank you for putting lots of detail into your post. With that I decided the T5i would be better for me. I reckon I could wait 3-4 years to upgrade my camera to something much better in the future with 4K. Also haveing a better DOV in the sensor will be more important now. Then in the future, there will be cheap 4K cameras that have bigger sensors.

 

 

I know I can transcode down from 1080p, but the smaller sensor on the G7 won't give me as good of a depth of field, so I decided on the T5i

 

Have you considered the Sony A6000 as a starting kit instead of Canon. The reason I mention this is that the Sony will have more user friendly video-centric software compared to the Canon. For beginners it won't necessarily matter, the canon will probably be easier to learn because of the simple functionality it offers, but if you want to go further the Sony will have more options such as a log profile, zerbas/peaking and higher bit rate recording. 

 

Just a thought to make it more complex. 

[YT2002]

Have you considered the Sony A6000 as a starting kit instead of Canon. The reason I mention this is that the Sony will have more user friendly video-centric software compared to the Canon. For beginners it won't necessarily matter, the canon will probably be easier to learn because of the simple functionality it offers, but if you want to go further the Sony will have more options such as a log profile, zerbas/peaking and higher bit rate recording. 

 

Just a thought to make it more complex. 

I need a mic jack so I cant go with the A6000 and I prefer not having to sync audio

[Joshlikescola]

What software do you use? Some are better optimized than others.

I'm used to the pain of 4K editing. Can't get OSX running on my PC and use Final Cut Pro so I have to edit in 4K on a Dual-Core mac mini...

[cmdrhomer]

What software do you use? Some are better optimized than others.

I'm used to the pain of 4K editing. Can't get OSX running on my PC and use Final Cut Pro so I have to edit in 4K on a Dual-Core mac mini...

Use Premiere Pro CC 2015 instead... its the industry standard

[SkilledRebuilds]

Use Premiere Pro CC 2015 instead... its the industry standard

And it handles 4K content just fine, and with HW acceleration, is faster to output.

It's not exactly slow, but it aint in realtime either.