Can Lumix G7 "downscale" 4K to 1080 video in the camera ?

red sled wrote:

Thank you hindesite for sharing your insights, and I enjoyed your video.

Here's another example, shot in 4K (possibly higher, not sure) and published in 1080p:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ck9ovAcBhk

A couple questions:

1) Is the 4K grab straight from the camera or has it been edited. It's very good and detailed.

Edited, I do a lot of frame grabs from 4K video, often the easiest way to capture action. Of course, to do that you throw the 180 degree shutter rule out the window, which makes some purists indignant, but they probably aren't doing stuff like this (or anything, really) and you do need high shutter speeds. Shots clean up nicely for on screen viewing, which is all I need.

2) Your comment that some new GH5 users may not know what's ahead of them. Are you referring to the GH5 likely being overwhelming, after your experience with the G7 ?

No, the G7 is pretty easy and more than capable enough to learn video without spending much money. If you have a story to tell, you are probably already telling it with even a cellphone camera (my first videos were with a point and shoot), you don't need expensive gear. Besides, if you have a GH5 you can't shrug, blame the gear and move on

3) At current prices here, the G7 with kit lens is $498 and the GH4 without lens is $698. I am new to 4K and I've never done video editing. Would you recommend starting with the G7 and kit lens rather than investing in the GH4 and having to buy a lens ?

Cellphone (seriously), then G7 and kit lens.

My comment about the GH5 was due to it having been recently released and lots of people in this forum had decided they would buy one to "learn video". Haven't heard from any of them since (though I think one guy was videoing his neighbour lawnmowing), despite all the talk of buying VLOG, LUTs, VNDs and new PCs.

You've got to start somewhere, of course, but you generally don't learn guitar by going out and buying SRV's 1962 sunburst Fender Stratocaster to learn on.