Panasonic GH5, GH5S and G80 cameras - discussion

[alsoknownas]

GH5 to be released 2017 will have 4K at 60p and.... 10 bit 4:2:2 . Also a 6K photo mode (similar to the 4K photo mode but burst-only).

Looks well tasty (for video).

Panasonic GH5 Gives Us What We Want: 4K, 60p, 10bit, 4:2:2

Also cousin/sister/brother/replacement to the G7 in the G80 (or G85 - they are doing some weird regional naming variation ) , which has in-body 5-axis stabilisation (no mention of this for the GH5 ).

If I've got any money when this comes out (GH5) I'm sorely tempted.

 

[alsoknownas]

I've got the GH4 but in the medium term I need 2 things to go with it - a) a back-up cam in case of failure on a serious project (I was considering the G7), and b) an external recorder to give me 10 bit video to work with in post.

Now it seems like I could invest the same combined amount in a GH5 and have a similar package. Any thoughts?

 

[FridgeMagnet]

The speed at which Panasonic churn out cameras I'm not sure the logic of waiting for anything specific really applies. I'd just wait until the annoyance of not having a backup or the limitations of current kit outweigh the desire not to spend any more money, then buy.

GH5 does sound a reasonable bet if it's a medium term decision.

 

[alsoknownas]

Thing is the GH series always offers something unique at the pricepoint (GH4 - 4K internal; GH5 10-bit internal). GH5 will actually be the first ultra-affordable 'broadcast standard' (outdated term, I know) camera (i.e. - 10 bit depth, 4:2:2 subsampling, over 50mbps).

I think the GH series are a bit special. It's them and the Sony A7s series, and the BlackMagic cameras for video at the moment (at the entry level).

 

[alsoknownas]

First 'purported' GH5 footage spotted in the wild! Looks really amazing if you can view it at 2160 / 60p .

 

[dweller]

Looks good even at 1080p
The ice documentary featured is most likely GH5 too.

 

[alsoknownas]

Looks good even at 1080p
The ice documentary featured is most likely GH5 too.

Good spot! Looks likely the full specs will be out next week. Ice footage looks insanely sharp! Not really a fan of 60p, but I'm sure it will be good for certain projects (and slo-mo of course).

 

[alsoknownas]

I'm hoping there will be news on this tomorrow .

 

[FridgeMagnet]

http://petapixel.com/2017/01/04/panasonic-finally-unveils-gh5-4k60p-video-5-axis-stabilization/

As it says, improvements on almost all fronts over the GH4, but definitely a camera for video people. TBH though, as long as Panasonic keep releasing decent stills-focused cameras as well, I'm not that fussed if their flagship models are video-focussed, and aspects of the tech do feed through.

Still have not used any of the 4K Photo modes on my GX8 though at least not for more than "I wonder how this 4K Photo mode works". I should try at some point actually; I don't need more than 4K resolution for the crappy street shots I take, and I do often shoot bursts if anything interesting is happening.

 

[alsoknownas]

Yep, video orientated; very much the way I appreciate it! You stills folk don't mind if one or two of the hundreds of hybrid bodies are skewed towards video, do you?

Very pleased with the announced specs. In body stabilisation is the headline feature of the new stuff. Also pleased to see 400 mbps bitrate (more hard drive investment required ). We'll be shooting around 3gb of data per minute!

Only negative for me is that V Log L remains a paid upgrade. That seems stingy and unnecessary really.

Basically, if this works as touted (and we'll have to see if cooling works ok, and the codec holds up) then I will almost certainly get it if I can afford to.

 

[alsoknownas]

Wow, seems it might be using H.265 for the higher data-rate stuff. That's quite a big deal.

 

[alsoknownas]

Everybody - it's here! The GH5 is really here!

 

[alsoknownas]

Wow, seems it might be using H.265 for the higher data-rate stuff. That's quite a big deal.

Actually, no H.265 for regular 4K . Likely to be only for '6K' photo mode and anamorphic.

Anamorphic looks like it's going to be an incredible option on this camera. More info here:

New information regarding H.265 on the Panasonic GH5 - EOSHD

 

[editor]

Good to see Kai back reviewing stuff.

 

[alsoknownas]

I actually find him quite annoying . Reminds me a bit of Kevin Turvey, if anyone remembers who he was.

 

[alsoknownas]

I hate to say it, but that really is a terrible review. Far too much on the (fairly dodgy at times) buffoonery, and far too little information. Impossible to judge the camera from the footage he shot because much of it is blown out, presumably because he wasn't concentrating properly.
"Oh, Mark Clattenburg - it's all about you!" comes to mind.

 

[alsoknownas]

There are rumours (unfortunately just rumours at the moment) that Panasonic might be about to announce a GH5s version with a reduced pixel count and subsequently better low-light performance .

This will be potentially amazing if it happens, and essentially my number 1 camera wish come true. I am hoping hard that this materialises.

 

[alsoknownas]

I had previously posted this a year or so ago:

I really wish Panasonic would make a video-centric version of the GHx camera that ditched most of the stills capacity and biased towards video (low pixel-count basically ). I'd pay a bit extra for that.

So, yeah - fingers crossed basically.

 

[alsoknownas]

I'd just like to thank the other three contributors to this thread for their companionship in what has been at times a rather solitary acre.

 

[alsoknownas]

Apparently the press are being briefed on this on the 15th, but then there's an embargo until January sometime . Rats.

 

[alsoknownas]

It seems by now that there almost certainly will be a new video-orientated camera out in the new year. Too much smoke for there to be nothing there at all.
Opinions are wildly different about whether it's gonna be a low pixel count, low light 'monster', or simply an improved implementation of the existing sensor, but either way it will offer some sort of upgrade to the iso performance of the camera (which is it's only true weak point imo).

I'm really fascinated to see what kind of performance they are going to offer us. Here's my table of awesomeness:

'Clean' at ISO 800 - This is how I would describe the GH4 that I currently use, in that a properly exposed clip shot at 800 generally looks okay to me, with very little noise to speak of. 1250 works okay too, though with a smattering of noise usually. 1600 is pushing it a bit and often needs noise reduction in post. I wouldn't go above that personally. Bear in mind that noise looks worse quicker on video compared to stills (because it dances about drawing attention to itself).
The bad thing about this level of sensitivity is that, although I have never been in a reasonable situation where I could not get a good image, I sometimes find myself having to expose at f1.8, which is not an ideal aperture for shooting groups of people, or even two people having a conversation .

Clean at 1600 - This is how I've found the GH5 the few times I've used it. Obviously a big improvement, but still not all that impressive when you consider how good the rest of its specification is.

Clean at 3200 - This is the minimum I am expecting from a 'GH5s' (the name, like everything else, hasn't been confirmed yet). Will that improvement be enough to make me and others pay the increased price (expected to be £500 more than the already £2,000ish GH5)? Well, in all honesty, yes. But I hope it's a bit more than just that.

Clean at 6400 - I reckon this would be a sweet spot really . I imagine this would allow exposure at f2.8 in even challenging situations, which I could happily live with. It would also make f2.8 zoom lenses a worthwhile proposition, which I'd also like to try out.

Clean at 12800 or above - I'll be surprised if we get up to these (for MFT) dizzying heights! Then I would be considering it a low-light monster .

 

[alsoknownas]

You'll all be sorry you didn't get more excited when this turns out to be the WORLD'S GREATEST CAMERA!!!

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I’m interested in a high ISO camera for MFT but if it means lowering the pixel count, I can’t imagine that Panasonic will move the tech to their stills cameras. I shoot a lot at 3200 with the GX8 and it’s fine (not super clean, clean enough though) but tbh I wouldn’t say no to better dynamic range, more sensitivity etc - even at f1.4 I still don’t get great shutter speeds at night on the street.

 

[alsoknownas]

I’m interested in a high ISO camera for MFT but if it means lowering the pixel count, I can’t imagine that Panasonic will move the tech to their stills cameras. I shoot a lot at 3200 with the GX8 and it’s fine (not super clean, clean enough though) but tbh I wouldn’t say no to better dynamic range, more sensitivity etc - even at f1.4 I still don’t get great shutter speeds at night on the street.

Well I think the point of this is that it will forego any pretence at being a hybrid stills / video camera, and simply deliver what's needed for great video. The trouble with hybrid systems is that they require compromise on both sides. Video needs lower resolution, whereas stills require higher resolution (as a rule).
The idea seems to be that the lineup would be Gh5 - hybrid, G9 - stills biased, Gh5s - video biased.

 

[alsoknownas]

So this is (fairly credibly) supposed to be an image from the touted new system:

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Bit wide innit?

 

[alsoknownas]

Bit wide innit?

Video still.

 

[alsoknownas]

Probably shot anamorphic.

Eta: 2.4:1 is a common aspect ratio for anamorphic, which looks about right.

 

[alsoknownas]

Camera rumoured to shoot 14-bit RAW stills, which I think would be a first for MFT.

 

[alsoknownas]

I'm gonna be bloody pissed off if these rumours turn out to be nothing but hot air (or some kind of firmware update or something) .