In summary
The GH5M2 is capable of delivering a wide range of excellent video performance and supports untethered live streaming.
Most purchasers of the GH5M2 will be professionals who shoot video for a living, although high-end video enthusiasts could also find it represents good value for money.
Full review
Announced at midnight (AEST) on 25 May, the Panasonic GH5 Mark II (GH5M2), a ‘refreshed’ version of the GH5 incorporating some features from the lower-resolution GH5S, which is video-focused. It offers much the same stills shooting capabilities as the GH5 but delivers extended options for hybrid stills/video recording. The camera features the GH5’s 20.3-megapixel Digital Live MOS sensor with a new Anti-Reflective (AR) coating but it’s coupled with the high-speed Venus Engine image processor from the S1H full-frame camera, which extends video recording capabilities to suit a wide range of professional users.
Angled view of the Lumix GH5 Mark II camera with the G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. (Source: Panasonic.)
We received the review camera with the Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Asph. POWER O.I.S. lens which was reviewed in September 2016 and continues to be offered as a basic kit lens. A useful ‘walkaround’ lens, it is slower but smaller and lighter than the premium Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. lens. Its performance isn’t as good as the Leica-branded lens but it’s roughly half the price and 125 grams lighter.
Who’s it For?
Although the GH5M2 is targeted at photographers and videographers who need professional recording capabilities, the main advantages it has over its predecessor are its extended video capabilities. Stills functionality has barely changed aside from improvements in autofocusing performance and the promised Live View Composite recording, which will be added via a firmware update.
Because it can record C4K/UHD4K footage at high frame rates and with a selection of professional profiles, footage from this camera will be easy to integrate into professional video workflows when compiling presentations on pro equipment. This makes it valuable for photojournalists, sports reporters and wedding/event photographers who are required to shoot both stills and video with a single camera. Mobile streaming will allow them to submit footage directly from the camera to a bureau, client or display device at the time it is recorded.
Front view of the GH5M2 with no lens fitted. (Source: Panasonic.)
The compact size of the camera body and compatible M4/3 lenses give them a big advantage over cameras with larger sensors when portability is essential, particularly in challenging locations faced by journalists and adventure photographers. The magnesium alloy full die-cast frame is highly durable and effectively weather-sealed, as shown in the diagram below.
This illustration shows the dust- and splash-resistant sealing in the GH5M2 body. (Source: Panasonic.)
Dual card slots allow users to and select recording priority and allocate separate destinations for image and video data. Three options are provided: relay, which continues recording to the second card after the first card fills, backup records the same files to both cards and allocation lets users specify which file formats go to each card. For example, JPEGs and raw files can be allocated to separate cards, as can stills and movies of movies can go to one card and 6K/4K Photo files to the other. This makes sorting files very easy.
Another advantage of the GH5M2 is the compact size and relatively light weight of the camera and compatible lenses, particularly when compared with ‘full frame’ equipment. In addition, just about any lens a user could want can be found in the ranges of Panasonic as well as its M4/3 partner, Olympus, as well as several third-party lens manufacturers.
Photographers who use the raw file format when shooting stills will be able to print their images at A2 size, which is larger than normally required for most of the applications for which this camera will be used. For those who need larger file sizes, a firmware update to be released by the end of the year will add Live View Composite recording, improvements to smartphone connections and RTP/RTSP wired IP streaming via wired LAN to a computer for streaming high quality video with sound to social streaming platforms. (A USB Ethernet adaptor will be required.)
Panasonic continues to tweak its contrast-based DFD technology so it’s no surprise to find improvements to subject detection and tracking. In addition to the eye, face and body, the subject’s head is also separately recognised in real-time and the camera will keep tracking subjects, even when they move quickly, turn away, tilt their head or move far away. Panasonic claims the GH5M2 can detect a subject’s eye and fact twice as fast as the GH5 could, even when they are around 50% smaller in the frame.
For manual focusing, the GH5M2 enables users to choose between a linear and non-linear response from the lens. The former allows users to specify how much the focus ring is to be rotated with a range from 90 to 360 degrees.
Build and Ergonomics
The body of the new camera is essentially unchanged from the GH5 and features the same ‘splashproof’ construction. It is robustly built with a diecast magnesium alloy front and rear frame.
The top panel layout is unchanged in the new model and the OLED EVF still provides 3,680,000-dot resolution and a magnification of 0.76x plus a 21 mm eyepoint. But its refresh rate has been upscaled to a maximum of 120Hz to provide a smoother view.
The top panel of the GH5M2 with no lens fitted. (Source: Panasonic.)
The fully-articulating monitor has a 3-inch LCD panel, which is smaller than the 3.2-inch screen on the GH5S. Its resolution is slightly higher at approximately 1,840,000 dots and it supports static touch control. Brightness adjustments are wider than provided for the GH5S, which allows the screen to be made brighter for outdoor use.
Rear view of the GH5M2 with the screen facing inwards. (Source: Panasonic.)
Extending the screen can make it difficult to plug a headphone into the socket on the side panel, so it’s worth plugging headphones in first. It’s also worth noting that with headphones attached, the monitor can be fully extended.
Side views of the GH5M2 with the port covers open to show the headphone, HDMI and USB-C ports on the left and the dual SD card slots on the right side panels. (Source: Panasonic.)
Dual SD card slots support fast, video-capable cards and offer relay or allocation recording and backup support. The shutter has the same 200,000 cycle rating as the previous model’s shutter.
The GH5M2 uses the DMW-BLK22 2200mAh high-capacity battery that was first launched with the LUMIX S5 and is CIPA rated for approximately 410 shots/charge. It also complies with USB PD (Power Delivery), which allows direct recharging from a USB power bank or via AC or a USB cable. Tethered shooting is also possible with the LUMIX Tether applications.
Like most modern cameras, the GH5M2 comes with Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi 5GHz (IEEE802.11ac) / 2.4GHz (IEEE802.11b/g/n) connectivity. A smartphone connected via the LUMIX Sync app can be used as the camera’s remote control. The app (or SD Card) can be used to copy settings from a GH5M2 camera across to other GH5M2 cameras in multiple camera setups.
Sensor and Image Processing
The sensor in the GH5M2 is an ‘enhanced’ version of the 20.3-megapixel Live MOS chip used in the original GH5 with a new anti-reflective (AR) coating and without an optical low-pass filter. Accordingly, still image sizes remain the same in both cameras and are outlined in our review of the GH5.
Upgrades to image processing provided by the latest high-speed Venus Engine chip underpin many of the performance improvements in the new camera. Improved processing claims to improve colour reproduction and deliver 1/3-stop more in dynamic range than the previous model. The latter should reduce highlight clipping in contrasty lighting.
New algorithms boost IBIS to deliver up to 6.5 stops of shake compensation, a 1.5-stop improvement over the GH5. In particular, low-frequency vibrations have been suppressed more effectively to enable shooting with slower shutter speeds. But the main gains are in video capabilities. These are summarised in the section below.
Video Streaming
An exciting ‘first’ in a camera in this class is compliance with H.264 in the RTMP/RTMPS protocol, which allows wireless live video streaming via a smartphone at Full HD or HD 50p/25p quality (PAL system) with bit rates from 16Mbps to 3Mbps. Streaming can be initiated from either a smartphone or directly from the camera.
Content can be streamed directly to platforms like You Tube and Facebook without requiring a cloud streaming server. Wired IP streaming is also possible via the Lumix Webcam Software download which lets the camera connect directly to a PC via USB and act as a high quality webcam.
Streaming via a smartphone requires the user to install the LUMIX Sync app and then connect the camera to the phone via Bluetooth. With the app running, the user selects the video sharing website, logs in and sets the wireless access point, image quality for the stream and the privacy setting.
The camera must be powered up so the settings can be sent from the smartphone to the camera. Once this is done, the camera connects to the access point via Wi-Fi and streaming can commence.
Users can also use their computer with LUMIX Network Setting Software, a free download from Panasonic’s support site to record the URL for the streaming destination and save it to an SD card. With the card in the camera, the user selects the MovieM mode, loads the streaming destination to the camera, sets output quality and connects to the destination via Wi-Fi. The camera will display an icon on the screen and a blue streaming frame indicator while streaming is taking place. Up to 10 streaming destinations can be saved onto one card.
Other Video Features
By our estimation, the GH5M2 provides a total of 74 video settings, with 33 for MOV format, 13 for MP4 and 18 variable bit rate settings. Most settings use Long GOP compression, with ALL-Intra compression restricted to MOV files with frame rates below 30 fps.
The big news here is support for ‘unlimited’ video recording in all video modes. The only constraints are the battery capacity and capacity of the recording media, although the camera may stop recording automatically in C4K/4K 60p/50p 10-bit and Anamorphic mode if overheating occurs.
The GH5M2 is able to record C4K 60/50p 4:2:0 10-bit video internally while at the same time outputting 4:2:2 10-bit UHD 4K 60/50p video over HDMI to an external device. This is a significant advance on the GH5, which was restricted to 8-bit 4K 60/50p 4K and 24 fps recordings for C4K video.
All-I compression is now supported for 29.97p and 23.98p recording as well as the previously available 24p frame rate. The whole frame width is used for video recordings, accurately matching the angle of view of the lens. (Note that the 4/3-inch sensor applies a 2x crop factor to the 35mm focal length.)
Variable frame rate (VFR) functionality allows users to record slow-motion footage for a 2.5x reduction in playback speed (24p/60 fps) in C4K/4K or a 7.5x super-slow (24p/180 fps) playback at FHD resolution. Time compression is also possible with the quick motion setting, which supports up to 30x normal speed.
The V-Log L profile comes pre-installed in the GH5M2. This means users are no longer required to pay for it as they were with previous cameras. This useful profile combines a high dynamic range with ‘flat’ rendition that retains all the colour information in the image to make it easy to match V-Log L footage recorded with other Panasonic cameras.
Other pre-installed profiles include HLG gamma, which records a broadcast-ready colour gamut format, while two types of Cinelike gamma presets are selectable in the Photo Style menu, producing files that need minimal colour grading. MonochromeS and L.ClassicNeo Photo Styles, which were first introduced in the Lumix S5, complete the built-in profiles suite.
Examples of the pre-installed video profiles, from the top: CinelikeV2, CinelikeD2, Like709 with V-Log L at the bottom.
Anamorphic video recording is now available to support the increasing number of anamorphic lenses being offered for M4/3 cameras. As well as supporting VFR (Variable Frame Rate) recording, the GH5M2 can also record 6K (4992 x 3744) 30/25p 4:2:0 10-bit and C4K/4K anamorphically at 60/50fps and FHD at 180fps.
Cinema-standard practical video assist tools such as Waveform Monitor and V-Log L View Assist are available, as well as Frame Markers for checking composition during recording. Users can set up a ‘My List’ menu for storing frequently-used recording settings, a function ported across from the S1H.
Aspect ratio settings include the native 4:3 format of the image sensor plus the regular 16:9 and 1:1 formats and also the 4:5, 5:4 and 9:16 settings popular on the major social media platforms. Displayable aspect ratio frames include 2.39:1 and 2.35:1 for cinema and 1:1 and 4:5 for social media, with 10 patterns to choose from. The GH5M2 can detect when it is recording in vertical format and will attach orientation data to the file to eliminate the need for manual rotation when clips are edited.
A new red REC Frame Indicator allows the user to check at a glance whether the camera is recording, while a blue frame indicator shows video streaming is activated. In addition, the Varicam-style data display format introduced in the S1H and GH5S makes it easier to monitor recording settings on the EVF or LCD screen.
The Luminance Spot Meter has been ported across from the S1H and is available in V-Log L mode. It displays an exposure value for a small, selectable area in the screen, either as a percentage or in f-stops relative to mid-grey.
Two zebra patterns with different threshold values can be displayed to show user-determined upper and lower luminance limits. This function allows users to monitor for blown-out highlights, adjust for 18% gray during V-Log L recording and set a luminance range for human faces to ensure an optimal exposure level.
A waveform/vectorscope display enables users to check the luminance and chroma colour balance while shooting. The waveform display can be re-sized to suit the user’s preferences and the vectorscope is available for setting white balance parameters, when it is really required.
The three video display modes in the Creative Video control panel. (Source: Panasonic.)
In Creative Video mode, a control panel is displayed that is similar to that of a professional cinema camera. There are three display options (shown above) for Shutter Speed and Gain (Sensitivity): Sec/ISO, Angle/ISO, or Sec/dB.
Accessories
The GH5M2 is compatible with a number of optional accessories already released for the GH5, including the DMW-BGGH5E battery grip, DMW-XLR1 microphone adaptor, DMW-RS2 shutter remote control and DMW-SHGR1 tripod grip. Panasonic has also announced a future firmware update, to be released before the end of 2021, that will add a Live View Composite shooting mode, USB Tethering (4G/5G Smartphone Link) Compatible Streaming Distribution for more stable connection with smartphones and RTP/RTSP wired IP streaming (a USB Ethernet adaptor is required).
Performance
It’s difficult to compare the performance of the GH5M2 with the original GH5 as our Imatest tests were conducted with different lenses. The original GH5 was tested with the Leica-branded DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. (H-ES12060E) lens, whereas the GH5M2 was tested with the older Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Asph. POWER O.I.S. lens, which sells for roughly half its price.
Our Imatest assessments showed the review camera equipped with the 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 lens wasn’t quite capable of meeting expectations for the sensor’s 20.2-megapixel resolution with JPEGs. This isn’t unexpected for a basic kit lens. RW2.RAW files converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), our preferred raw file converter only just exceeded expectations around the centre of the image frame.
Fortunately, the differences between central and edge resolution weren’t as great as we found with the original GH5. Resolution remained relatively high for both file types across most of the camera’s ISO range, with the highest values at ISO 200 followed by gradual decline as sensitivity increased. The graph below shows the results of our tests.
With JPEGs, low-light exposures were rather contrasty but retained sharpness and general colour accuracy at low to mid-range ISO settings. Raw files provided much more scope for adjustments so we’ve include a few examples in our Samples section.
Noise was obvious from about ISO 6400 on in both JPEGs and raw files. Raw files at the ISO 25600 setting were very noise affected, with colour blotches and grain breaking up the image. JPEG files at ISO 25600 showed less blotching than raw files but noise was visible.
In most shooting conditions, straight-out-of-the-camera JPEGs showed slightly elevated contrast but restrained saturation. Colour accuracy was very good in raw files but JPEGs showed reductions in saturation in the yellow-green through the purple region of the spectrum.
The GH5M2 provides similar white balance settings to the original GH5 and most of the cameras we have tested recently, including three auto white balance settings. Although presets are provided for Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Incandescent and Flash lighting, there are none for the increasingly common LED and fluorescent lights.
The review camera’s Auto white balance setting was unable to completely correct the warm bias of incandescent lighting, although the AWBc (cool) preset came close-to-natural colours. Not surprisingly, the AWBw (warm) preset was slightly warmer toned than the straight AWB setting.
Fluorescent and LED lights were well corrected with all three AWB settings and, perhaps surprisingly, there was little visible difference between the three settings with each lighting type (so we’ve only posted one sample). As is usual, the incandescent pre-set tended to slightly over-correct but manual measurement produced adequate corrections. Plenty of adjustments are available for tweaking colours as you shoot.
We had no issues with autofocusing, including when shooting in very low light levels after dark. In single AF mode the review camera and lens were able to lock onto subjects instantaneously and moving subjects remained in focus, thanks to effective focus tracking. Autofocusing in movie mode was mainly excellent and the camera showed few hesitations in locking onto subjects, even in tricky lighting conditions. The camera also excelled when tracking both focus and exposure; once focus was found it was retained, regardless of the direction of the subject’s motion and exposure levels adjusted almost seamlessly as subject brightness levels changed.
We expected image stabilisation to be slightly better in the GH5M2 but, although there might have been a slight improvement, it’s difficult to quantify as we were using a different lens for this review. There were no problems hand-holding the camera at shutter speeds down to about ½ second for shooting stills but it was harder to keep the camera steady while shooting video when tracking across a scene.
Otherwise, video performance was excellent. The new camera has more to offer to a serious videographer and we found it difficult to fault its performance at any of the settings we tested. Given the large number of video settings provided, we are only able to provide a few representative frame grabs in our Samples section and those are based on PAL format clips.
We carried out our timing tests with a Lexar Professional 32GB SDXC UHS-II U3 Class 10 card with speed rating of 2000x or 300MB/s. The review camera took a little over a second to power-up for the first shot.
Autofocus lag averaged 0.8 seconds and without flash, shot-to-shot times showed a consistent rate of 0.45 seconds. No indicator is provided to show that files were being processed so we are unable to measure processing times for this camera.
In the high-speed sequential shooting mode, with the mechanical shutter, the review camera was able to record 86 Large/Superfine JPEGs in 10.4 seconds without showing any sign of slowing, which matches the specified frame rate. The same frame was measured for raw files and it remained unchanged when we swapped to the electronic shutter.
Conclusion
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SPECS
Image sensor: 17.3 x 13.0 mm Live MOS sensor with 21.77 million photosites (20.33 megapixels effective) , primary colour filter and anti-reflection coating
Image processor: Venus Engine (updated)
Lens mount: Micro Four Thirds
Focal length crop factor: 2x
Digital zoom: 2.0x (EX S), 1.4x (EX M) Extre Tele Conversion
Image formats: Stills: JPEG (DCF, Exif Ver. 2.31), RW2.RAW, RAW+JPEG, 6K PHOTO / 4K PHOTO; Movies: MOV (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, H.265/HEVC), MP4 (H.265/HEVC, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC
Audio: MOV: LPCM (2ch 48kHz/16-bit, 48kHz/24-bit, 96kHz/24-bit); MP4: AAC (2ch)
Image Sizes: Stills 4:3 aspect – 5184 x 3888, 3712 x 2784, 2624 x 1968 plus 4992 x 3744 (6K PHOTO) / 3328 x 2496 (4K PHOTO); Movies: MOV = C4K and 4K @ 50p 200Mbps (4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP), 150Mbps (4:2:0 8-bit LongGOP), 25p 400Mbps (4:2:2 10-bit ALL-Intra), 150Mbps (4:2:2 10-bit ALL-Intra), 150Mbps (4:2:2 10-bit LongGOP), 100Mbps (4:2:0 8-bit LongGOP); MP4 = 4K @ 50p 100Mbps (4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP), 25p 72Mbps (4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP), 100Mbps (4:2:0 8-bit LongGOP), FHD @ 50p 28Mbps (4:2:0 8-bit LongGOP), 25p 20Mbps (4:2:0 8-bit LongGOP); Variable Frame MOV – C4K @ 25p 100Mbps (4:2:0 8-bit LongGOP), 25p 100Mbps (4:2:0 8-bit LongGOP)
Video features: Variable frame rate recording in MOV format; Full / Pixel by Pixel selection for image area for video, Streaming quality: PAL (50.00Hz) – [FHD] 1920×1080 50.00p, 16Mbps / 8Mbps, 25.00p, 6Mbps / 3Mbps, [HD] 1280×720 50p / 25p; Master pedestal level – 31 steps; Wave form monitor / Vectorscope; LUT / HLG view assist; Anamorphic desqueeze display; Time code, SMPTE / EBU / ARIB) colour bars; 1kHz test tone; Knee control (in Like709 mode); Red REC Frame Indicator, Blue Streaming Frame Indicator
Aspect ratios: 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1
Image Stabilisation: Image sensor shift type (5-axis / 6.5-stops); 6.5-stop Dual I.S. 2 compatible for movies
Dust removal: Image sensor shift type
Shutter (speed range): Focal-plane shutter (60-1/9000 seconds plus Bulb to 30 minutes; Electronic shutter: 60 to 1/16,000 second; minimum 1/25 sec. for movies); flash sync at 1/250 sec.
Exposure Compensation: +/-5EV in 1/3EV steps (+/-3EV for movies)
Exposure bracketing: 3, 5, 7 images in 1/3, 2/3 or 1 EV steps; max. +/-3 EV, single/burst
Other bracketing options: Aperture, focus, white balance
Self-timer: 2 or 10 seconds delay plus 10sec, 3 images and Custom setting
Interval recording: Yes, for time-lapse and stop motion animation
Focus system: Contrast AF system with DFD technology; detection range EV -4 to 18; focus ring control (linear/non-linear)
AF selection: Auto Detection (Face, Eye, Body, Animal) / Tracking / 225-Area / Zone (Vertical/Horizontal) / Zone (Square) / Zone (Oval) / 1-Area+ / 1-Area / Pinpoint / Custom 1, 2, 3 (Full area touch is available) (Scalable AF frame size and flexible AF position)
Focus modes: AFS (Single) / AFC (Continuous) / MF plus Post Focus & Focus Stacking
Exposure metering: 1,728-zone multi-pattern sensing system with Multiple, Centre-weighted average, Highlight weighted and spot metering patterns
Shooting modes: Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual Exposure, Creative Video, Custom (x 4), Intelligent Auto
Photo Style modes: Standard / Vivid / Natural / L. Classic Neo / Flat / Landscape / Portrait / Monochrome / L. Monochrome / L. Monochrome D / L. Monochrome S / Cinelike D2 / Cinelike V2 / Like709 / V-Log L / Hybrid Log Gamma / My Photo Style 1-10
Picture adjustments: Contrast / Highlight / Shadow / Saturation / Colour Tone / Hue / Filter Effect / Grain Effect / Colour Noise / Sharpness / Noise Reduction / ISO / WB
Filter modes: Expressive / Retro / Old Days / High Key / Low Key / Sepia / Monochrome / Dynamic Monochrome / Rough Monochrome / Silky Monochrome / Impressive Art / High Dynamic / Cross Process / Toy Effect / Toy Pop / Bleach Bypass / Miniature Effect / Soft Focus / Fantasy / Star Filter / One Point Colour / Sunshine
Movie adjustments: Master pedestal level 31 steps, Wave form monitor / Vectorscope, LUT view assist for monitor and HDMI, HLG view assist (3 modes), Anamorphic desqueeze display, Synchro scan, Time code, SS/Gain, Colour bars (SMPTE / EBU / ARIB), 1kHz test tone, Knee control, Red REC Frame Indicator, Streaming Blue Frame Indicator, Vertical Position Information, Level gauge
Colour space options: sRGB and Adobe RGB
ISO range: Auto, ISO 100 (Extended) / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / 6400 / 12800 / 25600 (adjustable in 1/3 EV steps)
White balance: AWB, AWBc, AWBw, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Incandescent, Flash, White Set (x 4), Colour temperature setting (2500-10000K in 100K), B/A and M/G adjsutments
Flash: TTL external flash only
Flash modes: Auto/ Auto/Red-eye Reduction/ Forced On / Forced On/Red-eye Reduction / Slow Sync. / Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction / Forced Off; 1st/2nd curtain sync available
Flash exposure adjustment: +/- 3EV in 1/3EV steps
Sequence shooting: Max.12 shots/sec. (AFS/MF); 60 fps in 4K PHOTO mode, 30 fps in 6K PHOTO mode
Buffer capacity: To card capacity with JPEGs, >108 frames with RAW files
Storage Media: Dual slots for SD, SDHC, SDXC cards (UHS-I / UHS-II UHS Speed Class 3 / Video Speed Class 90 standard compatible)
Viewfinder: OLED Live View Finder with 3,680,000 dots, 100% FOV, 0.76x magnification (35mm equivalent), 120fps / 60fps refresh rate, 21 mm eyepoint, -4 to +3 dpt adjustment, eye sensor
LCD monitor: Free-angle, 3.0-inch TFT LCD monitor with 3:2 aspect, approx. 1,840,000 dots, static touch control
Interface terminals: SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C, HDMI Type A, 2.5mm remote jack, 3.5mm jack s for external microphone and headphones
Wi-Fi function: Built-in Wi-Fi 2.4GHz (STA/AP) (IEEE802.11b/g/n) 5GHz (STA) (IEEE 802.11a/n/ac); Bluetooth v4.2 (Bluetooth Low Energy)
Power supply: rechargeable Li-ion battery; CIPA rated for approx. shots/charge with monitor, shots/charge with EVF; support for USB charging
Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 138.5 x 98.1 x 87.4 mm (excluding protrusions)
Weight: Approx. 727 grams with battery and card
Distributor: Panasonic Australia, Ph. 132 600
TESTS
Based on JPEG files recorded with the H-FS12060E kit lens.
Based on RW2.RAW files recorded simultaneously and converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw.
SAMPLES
The shots below were taken with the Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Asph. POWER O.I.S. lens
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting. (Top image with the ‘keep white’ mode; lower image standard AWB setting.)
Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.
Auto white balance with warm-toned LED lighting.
30 second exposure at ISO 100, 32mm focal length, f/5.
25 second exposure at ISO 200, 32mm focal length, f/5.
15 second exposure at ISO 400, 32mm focal length, f/5.6. JPEG file
RW2.RAW file captured simultaneously with the above image and converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw.
6 second exposure at ISO 1600, 32mm focal length, f/7.1.
3.2 second exposure at ISO 6400; 32mm focal length, f/9.
RW2.RAW file captured simultaneously with the above image and converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw.
2.5second exposure at ISO 12800; 32mm focal length, f/13.
2 second exposure at ISO 25600; 32mm focal length, f/16.
RW2.RAW file captured simultaneously with the above image and converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw.
12mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/11.
60mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/500 second at f/11.
60mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/3200 second at f/5.6.
33mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/800 second at f/8.
Backlit subject; 20mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/1300 second at f/7.1.
Crop from the above frame magnified to 100% showing negligible coloured fringing.
25mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/10 second at f/11.
30mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/500 second at f/4.9.
22mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/1000 second at f/5.6.
The remaining images and video frames were recorded with the Lumix G 100-300mm f/4-5.6 lens.
100mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/7.1.
100mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/800 second at f/10.
162mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/320 second at f/5.6.
Single frame from a MOV Cinema 4K (4096 x 2160) 50.00p, 200Mbps (4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP) video clip.
Single frame from a MOV Cinema 4K (4096 x 2160) 25.00p, 400Mbps (4:2:2 10-bit ALL-Intra) video clip.
Single frame from a MOV 4K (3840 x 2160) 50.00p, 200Mbps (4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP) video clip.
Single frame from a MOV 4K (3840 x 2160) 25.00p, 400Mbps (4:2:2 10-bit ALL-Intra) video clip.
Single frame from a MOV FHD (1920 x 1080) 50.00p, 200Mbps (4:2:2 10-bit ALL-Intra) video clips.
Single frame from a MOV FHD (1920 x 1080) 25.00p, 200Mbps (4:2:2 10-bit ALL-Intra) video clip.
Single frame from a MP4 4K (3840 x 2160) 50.00p, 100Mbps (4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP) video clip.
Single frame from a MP4 4K (3840 x 2160) 25.00p, 72Mbps (4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP) video clip.
Single frame from a MP4 FHD (1920 x 1080) 50.00p, 28Mbps (4:2:0 8-bit LongGOP) video clip.
Single frame from a MP4 FHD (1920 x 1080) 25.00p, 20Mbps (4:2:0 8-bit LongGOP) video clip.
Rating
RRP: AU$2699 (body only); $2999 (with H-FS12060E kit lens); US$1699.99 (body only)
- Build: 9.0
- Features: 8.8
- Ease of use: 8.8
- Autofocusing: 8.9
- Still image quality JPEG: 8.6
- Still image quality RAW: 8.8
- Video quality: 9.2
BUY
