Its been a long time coming but the new GH5 will be available at the end of March 2017, this really is a killer 10bit 422 DSLM with 4K 50p and no more 29minute record restrictions. The good news is it still takes the same batteries as the GH4.
The new Lumix GH5 which is 10% bigger as we now have a dual SD card slot and a full size HDMI socket, I shook Mr Uematsu’s hand when I found out about the full size HDMI socket for monitoring and outputting to an external recorder the full size HDMI is long overdue.
December 13th 2016…Tuesday morning at 10am the first person I bump into at Panasonic’s headquarters in Bracknell was Richard Payne, Head of Technology at Holdan. We all sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) which means I can’t tell anyone about this meeting till today.
We met a few big players from Panasonic, Barnaby Sykes, Head of Imaging Marketing and Mr Michiharu Uematsu, Adviser for Technical PR from Japan.
I had a play with the new joystick and it makes a lot of sense when you are hunting through the menus.
Here is the list of new features for video filming…
- The GH5 will record 4K 50p at 400mbps in a firmware update in the summer.
- 1920 x 1080 50p is 10bit 422
- A new high resolution viewfinder 3680 k-dot OLED (2360 GH4)
- Full size HDMI socket plus cable lock holder (included)
- 5 Axis stabilisation with certain lenses.
- Records continually (No more 29m restriction)
- V-Log and LUT display available as a paid firmware upgrade
- Live output via the HDMI socket (i.e. Your LCD screen won’t go black as it does in the GH4) and internal recording at the same time
- Better tracking via a new AF system…225 focusing points
- Two SD card slots capable of relay recording or back up onto 2 cards at the same time.
- Same battery as the GH4
- A new top mounted XLR unit costing £350
- Customisable AF (4 sets)
- New joystick control added on the back of the GH5
- Wave Form monitor has been added
- Luminance level for 10bit has been added
- Slow motion at 25p up to 180fps
- Autofocus Transition has been added (Pull focus)
- 4K Video in 4:3 Aspect has been added for shooting with anamorphic lenses.
- Hybrid LOG Gamma will be added in summer 2017 (FW update) for 4K HDR footage.
- 709 Like & Knee control suppress overexposure by high luminance video signals
- Summer 2017 brings a firmware update giving you 4K 4:2:2 10bit at 400Mbps
- Higher ISO up to 6400 ISO…a lot cleaner than the GH4
- 4:2:2 10bit output & internal recording
April 2017 (NAB) FHD 4:2:2
Summer 2017 (June-July) …4K 4:2:2 10bit ALL-Intra… FHD 4:2:2 10bit ALL-Intra… High-resolution Anamorphic Video Mode… Hybrid Log Gamma for 4K HDR Video
The firmware (FW) update assumes the FW will be available from today.
Venus Engine improvements achieve “Natural Texture Expression“, Improved Resolution, Multipixel luminance generation and intelligent detail processing realize natural, high-resolution expression and improve color moiré suppression.
Rich Color Expression, three-dimensional color control improves color reproduction of bright and shadow areas, natural and True-to-life Image Natural image from low to high sensitivity.
1.3 times faster processing by 5 Core Codecs realizes and no cropping 4K 60p/50p video and 30fps 6K PHOTO (HEVC / H.265).
A first in the field of hi resolution view finders an amazing 3680k-dot OLED colour VF with 0.76x magnification just when you thought your GH4 viewfinder was good.
Sadly the GH5 XLR unit for the GH5 won’t work on the GH4, I asked this very question to Mr Uematsu the engineer from Japan. While we are at it the YAGH for those hanging onto them won’t fit on the newer GH5 as its 10% bigger to accommodate the dual card slots and the full size HDMI socket.
I am a big fan of the micro four thirds system which is why I already have a GH5 body on order. I love all the new features especially the sharper viewfinder, dual card slots, full size HDMI its a camera that keeps on giving to quote Richard Payne. 422 10bit is major for me as well as 4K 50p, not to mention 180fps slow motion in full HD and lastly the £350 professional XLR unit.
This will vastly improve any video production worthy of 4K or HD and I look forward to producing an in-depth user review of the GH5. I must thank Richard Payne for getting me an invite to this meeting at Panasonic HQ as it was well worth the 800 miles of drive from Glasgow to Bracknell and back again.
Here is a video I produced at the meeting…
The GH4R (with unlimited recording and Log) is now down to £734 at Jessops and John Lewis. The £200 cash back offer finishes on the 9th so I’m tempted to get it, but I’ve never dealt with GH4 footage so I’ve no idea how it’ll compare to my JVC LS300…
HDW : I use the JVC LS300 and GH4 plus GH4R all the time on ONE ROVING COOK.Note.All PTC are shot on the LS300 usually wide shot is GH4R second shot is GH4 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCya3Qvk50frDOiOhnTddlEQ
How true is that the EU model still has de 30 min rec limitation..NOT TRUE THERE IS NO LONGER ANY RECORD LIMITATION
That 400 mbps is an insane bitrate and needs the fastest SD cards.
Too bad that such technology is not used in a proper MFT video cam.
looking forward to this new camera. this and the coming olympus e-m1 mark 11 will be great tools to use.
There was a cover with “remote” on it. I assume this is for shutter release but wonder if it will also work in video mode for zoom and start and stop with a normal Panasonic type controller.
Looks a nice 4K camcorder especially used as a fixed camera for later cropping to HD.
HDW : The remote socket is for a LANC control and like the GH4 it will allow you to remote zoom a servo lens, though the lenses are not worth buying.
Hi,
Did you ask about no recording limit in Europe? I read somewhere that it still had the 29m 59sec limit in Europe, which sucks. I bought the original GH4, I will never buy another camera with this limit. If it does just need to wait for the R version.
HDW : Cant you read..Number 6. Records continually (No more 29m restriction)
what comes out of the HDMI – HD only?
HDW : We were shown 4K on a 4K monitor via the pre production GH5 and it looked fantastic.
Hello HDW,
I understand that we will need to wait about 6 months to get internal 4K 10 bits 4.2.2
But what about the HDMI output,
Can it output this format already?
Thanks
HDW : As far as I am aware we were not told otherwise.
Hi Philip
Thanks for this article about the latests GH5’s features, looks like a definite purchase.
Do you know if the camera can recored 4:2:2 10bit internal and output 4:2:2 10bit via HDMI for recording/monitoring at the same time?
Dave
HDW : Soon after release Panasonic will have a FW update for HD 422 10bit that will give you internal and external at the same time.
Philip,
Despite assurances that the new XLR Unit will only work with the new GH5, the pin configuration in the hot-shoe of both the GX8 and the new FZ2000 seems identical to that of the GH5. Can you clarify this anomaly? Many thanks in advance.
HDW : I did ask this question to Mr Uematsu from Japan and he told me the XLR unit was developed for the GH5. I did ask if it would work with the FZ2000, he told me no. Anyway the FZ2000 does not have the 4th copper pin but the GX8 does ? Cant comment on the GX8 as I would not expect it to work on it as it does not have a headphone socket.
Thanks Philip,
I guess I’ll have to stick with my iRig which actually works very well, although it only has a single XLR input.
Phil, may I ask which Nd filter you add to the gh4/5 lenses for video work,?
HDW : I use the Genustech solar eclipse ND fader
I’m hoping that ugly noise in shadows even at low ISO has been dealt with. This is one of the major failings of past GH models.
HDW : Strange you should pick up on this I have recently seen this on one of my own videos shot with the GH4R.
HDW : Strange you should pick up on this I have recently seen this on one of my own videos shot with the GH4R.
I’ve reduced this problem by turning iDynamic off in the menu – and always shooting in 4K but it’s still noticeable sometimes. I’d like to shoot HD and use Ex Tele Conv. but the problem is amplified and unusable.
Actually to say the noise is in the shadows isn’t exactly correct – the noise appears when I underexpose the whole frame in order to expose skin tones correctly. All is okay when the whole scene is lit and the exposure meter is exactly in the middle but when one area of the frame is lit and other parts of the frame are in various shades of darkness- (classic interview situation), then noise is abundant in those darker areas- even at 200 ISO.
Focus hunting whilst zooming in manual focus mode (12-35mm f2.8 and 35-100mm f2.8) is another
annoyance. Doubt if I’m forking out for the newer versions of these lenses but if this problem was solved and I was earning money from my gear, then it would be worth it. When I say zooming – I mean even the slightest tweak to finesse the frame and the shot goes soft or hunts slightly and sometimes corrects itself.
For me – on the GH4, these two problems rule this camera out of paid gigs. Enjoying the GH4 for family videos though. Perfect hybrid camera. The GH5 will be even better!
I’m pretty new to the video world so perhaps one of you guys who have been around can answer this;
Where does something like the GH5 fall in the hierarchy of video quality?
Will the signal you get out of this be as good as what you get out of an 880mbps, 3-chip 2/3-inch broadcast camera like a Sony SRW-9000PL?
If not, in what ways will it come up short?
HDW : In terms of features the discontinued tape based format the Sony SRW-9000PL did not have 4K for a start but it was a Super 35mm sensor which is bigger than a micro 4/3 sensor.
The Sony for its day would have been above the GH5 but not any more…If you prefer a shoulder mount cinema camera you may be looking more at the Blackmagic URSA mini 4.6K but at £2475 that does not come with a lens or a viewfinder.
For the price of £1699 the GH5 is tremendous value for money, you can’t get 4K 50p recordings from any camera at this price range.
“Where does something like the GH5 fall in the hierarchy of video quality?”
In terms of quality, I doubt it would come up short – esp. if shot in 4K and shared in HD.
Ergonomics are sometimes where some DSLR style cameras come up short depending on the job.
The quality gap has been reduced a lot now that dynamic range and bit rates have been increased.
The GH5 has 10bit 422. This at least puts it in the “quality” league with lower end broadcast cameras. 10 bit 422 means that the video can be more successfully colour graded and used for chroma-key. To the untrained eye artifacts like colour banding in a blue sky are eliminated. I imagine the GH5 would qualify as a broadcast camera – especially for news and documentary work.
HDW : I don’t think at this price point you can get any better. Broadcasters prefer shoulder mounts and a run and gun servo zoom lens, you can’t get this with a GH5, but its not made with news coverage in mind. More a drama and interview camera where you usually have more time to swap lenses.