Panasonic is waving a new flagship mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera, the Panasonic GH5S C4K. While it has the form factor of a classic still camera, its strengths lie in its video capture, which includes 4K at up to 60p, an Anamorphic lens system, and dual native ISO of 400 and 2500. Compatible with over 29 Lumix and Leica-branded Micro Four Thirds lenses, the camera is packed with useful features for video productions.
Key features:
- 10.2MP high-sensitivity MOS sensor
- Multi-aspect and dual native ISO 400/2500, extendable to ISO 80-204,800
- 4K Anamorphic professional video production interchangeable lens camera system
- TC In/Out / Synchro Terminal (via included BNC cable)
- 3.5mm Mic Jack with Line Input
- 3.5mm headphone jack 2.5mm remote socket
- HDMI Type A Socket
- USB-C 3.1 Socket
- Dual SD Card slots (UHS-II U3 Compatible)
- V-LogL pre-installed
- 4K HDR hybrid log gamma support
The camera is built around a 10.2MP sensor; that might not sound impressive, but the lower pixel count means larger individual pixels, which leads to greater light sensitivity and therefore less digital noise even at higher ISOs than is typical for a Four Thirds sensor, as well as higher dynamic range. This low-light gathering is essential for cinematic and anamorphic 4K video production.
The Anamorphic video mode lets users record “squeezed” cinematic footage; anamorphic desqueeze display mode then displays the footage in a cinemascope aspect ratio. The Lumix GH5s features a large OLED LVF (Live viewfinder) with an extremely high resolution of 3,680k dots. It offers high 0.76x magnification and a smooth 120fps display with minimal lag.
The Lumix GH5s includes C4K: 60p50p 4:2:0 8-bit, 30p25p/24p 4:2:2 10-bit, 4K: 60p50p 4:2:0 8-bit, 30p/25p/24p 4:2:2 10-bit recording* with unlimited recording. The GH5s comes pre-installed with HDR Hybrid Log Gamma and Panasonic’s V-LogL along with professional grade exposure tools like: Time Code sync, Waveform, Vector Scopes, and programmable Zebra patters. The Lumix GH5s supports important recording features like 14bit RAW for stills, Panasonic XLR mic Adaptor support, and the return of multi-aspect capture.
The Lumix GH5s is capable of internal SD card capture of 4:2:2 10-bit C4K/4K video recording without the banding so prone to 8-bit. It can also simultaneously feed 4:2:2 10-bit real-time image output through its full-size HDMI port (Type A) to an external monitor or recorder*. It is suitable for professional video making that requires accurate monitoring of the imagery or high quality recording to external codec devices (such as ProRes). 400Mbps (ALL-Intra) high bitrate recording mode is also available. A cable lock holder for the HDMI cable is bundled with the Lumix GH5s to prevent cable disconnection problems.
The Lumix GH5s sensor is capable of multiple aspect ratios; 4:3, 17:9, 16:9 and 3:2. Thanks to broad margins of effective pixels, focal length does not change in these aspect ratios. Available for still photography, 4K and C4K video, and in Anamorphic mode, this function allows you to fully leverage the angle of view of the lens for more creative options.
Also, even while using a larger sensor, high readout speeds are achieved. Rolling shutter distortion, compared to the Lumix GH5, is suppressed by approximately 1.3x with high readout speeds when recording video or using an electronic shutter.
Lumix’s low-light AF performance has evolved to enable shooting down to the level of -5EV. This allows you to focus precisely even under the lighting of a starlit sky, ideal for shooting nighttime nature scenes and documentaries.
Panasonic’s Lumix Image App for Android / iOS through Bluetooth 4.2 (Low Energy) enables remote shutter release, and video record Start / Stop. Plus this full-time connection between the camera and mobile device consumes less energy. After shooting, it automatically switches to a fast Wi-Fi 5GHz (IEEE802.11ac) connection to transfer data to your mobile device of JPEG and RAW files.
The Lumix GH5s allows tethered shooting via USB with “LUMIX Tether” PC software. It enables camera control and shooting while checking the image on a large PC screen. Plus it supports both video and 4K PHOTO, which greatly assists professional workflows in commercial photoshoots.
By using two batteries — one in the camera and the other in the grip (not included) — exclusively designed for the GH5 and GH5s, the optional DMW-BGGH5 doubles the battery life for extended shooting. It also makes gripping more comfortable during vertical shooting.
The optional DMW-XLR1 enables high-grade stereo recording with an attached XLR microphone (2 channels — left and right) for professional video production. High-res sound recording* at 96kHz/24bit is also selectable. The DMW-XLR1 features an easy-to-use design with convenient physical switches / dials. The DC power is supplied via the cameras shoe connector.
Other features include 10x slow-motion video variable frame rate, splash, dust and freezeproof construction, 14-bit RAW Burst at up to 12fps, a 1,620k dot high-resolution 3.2-inch LCD monitor, and Hybrid Log Gamma for 4K HDR video.
The Panasonic Lumix GH5s C4K Mirrorless camera body will be available from Adorama for $2,497.99. Pre-orders are being accepted starting January 8 at 1:45PM, and will start shipping on February 5.
