Panasonic GH6, GH5 II and 25-50mm 1.7
New from Panasonic Lumix
We have woken up to a new day of hope in the Micro Four Thirds community. Panasonic has made three big announcements that can finally put an end to years-long debates about where they are heading, is Micro Four Thirds dead and do I upgrade to full-frame.
Let's start with the most exciting one.
The GH6!
This is the most ominous camera we have here.
There is certainly more to come on this, so please stay tuned.
But more than anything, this camera puts an entire blanket of relief over any Micro Four Thirds user who hasn't seen a significant upgrade in years. There is a tendency to have a camera for a limited number of years while building up your skills with that equipment. You can buy new lenses to satisfy your urge to buy another camera, but there will get to a point where everyone wants something new from their camera body. Panasonic most likely lost a lot of people who grew impatient and moved to full-frame, but those who have stuck it out this long, well there is finally an answer to this craving within sight.
Before the end of the year, Panasonic will be releasing an entirely new camera rather than just an improved Mark II model.
We don't know a lot just yet, but let's take a look at what we do.
- We will be seeing a brand new sensor that we would expect to be between 24-26MP.
- An updated processor.Capable of a massive 5.7K resolution at 60FPS in 10bit and 4K resolution at 120FPS.
There are a few more details, but we are just waiting on more info from Panasonic.
We are already 5 months into the year so there's not a long time to wait before we can actually have this in our hands. And we can't wait to tell you more about it when that does happen.
Register your interest for pre-order...
The Updated GH5 II
This is as the name suggests an upgrade over the legendary GH5 and not a total redesign that is to come in the GH6. There's a long list of similarities between the GH5 and this new mark II, but where the differences lie, they really count.
These are the headline changes;
- Upgraded processor!
With the new processor, this enables a ramp in video capabilities. Where you could only do 60 fps at 3840 x 2160 resolution, you can now have this at the DCI/UHD 4K 4096 x 2160, 4:2:0 with 4:2:2 via external HDMI recording. - Upgraded autofocus! The autofocus on Panasonic's latest full-frame cameras have had much greater autofocus capabilities over the GH5, but now these changes are all coming to this Mark II. You should be expecting a ton of video examples of this to be right around the corner.
- Upgraded in-body stabilisation
This one was hard to believe as the GH5 already has some of the best in-body stabilisation compared to the latest release cameras across all brands, but there has been a boost from 5 to 6.5 stops CIPA image stabilisation rating.
Again, you will be able to see some video tests of this very soon. - Ships with V-log L Preloaded
Across most of Panasonic's range, they are transitioning to including any log gammas preloaded, rather than a paid upgrade. This is just one more thing bringing the cost of the Mark II within easy sight of the current GH5. - Upgraded LCD Screen
The screen is a funny one as there are clear upgrades to resolution and, I think, more importantly, a much brighter screen. this does come at a cost of lowering the size from 3.2 inches to just 3. But I, as a current GH5 user, think this is certainly an upgrade that will prove worth it in the bright Australian sun.
The other differences are the battery the camera ships with. It is the new BLK22E we first saw in the recent full-frame S5. This is a backwards-compatible battery to the GH5's BLF19. It is a jump in capacity to 2200 mAh from 1860. There also a number of menu and display changes which just brings the Mark II up to date with a few things the original GH5 was missing. Also, it seems every camera made since covid has USB charging and power delivery as everyone was using their cameras for live streaming. This also receives that upgrade via USB C.
I think the biggest upgrade of all the things is the new processor as this ensures that Mark II is here to stay and able to receive future firmware upgrades and ongoing support. This is available for pre-order right now and should be shipping in the next two months.
GH5 Mark II w/ 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
GH5 Mark II w/ 12-60mm f/2.8-4 Leica Lens Kit
GH5 Mark II w/ 12-35mm f/2.8 Lens Kit
The New 25-50mm F/1.7!
Those who talk about the flaws of a micro four thirds (MFT) system have very few complaints about what the cameras are capable of, it's literally just a talk about sensor size. When Panasonic released the 10-25mm f1.7 (learn more...), two years ago now, this took away many of the flaws people will mention. We then sat and waited for Panasonics next fighter to emerge, but it seems they were focused on building up their full-frame system before coming back to help us out again.
But they are certainly back, and we rejoice in a 25-50mm 1.7, a 50-100mm equivalent that is going to dismiss anyone doubting the capabilities of MFT cameras.
We again don't have a lot to go on and will update you as soon as we know more. Pre-order now...
