Today Panasonic announces the new Lumix GH6 model, long overdue. The GH range has always stood out for the combination of high-level photographic quality and high video performance. The big news in this latest update is on high quality without limits.
An important profile
Such a small body and such high performance lead to intensive use of onboard electronics. The new Venus Engine CPU, as we will see, has remarkable performance that needs a adequate cooling. In addition to the traditional passive dissipation we will find two grids on the body of the Panasonic Lumix GH6. To a careful eye the camera is more elongated than the previous models in fact the rear part of the display is set back by about 5 millimeters to leave space for a small wind tunnel. When we set demanding resolutions and modes the camera will activate the fan to keep the electronics at a suitable working temperature. Do not worry: we have previewed the Panasonic Lumix GH6 and the fan does not make noises that can in any way to disturb the shooting.
Note the ventilation grille near the joint
Connections have been taken into consideration in the design: it is in fact possible to work with the display open and with USB and HDMI connections at the same time.
The performance of the Lumix GH6
The small photo-video camera has very high performance. Panasonic wants to believe in a professional machine with truly usable content. It is therefore appreciable that the performance reaches up to 5.8 K with a perfect park of 4K options. It is fair to ask immediately if there is support for 8K: no, there is not and for an important reason. This resolution isn’t widespread yet, and it’s not worth forcing it into camera performance. What is really nice is to find advanced options for 4K format and adequate performance for 5.8K.
LUMIX GH6 features two card slots. The CFexpress (Type B) card supports internal recording
high bitrate video at 800Mbps or higher with resolution up to 5.7K 30p ProRes 422 HQ and C4K 60p ALLI, while the UHS II V90 SD memory card supports internal video recording up to 600Mbps. The camera is also compatible with IN / OUT time code synchronization.
422 support, because it matters
Lumix GH6 offers a very wide range of resolutions with Apple Pro Res 422 compression. Major video editing programs natively support 422 format, without the need to internally convert the footage into a working format. This kind of compression allows video editing programs to work without loss of performance, especially when we have high-performance videos on older machines.
Here is the benchmark performance for the Lumix GH6:
- 5.7K 30p with Pro Res 422 HG and Pro Res 422 resolution
- 5.7K 60p/50p anamorfiche 420 a 10 bit
- 5.8K 30p/25p/24p a 420 a 10 bit
- 4k 6’p 422 a 10 bit simultanea all’uscita HDMI
- 4K 120p 420 a 10 bit
- FHD 240 High Frame Rate 422 a 10 bit
- Variable Frame Rate fino a 300 fps
All modes have unlimited recording time thanks to active ventilation. More video performances will arrive that will be offered with new firmware updates they will be:
- Cinema 4K ProRes 422 HQ / ProRes 422 resolution
- ProRes 422 HQ / ProRes 422 FHD resolution
- Direct recording on USB-SSD
- Output video in 4K 120p via HDMI durante il Live View
- Cinema resolution 4K 120p RAW video output via HDMI to ATOMOS Ninja V +
Lumix GH6, champion also from a photographic point of view
Let’s not forget the photographic performance of this little gem. The 25.2 megapixel sensor with no low-pass filter provides the multiple shot to obtain a final resolution of 100 megapixels ((11552 x 8672 pixels!) A very interesting option. The same sensor is supported by an updated stabilization system; now the performance goes up to 7.5 stops, on 5 axes. Burst shots for 25 megapixel resolutions go up to at 75 frames per second
Lumix GH6: dynamic range to sell
Video recordings of the Lumix GH6 are thrilling due to its ability to record the differences between light and shadow until recently more than 12 stops. When the Dynamic Range Boost function is enabled, the value exceeds 13 stops thanks to the recording system of frames alternating between high and low ISO.
In addition to the 422 support to facilitate video editing we will also find the V-LOG, a very flat recording profile that allows grading with high control. In addition to the V-LLOG profile we will also find full V-Gamut, a very high color recording capacity.
Color management passes through various technologies, among which it should be noted Intelligent Detail Processing which deals with identifying the homogeneous areas of a frame and applying the effects of noise reduction and sharpness management only in the areas that really need this intervention.
Video Assist functions
The computing power of Venus Engine, double compared to previous generations, allows you to see during the recording information of:
- Waveform Monitor
- Zebra Pattern
- Luminance Spot Meter
- Frame Marker
- Anamorphic Desqueeze Display
- Red REC Frame
News for the Lumix world: they are present special frames during video shooting to delimit 95/90/80% of the frame; this is a very useful guide to making sure you can leave enough space for logos and sub-titles. The camera can handle up to 4 microphones.
Performance at a competitive price
Fortunately, the selling price of the Lumix GH6 is another strong point. Panasonic’s effort has been to make this camera affordable at a more than reasonable price.
From March 2022 Lumix GH6 will be available in GH6 versions (body only) € 2,199,
DC-GH6LE (body + 12-60 mm LEICA) € 2,799 and DC-GH6ME (body + 12-60 mm LUMIX) € 2,399.