Panasonic LUMIX GH6: Production video powerhouse for content creators

Nearly 5 years after the original LUMIX GH5, and a little less than a year after the LUMIX GH5 II, Panasonic’s newest flagship camera, the LUMIX GH6 has finally arrived!

Designed and developed for “the next generation of content creators” the LUMIX GH6, like the GH5 II, is heavy on the video features, but is no slouch in the stills department either.

Panasonic says that the GH6 has “evolved using three key technologies – New Intelligent Detail Processing, New 2D Noise Reduction, and High Precision 3D Noise Reduction for video.”

• Intelligent Detail Processing – detects the flat part, detailed part and edge part in a frame more accurately to realize a highly realistic image.
• 2D Noise Reduction – suppresses chromatic noise and improves the texture of luminance noise to make photos clear and natural even when shot at high sensitivity.
• High Precision 3D Noise Reduction for video – the detection capability of still parts and moving parts has been advanced, which makes it possible to optimize noise reduction while minimizing afterimages. As a result, the image quality of video with dynamic motion is enhanced. In addition, high-precision Dual 3D Colour Control enhances colour reproduction by brightness level, saturation level and hue level for rich, faithful colour expression.

View Panasonic LUMIX GH6 Pricing and Availability at Vistek

The GH6 is a Micro Four-Thirds camera that features a new 25.2-megapixel Live MOS Sensor without LPF (low-pass filter), that offers “high resolution, high-speed signal readout that reduces the rolling shutter problem and achieves wide dynamic range.”

The new Venus processing engine offers almost twice the processing power and features “advanced image processing technologies to render high resolution images with low noise quality and rich colour reproduction”, as well as higher-resolution and higher-bit-rate video.

It also offers up to 12+ stops of dynamic range for pre-installed V-Log recording and 13+ stops when shooting in Dynamic Rage Boost mode.

Dynamic Range Boost mode works by generating a saturation-priority image from the low ISO circuit and a low noise image generated from the high ISO circuit, synthesized at each pixel. This composite image realizes both low noise and high saturation, resulting in a clear and smooth HDR video with rich gradation.

The LUMIX GH6 also features a new super high-precision 5-axis gyro sensor that utilizes a new algorithm offering up to 7.5 stops of compensation for both Body I.S. and Dual I.S. 2.

Dual I.S. 2 also works with video, (including 4K), recording by applying the appropriate compensation depending on the type (panning, tilting or hand-shake) of movement it senses.

With stabilization enabled, Panasonic says that “even 100-megapixel high resolution images can be shot using the High Resolution mode* without a tripod”.

*When shooting in High Resolution mode, eight consecutive images are automatically shot while shifting the sensor using the Body I.S. (Image Stabilizer) mechanism which are then composited into a 100-megapixel equivalent image that can be output in both RAW and JPEG formats.

It is also capable of high-speed burst shooting at 14 (AFS) / 8 (AFC) fps when using the mechanical shutter and 75 fps with the electronic shutter.

Video Features

As with previous GH models, the GH6 is most likely going to be a huge success within the video content creator community as it packs a lot of high-end features in to a very affordable package.

The GH6 offers a wide range of recording options including:

• 4:2:2 10-bit C4K 60p unlimited video recording
• 4:2:0 10-bit 4K120p (equivalent to 5x slow motion)
• 4:2:2 10bit FHD 240p HFR (High Frame Rate) video recording with audio.

4:2:0 10-bit 5.7K 60p and 4:2:0 10-bit 5.8K 30p anamorphic 4:3 video can also be recorded and utilizes the full area of the sensor and de-squeezed footage can be displayed in real-time on the monitor.

For the first time in the LUMIX series, 5.7K 30p internal video recording is available in both ProRes 422 HQ and ProRes 422 when using CFexpress Type B cards, enabling non-linear editing without transcoding.

Panasonic also says that DCI4K and FHD ProRes 422 and ProRes 422 HQ will also be supported with a future firmware update.

Internal 4:2:2 10-bit C4K 60p video recording with simultaneous output in 4:2:2 10-bit C4K 60p over HDMI is also available.

Both C4K 120p HDMI video output and C4K 120p 12-bit RAW output to Atomos Ninja V+ over HDMI 2.0 will also be supported in future firmware updates from both Panasonic and Atomos.

The LUMIX GH6 also contains V-Log/V-Gamut capture that delivers a high dynamic range and broad colour spectrum.

It also imports the renowned colourimetry of the VariCam lineup of cinema cameras. V709 LUT (Look Up Table) with Rec.709 standard is available in the camera by default and it’s possible to see the footage with a LUT applied, not only in live view but also during playback with the V-Log View Assist function.

In addition to conventional .vlt files, .cube (compatible with 17 point and 33 point 3D LUT) can be also applied.

The GH6 also adds a slew of other highly-requested video-centric assist functions including, Waveform Monitor, Zebra Pattern, Luminance Spot Meter, Frame Marker, Anamorphic Desqueeze Display, Red REC Frame Indicator, and both front and back Tally lamps.

Overheating issues can be an issue in cameras that feature higher resolutions and frame rates and to combat this, Panasonic uses a cooling system similar to that found in it’s full-frame cameras such as the LUMIX S1H.

Thanks to this, the GH6 can achieve unlimited video recording times in C4K at 60p in 4:2:2 10-bit by optimizing the heat-dissipating path with the fan.

It also allows video recording of VFR/HFR, ProRes, and high-resolution footage exceeding 4K for an extended period of time.

The the GH6 features dual memory card slots, one that accepts CFexpress Type B cards, with the other being a UHS-II SD port.

The CFexpress card (Type B) can support internal high bitrate video recording at 800Mbps or more (including 5.7K at 30p ProRes 422 HQ and C4K at 60p ALL-I) and the SD Memory Card UHS-II V90 can support internal recording of video at 600Mbps or less.

It also is possible to choose the recording method from Relay Recording, Backup Recording, Allocation Recording using both the SD Memory Card and CFexpress Card.

Rounding out the features are a full-sized HDMI port, a new 2,200mAh battery that can be charged with AC power or USB-C in the camera, WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5, and the ability to shoot while tethered via a PC connection.