Reviews |Panasonic GH5S: specs, price, release date confirmed

Panasonic GH5S: specs, price, release date confirmed

Panasonic GH5S
News

Panasonic has announced a new hybrid CSC for videography, introducing the Panasonic GH5S, price tag £2199 / €2549.99.

Designed and developed for professional filmmakers, Panasonic says the GH5S achieves the company’s highest-ever sensitivity and image quality across the entire Lumix range.

Low Light

At the heart of the Panasonic GH5S is a new 10.2-megapixel High Sensitivity MOS sensor, designed for low light.

Coupled with Panasonic’s Venus Engine, the GH5S can reach a top native sensitivity of ISO 51,200, freeing up videographers to shoot in dark conditions.

New Dual Native ISO Technology also helps keep background noise at bay when shooting in these dark environments, Panasonic says.

Other low-light enhancements include -5EV luminance detection performance with Low Light AF and Live View Boost, which allows you to check your composition in total darkness, Panasonic says. The GH5S enables the latter by boosting the sensitivity just for Live View.

Panasonic says it has also increased the magnification ratio in MF assist from 10x to 20x with the GH5S, which should appeal to astrophotographers.

Panasonic Lumix GH5S Review: Camera

Multi-Aspect Ratio

Panasonic has also introduced a new True Multi-Aspect Ratio function that works across both stills and video. The new multi-aspect sensor provides enough margin, Panasonic says, to allow users to capture the same angle of view in 4:3, 17:9, 16:9 or 3:2 aspect ratios.

This frees users up to switch between different aspect ratios on the GH5S, as well as speeding up post-production times.

Timecode IN/OUT

Another signature feature of the Panasonic GH5S is its compatibility with Timecode IN/OUT, which you can set using the flash sync terminal and bundled coaxial cable for a BNC terminal.

The Panasonic GH5S can be used as a Timecode generator for other GH5S models – as well as professional camcorders – allowing users to synchronise recordings to other cameras or audio devices.

Panasonic Lumix GH5S Review: Camera back

Panasonic GH5S Video

The Panasonic GH5S offers the world’s first 4K at 60p / 50p video recording in Cinema 4K (4096×2160) among Digital Single Lens Mirrorless Cameras, Panasonic says.

What’s more, the Panasonic GH5S is capable of internal 4:2:2 10-bit recording, and V-Log is pre-installed on the camera promising stronger colour reproduction.

The LUMIX GH5S also records 4:2:2 10-bit 400-Mbps All-Intra in 4K 30p/25p/24p and C4K 24p and 200-Mbps All-Intra in Full-HD. The VFR lets users record overcranked / undercranked video in C4K/4K (60 fps, maximum 2.5x slower in 24p) and FHD (240 fps5, maximum 10x slower).

Panasonic says there is no time limit on 4K video recording, nor at Full HD, and the GH5S complies with 4K HDR video with Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) mode in Photo Style.

The GH5S also offers a low-bit-rate recording mode 4K HEVC for HLG, which enables playback on AV equipment compatible with the HEVC compression format, such as Panasonic 4K HDR TVs.

[table id=49 /]

Speed

Like recent Lumix cameras, the Panasonic GH5S employs the company’s Depth From Defocus, or DFD, technology.

This coupled with faster processing enables the GH5S to achieve AF speeds of approximately 0.07secs and 12 (AFS) 7 / 8 (AFC) fps in 12-bit RAW and 11 (AFS) / 7 (AFC) fps in 14-bit RAW high-speed burst shooting.

The GH5S’ 4K PHOTO mode also enables 60fps high-speed capture in approximately 8-megapixel equivalent resolution.

Body Design

The Panasonic GH5S body is made of magnesium alloy and is splash-proof, dust-proof and freeze-proof down to -10C.

The GH5S boasts a Live View Finder with a high magnification ratio of approximately 1.52x/0.76x (35mm camera equivalent) providing display at 120 fps. Its OLED display features 3,680K-dot resolution and offers a 100% field of view.

Other features of the Panasonic GH5S body design include dual SD memory card slots and compatibility with UHS-II and Video Speed Class 60 cards.

The camera also includes dual band WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity

Specs: [table id=50 /]

Panasonic GH5S Price & Release Date

The Panasonic GH5S price tag will be £2199 / €2549.99 for the body only, with a release date set for the end of January 2018.