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Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 First Impressions Review and Sample Gallery

13 Feb

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 is a rangefinder-style Micro Four Thirds camera whose most recognizable feature is its tilting electronic viewfinder. The GX9 provides a healthy serving of new features and performance improvements over its predecessor, the GX8.

The most notable changes include the removal of the low-pass filter on the GX9’s 20MP sensor, 5-axis in-body image stabilization (up from 4-axis), slightly faster burst shooting and Bluetooth connectivity. The shutter unit has also been redesigned, with Panasonic claiming a 90% reduction in ‘shutter shock’ compared to the GX8. There’s also a built-in flash – something the GX8 lacked – as well as some tweaks to image processing.

Panasonic appears to have rearranged their lineup a bit, with the GX9 serving more as a midrange model than its predecessors, sitting alongside the DSLR-style DMC-G85. The price has come down to $ 999 with a kit lens, compared to $ 1199 for the GX8’s body alone. Alongside the price drop, some features found on the GX8 are now gone, such as weather-sealing. The EVF is smaller and battery life has dropped by about 25%, as well.

The GX9’s closest peers are the Fujifilm X-E3 and Sony’s a6300, both of which have 24MP APS-C sensors, hybrid autofocus systems (which the GX9 lacks) and 4K video capture.

* The 12-32mm lens pictured above is not the kit lens, which is the Panasonic Lumix G 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 OIS.

Key Specifications

20.3MP Four Thirds sensor with no low-pass filter
‘Dual IS’ 5-axis in-body image stabilization
Depth from Defocus contrast-detect AF
Tilting 2.76M-dot electronic viewfinder
3″ 1.24M-dot touchscreen display
6 fps burst shooting with continuous AF
4K UHD video capture at 30p
Built-in flash
Redesigned shutter mechanism with electromagnetic drive
New L. Monochrome D and Grain Effect color modes
Wi-Fi + Bluetooth

All-in-all that’s a pretty nice feature set, with the removal of the low-pass filter promising better resolution and the new shutter reducing the shutter shock which plagued its predecessor. Panasonic also added some new tricks to its 4K Photo mode that we’ll touch on later.

Compared to…

Now let’s take a look at how the GX9 not only compares to its predecessor but also how it stacks up against Fuji’s X-E3 and Sony’s a6300.

	Panasonic GX9	Panasonic GX8	Fujifilm X-E3	Sony a6300
MSRP	$ 999 (w/12-60mm lens)	$ 1199 (body only)	$ 1299 (w/18-55mm lens)	$ 999 (w/16-50mm lens)
Sensor	20MP Four Thirds (no OLPF)	20MP Four Thirds	24MP X-Trans APS-C	24MP APS-C
Image stabilization	5-axis (Dual IS)	4-axis (Dual IS)	Lens only	Lens only
ISO range (full)	100-25600		100-51200
AF system	Contrast-detect (DFD)		Hybrid	Hybrid
AF joystick	No		Yes	No
Burst rate (C-AF)	6 fps		8 fps
LCD	1.24M-dot tilting 3″ touchscreen	1.04M-dot fully articulating 3″ touchscreen	1.04M-dot fixed 3″ touchscreen	921k-dot tilting 3″ touchscreen
Viewfinder	2.76M-dot LCoS (tilting)	2.36M-dot OLED (tilting)	2.36M-dot OLED (fixed)
Viewfinder magnification	0.7x equiv.	0.77x equiv.	0.62x equiv.	0.71x equiv.
Built-in flash	Yes	No	Yes
Video	4K UHD @ 30p
Wi-Fi	Yes, w/BT	Yes	Yes, w/BT	Yes, w/NFC
Weather-sealed	No	Yes	No	Yes
Battery life	260 shots	340 shots	350 shots
Dimensions	124 x 72 x 47mm	133 x 78 x 63mm	121 x 74 x 43mm	120 x 67 x 49mm
Weight (CIPA)	450 g	487 g	337 g	404 g

The GX9 (left) is noticeably smaller than the GX8.

You can see that the differences between the GX9 and GX8 are a mixed bag. The GX9 loses the low-pass filter, get an extra axis (rotation) of image stabilization and adds Bluetooth and a flash. However, its viewfinder is smaller, body no longer weather-sealed and battery life has taken a turn for the worse. Speaking of viewfinders, Panasonic has gone back to a field sequential panel (a different technology than traditional LCD or OLED,) which some people may find distracting due to ‘color tearing’. The LCD is now tilting versus fully articulating, which some people may find as an upgrade, and others will not.

The 20MP Live MOS sensor on the GX8 is as high resolution as you’ll find on a Micro Four Thirds camera, though larger APS-C sensors perform a bit better at high sensitivities. Both the X-E3 and a6300 have hybrid (contrast + phase detect) autofocus systems, though Panasonic’s DFD system has performed quite well despite lacking phase-detection. The GX8 has higher resolution LCDs and an EVF that’s quite a bit bigger than the X-E3’s. Both the X-E3 and a6300 have faster burst rates and 35% higher battery life.

Accessories

Two accessories for the DC-GX9 really caught our eye, and would likely be placed in the shopping cart next to the camera if we bought one.

The GX9 shown with its optional DMW-HGR2 grip.

The GX9 doesn’t have a huge grip and we found ourselves really liking the available DMW-HGR2 grip. The grip protrudes quite a bit, so smaller hands might find it a bit too substantial, but those of us in the DPReview office who tried it had no complaints. The one downside is that it must be removed in order to access the battery and memory card compartment.

GX9 with optional DMW-EC5 eyecup.

If you find yourself shooting outdoors with the EVF then the DMC-EC5 eyecup is a must. Without the eyecup this reviewer found himself using his left hand to keep light out of the viewfinder, rather than bracing the camera for stability, and for $ 19, buying it is a no-brainer. Getting at the diopter correction knob can be a bit challenging with it attached, though.

Pricing and Availability

The DC-GX9 will begin shipping in early March at a price of $ 999 with the Panasonic Lumix G 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 OIS lens. (Keep in mind that the GX8 launched at $ 1199, body only.) Other regions will likely have other kits available.

Color choices include black or silver.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Panasonic Lumix GH5S sample gallery

12 Feb

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The Panasonic GH5S is a heavily video-focused variant of the GH5, and we’ve already tested its video capabilities extensively. To complement our sample reels, we have a full sample gallery for your viewing pleasure. Take a look at the still image side of this video-centric camera.

See our Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S
sample gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Panasonic Lumix G9 vs Olympus OM-D E-M1 II

07 Feb

Introduction

Announced late last year, the Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 gives Micro Four Thirds shooters looking for a high performance stills-oriented camera another option. Previously, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II was more or less alone in its class, and remained unchallenged for over a year (unless you count the video-focused GH5 as a direct competitor). Even considering its age, the E-M1 II still fetches a $ 2000 body-only price, with the G9 undercutting it slightly at $ 1700 body-only.

So how do these Micro Four Thirds flagships compare head-to-head? Take a look at our feature-by-feature breakdown.

Image quality

The G9 and E-M1 II both use a 20MP Four Thirds sensor, and it’s fair to say they match up pretty evenly in this category. They do of course use different processors, which will make a difference, and Panasonic has made a lot of effort to refine the G9’s JPEG engine since the GH5. But we’d expect them to perform quite similarly, and broadly speaking they do.

Analyzing each camera’s performance in our studio testing, the E-M1 II produces slightly nicer JPEG sharpening and colors at base ISO, but the G9 pulls just ahead at high ISO. The difference is subtle, but it’s one we noticed.

Both cameras offer a high-resolution mode, assembling a large file from multiple images taken while shifting the sensor slightly. The E-M1 II’s JPEG output is rendered at 50MP while Panasonic chooses to output 80MP, but both produce an 80MP Raw file. There’s some question over whether you really get 4x the resolution from this pixel-shift method.

If you’re very picky and base ISO JPEG rendering is a priority, we think the E-M1 II holds a slight advantage

These modes are best suited for still life, but nevertheless Panasonic and Olympus have both made efforts to improve results for long exposures of moving subjects. Testing the G9 on some street scenes and the E-M1 II on a waterfall (the one from Twin Peaks, naturally), we came away with some decent results. In both cases you’ll see artifacts if you look closely, but they’re usable images for certain applications.

Differences in this respect are very, very subtle. If you’re very picky and base ISO JPEG rendering is a priority, we think the E-M1 II holds a slight advantage. If it’s the very best high ISO JPEG detail and color you’re after, the G9 does a bit better in that category.

Video

Panasonic is the better established player in the video game, but don’t count the E-M1 II out just yet. Both cameras offer UHD 4K capture (though the G9 does 60p to the E-M1 II’s 30p), but the E-M1 II also adds 24p DCI resolution, for a more cinematic aspect ratio.

For DCI recording, Olympus quotes a bitrate of 237 Mbps, which in theory makes for better capture of random motion in clips. Unusually though, Olympus seems to be quoting a maximum bitrate here rather than an average rate. E-M1 II users report that they rarely see the camera use anything like that 237Mbps, which our own additional testing supports. Despite this, we still think that the E-M1 II’s DCI 4K capture looks a bit nicer than the G9’s UHD 4K. The E-M1 II’s 1080p footage is, however, disappointingly soft.

Both cameras provide video niceties like touchscreens that enable tap-to-focus and flip-out LCDs. It’s worth noting that HDMI ports and headphone/microphone jacks are on the left side near the screen’s hinge and can be slightly blocked when the LCD is unfolded on both cameras. The robust image stabilization systems on both cameras are also beneficial to video shooters. In our experience, they’re both effective for handheld video and give a reasonably steadicam-like appearance to footage.

Again, neither camera has a huge advantage in this category. If you need the very best 4K capture, we give a slight edge to the E-M1 II. But for overall video quality, the G9 comes up with 4K/60p, and we think it’s the better buy. Of course, those who very serious about video would want to look to the G9’s sibling, the GH5, where you’ll find 4:2:2 output that seems to have been withheld from the G9.

Burst rate

The G9 is just a hair faster when using continuous autofocus – 20 fps with e-shutter / 9 fps mechanical shutter to the E-M1 II’s 18 fps with e-shutter / 10 fps mechanical. But perhaps more impressive is the G9’s near-infinite buffer depth: it will carry on shooting at 9 fps with mechanical shutter for over 600 frames. The E-M1 II is no slouch in terms of buffer depth, but we did find ourselves irritated with the camera locking us out of playback while the buffer cleared.

Both cameras also offer a very handy pre-recording burst shooting feature, which records full resolution JPEG and Raw frames captured before you fully push the shutter. Once you half-press the shutter, each camera begins saving images to its buffer, and will record a certain number once the shutter is fully pressed.

Olympus calls it Pro Capture mode, and it will record 14 pre-captured frames – but requires an Olympus Micro Four Thirds lens to be attached. Panasonic’s mode is called Pre-Burst, and is separate from the 6K/4K pre-capture stills-from-video that’s also available on the G9. It starts recording 0.4sec before the shutter’s fully pressed, which means either 8 or 24 frames depending on your burst mode.

If you have a particular use case that demands a nearly bottomless buffer depth, we’d suggest leaning toward the G9. Otherwise, this category is basically a wash.

Autofocus

The bad news for the G9 is that it only offers contrast-detect autofocus, but the good news is that it uses the most capable CDAF system we’ve ever tested. In continuous focus mode it performed admirably in our bike test, though the very slight ‘wobble’ inherent in its CDAF-based “Depth from Defocus” system made for a bit of a distraction and not-quite-tack-sharp images here and there.

The E-M1 II offers 121-point phase detect autofocus, and is capable of seriously impressive results. However, we were disappointed by a tendency of the camera to jump from a subject to the background, in continuous autofocus mode. We found C-AF to be very good at tracking subjects for candid portraiture in single shot drive mode, but not quite reliable enough to compete with industry-leading continuous AF systems.

It’s worth noting that the G9 requires Panasonic lenses to utilize Depth from Defocus, and thereby unlock its best AF potential. If you have a stash of Olympus lenses already, you’d be better off sticking with the E-M1 II. If that’s not a limiting factor, we’d recommend the G9 for fast action if you can live with the occasional, slightly less than razor sharp image. If your AF needs are less demanding, we have found the E-M1 II’s AF to be better suited for casual use.

Stabilization

Sensor-shift stabilization is a standout feature on both of these cameras. Both offer a 5-axis based sensor-shift system with nearly-physics-defying 6.5 CIPA-rated stops when coupled with a compatible lens using optical IS. The G9 claims 6.5 stops with the 200mm F2.8 IS attached, as well as at wide focal lengths on non-stabilized lenses. The E-M1 II should be good for 6.5 stops with the 12-100mm F4 and 300mm F4 Pro lenses; with all other lens combinations Olympus claims 5.5 stops.

These two cameras have among of the best stabilization systems on the market

In our testing, the G9’s stabilization provided slightly better results than the E-M1 II’s. At 200mm the G9 gave us 5 2/3rd stops; the E-M1 II provided 5 stops. In our shooting, that translated to getting some sharp shots down to 1/5sec. At 24mm, the G9 gave a 3-stop advantage; the E-M1 II provided 2.5-stops. Not a huge difference, but a difference nonetheless.

It’s good news all around in this category – these two cameras have among of the best stabilization systems on the market. The G9 came up slightly stronger in our testing, but the differences are slim indeed.

EVF

Panasonic paid a lot of attention to the EVF in developing the G9. That effort resulted in a 3.68M-dot OLED panel with both 60 fps and 120 fps refresh modes. The E-M1 II’s EVF is an LCD which offers a lower magnification (0.74x to the G9’s 0.83x) and lower resolution (2.36M-dot).

We’re confident in calling the G9’s EVF superior. If that’s a major consideration in your purchase, chalk one up in the Panasonic column.

Operation & handling

If there’s any category that comes down to personal preference more than anything else, it’s this one. The G9 is a larger, slightly more DSLR-shaped camera. It offers a top panel status LCD, which is quite rare in its class. Both cameras are weather-resistant, highly customizable, and provide those lovely aforementioned flip-out LCDs.

Here’s where we’d strongly encourage you to get to your local camera shop, hold both of these cameras in your hands and see which one feels better. Some of the DPR staff find Olympus cameras onerous to set up and prefer Panasonic’s Quick Menu screens. Some of us love Olympus’ interface and consider that it’s worth the trouble setting it up. To each their own.

Conclusion

There are enough similarities between these cameras that it’s reasonable to choose one over the other based on a spec that stand out to you. Either camera will get you good image quality, industry-leading image stabilization, strong autofocus, and excellent customizability.

For our money, the E-M1 II feels like the better buy for the stills shooter, and the G9 better for someone who wants a stills camera with an excellent video feature set. We felt the E-M1 II’s AF wasn’t as strong for fast moving subjects, but performed admirably in a host of casual shooting situations. It’s also the smaller of the two, so anyone looking for a light, always-at-your-side everyday camera would be pleased with the E-M1 II.

The existence of the G9 can only mean good news for Micro Four Thirds shooters
in either camp

The G9 is just a little bigger and bulkier, which some shooters will prefer, and in our testing we thought it did a bit better keeping up with fast moving targets if you can deal with the DFD system’s inherent wobble. That lovely big EVF will be a revelation to some users who thought they’d never love an EVF.

Really though, we’re splitting hairs. There’s very little to separate the two, and if you already have either brand’s lenses, you’d do just fine to stick with that brand’s stills flagship camera.

And the truth is, the existence of the G9 can only mean good news for Micro Four Thirds shooters in either camp. More competition means better products in the future, and that’s a win in our book.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S Review

06 Feb

The Panasonic GH5S is a video-focused Micro Four Thirds camera built around what the company markets as a 10.2MP sensor. It’s best understood as an even more video-centric variant of the GH5: it can shoot either DCI or UHD 4K footage natively (one capture pixel = one output pixel) at up to 60p.

Panasonic wasn’t the first company to introduce high quality video to what was otherwise a still camera, but with its GH series it has been constantly expanding the range of professional video features appearing in consumer stills/video cameras. The GH5S takes this logic one step further, by lowering the sensor resolution and omitting image stabilization to make a more single-minded video tool, rather than an hybrid intended to be similarly capable at both disciplines.

The ability to shoot DCI 4K at up to 60p with no crop is the most obvious distinction between this and the standard GH5, but the differences run deeper:

Key specifications

Oversized ‘Multi Aspect’ sensor with dual gain design
10.2MP maximum usable area from at around 12.5MP total
DCI or UHD 4K at up to 60p
10-bit 4:2:2 internal capture at up to 30p
8-bit 4:2:0 internal 60p or 10-bit 4:2:2 output over HDMI
1080 footage at up to 240p (with additional crop above 200p)
Hybrid Log Gamma mode
ISO 160 – 51,200 (80 – 204,800 extended)
AF rated down to –5EV (with F2 lens)
3.68M-dot (1280 x 960 pixel) OLED viewfinder with 0.76x magnification
1.62M-dot (900 x 600 pixel) fully articulated LCD
14-bit Raw stills
11 fps (7 with AFC) or 1 fps faster in 12-bit mode
USB 3.1 with Type C connector

As well as the ability to shoot DCI 4K at higher frame rates, Panasonic also claims the GH5S’s larger pixels and ‘Dual Native ISO’ sensor will mean it shoots significantly better footage in low light.

Differences vs GH5

“10.2” megapixel oversized sensor (vs 20.2MP Four Thirds sized sensor)
Dual-gain sensor design with two read-out circuits
Fixed sensor (no internal stabilization) for use with pro stabilization systems
DCI 4K available in 59.94, 50, 29.97 and 25p (GH5 is 23.98 / 24p only)
1080 mode
AF rated to work in lower light (–5EV vs –4EV)
14-bit Raw available in stills shooting
VLog-L enabled out-of-the-box
Time code in/out
‘Like709’ and ‘V-LogL’ color profiles available in stills shooting
Mic socket offers Phantom Power and Line-level In options
LUT-corrected display available in playback as well as capture
120fps viewfinder mode

Beyond these changes, the GH5S keeps the rest of the GH5’s capabilities, with matching codec options and the same support tools, such as vectorscopes, wave forms and preview modes for anamorphic, Log and Hybrid Log Gamma shooting, for instance.

As on the GH5, Panasonic recommends the use of V60 rated cards or faster for shooting 400Mbps video. However, the V60 standard itself seems to be vague enough that even some nominally V60-compliant cards are still not fast enough. The company says to use either its own brand V60 or V90 cards or to stick to well-known manufacturers with a proven history of producing fast cards (and, ideally, to buy from a source with a good return policy).

Multi-aspect sensor

The GH5S uses a chip that natively shoots DCI or UHD 4K, meaning one pixel on the sensor is used to produce each pixel in the final footage. The sensor, like that on the GH1 and GH2, is oversized. This means it can shoot different aspect ratios using the full extent of the imaging circle projected by the lens, rather than simply cropping down from the 4:3 region.


4:3	3:2	16:9	~17:9 (DCI)	1:1

As well as using the maximum amount of pixels and silicon for each aspect ratio (with consequent image quality benefits), this also means that the diagonal angle of view is preserved, whether you shoot 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 or in DCI 4K’s roughly 17:9 aspect ratio.

It also means that the GH5S should offer a fractionally wider angle-of-view than the GH5 when shooting video, especially when capturing DCI footage.

The only downside is that the use of a larger region could limit the use of APS-C and Super35 lenses in conjunction with focal length reducing adaptors, such as SpeedBoosters. A 0.71x reducer needs to capture a roughly 30.5mm image circle to cover the GH5S’s larger video region, while a 0.64x reducer needs a 33.8mm image circle, both of which are larger than is guaranteed to be projected by an APS-C lens. You’ll almost certainly be OK with the 0.71x adaptor, since that’s been shown to work with the majority of APS-C lenses but with the 0.64x versions it’s likely you’ll have to check on a case-by-case basis.

Dual Gain

Panasonic describes the GH5S as having ‘Dual Native ISO,’ which is standard video terminology for a dual gain sensor design. Such chips have two read-out modes, one that maximises dynamic range at low sensitivity settings and a second designed to minimize noise but at the cost of dynamic range, at higher settings (the second mode changes the ‘conversion gain’: essentially increasing the pixel’s voltage output). It’s something we first encountered in Nikon’s 1 Series cameras but that’s become increasingly common over the past few years, resulting in visible improvements at high ISO settings.

The only difference we can see between the approach taken by Panasonic is that it lets you limit the camera to either one of the sensor’s modes, whereas other brands just change mode in the background, without the user ever knowing.

One of the only concepts fuzzier than ‘ISO’ sensitivity itself is the videography term
‘Native ISO’

From a stills point of view, the two circuits are used from ISO 160 – 640 and from ISO 800 and upwards, respectively. You’ll see talk of the camera having ‘Native ISO’s of 400 and 2500’ but this is perhaps best completely ignored.

One of the only concepts fuzzier than ‘ISO’ sensitivity itself is the videography term ‘Native ISO,’ which essentially appears to mean ‘setting at which the quality is good but that gives room to move either up or down from.’ This should not be confused with the idea of base ISO, which is the setting with the minimal amount of amplification, which usually results in the widest dynamic range.

Lower pixel count

The other thing Panasonic says contributes to giving the GH5S a performance boost in low light is the adoption of fewer and therefore larger pixels.

In general terms, there’s no significant advantage to large pixels over small ones: individually they have access to more light (which usually means less noise when viewed 1:1) but once you scale things to a common size, the noise and dynamic range levels tend to be similar. Instead, using more but smaller pixels can have a resolution benefit, even if you then downsize. This is because pixelated systems can only capture a certain percentage of their nominal resolution, but sampling at a higher resolution then downsizing (oversampling) can preserve some of the higher frequency detail it initially captures.

By concentrating on video capture, Panasonic is able to pick sides in this struggle

However, readout speed and processing/heat constraints mean very few cameras currently offer oversampled video, instead sub-sampling their sensors to find the ~8.5MP needed to capture 4K footage. This creates a tension between the needs of high-res stills photographer and lower-resolution of video capture. By concentrating on video capture, Panasonic is able to pick sides in this struggle.

The most obvious benefit is that it’s quicker to read out fewer pixels. So, while the latest processors are fast enough to generate oversampled footage from high pixel counts, the sensor read-out rate risks creating significant rolling shutter. Having fewer pixels means the GH5S should have less rolling shutter than the GH5.

Having a lower pixel count also means the GH5S is also able to include an anti-aliasing filter that reduces the risk of video moiré, without having to worry about limiting the stills resolution.

Just as we expect to see better pixel-level noise from larger pixels, logic would also lead you to expect greater pixel-level dynamic range (even though again, this advantage tends to disappear when you compare images at the same size). This additional pixel-level dynamic range is the reason the GH5S needs to offer 14-bit Raw files: because you need the extra bit-depth to provide room for that additional dynamic range.

No stabilization

From a photographic perspective it may seem odd to remove image stabilization from the camera but for high-end video shooting, Panasonic says it makes sense. Sensor-shift IS systems operate by ‘floating’ the sensor using a series of electromagnets. Even when they’re ‘off’ they’re not locked in place, they’re simply set so that the electromagnets aren’t attempting to correct for movement. This has the side-effect that, which mounted on a professional stabilization rig, there’s a risk of the sensor being shaken around.

For high-end video work, Panasonic says its users would prefer to use dedicated gimbals and dollies, rather than internal stabilization, and that means physically locking the sensor in place to avoid unwanted interactions between these systems and a floating sensor.

However, regardless of what Panasonic says, there’s also the limitation imposed by the oversized sensor: since the camera captures right out to the edge of the image circle there’s simply no room to shift the sensor without risking capturing footage of the inside of your lens barrel. This is highlighted in the one situation in which the GH5S does offer digital stabilization: when combined with a lens offering optical stabilization. When engaged, the video has to crop-in slightly to provide room to pan and scan around the sensor.

Review Publication History
January 8	Introduction, video specifications, video features, first impressions
January 29	Raw Dynamic Range & Log and DR in video sections added
February 5	Image Quality, Video Quality and Conclusion added

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Panasonic DC-GH5S added to buying guides

19 Jan

Now that we’ve spent some time with Panasonic’s video-centric Lumix DC-GH5S, we’ve added it to our ‘Best Cameras for Video’ and ‘Best Cameras over $ 2000’ buying guides. When our review of the GH5S is complete – and if we think it’s the best camera in one or both of those groups – the guides will be updated again.

Read our Best Cameras for Video
buying guide

Read our Best Cameras
over $ 2000 buying guide

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Buying guides updated with Panasonic DC-G9

17 Jan

Now that we’ve completed our review of Panasonic’s Lumix DC-G9, we’ve updated its entry in our Best Cameras Under $ 2000 and Best Cameras for Sports & Action buying guides. The G9 is Panasonic’s flagship stills camera, and earned a Silver Award with impressive stabilization, burst shooting, and solid image quality.

Head to our buying guide hub for help finding the right camera by both price and use case.

Read our Best Cameras Under $ 2000 buying guide

Read our Best Cameras for Sports & Action buying guide

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S added to studio scene comparison

15 Jan

Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors and detail types you’ll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes to see the effect of different lighting conditions.

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We’re hard at work on our review of Panasonic’s video-focused Lumix DC-GH5S and have added it to our studio comparison tool. Here’s a quick look$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-3892–2071317688”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(3892); }); }) at how it stacks up against the GH5 at very high sensitivities, and another versus Sony’s a7S II$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-3893-1117426504”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(3893); }); }).

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Gallery Update: Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

14 Jan

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Since initially publishing our G9 sample gallery late in 2017, we’ve had the chance to spend substantially more time shooting with it. Now that the full G9 review is live, we wanted to revisit that gallery and update it with additional ACR conversions, out of camera JPEGs, and high-res mode samples. Without further adieu, the updated G9 sample gallery…

See our Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S vs Sony a7S II low light shootout

11 Jan

We shot the Panasonic GH5S against the Sony a7S II to see whether the video-centric Lumix can wrest the low-light crown away from its full frame rival. We’ll let you draw your own conclusions, but our initial assessment is that the Panasonic comes closer than we expected, and outperforms the Sony when you need to maintain a certain depth-of-field or when you shoot in Log.

Click here to download a ProRes version of the video (8.0GB)

Notes:

We shot both cameras side-by-side, which explains the slight perspective difference. The GH5S’s oversized ‘multi aspect’ ratio sensor means it also offers a wider field of view even when using equivalent focal lengths.

We shot at a range of ISOs in both the camera’s REC709 modes and their respective Log gamma modes, then matched the footage up alongside one another. We’ve kept all post-processing to a minimum, with only very minor color and brightness adjustments applied to provide consistency between the two cameras.

We felt Panasonic’s noise reduction is significantly more effective than Sony’s

Most sequences were shot so that both cameras had the same exposure settings. These are marked as ‘Exposure Matched’ in the video. However, there are times when you need to achieve a certain depth-of-field. These clips, which required us to stop the Sony down by two stops, are indicated as ‘Depth-of-Field Matched.’

We felt Panasonic’s noise reduction is significantly more effective than Sony’s and, especially when combined with its ability to shoot 10-bit 4:2:2 footage, helps it perform well when compared with the Sony, especially below ISO 12,800 and when shooting in Log. However, it’s also worth noting the yellow blocking that can infest high ISO footage from the GH5S.

For a more detailed assessment, head to our first impressions review.

Read our Panasonic Lumix DC GH5S
First Impressions Review

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Panasonic Lumix GH5S vs GH5: What’s new?

10 Jan

Introduction

The Panasonic GH5 is one of the the most capable video cameras available, but it’s a hybrid camera that aims to please a stills-shooting crowd too. So what kind of camera could it be if it was only focused on shooting video? The GH5S is the product of Panasonic engineers grappling with that question. Here’s a breakdown of what’s changed from the GH5 in the quest to make it an even stronger video camera.

Low light / Dual Gain

The new sensor features dual gain design, which Panasonic refers to as ‘Dual Native ISO’ technology. The sensor uses two separate read-out circuits – one that maximizes dynamic range at lower ISOs, and one that maximizes noise performance (at the cost of dynamic range). The first is used from ISO 160-640, with the camera switching to the second at ISO 800, allowing better high ISO performance than the standard GH5.

We’ve seen this technology before but we’ve not previously seen the option, present on the GH5S, that allows the camera to be locked into one of its modes (and limiting the available ISO options). We’re not entirely sure what the benefit of this is supposed to be.

Note that, while Panasonic refers to ‘Native’ ISO settings of 400 and 2500, this is rather woolly videography terminology, which should not be confused with the concept of ‘base’ ISO.

Multi-aspect sensor

We’ve long been a fan of Panasonic’s multi-aspect sensors for stills shooting, and it makes an appearance in the GH5S. The camera’s total resolution is 12.5MP with a sensor larger than the Micro Four Thirds image circle: it offers up to 10.2MP crops of that total area, rather than further cropping in from the 4:3 area. This makes native DCI and UHD 4K recording possible, without having to keep cropping in further and further.

This means devoting the most possible sensor area to each of its crop modes, which benefits image quality and means that your wide-angle lenses are just as wide in ~17:9 DCI 4K mode as they are for standard 4:3 stills.

DCI 4K at 60/50p

The GH5 is capable of UHD 4K 60p/50p capture, but DCI capture tops out at 24p. Not so on the GH5S: it’s capable of 60p, 50p, 30p and 25p DCI as well as 24p. Thanks to that multi-aspect sensor, the GH5S’ angle of view when capturing DCI footage should also be noticeably wider.

14-bit Raw but slower shooting

The GH5S adds a 14-bit Raw option, which as we all know, means greater potential for dynamic range capture. The GH5 was already bumping up against the limits of how much DR could be fitted into a 12-bit file, and the GH5S’s larger pixels mean that it should benefit from a little more room. That said, the real-world differences will only become apparent if you use those really deep shadows in your images.

It can be used in burst shooting, though at a cost to speed: 7 fps with autofocus and auto exposure, versus 9 fps at 12-bit in the GH5. The GH5S can be switched to 12-bit mode, at which point it’ll reach 8fps with continuous AF.

No Stabilization

The camera’s sensor-based stabilization is gone, which may on the surface sound like an odd decision, but makes a lot of sense for pro video shooters who are often working with their own stabilized rigs and gimbals. The floating sensor design used by the GH5’s stabilization system can interact with gimbals even when it’s turned off, so removing it entirely solves the problem. It’s another clear appeal to pro video shooters, rather than a stills shooter looking for an occasional ‘run and gun’ video solution.

We’ve seen a degree of scepticism about Panasonic’s reasoning but, if you assume there’s some heat dissipation benefit for bonding the sensor to a solid object and you recognize that the camera is already shooting out to the edges of the Micro Four Thirds image circle, there may be no way of doing what the GH5S does and providing stabilization.

More VFR options

Variable framerate options have been expanded. The GH5S can capture a maximum of 240 fps in full HD and 60 fps for both DCI and UHD 4K, for slowdown to between 24 and 60p. The GH5 only offers up to 180 fps in FHD and its 60 fps 4K is limited to UHD mode. This makes it possible to create up to 10x slow-motion footage in FHD with the GH5S, though we’re told there’s an additional crop and loss of quality if you exceed 200 fps capture.

Timecode in/out synchronization

Timecode in/out synchronization is supported via the camera’s flash sync terminal. This makes it easier to incorporate the GH5S into a multi-camera setup; when files are brought into an editor like Final Cut Pro, the timecodes are automatically detected and synchronized.

A flash sync socket to BNC adaptor lead is included in the box.

Mic options

While the GH5 offers a standard microphone plug-in, the GH5S offers a more robust option that supports line in and phantom power, allowing its use with a wider range of audio sources.

120fps viewfinder

The GH5S uses the same 3680k-dot OLED panel used by the GH5 with one key difference – and improved 120 fps refresh rate. We’d wager a guess that this possible because less pixels need to be read out from the sensor. Whether or not that’s true, 120 fps will give a more natural view of the world that anyone looking at it can appreciate.

VLogL as standard

V-LogL came to the GH5 after launch as an optional firmware upgrade. In the GH5S, it’s a standard feature. An LUT (look up table) can be uploaded to the camera via SD card, making it possible to preview grading corrections that will eventually be applied to the flat-looking V-LogL footage.

Whereas a Log-upgraded GH5 can apply this correction LUT to its live preview, the GH5S can also apply it when playing back the footage.

Different AF performance

Panasonic claims the GH5S can autofocus down to -5EV, or roughly as dark as a moonlit night with no other light source. This appears to come at a slight cost of speed, however. The GH5 claims a maximum AF acquisition speed of 0.05 seconds; the GH5S claims 0.07 seconds.

Cost of lower resolution

The most easily identifiable difference between the two cameras’ spec sheets is sensor resolution: the GH5S offers 10.2MP resolution compared to the GH5’s 20.3MP. It provides the 4K resolution that video shooters require, but allows Panasonic to use larger pixels. Coupled with 14-bit Raw mode, this presents a dynamic range benefit, but it also means there are fewer pixels to read out. This should result in less rolling shutter.

So the move to a 10MP sensor seems like a no-brainer: do away with resolution that video shooters don’t really need. It also means the GH5S can have an anti-aliasing filter tuned to reduce the risk of moiré when video shooting. But in addition to this benefit, there are some drawbacks.

The sensor’s lower resolution means it can’t offer the GH5’s ‘6K’ high resolution anamorphic modes, but it can still show a de-squeezed preview with framing guides. The GH5’s ‘6K Photo’ modes are also absent from the GH5S.

Conclusion

With the GH5S, Panasonic’s engineers have taken on a challenge to convert a hybrid camera into an even more movie-centric shooter. While the two cameras are identical on the outside, Panasonic has made some interesting moves to optimize the camera for video pros’ needs.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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