Episode 49: The New, Low-Light Panasonic GH5S

Episode 49: The New, Low-Light Panasonic GH5S

Panasonic debuted their low-light, dual-native-ISO GH5S camera at CES last week. Griffin and Nick share the 10 big changes that separate it from its predecessor, the Lumix GH5. Plus, your questions about daylight-balanced bulbs, how to transfer large video files online, and whether you should give your client the raw footage.

10 Changes to the Panasonic GH5S:

  1. C4K 60p/30p. These 4:2:0 8-bit framerates were available in 3840x2160 UHD on the GH5, but not in C4K 4096x2160.

  2. Multi-aspect sensor. C4K 4096x2160 actually uses a wider portion of the sensor, resulting in a 1.8x crop factor (slightly wider field of view).

  3. No IBIS (in-body image stabilization). The newly designed, slightly larger sensor catches more light, but is too big for IBIS—which would cause vignetting. But many Panasonic lenses have built-in OIS (optical image stabilization).

  4. 10-megapixel, not 20. Smaller photographs, but Panasonic added 14-bit RAW files—up to 10 frames per second.

  5. 14 stops of dynamic range. That’s two more stops than the GH5 is capable of.

  6. Dual native ISO. Native ISOs at 400 and 2500 means noise level at ISO12800 on the GH5S is comparable to ISO1600 on the GH5.

  7. Includes V-log. The GH5S ships with V-Log L already installed. Previously a $99 upgrade on the GH5.

  8. Timecode port. For syncing timecode across bodies, Panasonic includes a cable that adapts the PC/flash port to BNC.

  9. Red detailing on Rec Button and Drive Mode Dial.

  10. Price: $2499—the GH5S is $500 more than the GH5, and will be released February 6, 2018.

Griffin filmed behind-the-scenes as three filmmakers shot with the Panasonic GH5S for the first time:

*Taking advantage of the GH5S’ greater dynamic range, all three films were mastered in HDR, so if you have a high dynamic range television, they look especially great. I shot all the behind-the-scenes films on my Panasonic GH5.

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Griffin Hammond