Since I'm not known as a video person, a short review of the brand new Panasonic LUMIX GH6 in this blog might come as a surprise to you. I'm interested, though long time this opportunity to tell stories with moving images. I also have a lot of respect for this style. It's just different than photography. I made several attempts, but somehow the hurdles were too high for me to find a good start. The release of the Lumix GH6 seemed like a pointer to me. In my opinion, this camera has a number of advantages - not just for beginners. That's why I took advantage of the opportunity to include the package together with the Panasonic Leica DG 2,8-4/12-60mm Asph. at mine Favorite dealer stood around incomprehensibly unnoticed.
The GH6 is an mFT camera released in mid-March 2022. mFT stands for MicroFourThirds and describes the slightly different aspect ratio of the sensor. While most camera sensors have a ratio of 3:2, mFT cameras have a ratio of 4:3. In addition, the diagonal of the sensor is only roughly half of a 35mm camera aka full format camera. The lens offered in the bundle corresponds to a 24-120mm with aperture of 5,6-8 of a full format camera. It doesn't sound great at first, but it plays a much less important role in everyday video life than I initially feared. Three advantages are much more interesting: the size and weight of the lens, as well as the close focusing distance. The eight and a half centimeter lens weighs just 326g naked. Since it says Leica on it, I don't have to worry about the image quality. And here is an image from a video close to the close-up limit. The slight over-radiation was desired and comes through CineBloom 20% filter from Moment.
Lumix GH6: small big camera
Back to the camera: GH6 means that there were already numbers lower than six in this letter combination on the market. The GH2009 came onto the market in 1, but since the GH5 at the latest it has found its place as a video camera for enthusiasts. Of course I can also take photos with her, but currently only edited Silkypix the RAW files. The camera with a stabilized 25MP sensor clearly shows its strengths in the video functionalities.
It would be beyond the scope to show the wealth of possible recording qualities here. For some special ones you need the very fast CFExpress Type B cards, but you can even use C4K / 50p / 4:2:2/ 10bit All-Intra in the 600Mbps version with SD cards. Thanks to the built-in fan, even without a time limit. This enables very good variability in post-processing. With other cameras, such codecs often only work using an external HDMI recording device. Hence the headline: the camera is surprisingly large for an mFT. But compared to full-frame cameras with the necessary equipment to achieve these recording qualities, the Lumix GH6 is very small.
It fits perfectly in the hand. The monitor can be rotated in a variety of ways and helps to keep an eye on everything when the camera is held in a stable position. And the buttons are in the places you need them. Rarely have I found my way around a new camera with so many technical options so quickly. I really had the feeling that a lot of users put great thought into user navigation. I find everything I need in the intuitively right places. I adjusted very little.
I put two individual shooting modes on the top dial and can switch between my favorite video and photo settings in a matter of seconds.
MicroFourThirds is dead
The small sensor has often been declared obsolete. Because full-frame cameras have become affordable, there no longer seems to be a need for the small mFT sensor. The two main disadvantages are the shallower depth of field and the poor noise performance in low light. I already wrote something about the former above. Video recordings rarely require a small focus area. Context is often more important than with photos. And if now yourself 60MP on a 12500mm sensor at ISOXNUMX hardly causes any noise, why should this be a problem with a 25MP mFT sensor?
However, it is easier to stabilize the smaller sensor. According to Panasonic, the 5-axis image stabilizer compensates up to 7,5 stops. This works so well in photo mode that I can create 100MP photos by automatically moving the sensor while shooting - handheld!
When it comes to videos, quiet shots are very pleasant for the viewer. If it works well by hand, it is an enormous relief for the camera operator. It's just nice when you don't always have to carry a heavy gimbal with you when you want to take steady shots.
And 4K videos are just 4K videos – no matter how big the sensor is. The mFT aspect ratio of 4:3 is actually an advantage when using anamorphic lenses. So MicroFourThirds definitely still has its place. Especially when it is implemented as well as with the LUMIX GH6.
First video attempts at walking with the Lumix GH6
Enough said: now I'll show you my first attempt at video with the GH6. Taken on Saturday evening in the heath. I wanted to enjoy the last rays of sunshine with my loved one despite the icy winds. I actually just wanted to take a few test shots when I saw my loved one find her subjects. I spontaneously held the camera up and observed the scene. Nothing has been agreed upon.
In addition to an obligatory gray filter, I have the well-known popular filter combination SoftFX 1/2* and Black Pro Mist 1/8*used by Tiffen. In previous short tests I had used Moment's CineBloom 20% filter, but the effect was too strong for my personal taste.
My conclusion about the Panasonic Lumix GH6
Apart from the (still) lack of converter support for RAW photos and my (still) lack of fast CFExpress Type B cards, I can't find anything wrong with the GH6. Oh yes, the electronic viewfinder falls off a bit at the edges and tends to produce aberrations. I'm used to better things. Otherwise, there are great codecs that can handle post-processing well. A well-thought-out housing with useful functions results in a camera that makes it easier to get started with video recordings.
I rarely used the autofocus, but as you can clearly see in one sequence in the video, it still worked in difficult lighting conditions. But I don't have the camera for a long time to make a complete judgement. Maybe I'll write a supplementary report on this again after I've used the LUMIX GH6 for a longer period of time. Would that interest you or is mFT dead?
Finally, a tip for the photo enthusiasts here: the RAWs can be converted into 16-bit TIFFs as a batch process in Silkypix and then properly processed in a converter of your choice.
Very interesting to hear what a professional photographer like you, Stefan, reports about an mFT camera. You also perceive it primarily as a video camera. I (amateur) have the previous version (GH5), and also versions before that, and for me the mFT Lumixe were all-purpose cameras, from astrophotography to macro, and of course video. My main reason for not switching to full frame was the weight and size of these handy mFTs. This means I have pretty much all the lenses if you want to borrow them :) I didn't know that the GH6 had such a special RAW format that your usual RAW editors couldn't handle. Continue to have fun with it.
Thanks for your comment! The (photo) quality of full-format sensors is still a little better than mFT sensors and a Leica M is only a little heavier than the GH5 or GH6. Apart from the fact that the Leica M can't film (which I welcome), 4K is just 4K - no matter how big the sensor is. That's why the advantages of the small sensor are greater for video than for photos - at least for me. But it can certainly be used for both. (Incidentally, I have already completed my first photo assignment with it.)
I don't agree with the comment. I use both full format and MFT for photography and the two complement each other perfectly. It's true that full-frame mirrorless cameras have become smaller, lighter and more affordable. But the lenses are still real chunks. Physics also has limits. I can walk for hours with a camera and three fast lenses without breaking my back.
Yes, the objection about the Leica M is correct. Leica equipment can also be worn for hours. But we are in a different price league and not everyone wants to do without autofocus.
PS: I use a Leica M myself. But sometimes I want the autofocus and with MFT I can still travel more easily. So, both work :)
Certainly an exciting new release... I had the predecessor, the good, but now several years old GH 5, parallel to the Sony full format for a long time!
MFT – Those who are said to be dead live longer and whether the small depth of field is an advantage on a 35mm film is probably a matter of taste. Maybe it would make sense to photograph a football game with this camera - chances are that you'll leave the 35mm full format in the closet afterwards if you want to take good, quick photos.