Panasonic Lumix GH6 review: handheld stability

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Panasonic High Mirrorless Cameras have been independent and documentary work for years. In the year In 2017, Panasonic introduced the flagship model, the GH5, which took three years to build. It was fast, rugged, and easy to use—massively popular, with a clear position in the market.

A lot has changed since then. Other manufacturers are now building great cameras for filmmakers that can shoot 6K footage. But the new GH6 continues to hold its own for videography and photography, especially at this price point.

control panel

There’s a surprising amount of bulk to the GH6, but not so much that it becomes a wrist strain. It comes with a UHS-II SD card slot as well as a CFexpress card slot, which will be important for high-end video recording (more on that below). The three-inch flip screen can be rotated to view the camera’s subject, making it convenient for online content creators who need to be their own production team.

Built for actionable muscle memory, the body of run-and-gun photographers and filmmakers. Alongside the usual layouts on top, like white balance, ISO, and exposure compensation buttons, or dials to control things like aperture without taking your hand off the body, there are also several red buttons for recording video. There is one button on the top plate and another on the front. You can start recording regardless of which photo mode you are currently in.

The content on this camera has the most satisfying sensor feedback I’ve ever experienced on a camera. It’s not his design That’s what he said. It’s a far cry from other cameras like it, but the difference is subtle. For example, the audio button on the top is rubberized, giving it slightly more friction than the metal video button next to it. Once you know the layout, you’ll find it easy to identify exactly which button or finger to dial without looking at such small details.

Photography: Panasonic

The device is slightly better than the standard f/2.8, 12–60mm variable focal length lens. It also includes optional power OIS, which combined with in-body image stabilization, makes the whole system incredibly smooth even during freehand shooting. Inside, the GH6 packs a 25.2-MP Micro Four Thirds sensor. It’s a little on the small side, but it works well for this camera.

Battery life, unfortunately, is in the middle. A fully charged battery lasts for about an hour of continuous use, whether it’s photos or 4K video. However, that can be much less, especially if you’re relying on Apple ProRes recording. Conveniently, however, you can charge the battery using the device’s USB-C port. If it can provide enough power (about 9V/3A), you can power off the camera from USB-C power. Still, you might want a spare battery or two.

balance and focus

The Lumix GH6 feels like it’s waiting to be used on the go. The level gauge overlay display has a built-in accelerometer for tilting and leaning, turning green when you’re as level as possible. This is a feature that isn’t necessary if you have a good tripod or gimbal, but it’s a handy tool if all you can bring with you is your camera and your feet.

The camera uses contrast detection auto. This type of autofocus is becoming outdated, but at least the GH6 does it well. A blue overlay highlights areas of the image in sharp focus, and repeated presses of the autofocus button can (sometimes) switch between different subjects in focus.

As you manually rotate the focus lens, a meter appears showing the focus distance and, crucially, in which direction you’re moving the focus. This is a very useful feature that once you’ve got it, it’s hard to get rid of it – it’s impossible to imagine not hitting the focus too much.

Options upon options

The GH6 already came with impressive video recording options, and a firmware update in late July added even more. The star of the show is the addition of Apple ProRes 422 and 422 HQ. As your storage media, you can shoot up to 5.7K video in ProRes 422 HQ at 30fps, one of the best compression codecs you can use without diving into studio-grade cameras. This is especially handy for filmmakers who want to edit for 4K output.

Storage media is important because for certain video settings, having an SD card lying around just won’t cut it. Most common SD cards come out at around 300MB/s Read speeds, but their writing speed can often be very low. For example, this 128-GB SD card is rated at 120 Mbps at the time of writing and retails for $36. Meanwhile, the 128-GB SD card can It costs about $120 at the time of this writing, with the 240 MB/s recording required for 5.7K ProRes recording.

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