Panasonic’s premium mirrorless camera Cameras have been used for documentary and independent filmmaking for many years. In 2017, Panasonic introduced Original GH5, the flagship model took three years to build. It is fast, solid and easy to use – a product that stands out clearly and is very popular in the market.
A lot has changed since then. Other manufacturers are currently building great camera for filmmakers can shoot 6K footage. But the new GH6 continues to hold its own for video and photography, especially at this price point.
Dashboard
There’s a surprisingly large amount to the GH6 but not so much that it becomes a strain on the wrist. It comes with a UHS-II SD card slot as well as a CFexpress card slot, which becomes essential for higher end video recording (more on that below). Its three-inch flip-out screen can be rotated so that the camera’s subject can be seen, which is handy for online content creators who must be their own production team.
For filmmakers and photographers running and shooting, the body is built for functional muscle memory. Besides typical layouts like white balance, ISO, and exposure compensation buttons at the top, or a dial to control things like aperture without taking your hands off your body, there are plenty of red buttons to video. There is one button on the top plate and another on the front. You can start recording a scene, no matter what photo mode you’re in.
This on-camera material has some of the most satisfying haptic feedback I’ve come across on camera. Its design is not that far from many other cameras like it, but the difference is in subtlety. For example, the audio info button at the top is made of rubber, which gives it a bit more friction than the machined metal video button right next to it. Once you get used to the layout, little details like these make it easy to tell exactly which button or dial your finger is on without looking.
Photo: Panasonic
This kit comes with a slightly better f/2.8, 12–60mm varifocal lens than standard. It also includes optional Power OIS, which, combined with in-body image stabilization, makes the entire system impressively smooth, even when shooting freehand. Inside, the GH6 has a 25.2 MP Micro Four Thirds sensor. It’s a bit small, but it performs well enough for this camera.
Unfortunately, battery life is average. A fully charged battery should last about an hour of continuous use, whether it’s photos or 4K video. However, that could be significantly less, especially if you rely on Apple’s ProRes recording feature. Conveniently, however, you can charge the battery using the device’s USB-C port. If it can supply enough power (about 9 V/3A), then you can operate the camera with USB-C power off. However, you may want to have a spare battery or two.
Balance and Focus
The Lumix GH6 feels like it expects you to use it on the go. The level meter’s overlay display has a built-in accelerometer to show pitch and tilt, which turns green when you’re at it. This kind of feature isn’t necessary if you have a good tripod or gimbal, but if all you can carry is your camera and tripod, it’s a useful tool.
The camera uses contrast-detection autofocus. This type of autofocus is getting old by the day, but at least the GH6 does a good job with it. A blue overlay will highlight areas of the image that are in sharp focus, and repeatedly pressing the autofocus button can (sometimes) switch between different subjects in focus.
When manually rotating the focus lens, a ruler will pop up indicating the focal distance and, importantly, in which direction you are moving the focus. This is the kind of super handy feature that would be hard to do if you didn’t have it — no more guessing if you’ve shot too bold or out of focus.
Optional when optional
The GH6 comes with an already impressive range of video recording options, and a firmware update in late July added even more. The star of the show is the addition of the Apple ProRes 422 and 422 HQ. Depending on your storage medium, you can record video up to 5.7K at 30fps in ProRes 422 HQ, one of the best compression codecs you can use without having to Dive deep into studio-grade cameras. This is especially useful for filmmakers looking to edit for 4K output.
Storage media matters because, for certain video installations, the SD card you put around probably won’t crop it. Most typical SD cards max out around 300MB/s read speed, but their write speeds can often be much lower. For example, this 128 GB SD card gets around 120 MB/s when writing and usually sells for around $36. Meanwhile, 128 GB SD card maybe records at nearly 240 MB/s required for 5.7K ProRes footage price around $120at the time of writing.
