Panasonic’s engineers have been hard at work, developing the latest in their legendary video-centric GH series of interchangeable-lens Micro Four Thirds cameras. With an anticipated release date of July 8th, you won’t have to wait long to step into the future of pro production. Read on for the exciting details, then click the link below or visit any Mike’s Camera to pre-order yours today!
Mobility meets mastery in the LUMIX GH7
Panasonic promises dramatic enhancements in both the quality of your recordings and the ease of your workflow by using the LUMIX GH7. Just how do they intend to deliver on that? Let’s dive in!
- New 25.2 MP BSI CMOS sensor with 13+ stops of dynamic range
- 100 MP Handheld High-Res images
- 7.5-stop 5-axis IBIS
- Improved AF with phase detection
- Real-time Recognition AF for humans, animals, cars, motorcycles, trains, and airplanes
- Cooling fan enabling unlimited recording time
- Internal Apple ProRes RAW
- World’s first: 32 bit float recording (with DMW-XLR2—see below), offering 1,500+ dB dynamic range
- Real-time LUTs
- LEICA Monochrome
- Wireless/Wired IP Streaming
That sounds like a great recipe for rich, versatile footage, if you ask me!
Internal video recording can be up to 5.7K 60p, which should get you enough resolution for almost anything. Lower resolution options offer increased framerates, naturally: the LUMIX GH7 can record 4:2:0 10-bit 4K at up to 120p and 4:2:0 10-bit FHD at up to 300p. Yow! The “normal” (in as much as one can say there is a baseline these days) 4:2:2 10-bit C4K 60p recording can be simultaneously saved internally and saved or monitored on an external recorder via HDMI output. The LUMIX GH7 is also compatible with USB-SSD recording, in addition to the dual built-in card slots (one CFexpress Type B, one SDXC UHS-II U3 V90).
And, of course, the family of Micro Four Thirds lenses is robust and highly adaptable. I use the system personally as my go-to, and I find that they provide results significantly, even suspiciously, better than their size would suggest. (A host of users already know this, of course, but just in case you’re skeptical…)
Reflecting the current landscape of creative dissemination, Open Gate flexible framing allows free recomposition into any aspect ratio you might need. That means you don’t have to create a separate vertical clip to promote your work on social media: export a story straight from the “‘true” footage, without changing the cinematic ratio of the original.
The LUMIX GH7 is ready for adventure with its dust-, splash-, and freeze-resistant construction. Are you ready to take it on?
Hello, 32-bit float: the DMW-XLR2
Also announced today was the DMW-XLR2, Panasonic’s latest XLR adapter. Currently compatible only with the LUMIX GH7, the chief upgrades over the DMW-XLR1 are the addition of a 3.5mm line-in to supplement the two XLR inputs and 32 bit float recording.
The latter is a very cool feature. While it may not completely remove the need to set recording levels, it comes darn close. 24 bit audio has a dynamic range of 144 dB, which is great, but if you’re boosting the gain to record whispers and a loud sound jumps in out of the blue, ugly clipping is unavoidable. 32-bit float, thanks to some scientific trickery, has a dynamic range of over 1,500 decibels. Naturally, you’ll have to edit the levels in post-production to normalize the audio if you don’t do any level adjustment when recording, but fear of clipping is virtually removed.
If you’re ready to break that chain, click here to pre-order now!
