DEFINITION April 2018

USER REVIEW PANASONIC GH5S

THE S FACTOR We said the GH5 was one of the best mirrorless cameras for filmmakers and the new GH5S builds on that, for a relatively small increase in price. Like the GH5 it has lots of spec that filmmakers need such as vectorscopes, waveforms, V-log, built-in LUTs and now 240fps super slow-motion in full HD, along with the headline of 60p in Cinema4K. The new sensor may only be 10.2 megapixels but that makes for great high ISO shooting, especially combined with the new Dual Native ISO function. And while there isn’t a Raw output option, the output is 4:2:2 10-bit which greatly increases quality over 4:2:0 8-bit. If you shoot in Log for maximum dynamic range then the quality is particularly impressive compared to rival cameras as the low noise is amazing. And of course, you can shoot in 4K at 60fps so you can have half-speed slow motion in your all-4K movie. Plus HDR if you want it. All from an affordable, tiny camera. This doesn’t mean the GH5S is not a professional camera. It is rugged and has weather-sealing, with great control knobs and separate buttons for all the important features. The touchscreen is good, and menus are easy to understand and navigate. It’s also nice that each option for file size has the bit rate and compression clearly labelled. Other benefits include good stills- taking ability, although screen grabs are useful if you don’t want to shoot ‘proper’ stills. There’s a huge range of lenses available – from cheap lenses meant for stills to video-specific lenses and even cinema lenses. It’s not perfect. The AF system isn’t great for video, and the deal- breaker for some might be the lack of image stabilisation. But at a body only price of £2175/$2498, it’s a stunning camera for independent filmmakers that delivers great results and won’t break the bank.

a 10-bit 4:2:2 signal, rather than the Sony’s 8-bit 4:2:0 and this advantage hits home when shooting in Log as it crams as much dynamic range as possible into the file. The Panasonic retains more original data than the Sony, so when it’s opened out in post processing there is much less obvious noise – always a problem as anyone who shoots Log can confirm. It means that when shooting Log, there’s very little difference between the GH5S and Sony A7S II at moderately high ISOs that filmmakers typically use. Again compared to the Sony, the GH5S has more useful tools like vector scopes and waveforms, as well as focus peaking and zebras which can be set to different colours different brightness settings for full customisation. It also boasts the option to create time-lapse and stop-motion videos, and anamorphic de-squeeze if you use the right lenses, plus Hybrid Log Gamma view assist to assist when shooting Log and LUT monitor display. You can load up to four LUTs to give your footage a look similar to what it will be when graded, and you can now apply this to playback, as well as the camera's live view preview. The electronic viewfinder is the same 3680k-dot OLED panel as the GH5, as is the rear touchscreen that is intuitive to use. The GH5’s focus point joystick remains and works well at letting you change AF points with your eye to the camera which is great for stills. It’s not in the most ergonomic position, although you do get used to it. The menu system is relatively easy to follow and a My Menu tab lets you group together all your most-used functions, which is always a bonus. It shows how Panasonic have studies what working filmmakers need the most from a small camera and delivered a product that is just right.

for some scratch audio in a pinch, and one of the mics records noise from the camera itself, such as buttons are pressed. This signal is matched to the main audio and software then removes it. However most users will record audio via a separate mic, and the DMW-XLR1 accessory unit costs £360/ $399, goes on the hotshoe and has twin XLR inputs. It supports phantom power and records 96kHz/24-bit audio. The heart of the camera is its new Dual Native ISO sensor which gives impressively clean results at higher ISO settings in video. It’s very clean at up to 3200 and even useable at 25,600 which is just incredible for a micro four thirds camera. At low ISO, the footage is very sharp with no banding between colours, a result of the very impressive 400Mbps bitrate. And shooting Cinema 4K at 60fps in bright conditions is glorious with punchy results. Compared to a more conventional 8-bit, 4:2:0 capture, the 10-bit 4:2:2 of the GH5S captures each tone with 64 times more detail, and you can see the difference. When light levels drop and the ISO heads upwards, obviously quality takes a hit but it’s still very good and certainly very useable. At 800 ISO on a gloomy day, the footage was amazingly good with bright colours, low noise and lots of detail. Team it with some very fast lenses – which are all available relatively cheaply in the MFT mount and are small and light – and you’ve got a fantastic low-light performer. ISO LOVE Compared to the Sony A7S II which has a sensor almost four times as big as the GH5S, the Sony has the edge when ISO numbers get very high. You just can’t beat the physical advantage of a much larger sensor. But the GH5S captures its footage as

ABOVE Twin card slots are ideal for pro use; the GH5S comes with an obvious red record button on the top plate. BELOW The LCD flips out and tilts; it’s touchscreen, too.

IT IS RUGGED AND HAS WEATHER SEALING, WITH GREAT CONTROL KNOBS AND BUTTONS

DEFINITION APRIL 2018

DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM