PANASONIC ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Boxing clever! Hands-on with the versatile newmodular Panasonic Lumix BGH1, which can be used for a variety of very different shoots W hile the perfect do-it-all camera is an impossible dream, having a single camera that can be stripped choosing an optimal circuit according to the sensitivity set and is capable of recording clean files up to amaximum ISO of 51,200. The camera records video with a gamma curve compatible with ITU-R BT.2100, and you can choose Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) for fast HDRworkflow. And there’s also a low bit rate recordingmode in C4K/4K of HEVC/H.265 for HLG. IMAGES Rigged up as a documentary camera (right), or a remote camera on location (far right), the Lumix BGH1 delivered. And in a streaming studio (below), it proved to be a well- connected bit of kit
down or built up for a whole array of different productions is definitely the next best thing. And it makes perfect sense for an independent filmmaker with lots of different shooting needs. From live streaming or recording YouTube studio videos, as a remote camera on location, a cinema camera to shoot creativemovies or a run-and-gun docucam, the versatile Panasonic Lumix BGH1 can do the lot without compromising on quality. It’s a small boxcambody that is certainly different to what themajority of filmmakers use, but the new school of filmmaking and newworld of video-richmarketing calls for new technology and newways of doing things. It’s time to start thinking outside of the box, as it were… There’s certainly no compromise on codecs as the BGH1 shoots 4:2:2 10-bit All-Intra in C4K at up to 60p in V-Log L using a Dual Native ISO sensor, just like the professional Panasonic Varicams. It uses the 10.3-megapixel LiveMOS sensor of the Lumix GH5S, but with an increase in dynamic range from 12 to 13 stops and internal 10-bit 4:2:0 recording in C4K/60p. Incredible low-light capability is thanks to the Dual Native ISO technology, which uses two circuits to create two separate native ISO settings. This minimises noise by
The camera can output C4K/4K 4:2:2 10-bit via HDMI to an external recorder or C4K/4K 4:2:0 10-bit when recorded to internal SDmemory cards. And Variable Frame Rate shooting allows C4K/4K at 60fps and FHD at 240fps for 10x slow motion in 24p. Theminimum frame rate for quickmotion video is 2fps for creative effects. The BGH1 also supports anamorphic shooting in 4K up to 50p, with a choice of brings professional-level quality with high sensitivity and wide dynamic range tomany projects. That’s all good in theory, but we put the Lumix BGH1 through its paces in three different shoots to see how it handles and what it’s capable of. 1.3x, 1.33x, 1.5x. 1.8x or 2x settings. Available at just RRP £1899.99, it Shoot 1: The documentary camera As the Lumix BGH1 is so versatile and portable, it’s ideal for multicamera shoots, use as a VR camera or on a drone or gimbal, on (or in) a car or maybe as a crash cam. But we started by rigging it up for a typical documentary or live event shooting.
By adding on a battery – the same as in the Panasonic EVA1 cinema camera – an Atomos Ninja Vmonitor/recorder, Rode Videomic NTG and a variable ND filter, we turned it into a fine documentary camera. Of course, you could add on a follow focus and one of the huge range of cine primes available in theMFT fitment tomake it into a real cinema rig. But we wanted to use the 8-18mm f/2.8-4 Panasonic zoom, which allows the use of the advanced AF functions including subject tracking plus face and eye detection for humans and animals. The AF is very precise and has lots of customisable options for lots of different ways of shooting. With a body-only weight of 545g, the Lumix BGH1 is compact and light, and the aluminiumandmagnesium-alloy body frame is durable, too. The body has a new heat dispersion structure and a cooling fan for unlimited video recording – a crucial feature for long shoots. There is a double SD card slot for backup or relay recording behind a well-sealed card door. The body has nine standard threaded holes to fit accessories, plus a tripodmount and a hotshoe on the top. There are tally lamps at the front and rear, and a 3.5mmaudio jack compatible with the optional Panasonic XLR microphone DMW-XLR1. The body itself has a control dial and cursor buttons, as well as function, quick menu, playback and record buttons. With no viewfinder or LCD screen, you have to plug in an external monitor or use your
26
PRO MOVIEMAKER
Powered by FlippingBook