Tag Archives: lumix

Panasonic Lumix GH6 does 300fps in Full HD!

We have been expecting Panasonic to deliver a GH5 and or GH5s replacement camera for over a year now. The pandemic and component shortages pushed back the release of almost all high tech imaging equipment. The Lumix GH6 is now announced and it does everything right for Micro 4/3 and then some but will that be enough to make the format survive in a world of ever-decreasing Full Frame camera prices getting cheaper?  

The GH6 has a new sensor, new Venus processing engine, new IBIS with up to 7.5 stops which is bordering on ridiculous, and a body that has active cooling. For HSC however, only one set of specs matters and that is frame rates for video. The camera is now on top of the Lumix and almost all of their pro division cameras by shooting up to 300fps 10 bit Full HDish, 240fps Full HD 10bit, and 120fps at 4k 10 bit.  For slow motion enthusiasts, it looks to be a great camera on paper and at just under $2,200 USD it is not going to break the bank.  But after all of this, should you invest in the GH6 as a slow motion tool or save more for an affordable dedicated high speed camera? → Continue Reading Full Post ←

BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS OF 2021!

 

We have passed another year in slow motion land and while camera releases were more plenty than expected considering the chip shortage and teh COVID disruption, it’s time to take a look back through the year’s camera releases, and see which delivered on the price/performance scale when it comes to slow motion frame rates.  Phones are stagnationg while high end cameras are getting more frame rate options in higher resolution. Our Best Slow Motion Cameras Of 2021 have been selected and ordered by recommendation! → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony IMX472-AAJK sensor offers huge frame rates in 4/3ds format!

Sony has released some white paper specs on a new Micro 4/3rds sensor that is as of now, the most advanced ever on the format considering the mix of Backside illumination, Stacked technology and high resolution color at 10 bits on full sensor read outs. The frame rates offered are also quite impressive with up to 1139fps at 0.46 Megapixels or 1760px Horizontal x 262px Vertical on the fastest range and 121fps at the full sensor area read-out at 20.9MP.

The Panasonic GH6 is coming later this year and it is estimated that this new sensor is actually the one that will be used on that camera. If Lumix technology can make full use of the sensor specs even for small fractions of time, we could have a killer slow motion mass produced camera.  The VFR mode on Panasonic Lumix cameras has always been more than acceptable and they could breathe new life into the format if these sensor specs are used to their fullest. We expect at least 1080p at 240fps which will be a slightly stretched delivery from the 1760 x 1318 240.2fps mode listed on the sensor specs → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Lumix GH6 will do 120fps 4k & maybe more!

Lumix GH6 Panasonic

Panasonic unveiled in May the GH5 Mark II which is a slight refresh of the venerable m4/3rds GH5 with live streaming, better dynamic range in video, better AF algorithms, and slightly better IS on a very similar body with just a few cosmetic red buttons and rings for refresh purposes.  The slow motion remains at 180fps VFR at 1080p and 60p at 4k on the GH5 II since it is using the same sensor and imaging engine. It is a better overall camera than the original but a mild refresh nonetheless. 

That brings us to the pre-announced GH6 which is an in-development camera that aims to refresh the entire Micro 4/3ds line in Panasonic and aimed at professional video users.  It sports a new sensor, new imaging engine, new body and new technologies yet to be disclosed.  According to rumors, this camera should be able to keep micro 4/3rds alive for another five years delivering an array of video and photo features that will set it apart much like the original GH5 carved a place in camera history. We have also received rumored specs that may or may not pan out regarding frame rates which we find somewhat credible.  → Continue Reading Full Post ←

BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS OF 2020!

BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS OF 2020

As the end of 2020 nears, it’s time to take a look back through the year’s camera releases amid the COVID 19 chaos, and see which delivered on the price/performance bracket with slow motion frame rates as the primary goal.  Phone slow motion took a back seat this year as the interest of the feature in phones was subdued or even eliminated. Our Best Slow Motion Cameras Of 2020 have been selected and ordered by recommendation!

We saw some surprises including a mostly affordable 4k slow motion solution and the adoption of 4k 120fps on many cameras which makes us think 240fps at UHD should be something to think about in the coming years as a regular option once 8k video is commonplace on consumer recording devices and TVs. The increase in resolution should theoretically allow for a lot of 4k frame rates to be offered as 8k delivers 4x the pixel count of 4k for any given frame rate. Keep on reading for our 2020 picks!

BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS of 2020:

Without further ado here are what we believe are the best value slow motion cameras in their respective categories for the year 2020:

Best Slow Motion Phone Category:

3rd Place) Sony Xperia 5 II:

The Sony Xperia 5 II is all about capturing the best video possible on a smartphone and in HDR. The kick here is that the phone is capable of 4k 120fps in full HDR which is pretty much class-leading.

The footage below will give you a taste of what the phone can do. In good light, it will let you capture excellent quality 4k 120p footage with the possibility to grade as it records a gradable flat profile.  In low light, it will be a pretty unremarkable image with grain and artifacts as could be expected from the light requirements when shooting at high speed.

Sony Xperia 5 II: 4K 120fps video footage by CNET Highlights:

Sony Xperia 5 II Slow Motion Specs:

  • 120fps 4k
  • 60fps 1080p

This is one of the first phones to offer 120fps in 4k which will probably become a standard spec in 2021 for flagships. However absent is the slow motion at 1080p which considering the 4k oomph, it should have been capable of 480fps at 1080p or similar. It is a shame that the spec was completely avoided considering HDR in 120fps 4k requires 240fps full pixel readout before merging.  In theory, 240fps non-HDR is possible on this phone but not available for unspecified reasons. Phones are becoming more powerful by the day and this is one that has our attention. The just under $1k price tag is not ideal but some of the best phones are going to cost you.

2nd Place) OnePlus 8T:

One Plus continues to offer compelling slow motion features on their phones with 480fps 1080p and up to 480fps at 720p.  It gives you a quad 48MP camera module which is literally insane considering the phone sells for under $750USD and has 120hz refresh rate. Feature-wise it has probably everything under the sun and then some and will not disappoint in the performance realm.

Fireworks in Slow motion – OnePlus 8T 480fps in dark by sternking: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Panasonic Lumix BGH1 Slow Motion at 240fps is good!

Panasonic Lumix BGH1 Slow Motion

The Panasonic Lumix BGH1 is a strange camera if you are used to DSLR or Mirrorless camera body styles. It is tiny and full of connections with no screen unless you provide one via a computer that is tethered or an HDMI field monitor.  It uses the same dual ISO sensor found on the Panasonic Lumix GH5s which is a very good low light camera in a Micro 4/3ds package.  The BGH1 has a better internal recording set of options than the GH5s but it is more intended as a tethered studio solution with the addition of Genlock synch and SDI out.

The camera also has VFR or a Variable frame rate mode which is identical to the Lumix GH5s as it records from 1fps to 240fps in Full HD 1080p and delivers pretty good performance up to 200fps then lowers the quality along with providing a small added crop to the image at 225fps and 240fps. It is still not as sharp as regular 1080p video and the codec is saved at a lower bit rate but having 240fps as an option is great.

Panasonic LUMIX BGH1 Video Specs:

Video Modes: AVC-Intra/AVC-LongG/H.264 Long GOP/H.265/MOV 4:2:2 10-Bit:
4096 x 2160p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 400 Mb/s)
3840 x 2160p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 200 Mb/s)
3328 x 2496p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 400 Mb/s)
1920 x 1080p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 200 Mb/s)
AVC-Intra/AVC-LongG/H.264 Long GOP/H.265/MOV 4:2:0 8-Bit:
4096 x 2160p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 150 Mb/s)
3840 x 2160p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 150 Mb/s)
3328 x 2496p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 150 Mb/s)
1920 x 1080p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 Mb/s)
AVC-Intra/AVC-LongG/H.264 Long GOP/H.265/MP4 4:2:2 10-Bit:
3840 x 2160p at 23.98/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (72 to 100 Mb/s)
AVC-Intra/AVC-LongG/H.264/H.264 Long GOP/H.265/MP4 4:2:0 8-Bit:
3840 x 2160p at 23.98/25/29.97 fps (100 Mb/s)
1920 x 1080p at 23.98/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (24 to 28 Mb/s)VFR Mode 1-240fps Full HD 1080p (24 to 28 Mb/s) 

As you can see, the camera is capable of recording up to 60fps in 10 bit 4:2:2 internally which is better than other m4/3 lumix cameras that top out at 4:2:0 color space in this mode.

Of note is that the VFR Panasonic Lumix BGH1 Slow Motion mode is limited in bit rate from 24Mbits/sec to 28Mbits/sec which is passable but hardly ideal since the image is more compressed.  The quality of the VFR should be identical to the GH5s and the sample below by the great youtube reviewer Richard Wong you can see the softness associated with 240p in VFR.  We are told that up to 200fps the image looks a bit better and there is no crop associated with it.

Pretty In-Depth Panasonic Lumix BGH1 by Richard Wong: 

As you can see in the excellent in-depth review above, the camera has Auto Focus that is pretty similar to the other cameras in the Lumix line and suffers from the same pulsating qualities of the DfD Depth from Defocus algorithm used by Panasonic. We are no fans of it for video even when it has improved a lot. For AF to work reliably you need to have dual Pixels in the sensor with Phase and contrast-detection like those on systems from Canon or Sony.

The camera is very small and it is ideal for drones that can carry the 545g of the body plus a lens.  At $1,997.99 at Adorama Camera it is about the same price as a Panasonic S5 which is a full-frame camera that delivers even better performance in low light and has a photo mode and screen.  The S5 in our view is a better overall camera for the majority of people but the BGH1 is geared to a different market altogether.

You could build a studio with them as they have Genlock timecode sync and SDI out which is what you want for tethering many of these cameras together. The uses for a camera like this are plenty considering its great low light performance and beautiful image with 13 stops of Dynamic Range when Shooting V-Log L.

Pricing and availability:

Panasonic LUMIX BGH1 – Review – Unboxing the box camera by extrashot: → Continue Reading Full Post ←