UPDATE 5.25.2021: Camera news revealed today, Panasonic Lumix GH5 Mark II and in-development Panasonic Lumix GH6.
And we’re off to the races.
Panasonic just sent out invitations for YouTube Live stream happening next week to announce new Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras. Here’s the actual headline, with full announcement below:
New GH Series cameras are coming!
Interesting thing to note here is that camera is, in fact, plural. As in cameras. That is, multiple bodies.
The “special LUMIX Live event takes place Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 10:00am ET (an early 7:00am PT start for those of here on the West Coast in the U.S.):
Per Panasonic:
“We are committed to further enhancing the G Series lineup and performance of conventional Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras and lenses to meet the continuous demands of creators who value the strong advantage that only MFT can offer.”
Rumor sites recently predicted a GH5 Mark II would land. This seems to be that day.
But, could there also be the long-awaited GH6? With 6K video? A MFT video mirrorless flagship to rule them all?
That would be quite something indeed.
It could also mean that the GH5 Mark II would be a bridge announcement, an actual shipping camera to possibly satiate buyers, while the GH6 is also announced, but in “development” for a later release date. These kinds of updates are sometimes effective at delaying buying decisions. Someone about to buy a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K or 6K Pro might hesitate if they know a state-of-the-art GH6 is coming down the pipe (then again, I’d likely still go for the BRAW and partnership of the Blackmagic Pocket plus DaVinci Resolve ftw).
WATCH: LUMIX Live — new GH Series Cameras are Coming
Panasonic GH5 — Same as it Ever Was
Readers here on Stark Insider know that I really adore the GH5 — to a fault, guilty as charged.
I’ve shot with the GH5 mostly for our short films and experimental video projects. Recently, I sold my body with the expectation I’d replace it with the relatively new Pocket 6K Pro — all those updates including ND filters for a very reasonable $2,495 USD seems pretty good to me.
With a possible GH6 coming, soon enough I’d expect, it might do exactly what I suspected us ready-to-buy camera shoppers might do: wait.
Wait to see what Panasonic reveals next Tuesday.
Of course, if a GH6 is announced in development with a later shipping date there will be further waiting. However, given COVID and the way the last year has gone, most of our filming and projects have been delayed — I’m sure most of you share this experience, especially, unfortunately for the wedding industry.
Additional time, however, can be used to write, plan and storyboard the multiple video projects we have in the pipeline (i.e. Microsoft OneNote).
Regarding the GH6 specs (the GH5 II looks like a very incremental update… I can’t even tell yet what’s new, but I’m intrigued), expectations will be sky high.
This is Internet 2021. Everyone is a critic. And everyone wants everything right now.
Camera companies can’t miss a beat these days. Even when they don’t and actually nail the specs and give us everything we ever wanted someone always finds time to Twitter rant.
Me?
I’m the crazy enthusiastic half-glass-full guy.
Cameras Galore
There’s so many great camera bodies these days. Let’s see…
Panasonic S5, S1, S1H. Three phenomenal bodies for video (mind the auto-focus).
Sony a7S III and FX3. Exceptional for video.
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, 6K, 6K Pro. What’s not to love? We’re getting spoiled here.
Nikon Z6 II, Z7 II. Admittedly I’m a Canon guy and have almost all EF glass so I don’t shoot Nikon. But if you do these are well reviewed mirrorless versions of classic, high performance Nikon DSLRs.
RED Komodo 6K. Beautiful RED in a compact package. Though my money would be on a used DSMC2 Scarlet-W. I own one and it’s by far the most outstanding filmic, organic image. However you call it. The thing is magic. Possibly bargain shop on eBay and profit from that pliable Redcode codec.
Canon EOS R5, R6. Best-in-class auto-focus. With new RF mount — too bad, though, the RF lenses are so, so expensive.
Panasonic Lumix GH5. Four year old body? Pffft. Don’t tell the GH5. It was a killer body in 2017, and I think it’s still a great option for many video projects. Plus MFT is so lighweight, and can be easily adapted to EF.
And there’s more.
Niche players with purpose built products for video projects such as the Sigma fp L, Z Cam, Kinefinity, among others. We’re simply not wanting for choice these days.
You want high frame rates? There’s a camera for you.
High resolution photo-based sensor? There’s a camera for you.
Built-in NDs, with XLR audio? There’s a camera for you.
RAW-based workflow? There’s a camera for you.
Outstanding video auto-focus? There’s… well, you get the idea.
Let’s also not forget your smartphone. It’s perfectly fine for many projects.
When you attend a filmmaking class or online workshop of some kind the teacher never will request a certain camera or spec. Never. They will say something to the effect: bring a camera, any camera. And then proceed to cover all the more important aspects of telling your story: script, composition, character development, lighting, etc. Just something to keep in mind lest we over-analyze all these cameras while our creativity sits in a drawer.
A for brand fanboyism, I don’t get it.
These are electronic devices made by large corporations. They are, as unglamorous as it is to say, tools. Tools to get jobs done.
Last I checked they aren’t are our spouses, partners, girlfriend or boyfriends, or even our friends. At least I hope they’re not. Why, troll, the excessive and emotional brand attachment?
I own or have owned Sonys, Canons, Blackmagics, REDs, Panasonics. To me, again, they’re all just tools. Some better than others for certain projects. Others more fun to use than others. Ultimately, the joy of using them comes from the end result, a short film or some sort of video. That is is the satisfaction and critical litmus test in my books; get the thing across the finish line.
ALSO SEE: First Impressions: Panasonic S5 full-frame 4k camera, by a GH5 video shooter
In any case I was about to go Pocket 6K Pro for my portable cinema setup.
Now I’m anxious to see what Panasonic has in store with the GH5 II, but mostly the GH6.
I know, cool story.
Meantime I continue to storyboard Stark Insider video projects in dodgy fashion (Cardflow iPad app is fantastic as a replacement for paper-based index cards) and hope that when we hit the Northern California roads this June we can finish shooting necessary scenes to edit some stuff together. Be afraid.
Happy shooting!
