Panasonic just published the full release notes of the promised free firmware update for the GH5. Upon release earlier in the year, early adopters of the camera have been blown away with its performance, yet have come across some several teething issues that have been fed back to Panasonic. This release aims to correct some of these issues while also introducing improved All-I modes for higher bit-rate video recording.
As seen in the table below, a raft of new ALL-Intra video recording modes have been added, including 400 Mbps All-I compression options in 4K and 200 Mpbs in 1080p.
There are also improvements to the anamorphic recording mode, which will now utilize more of the sensor for higher resolution anamorphic shooting up to 6K. Full options can be seen in the table below:
A new option in picture style called, "Hybrid Log Gamma," will be added to meet HDR AV standards, essentially allowing recording with wider dynamic range. This picture style can be paired with a view assist function to make monitoring of the HDR footage easier when shooting while retaining the full dynamic range in the recording.
All this had already been promised, but what else have they included in this update? Well, quite a bit actually. Panasonic seems to have taken criticisms of the on-board autofocus performance and claims to have improved its performance, particularly when tracking low-contract subjects. Wireless improvements will be added, including a Bluetooth remote shutter mode. Also, tethering capabilities have finally been added to the Panasonic toolset, providing photographers the opportunity to set up a studio-based workflow.
There are also a whole host of bug fixes and minor tweaks, including the ability to add crop marks to your display, improved time-lapse options, and improvements in the image stabilization system when shooting handheld. The full published release notes can be found here.
The quoted release date is “the end of September 2017,” so get prepared with those manufacturer-recommended V60- and V90-class cards to stretch the best video consumer camera to its limits.
