The somewhat flawed auto focus system on the Panasonic GH5 has claimed plenty of attention since it's release, but if there is one feature which is undoubtedly five star, it's the dual stabilization technology, and here is the proof.
Last week I was invited to Wembley Stadium in London by Saracens Rugby Club to capture some stills of their Aviva Premiership match versus Harlequins. I managed to get my hands on the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4.0-6.3 ASPH to give me up to a stupendous 800mm full frame equivalent focal length to capture fast moving sports action.
In between capturing stills, I knocked the camera into Variable Frame Rate mode and shot some clips at 180fps. The lens has a "Power O.I.S" button on the side, which was switched on. When mounted onto the Panasonic GH5 you can call on three types of stabilization for video capture; lens, in-camera, and electronic. My experience was hit and miss with the electronic stabilization turned on when following the action, so I turned this off and relied on the lens and in-camera stabilization systems.
And the results? well, if you haven't checked out the video above then let me lay it out. There are two clips, both shot at 400mm at 180fps. The first clip of England fly half Owen Farrell kicking a penalty was taken with my elbows planted on an advertising hoarding in front of me. The second clip of a line out was taken with my elbows tucked into my body, and the strap around my neck pulled taut.
In a nutshell, the Panasonic GH5 and 100-400mm Leica combo gives you the ability to capturing silky smooth, stabilized, slow motion footage at an 800mm full frame equivalent focal length. Bravo Panasonic. Bravo.
Exactly. Not to mention birds, hummingbirds, insects, in high frame rates, superb control of manual focus, superb ibis. Sony cannot even touch this
impressive features!