Panasonic's 25-megapixel GH6 is the highest resolution Micro Four Thirds camera

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Panasonic's 25-megapixel GH6 is the highest resolution Micro Four Thirds camera yet

After a bit of a delay, Panasonic has finally revealed the 25.2-megapixel GH6, the highest-resolution Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera to date. One can think of it as a mini version of its S1H "Netflix camera," as it's loaded with pro video features like 5.7K ProRes V-Log video, a tilt-swivel display and CFexpress capture. However, it's still stuck with contrast detect rather than phase detect autofocus like most modern cameras. Luckily, I was able to get my hands on a preproduction unit to check out the new features and get an early feel for it.



First, let's talk about the most interesting changes. As mentioned, the GH6 has a 25.2-megapixel sensor with a high-speed readout, though it isn't stacked like its Micro Four Thirds rival, the OM-1. That obviously gives a much-needed image resolution boost, though photo burst performance is actually down a touch from the GH5 II (8 fps with continuous AF compared to 9 fps).

The GH6 still uses a contrast detect autofocus system (what it calls "depth from defocus" or DFD) rather than phase detect like nearly all its rivals. As with the GH5 II, it also includes face/eye/head/body/animal AI recognition. While Panasonic has pretty much perfected its DFD system, it's still not as fast or reliable as phase detect systems.

When shooting people pictures in relatively low light, it sometimes failed to get focus quickly enough to nail the shot, for instance. By comparison, Sony and Canon's latest cameras (the A7 IV and EOS R6) have no such difficulty, even in low light. And I still saw some wobble or hunting with video AF.

In terms of video, things are more positive. The GH6 can now shoot 5.7K video with V-Log at up to 30 fps with internal capture to either ProRes or ProRes HQ, or 5.7K up to 60 fps to MP4 10-bit H.264/H.265 recording (all-intra or longGOP). You can also shoot 10-bit 4:2:0 4K at up to 120 fps using the longGOP codec, or 1080p at 300 fps (240 fps with autofocus). All of the 5.7K and 4K modes (including 120p) use the full sensor width with super-sampled video.

It will also be able to record ProRes RAW to an external Atomos recorder via a future firmware update. More interestingly, the GH6 is one of the first mirrorless cameras with HDMI 2.1 output, so it'll eventually let you record 4K RAW externally at up to 120 fps via a future update. When it first ships, it'll support 4K at up to 60 fps, with simultaneous external and internal recording.

Source: https://www.engadget.com/panasonics-25-megapixel-gh-6-is-the-highest-resolution-micro-four-thirds-camera-yet-010021527.html