Panasonic has announced that new firmware updates will be coming to the GH5s and G9 cameras.
Key improvements and additions for GH5s and G9
LUMIX GH5S Firmware Version 2.0
RAW video data output over HDMI
Firmware 2.0 will enable the GH5S to capture Apple ProRes RAW video recording over HDMI to the Atomos Ninja V.
- Apple ProRes RAW can be recorded on an Atomos Ninja V.
- 4K / Anamorphic (4:3) 3.7K, 12-bit RAW video output via HDMI.
- A LUT (Look up table) exclusively designed for RAW video recorded on Ninja V is available on the Panasonic customer support website to enable the same colour grading as V-Log/V-Gamut. It is easy to match colours between the footage recorded with Panasonic Varicam and EVA1 cameras to combine them.
* Atomos Ninja V Ver.10.66 will be required to support the RAW video data output function of the LUMIX GH5S.
Improved AF performance
The GH5S will inherit the improved autofocus technology and performance of the LUMIX S5.
- Eyes and face are detected at a 2x faster recognition cycle speed and humans and animals at a 5x faster recognition cycle speed*.
- Tracking and recognition performance of AF have been improved with an addition of head recognition.
- Human/animal recognition can be set ON or OFF when the AF mode is set to [1-Area].
*Comparison between before and after updating the firmware.
Further added functions
- [Red REC Frame Indicator] function has been added.
- It is possible to record and play back vertical videos vertically, the camera automatically detects the vertical orientation of the video.
- Users can choose to add camera orientation information in [Vertical Position Info (Video)] menu to prevent unintended image rotation in playback.
- [Video Guide Line] function has been upgraded with more options.
- [Power Save Mode] can be selectable while the camera is powered with an AC adaptor (DMW-AC10, sold separately).
LUMIX G9 Firmware Version 2.4
Improved AF performance
The G9 will inherit the improved autofocus technology and performance of the LUMIX S5.
- Eyes and face are detected at a 2x faster recognition cycle speed and humans and animals at a 5x faster recognition cycle speed*.
- Tracking and recognition performance of AF have been improved with an addition of head recognition.
- Human/animal recognition can be set ON or OFF when the AF mode is set to [1-Area].
*Comparison between before and after updating the firmware.
Further added functions
- [Red REC Frame Indicator] function has been added.
- It is possible to record and play back vertical videos vertically, the camera automatically detects the vertical orientation of the video.
- Users can choose to add camera orientation information in [Vertical Position Info (Video)] menu to prevent unintended image rotation in playback.
- [Frame Marker] function has been added.
- [Power Save Mode] can be selectable while the camera is powered with an AC adaptor (DMW-AC10, sold separately).
- The camera is recognized when it is connected to a PC via the USB power supply port.
LUMIX G100 Firmware Version 1.2
- Users can choose to add camera orientation information in [Vertical Position Info (Video)] menu to prevent unintended image rotation in playback.
- The camera is recognized when it is connected to a PC via the USB power supply port.
Thoughts
It is interesting to see the GH5s get a RAW output so you will now be able to record ProRes RAW externally via a compatible Atomos device. Neither the original GH5 or the GH5 II can output RAW over HDMI.
Panasonic is also trying to unify the AF performance across its entire range. While this is nice to see, they still arguably have the worst AF performance of any manufacturer.
These firmware updates will be available in June.
