The first of the two promised updates for the Panasonic GH5 has finally arrived. Firmware v1.1 enables internal 10-bit full HD 4:2:2 recording at 100Mbps. Later this year, the second update will unleash 4K 4:2:2 10-bit all-i internal recording. Worth a look, I would say!
Panasonic GH5 Firmware v1.1
The Panasonic GH5 is a very impressive piece of technology, no doubt about it, and you can read all about it in our early hands-on article about it here.
What’s even more impressive, however, is Panasonic’s commitment to releasing several updates for it over the course of 2017, meant not only to squash any potential bugs but also to implement various advanced features. The first of the two promised updates is now out, and it improves the internal recording capabilities by unlocking 10-bit full HD 4:2:2 internal recording. Until now, the Panasonic GH5 was only capable of recording Full HD 8-bit 4:2:0 at 100Mbps, so version 1.1 will really up the game in terms of Full HD resolution.
There are some good news for anamorphic shooters, too: the update brings 10-bit 4:2:2 IPB recording to a larger 3328 x 2496 region of the sensor, and is encoded at 150Mbps.
Firmware improvement content (taken from Panasonic’s official download link):
- FHD 4:2:2 10-bit video recording has been added. It can be selected in either FHD [MP4 (LPCM)] or [MOV] recording format.
- 4:2:2 10-bit video recording has been added to Anamorphic (4:3) mode.
- There was a problem in which the exposure adjustment did not operate properly during live view standby when the [SS/Gain Operation] display was set to [ANGLE/ISO] while [Variable Frame Rate] was selected for Creative Video mode. This has been fixed.
- A problem in [V-LogL] of Photo Style mode where afterimages appeared when recording video under high ISO sensitivity settings has been fixed.
Future Firmware Updates
This is only the first firmware update for the GH5, with more to follow. Later this year, Panasonic will release an update that focuses on the camera’s 4K recording capabilities.
The current 4K 4:2:2 10-bit at 150Mbps will be replaced with some more muscle power, namely 400Mbps all-i. The Full HD will also get an update, unlocking 200Mbps all-i. You can wave goodbye to longGOP compression once the update is ready later this year. Very impressive for a camera this small and lightweight!
Conclusion
I think this update strategy for the Panasonic GH5 can be very reassuring for customers as it gives a little more peace of mind when making a purchase decision. The current HD implementation may not super high-end, but once it’s updated to 10-bit, this camera really should become the benchmark for other manufacturers in this market. So long, 8-bit!
Get this new update by heading over to Panasonic and clicking here. Additional beneficial information about this latest update can be viewed by clicking here.
Have you invested in a Panasonic GH5? What are your thoughts about this update, and the next one coming later this year? Tell us in the comments below!
