Panasonic has planned to present its next entry of mirrorless camera range of GH series. It has proven hugely popular among videographers in recent years. The company will announce Panasonic GH6 after three years of launching the most popular GH5. However, the Panasonic presented GH5S after one year of releasing GH5. Recent rumors suggest the GH6 is unlikely to mark a radical shake-up for the series in terms of design, with its Four Thirds sensor expected to retain the line’s familiar size and shape. Some recent leaks have suggested that there could be more than one new GH6 variant announced this year, along with a brand new sensor that’s capable of shooting 8K video. The Panasonic GH6 was expected to arrive way back in May 2020 but delayed due to a global pandemic.
Panasonic could have announced the GH6 through a YouTube stream or similar to most tech launches in recent times. Point to be noted that a Spanish tech outlet Photolari reportedly attended a Panasonic press conference during recent months. The executives informed attendees that the successor to the GH5 will be unveiled within 2021, supposedly around August or September. The pre-orders will likely start upon the camera’s release, you probably won’t be able to get the GH6 until a few months afterward. The sensor of Panasonic GH6 will reportedly be based on the Sony IMX594 or IMX492. Both are Four Thirds camera sensors listed for use in security and surveillance cameras. They have an effective resolution of 41MP shooting at a 4:3 aspect ratio, very high for this size of the sensor. These sensors are designed specifically to cope with minimal light.
It is noteworthy that Sony’s security camera sensor division has a technology called Starvis. This technology was designed to offer good quality color and monochrome images with moving subjects. So, the GH6 will also get similar benefits after using the IMX594 or IMX492, but without Starvis’s name. These sensors are also capable of 8K resolution video capture at 30fps. However, the Panasonic GH5S can shoot at up to 60fps in DCI 4K resolution with 4096×2160 pixels and the cheaper GH5 has a 6K capture at 30fps mode. The Panasonic GH6 will have the same 10-bit 4:2:2 color as the GH5S. One of the most predicted rumors of the Panasonic GH6 said it will have better autofocus. GH series cameras use Panasonic’s Depth from Defocus for effective fancy contrast detection. There’s also plenty of scopes to improve tracking and eye AF using software instead of jumping to on-sensor phase-detection focusing.
