Panasonic has just announced the follow-up to its popular Lumix GH6 vlogging camera, the GH7. This Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera comes just two years after the release of the GH6, which was pretty fast in the world of videography. The GH5 has been released for exactly five years Before the GH6.
The 25.2-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor is likely the same as the photo-centric sensor. Lumix LG9 II announced earlier this year. It also offers improved autofocus performance, a much-requested feature thanks to phase-detection autofocus (PDAF). There’s also a newly added real-time autofocus recognition algorithm for use on planes and trains.
The GH7 is designed for video and it seems to deliver in that regard. It now supports native ProRes RAW recording up to 5.7K 30p along with ProRes as before, and can shoot 5.8K 60p 10-bit H.265 video. It can handle 4K at up to 120fps or Full HD at 240fps. It is equipped with both SD UHS II and CFexpress card slots, the latter required for ProRes and ProRes RAW recording.
In addition to ProRes RAW for video, it supports 32-bit float audio recording. Panasonic says that float recording “eliminates the need to adjust recording levels during recording”, although this requires a separate XLR adapter. Image stabilization technology has also received a boost, including perspective distortion correction for videos.
We don’t know how heavy it will be, and the GH6 was definitely on the heavier side. The previous model’s battery life was also fairly short, maxing out at 400 stills and about an hour of continuous 4K recording. This camera should be able to shoot for a long time, but Panasonic has added a cooling fan for heat dissipation. It’s also splash-proof, dust-proof, and freeze-proof down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit.
The GH7 supports native Camera to Cloud integration via Adobe’s Frame.io, which automatically uploads images and videos to the cloud. Overall, this looks like a decent update to the line. Panasonic’s newest and best vlog camera will go on sale in July for $2,200. By the way, this is the same price as the GH6 will be released in 2022.
