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Panasonic G6 topic, GH2 replacement camera
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  • Hmm. Can anyone tell me the HDMI output state while recording and in "idle"? I searched the net - But only found comments, that it doesn´t offer "clean HDMI" output like the GH3. Is it at least outputing the 1080P signal (or so) with overlays?

    Would be VERY important for me to know (and for sure also for other people). Because without HDMI out while recording it´s not usable with external monitors or EVFs. (Kind of a "no go" - At least compared to my actual GH2 ...)

    Lg, Tscheckoff

  • Two quite positive reviews

    Packed with features, there's not a lot missing from the G6 it this price point, especially when you factor in the Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity. The touchscreen interface and host of body-mounted controls make the G6 really easy and quick to use, and while we feel the overall finish has taken a slight step back over the G5, the curved handgrip delivers one of the most satisfying grips out there.

    Image quality is strong, delivering plenty of detail, and while it might not be quite a match for DSLRs at the higher sensitivities, it's still more than adequate – especially if you shoot Raw – while the video performance will also appeal.

    That's not forgetting its compact proportions. If you're looking for comparable DSLR performance and images in a smaller body that's complimented by a growing range of compact lenses, then the G6 is the perfect travel companion.

  • Really looking forward to picking one of these up. It seems like the 28mbps codec is an improvement over even hacked GH2 in a lot of ways, and really shows how much of the final quality is due to image processing. G6 just seems cleaner, and with nicer colours. That said, I'll be digging around for issues soon after picking one up, to get that firmware update coming! I'd love a higher bitrate for finer detail and improved noise.

  • "It seems like the 28mbps codec is an improvement over even hacked GH2", I don't think so. Look closer at scenes with lots of movement e.g. flowing water, the hacked GH2 is superior as is a GH3.

  • @nac

    You're right, however in certain circumstances G6 comes out easily ahead, due to less banding and nicer noise. Fingers crossed for a firmware update, so we can hopefully get the best of both worlds. That said, I'll have to see more rigorous testing to be sure of this.

  • I fully agree that if the G6 was hacked and the bit-rate increased to double, then it will be a killer. But until that happens (may never happen) i think i'll stick with the GH2, or perhaps look at a GH3 as an upgrade path.

  • The GH3 is really nice. I don't regret picking one up. Great shadow detail in 50mbps, nice color rendition. Just a really lovely image. It's a shame about the moire, but it's still less common than on just about any other DSLR.

  • Wow, if you have a GH3 why look at the G6, is that not a downgrade?

  • Thinking of picking it up as a backup/B camera. The 50p/60p, and to a lesser extent peaking, are important to me.

  • I must say it will be interesting to see more video focused reviews on the G6.

  • Swedish Photo magazines and Panasonic Sweden states that DMC-G6 has the same sensor as in GH3!

  • @calleb

    Well, they're wrong.

  • I am so confused about this sensor issue. Some say G6 has panny sensor like GH2 and I read that GH3 has sony sensor. What is the truth about this whole sensor stuff? A knowledgeable answer is much appreciated.

  • @cjdincer

    The GH2 uses a Panasonic multi aspect-ratio sensor. The sensor has a total of 18 megapixels, so it can give you 16mp stills when shooting 4:3 or 16:9, without cropping. Because of this, the sensor is wider than a typical 4:3 MFT sensor, so the crop for video (vs a 35mm stills camera) is 1.86 or so, rather than the 2x crop for 4:3.

    The GH3 uses a sensor by Sony, which is also used in the Olympus OM-D EM-5. Because it wasn't developed by Panasonic for their GH series cameras, it has a typical 4:3 sensor. The crop for video is about 2x.

    The G6 uses the Panasonic sensor from the GH2, but Panasonic always disable the multi aspect-ratio feature outside of their GH cameras. The video and 16:9 stills therefore have the same field of view as the GH3 and other Micro Four Thirds cameras, rather than the GH1 or GH2. This, combined with the improved image quality vs the GH2, is probably confusing some into thinking that the G6 is using the GH3 sensor. It's not.

  • @Cde thank you for valuable info. Now I understand why people saying GH2 is a classic and unique comparing to other cams.

  • @AlbertBarnes Love the pics. Thanks for sharing.

  • A few more pictures taken with G6, GH6 and LF1 in Bali for those who haven't seen them yet. The colors are really nice. I like the skin tones and greens on those G6 jpgs. Much better than my GH2 default jpg colors.

    http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/panasonic/1261371-lumix-g6-gf6-lf1-changing-photography-panasonic-digital-imaging-seminar-2013-a.html

    This camera looks quite promising. Looking forward to a hacked firmware in the future too (if and when Panasonic releases a firmware update to this camera).

  • ...where are the videos ? These days any p&s can take good photos!

  • @cde, I'm with you about better JPEG quality. I'm disappointed in my GH2 as all the JPG images have red & green blotches on faces, weird color artifacts in hair. But when I look a the RAW version of the same image, it's beautiful. When I export a JPG of the RAW image from Photoshop, it's beautiful. When I pay >$1000 for a still camera I want my JPGs to be beautiful. I don't want to have to process every single image through a RAW workflow to avoid color blotches.

    As to VIDEO: the GH2 darks are a mottled mess. I've tested it, EOSHD has said as much in his GH3 review, others have shown it as well. Mine's hacked and the higher bitrate doesn't help the bad image processing choices made by the GH2. I'd LOVE to see some G6 tests where we see if the 30p and 24p darks can be graded up and show usable detail.

    Here's one of my tests comparing it to a cheap little Nikon P7700.

  • @IEBA1

    These videos seem to point to the darks holding more usable detail on a G6:

  • I was looking at those, but YouTube compression makes it hard to really see the advantages the G6 might offer, in the few shots where I might actually see it there. Plus, the grading also seems to be enhancing the color & such. I would just like to see if the darks keep their detail without compression macroblocking.

  • @Kurth. I've seen that. But in test after test of my own, with my camera and my footage, the darks look like crap. I lifted them extra high in my demos to make it clearly evident what the GH2 is doing, and I don't need to pull them up that high in actual practice, but my eyes can see the lost detail even when it's not lifted that high.