Roving Rachel does the ​Panasonic Lumix GH5

Amidst a Kool-Aid-fuelled review lies some impressive stats and pictures

Panny's new camera is at home with UHD video as it is with stills.

Panny's new camera is at home with UHD video as it is with stills.

With the latest hybrid camera about to stock the shelves in Australia, I gave it a test drive for Good Gear Guide readers.

Film makers rejoice! The Lumix GH5 video records in 4K resolution, allowing it to capture over 1 billion colours, as opposed to other cameras on the market in the same class, offering only 16.7 million colours. The 4K resolution also allows the film maker to access a higher frame rate of 50/60fps which is perfect for capturing very natural motion for use in documentary film making or news reporting.

I found the colours crisp and the recording seamless when toggling between stills and video.

Wedding videographers and the like will also enjoy the high definition 180fps recording ability to help capture those romantic slow motion scenes.

A Roving Rachel shot that we've come to expect.
A Roving Rachel shot that we've come to expect.

In a world first, it is the first consumer digital camera to offer 4k 10bit 4:2:2 25/30p video recording to SD card. Saving the user not only weight and bulk but also money on additional equipment that would otherwise have been needed with other cameras to get a similar result.

Lumix GH5 also boasts not one, but two SD card slots allowing simultaneous recording to both cards or backing up data to the second SD slot.

The GH5 is a broadcast level camera with exceptional still imagery ability. Packing a 20-megapixel sensor and 5-Axis Dual IS 2 for image stabilisation, it also shoots in 6k photo. Action photographers will never miss their shot with 6k burst shooting in 18 megapixels that captures 30 frames per second with no buffer limit.

I put the GH5 thought its paces at the BMX track in Queenstown, NZ and found it performed on point. The high action shots were a breeze and the burst shooting allowed me to capture moments that would have otherwise been lost on other cameras.

BMX Queenstown
BMX Queenstown

I am by no means a professional photographer, and I was really happy with the way many of the shots came out, and just how easy the GH5 was to use. As someone who is used to a standard point and shoot, grasping the finer details of aperture and ISO probably took me a few shots more than most, but the unedited images you see here were taken relatively-easily.

I loved the in-built settings to add a filter to a shot, making life a breeze and giving me instant results along with the auto function for quick point and shoot snaps.

Read more: Roving Rachel's best crowd-funded travel products that are online right now

The exceptional picture quality and professional-grade lens allows a photographer to perform seamlessly from a studio shoot to outdoors, to video, to quick behind the scenes snaps and more.

The durable magnesium alloy body is sealed around all the joints dials and buttons to ensure it is both dust proof and splash proof. It is also specially designed to tolerate temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius, making this camera body one of the best on the market for shooting content in difficult environments. It features Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity which is perfect for faster data transfer speeds and remote control use. It is great for use in hard to access locations as it is compact and packs in so many professional features thereby reducing the need to bulky tripods or Steadicam rigs.

The Panasonic Lumix GH5 costs $2999 (body only) and $3999 for the Leica Pro kit lens. Optional accessories include the Battery Grip ($399) and XLR microphone adaptor ($499)

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