Panasonic Launched 4K UltraHD Mirrorless

2014.02.07

Today, Panasonic took the wraps off their highly-anticipated 4K-capable digital camera. The new Lumix DMC-GH4 is based on the GH3 reviewed here and adds a number of improvements. Most significantly, this is the first Panasonic to record 4K video. This means it can capture ultra-wide 4096x2160 Cinema 4K video at 24 FPS or 3180x2160 widescreen UltraHD at up to 30 FPS. Full 1080p and 720p are obviously supported as well.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 inherits the design of its predecessor which include 3 control-dials and a built-in EVF with Eye-Start sensor. Panasonic upgraded the EVF to 2.4 megapixels and the rear rotating LCD to 1 megapixels for extra-sharp preview of images and video. Having an EVF means the GH4 is fully usable for video at eye-level. A new durable mechanical shutter mechanism supports shutter-speeds up to 1/8000s and 200K actuations, plus continuous shooting at 12 FPS.

This mirrorless features a 2X crop 16 megapixels sensor with standard ISO 200 to 25600 sensitivity range and shutter-speeds down to 60s, plus Bulb exposures up to 1 hour. The Micro Four-Thirds mount is compatible with all lenses designed for it but the GH4 offers a new advanced autofocus system for Panasonic's own lenses. This system uses image-blur to estimate the amount of defocus which should allow it to refocus faster than previous models.

The GH4 is fully weather-sealed against moisture and dust when used with such a lens. It is highly expandable with a hot-shoe, sync-port and new battery-grip which extends the camera's audio capabilities with XLR and 4K over HDMI 1.4 output. Pricing and availability have not been announced yet.

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