To say many people have been waiting a long time for the release of the Panasonic GH6 is an understatement.
As of this past January it has over it been over 3 years since Panasonic released the GH5s — the last new camera in its popular LUMIX GH mirrorless line of cameras — and almost 7 years since the release of the GH4.
With Panasonic spending most of the past 3 years focused on its full-frame mirrorless cameras, a lot of GH4, GH5 & GH5S owners are wondering if they should keep waiting for the GH6 or if Panasonic has abandoned its flagship micro four-thirds (MFT) mirrorless camera.
So let’s dive into when (if ever) we can expect to see the GH6 and if it’s features will make it worth the wait.
Timeline Of Predecessors
Prior to the release of the GH5s (and the current period of waiting), Panasonic had been fairly good with releasing new models of its flagship MFT mirrorless camera every 2-3 years.
In fact here’s the release dates of every camera thus far in the LUMIX DMC-GH line:
- GH1 – April 2009
- GH2 – September 2010
- GH3 – September 2012
- GH4 – May 2014
- GH5 – January 2017
- GH5S – January 2018
As you can see the longest span of time between generations was the 32 months from when the GH4 was released to the GH5 announcement at CES 2017.
However, besides that Panasonic has released a new GH model every 1-2 years.
This makes the current 39 month wait since the GH5S (as of writing) stand out as slightly irregular.
A Growing Trend
On the surface it might seem odd that we haven’t seen the GH6 yet given the timing of Panasonic’s releases.
Looking to the release schedule of one of its biggest competitors — the Sony a7s line — can provide some insight.
Prior to the announcement of the a7s III last July, Sony a7s II users were kept waiting almost 5 years despite the fact the a7s II was released only 18 months after Sony debuted its video-focused a7 line with the original a7s.
And Sony is far from alone.
Other video-focused cameras like the Canon 1D X & 5D have seen lengthy delays between new models and the pace at which new mirrorless cameras are released has slowed from the quickfire of the 2010s for almost all manufacturers.
This slowing pace of innovation is unique to video-focused cameras which are constantly pushing the limits of processing power and need at least 4X the processing power required to record 4K/30fps video in order to keep up with the massive amount of data recording in 8K writes per second.
Even 6K video has over 200% more pixels, meaning camera manufacturers must wait for processing speeds to more than double in order to achieve a substantial resolution increase over current camera models.
The GH5 & GH5S are still good
The long wait for Panasonic to release the GH6 is also partially due to just how cutting edge the GH5 and GH5S were when they were released.
Both shoot 4K/60fps and 10bit 4:2:2 internally (features which Sony & Canon only matched last year) and the GH5S can even shoot slow-motion at up to 240fps in 1080p.
Panasonic definitely could stand to improve the cameras’ autofocus capabilities, but on paper the GH5 and GH5S are still very competitive — especially considering their price.
So when WILL we see the GH6 released?
With Panasonic focused almost entirely on building out its full-frame mirrorless camera offering these past 3 years, they’ve been pretty quiet about a GH5 successor.
And with the launch of the compact full-frame LUMIX S5 last fall it’s plausible to imagine how Panasonic could be trying to push GH5 users to the world of full-frame.
However, according to Yosuke Yamane (Panasonic’s Director of Imaging Business Unit), the MFT format is still very popular among creators and the company remains committed to developing the system.
In an interview with CineD, Mr. Yamane shed a little light on Panasonic’s internal MFT strategy.
Nearly 3.5 years have passed since the launch of the GH5, and many customers are still purchasing GH5, but many creators still shoot movies in a Micro Four Thirds format. As I have assured many times, we will continue to develop products for Micro Four Thirds as well as Full Frame to meet the needs of a wide range of creators. Regarding the replacement model for the GH camera that you asked about, I will inform you but the information may be spread. Of course, we are considering it, and we look forward to seeing you there.
While intentionally cryptic, Mr. Yamane made it evident that Panasonic is aware that there are a large amount creators using MFT its cameras that will never want to switch to full-frame.
Because of this, I suspect we’ll see the GH6 debut in one of two possible time periods:
- Fall 2021 — Just like the GH2 & GH3, Panasonic will debut the GH6 just in time for the holiday season and at the rescheduled NAB 2021 conference
- January 2022 — Panasonic will start the new year off with a bang, following the release calendar of the GH5 & GH5S by announcing the long-awaited GH6 at CES 2022
While there is a chance we see the GH6 as early as May 2021, Panasonic will most likely continue to spend the spring and summer months continuing to focus on its full-frame lineup.
Worth waiting for?
This brings us to the big question: what specs & new features will the GH6 be packing?
So far there hasn’t been much in the way of concrete rumors.
Ranked by chances of probability, here the new features we could see Panasonic pack into its GH6.
- Higher resolution sensor for 6K/8K video — Panasonic will likely be using a yet-to-be-released Sony sensor (they used Sony-made sensors in both the GH5 & GH5S). It would stand to reason that we could see Panasonic sacrifice a little low light capability with a 22mp+ sensor (6K) or 34mp+ sensor (8K) in the GH6 because they have plans to release a GH6S with a similar resolution to the GH5S but higher frame rates and higher bit/RAW internal recording. Also, even if Panasonic puts an 8K capable sensor in the GH6, there’s a good chance it will only record 6K video due to processing constraints and so it doesn’t out spec its S1H full-frame camera.
- An improved or brand new AF system — The GH5 & GH5S debuted a refined version of the contrast-based DFD (Depth from Defocus) autofocus system Panasonic used in the GH4. The resulting AF performance was lackluster at best. Still, Panasonic remains committed to getting DFD autofocus to work rather than switching to phase detect like Sony, Nikon, and others. And this gamble could pay out in the long run. The new LUMIX S5 has received decent reviews of its AF system which utilizes DFD combined with improved subject recognition and streamlined image processing (checkout this DP Review article for more in-depth info on DFD).
- Improved image stabilization — The GH5 already offers great 5-axis internal stabilization, but as the many people that shoot handheld out there know: you can never have good enough stabilization. Expect it to be advertised using buzz words like “algorithm” and “intelligent”.
- Internal RAW video recording — Canon proved it was possible for a mirrorless camera to record 8K RAW internally with its R5, and while Panasonic has been able to offer anything similar with its S1H/S1/S1R the faster readout speed of the GH6’s smaller MFT sensor could open the door for internal RAW recording. Being able to offer 10bit or 12bit RAW recording without an external recorder could be a huge selling point for the size-conscious buyers that might be considering the GH6.
- Longer battery life — The GH5 already offers really good battery life with most users reporting about 120min while recording video. However, we could see Panasonic try to reclaim its clear lead in the battery department which other companies like Fujifilm and Sony have slowly chipped away at.
A waiting game
The longer Panasonic goes before releasing a successor to the GH5/GH5S the more likely it is to lose user to other brands.
However, the more time Panasonic takes to properly develop the GH6 and GH6S means buyers will get a better camera with more game-changing features to distinguish it from the previous generation.
(My inner cynic thinks Panasonic is partially also taking its time in an attempt to push photographers and videographers using its MFT cameras to upgrade to the new LUMIX full-frame camera line)
Either way — and for whatever the reason — the Panasonic GH6 is taking a while to be released, but will eventually materialize.
The only thing you can be assured of is that as soon as it is released, people will begin asking about the GH7.
If you want more info on the GH6 — check out this podcast episode I did with my friend (and fellow tech YouTuber) Stetson Doggett trying to track down this mythical camera.
