GH5 Please Confirm GH5 Claims of 15 Stops of Dynamic Range and Native 800 ISO?

H

Hugh DiMauro

Well-known member
This article makes some unbelievable claims about the GH5 that most articles refute! Can anybody corroborate these claims?

https://suggestionofmotion.com/blog/nab-2015-panasonic-gh5/


I cut and pasted some of the claims in the above article:

1) The GH5’s multi-aspect sensor delivers a wider FOV when shooting in 4K. (Is it multi-aspect? Then why does the GH5s brag about having a multi aspect sensor?)

2) Instead of adding an impressive-sounding ISO range with big numbers, Panasonic decided to limit the ISO range. This allowed them to focus on optimizing the signal processing so that images would be as clean as possible within this limited range. As a result, the GH5’s base ISO is 800 (800? Really?)

3) Panasonic claims the GH5 is capable of over 16 stops of dynamic range. Technically, that’s probably true, but I’d say the GH5 has closer 15 stops of usable dynamic range, which is still pretty awesome. (15 stops?)

Is this article way off or true?
 
IMO, the claims for dynamic range have lost any meaning and validity as everything is high dynamic range these days.

All you need to consider is what's usable to you and how the dynamic range compares to cameras with more dynamic range.

So if ARRI claims 14 stops for the ALEXA (which some think is a bit more), the GH5 would be 2-3-4 numbers less (everyone will argue differently).

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As far as base ISO, 800 is the most common in many cameras with some having 1600/3200 and some 400/500 as a base.
 
I have never seen Panasonic claim that the GH5 has 16 stops of DR. They rate the Varicam sensors at 14+ stops and I'm certain that it has more dynamic range than the GH5 although I've never used the GH5, only the GH5s.
 
The article is clearly listed as a wishlist, & not a spec sheet. If you Google the title you’ll find that it was published on April Fool’s Day.
 
Some might say GH5 10 stops, GH5S more.

GH5 12 stops at best. GH5S solid 12 stops, could argue 13 under optimal conditions.

But as others said, and as Chris just pointed out, DR numbers can be fuzzy and there's a lot of factors there. It's not as good as FS7, EVA1, Alexa, RED, Varicam, etc. It comes down to things like noise and "usable DR" and what people consider "usable", and then also codec, and what can be pulled and lifted effectively from a codec... so an A7S might net more DR, but then, the 10-bit codec of the GH5 really helps, so...

Native ISO on GH5 I don't believe they disclosed officially, but, it's 400 per my knowledge. On the GH5S its 400/2500, unless in Vlog it's 800/5000. Please correct me if I have been doing this wrong :)
 
Question, is this article referring to video mode or photo mode? In video mode, no way the GH5 has 15-16 of DR. 12 in log (some might say 12,5) but that’s about it.
 
GH5S was properly tested where CineD got 14 stops but artificially limited vlog-L only got 12 stops.

Most agree that GH5 is around 10-11 in CineD.
 
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