Panasonic LUMIX GH6 Adds Blackmagic RAW Support

In a recent article for ProVideoCoalition, Jose Antunes discusses how Panasonic LUMIX recently added support for Blacmagic RAW to the GH6 camera. Panasonic quietly announced a new upgrade to its LUMIX GH6 last month, allowing the camera to capture video in the Blackmagic Design RAW format, BRAW.

The LUMIX GH6 firmware version 2.3 provides users with access to a more flexible workflow. The mid-July firmware upgrade allows the camera to output to a Blackmagic Design monitor/recorder 'Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR' through HDMI and store it as Blackmagic RAW. With the ability to record RAW footage to a Blackmagic Design external recorder, LUMIX GH6 users now have two RAW options: the mainstream ProRes RAW and Blackmagic Design's proprietary BRAW.

The firmware upgrade for the LUMIX GH6, which is available on the LUMIX Global Customer Support website, allows users to export 12-bit RAW footage to a Blackmagic Design monitor/recorder in [5.7K], [C4K], [Anamorphic (4:3) 5.8K], or [Anamorphic (4:3) 4.4K]. The firmware upgrade now adds 4K 120p/100p HDMI output capabilities.

Panasonic advises customers interested in the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR firmware version to visit the Blackmagic Design website, adding that DaVinci Resolve or DaVinci Resolve Studio is necessary to play back and edit Blackmagic RAW material.

Furthermore, when the [Rec Quality] is set to 5.7K/60p (50p) or C4K/120p (100p) and recording to a Blackmagic Design recorder, it is advised that the codec quality of the recorder be set to the following:
- When recording to an SSD, maintain a consistent bitrate of 5:1 or less.
- When recording to an SD card, maintain a consistent bitrate of 8:1 or below.

The newest firmware update validates what Panasonic's marketing claims about this release: "through firmware updates, Panasonic delivers future-ready solutions for more flexible filmmaking workflow using mirrorless cameras."

Read the full article from ProVideoCoalition HERE