Panasonic announces the LUMIX GH3

The LUMIX GH2 took a lot of people by surprise. With a simple hack, shooters were getting crisp 1080p video at 100Mbps. The LUMIX GH3 seeks to capitalize on the hype with some solid video features that rival, and in some cases surpass, many DSLR's on the market today.

On the top of my list is the ability to shoot 60p at 1920×1080. While many cameras boast 60p capability, many can only do it at 1280×720. Glass smooth slow motion at full HD resolution is definitely a high-end feature that's a great weapon to have in you video arsenal. You won't get 72mbps like you do in the 30p and 24p mode, but 50mbps will do the trick.

Event videographers are sure to be happy that the GH3 automatically generates multiple seamless files for continuous recording. This is a huge advantage over many DSLR's. Plus, it's got impressive file format flexibility as well. Choose from AVCHD, AVCHD Progressive, MP4 or MOV. For those on the go, it boasts a magnesium alloy body that's splash and dust proof, and weighs just 19.4 ounces. The tiltable touchscreen also helps for those tricky shot angles.

The GH3 also embeds SMPTE-compliant Time Code either in Rec Run or Free Run count-up methods, which makes it easy to synchronize the multiple video footage or sound source in the post production workflow.

When the shooting is done and it's time to transfer footage, the built in Wi-fi allows you to move your files off the camera to another device without need to find the right cable you're bound to misplace at some point.

With no official price tag yet, The real question here is going to be how much these desirable features will cost. From some of the numbers we've heard, no doubt it will have many of us scrambling to figure out a way to take one home.  Read the full press release below.

Greg Olson
Greg Olson
Greg is a Media Production Specialist for Chico State University.

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