Reviews |Panasonic G80: price, specs, release date confirmed

Panasonic G80: price, specs, release date confirmed

Panasonic G80: price, specs, release date confirmed
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Panasonic has launched at Photokina 2016 the new Panasonic Lumix G80 – price tag £699 body only – with 4K video recording capability and new gyro-sensor technology for greater image stabilisation.

Sitting above the G7 and below the GH4, the Panasonic G80 offers the same 16-megapixel sensor as the GX80 which boasts no optical low-pass filter.

Chief among the Panasonic G80’s selling points is 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) video recording at 24 and 25p. Lower resolutions are also available, including Full-HD (1920 x 1080).

The G80 also incorporates Panasonic’s 4K Burst Shooting, 4K Burst (Start/Stop) and 4K Pre-burst modes, which allow you to extract frames from 4K footage and save them as 8-megapixel files.

What’s more, a new 4K Photo Bulk Saving option allows you to save all the images in a sequence of footage rather than having to scroll through and pick the ones you want.

As well as Panasonic’s Post Focus feature for changing the focal point post-capture, the G80 also introduces a new internal Focus Stacking function that employs the same principle of combining several frames of the same image with different focal points.

The Panasonic G80 also employs a new gyro-sensor technology in the form of an O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer, 2-axis) and B.I.S. (Body Image Stabilizer, 5-axis), which work together to keep image blur at bay by suppressing vibrations from hand movements or footsteps.

Panasonic says that the new camera’s ability to analyse the shooting conditions – including focal length – via the Dual I.S. system lets photographers shoot at shutter speeds at up to five stops slower.

To further minimise vibration, the Panasonic G80 also employs an electromagnetic drive in the shutter unit, which the company says reduces the shock caused by the movement of shutter diaphragm by approximagely 90% compared with the Panasonic G80’s predecessor, the G7.

Panasonic says it has also improved the AF system on the G80, which it claims can hit more precise targets with digital signal communication at max 240fps. There is also a new Depth From Defocus feature which speeds it up even more.

A Low Light AF feature promises better AF function for low light photography down to -4EV, while a Starlight AF function aids focusing when shooting night sky photography.

Panasonic says it has also enhanced the body design, employing a die-cast magnesium front frame and splash- and dust-proof design.

On the back of the Panasonic G80 is a 2,360k-dot OLED Live View Finder offering a 100% field of view and a minimum time lag of less than 0.01sec, while the 3in LCD screen is 1040k-dot resolution with touch control and tilts vertically by 270 degrees.

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