Today,Watch Young Wife Bai Jie 4K recording is a feature that's in almost every major camera and in most high-end smartphones. And while it feels like an eon ago, it was only back in 2014 when 4K video recording in a mirrorless camera was enough of a selling point to get people very, very excited for Panasonic's GH4.

But even though 4K capture is commonplace now, there's something about all the power and versatility offered by the GH4 that makes video producers (especially YouTubers) gush as they pick up the two-year old camera.

At CES 2017, Panasonic formally introduced the GH5, the successor to the GH4—and it was worth the wait.

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The GH5 camera is still based on the tried-and-true Micro Four Thirds lens system, and has an upgraded 20.3-megapixel image sensor (compared to the 16.05-megapixels of its predecessor's sensor).

Powering the camera is a new "Venus Engine" image processor. Panasonic says the Venus Engine is able to scan a larger portion of the image before spitting out a finished image with more detail.

It's a lot of jargon, really, and we'll have to try the camera for ourselves to see the actual images in a side-by-side comparison to weigh whether or not the new camera's details really are significantly sharper.

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That said, autofocusing is quicker, too—6x faster thanks to a jump in the number of autofocus points from 65 to 225.

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Better photos is great, but let's be real here: If you're even thinking of buying the GH5, you're going to be considering it for its 4K video recording capabilities, and you'll want to know how it's better than the GH4 and competition.

First, the GH5 has more framerate modes, including 4K capture at 60p and 50p for more lifelike footage.

And for all the professional filmmakers out there, the GH5 also records in 4K at 30p in 4:2:2 10-bit, which Panasonic claims provides more faithful color reproduction.

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The camera's got 5-axis Dual I.S. image stabilization in body to compensate for shake and rolling shutter. The physical hardware itself is ruggedly nice, too. The magnesium alloy body should mean the camera handles like a tank, and the splash-, dust-, and freeze-proof body (down to -10 degrees Celsius) should be more than adequate to survive any weather conditions.

On the back is a 3.2-inch touchscreen with 1,620K-dot resolution that flips out—a must for vlogging. You'll also find dual SDXC UHS-II memory cards.

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At $2,000 for the body alone, the GH5 is not for the casual 4K video shooter, but for those who are serious about recording in higher video fidelity.


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Topics CES Cameras