Video specifications

Key Takeaways:

  • 4K UHD and DCI shooting at 10-bit 4:2:2, up to 30p full-frame or 60p from S35
  • 6K 'open gate' shooting at 24p, 5.4K for and 29.97/25p
  • High-speed shooting, both as is or conformed to slower frame rates
  • More subtle audio control with low-gain option to match high-gain mics

MOV movie options

The S1H can shoot MP4 video at up to 100Mbps, offering roughly the same bitrate/codec combinations as the S1. It can also shoot all the standard AVCHD Progressive frame and bitrates. All the interesting stuff happens when you switch to MOV format recording, though.

Recent Videos

Upon engaging MOV recording, you'll be reminded of the need for a powerful PC for processing the footage. You'll also see the 'Filter' option, to help you narrow down the many, many options to the ones you might want to use.

The following table breaks down the available shooting modes by sensor area. You'll need to switch the camera between Cinema, PAL and NTSC frequency modes, depending on whether you're trying to shoot framerates that are multiples of 24, 25 or 29.97.

Format Sensor area Frame Rate Bitrate
(Mbps)
Chroma/
Bit-depth
Compression type Codec
DCI / C4K
(4096 x 2160)

Full /
S35 /
Pixel/Pixel

29.97, 25, 24, 23.98p 400 4:2:2
10-bit
All-I H.264
(MPEG-4 AVC)
150 LongGOP
100 4:2:0
8-bit

S35 /
Pixel/Pixel

59.94, 50, 48p 200 4:2:2
10-bit
H.265
150 4:2:0
8-bit
H.264
(MPEG-4 AVC)
48, 47.95
(HFR)
200 4:2:2
10-bit
H.265
UHD
(3840 x 2160)
Full /
S35 /
Pixel/Pixel
29.97, 25, 24, 23.98p 400 4:2:2
10-bit
All-I H.264
(MPEG-4 AVC)
150 LongGOP
100 4:2:0
8-bit
S35 /
Pixel/Pixel
59.94, 50, 48p 200 4:2:2
10-bit
H.265
150 4:2:0
8-bit
H.264
(MPEG-4 AVC)
48, 47.95
(HFR)
200 4:2:2
10-bit
H.265
FHD
(1920 x 1080)
Full /
S35 /
Pixel/Pixel
59.94, 50, 29.97, 25, 24, 23.98p 200 4:2:2
10-bit
All-I H.264
(MPEG-4 AVC)
100 LongGOP
100 4:2:0
8-bit
59.94, 50i * 100 4:2:2
10-bit
All-I
50 LongGOP
119.88, 100p
(HFR)
150 H.265
48, 47.95p
(HFR)
100
8-bit modes (marked in red) cannot by used for HLG capture
* Outputs interlaced footage

6K 'open gate' shooting

Perhaps the most eye-catching specification of the camera is its ability to shoot 6K video. But this isn't about shooting for the next generation of screens beyond the 4K ones starting to become popular. Instead it's a way of shooting to retain flexibility.

The camera can shoot 5952 x 3968 pixel video at up to 24p from the full extent of the sensor. There's also an option to shoot 29.97 or 25P from a smaller, 5.4K 3:2 region.

The main application is 'open gate' shooting: giving you the flexibility to roam around the frame during the edit, selecting different 4K crops from that larger region, letting you re-frame, rotate or stabilize your footage.

As well as cropping 4K-sized chunks, you also have the option of taking a larger-than-4K area and downsizing it down to give more detailed 4K output. If this is your aim, the camera can shoot 16:9 full-width 5.9K footage at 29.97, 25 and 24p.

Sensor area Frame Rate Bitrate
(Mbps)
Chroma/
Bit-depth
Compression type Codec
6K Full area 3:2
(5952 x 3968)
24, 23.98p 200 4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP H.265
5.4K Cropped 3:2
(5376 x 3584)
29.97, 25p
5.9K Full width 16:9
(5888 x 3312)
29.97, 25, 24, 23.98p

VFR vs. HFR

Variable frame rate recording (VFR) makes it possible to record at one frame to a clip that plays back at a different frame rate. For example, recording at 150fps into a clip that uses a 30p codec; when opened in your video editor it will play back at 30fps, resulting in a 5x slow motion effect.

VFR has been a feature on previous Panasonic bodies, but comes with drawbacks: there's no audio recording, it works only in 8-bit color, and doesn't work with autofocus. VFR frame rates range from 2fps to 180fps, depending on the resolution and codec selected.

High frame rate recording (HFR) takes a somewhat opposite (and arguably more intuitive) approach. Instead of recording at one frame rate into a clip that conforms to a different frame rate, HFR provides more of a 'what you see is what you get' approach. If you record a clip at 120fps, you get a clip that plays back at 120fps.

HFR also includes support for audio recording, 10-bit color (though only 4:2:0 subsampling), and autofocus, and is available at a variety of resolutions and frame rates.

Resolution Sensor area HFR frame rate

Anamorphic 4K

(3328 x 2496)

Super35 48.00p
47.95p

DCI 4K

(4096 x 2160)

Super35 48.00p
47.95p

UHD 4K

(3840 x 2160)

Super35 48.00p
47.95p

FHD 1080

(1920 x 1080)

Full 119.88p
100.00p
48.00p
47.95p
Super35 119.88p
100.00p
48.00p
47.95p

HFR recording is mostly limited to use of the Super35 region of the sensor, except at 1080p resolution. On the plus side, this camera will allow aspiring filmmakers to shoot their own Hobbit-esque films at a true 48p frame rate.

Expanded audio settings

The S1H benefits from expanded audio settings that provide improved flexibility to videographers. To start, audio recording levels can be adjusted in 31 levels, from -18 db to +12 db (compared to -12 db to +6 db on the GH5S). There's also an option to mute audio entirely, eliminating the need to insert a dummy plug into the mic input to avoid audio recording.

The camera's VU meter display now has more subtle steps. There's also the option to lower the underlying gain if your mic is especially sensitive.

Additionally, there are two base level settings for audio gain: standard and low, allowing users to tailor audio levels to better match whatever microphone is being used.

The visual appearance of the audio meters has been improved as well. They're now larger and more bold, employing a green-yellow-red color scheme that makes it it easy to monitor levels or detect when levels are close to peaking.