Panasonic LUMIX BGH1 Cinema 4K Box Camera, Micro Four Thirds with Livestreaming (DC-BGH1), Black

I did not get the BGH1 to stream like some, I got it to make a small for factor cinema setup. Apart from the cage, I already had all the accessories needed to rig it. You will need a monitor, handles, and mounts to make it what you want, which is one of the big reasons I went with it in 2023. I can make it what I want it to be, and not have to deal with the hybrid mirror less form factor. Add in prores raw/BRAW and the value really goes up a good bit to me. I wasn't planning on buying it until I had another camera malfunction and needed to replace it quickly. Glad I gave it a shot.

I have a semi-fixed setup with 7 of these and they are perfect for my needs. Sure I wish the SDI out was 12G but for the price, the poe+ functionality together with the lumix tether app, I couldn't ask for more.

Panasonic Lumix BG-H1 is the best 🔥🔥🔥🔥

This little box camera, the BGH1, is a workhorse! It may not be the flashiest thing out there, but it can handle almost anything I throw at it. Multi-camera shoots? Easy, thanks to the timecode and dual SD card slots. Filming a wedding? I can stick it almost anywhere to get discreet, high-quality footage. And live streaming? No problem – the Ethernet port makes it super reliable.Image quality is fantastic too. Even in low light, I get sharp pictures with great colors. Plus, the camera's so small that it fits perfectly with my SmallHD Cine 5 monitor. It's a great combo for tight spaces or situations where I don't want to attract a lot of attention.Of course, it's not perfect. The autofocus isn't the best for super fast-paced shooting, and there's no built-in XLR audio for professional sound. For those situations, I use a separate follow focus system and an external mic.Overall, though, the BGH1 is a powerful and versatile camera that's become a real asset in my kit. If you're a videographer or filmmaker who needs a camera that can adapt to any kind of shoot, this camera is definitely worth considering.

Just to level set on what this camera is good for, and not to endlessly list what it is not good for, let's use an analogy. If you lament the fact that the new minivan you just bought can't clock in record lap times an Nürburgring, and you're pit crew is having a hard time doing fast pits because the tiers and gas tank don't mate well with their equipment, is it the fault of the minivan or the person who bought the wrong tool for the intended purpose?There is nothing wrong with the BGH1. In fact just now firmware updates are adding the features that Panasonic said they would. This includes being able to handle BRAW. The BGH1 is simply the least expensive way to shoot to Netflix standards. Is it the best way? That is like asking if a Honda Odyssey is the best car for the race track. What the BGH1 does is make doing cinema ever more affordable.Move makers are using all kinds of tools today, from very expensive stuff down to iPhones. It matters more about how you can capture the scene and tell the story than it does the equipment you use. As a friendly bit of perspective, don't buy a piece of equipment that obviously won't meet your needs then whine about it.

I was in a quandary regarding the Lumix BGH1, but I circumvented my prudent ways, went to B&H and bought it.Vacillating before the purchase, I pipelined to the Pro-Video department at B&H where a video tech, to my dismay, erroneously answered all my questions, making that the first of many disappointments.Ostensibly the Lumix BGH1 is a restyled and improved GH5s fitted into a box form, resembling the ZCam box cameras, but I soon discovered the workflow has a rather arduous learning curve.Without an LCD screen, the BGH1 compelled me to set up two monitors belly to belly; a Shogun 7 connected via SDI at 1080p with camera info displayed and a Ninja V connected via the HDMI without the camera info displayed to record ProRes.Now with the monitors in place, here I go:This camera lacks a 4k SDI and that is an awful omission.It lacks, NDI, Waveform, VectorScope and RAW recording.This is 2021 and there is no RAW recording. Go figure?The battery I purchased is gigantic and almost physically larger than the camera.The BGH1 felt heftier than I expected and once the battery was attached, it seemed heavier than my GH5 or GH5s.The registration pin hole accommodating the tripod plate is located between the two ¼-20 females with no additional 3/8-16 females anywhere.The camera has nine ¼-20 females on the body and no 3/8-16 females anywhere.The HDMI connection does not have a locking device, but a Small Rig Cage solves that.The rear output covers were cumbersome, and I removed them; then I had a hellish time replacing them.A quick tip: do not remap the FN1 button at any cost; it controls the display info output.The camera has a fan, but the noise is innocuous as it is incredibly quiet.The bottom camera plate was uncannily hot after two hours.The manual states the BGH1 is not weatherproof. Nothing at all and that is not good considering I am accustomed to shooting in any environment with my GH5 and the S.The front function buttons are small and difficult to locate; with my work gloves on it was nearly impossible to control them.There is a ‘power on’ indication on the front of the body but nowhere else and I found that very annoying from the get-go.The camera has a rear ‘Network Indicator’ light that functions somewhat as a ‘power on’ indicator.There is a front tally light and a small one on the rear.The battery, contrary to the Video Tech assuring me it did, does not charge off the camera.The BGH1 does not have a data recovery feature. I pulled the AC plug to check.Once I connected the Lumix Tethering App and played around with it, my thoughts, useless.The BGH1 out the box does not stream. Really it does not stream, and I find that incredulous considering the key selling point of the Lumix BGH1 is connectivity for streaming.There is a firmware updating coming but who knows when?Therefore, if streaming is your sole reason for buying this camera, I suggest you keep your GH5 and buy a Birddog NDI converter or a Atomos 4k connect and go live with OBS; forget the BGH1 you do not need it.The OBS software never recognized the BGH1 as a VCD, even though the Video Tech at B&H mentioned it as a selling point and after trying myriad connections, I gave up and streamed via OBS utilizing my Atomos 4k Connect, that simple.Now the finale, should you buy the Lumix BGH1?Do you have GH5 or S? If yes, skip this camera and get the BirdDog Studio NDI or the Atomos 4k connect and you are ready to go.Do I regret my purchase? Let us see what happens in the real world; but it is salient to me, Panasonic is not at the vanguard of the mirrorless camera world any longer; maybe the real deal is coming, The GH6 packed with:6k @ 30p 4:2:2 10 bits / 8k is what it really needs because I believe 6k is already dead.4k @ 120p 4:4:4 12 bits2k @ 960 4:2:0 10 bitsACES color space….and RAW.Now below is an on set review jotted down on paper and I've typed here.Here we go with part two.These are things noted after three weeks of shooting in a studio and three locations with the BGH1.These notes are not in any order and I am reading off hand-written notes therefore please cut me some slack.I was shooting a dancer with a Filter Effect added and then the director asked for 120fps. I switched and bang, the Filter Effect was overridden. This was an awfully bad situation and embarrassing to say the least.The BGH1’s menu does not pick up where I left off.Not having a power on indicator on the rear was extremely annoying.The image quality of the BGH1 is simply beautiful.Digital Zoom 2x looks great.The My Photo Style and Exposure Comp are fantastic additions to the menu.I wonder if Panasonic can provide a labeling feature to identify them.The absence of a 3/8-16 female anywhere became an issue as the AC wanted to attach her Monitor and arm. Problem? Her arm had a 3/8-16 on one end and ¼-20 on the other; her monitor only had a ¼-20.If the BGH1 had a 3/8-16 anywhere, no issue.I had a hell of a time finding the download page of the manual, searching here and the same situation with firmware info that I still have not found.On day two of shooting, the BGH1’s menu appeared ghost like on my Shogun7 after I cleared the display with the FN1. That ghost like image did not appear in the recorded file and has not returned.The Shogun 7 was burning up connected to the BGH1 but not with Sony FS700. The Shogun 7’s time stamping on the footage was five hours off connected to the BGH1 but on point with Sony FS700.The Shogun 7’s power AC connection was burning up but once again, only when connected to BGH1 and not the Sony FS700 even when we were shooting in RAW.Tip: Set the Atomos Shogun 7 control menu to ‘Pan 3’ and then it gets trigger by BGH1.My eBay GH5s remote did not function with the BGH1. No worth much but just wanted to inform you.Did I mention the image quality of the Lumix BGH1? It is Fantastic.Panasonic needs to add a full help feature to describe the functions of menu setting and info as to why I cannot set a grayed-out item.Regarding low light situations, I saw a 2/3 improvement over the GH5s.1600ISO tops. Nothing about that.In fact, I would not set it above 800ISO in High or Low.Just glanced at the on-set edited footage; the BGH1 image quality is breathtaking. This camera is approaching VariCam and Arri Alexa territory.The BGH’s1 bottom plates was extremely warm and bordering on hot; in addition, the SDI/HDMI connections tips were extremely hot to the touch.You cannot monitor Vlog with LUT Assist as it always embeds the footage.Manual states LUT applied. Check pages 120 -123Connectivity is this camera’s selling point; but nothing connects other than the type C connection to the Lumix Tethering app.My laptop does not recognize the LAN connection nor does the Tethering App.When the Lumix Tethering app is connected, you cannot format the cards.You must exit the app, format the cards, and reconnect. Waste of time.I was annoyed to see the menu on my laptop as the tethering app was active and neither did the director sitting too close for comfort.I X the app and HDMI into a TV.Another thing, I cannot go full screen with this app and what is up with that white frame outline in the middle? Annoying to no end. This app does nothing for me.Now the Sync app on my tablet; again, that annoying white frame line, no full screen feature and you lose wireless app it connected tethering app.Here is another one, how do update the BGH1’s firmware?The Bluetooth connection never connected, though I waited over three minutes.The new menu layout is nice and easy to navigate and I cannot say this enough, the SDI is 1080p only. Very annoying.4k SDI. No 4k SDI. No 4k SDI

No 4K output