News Roundup: New GH5S firmware and new lenses from Tokina

In our latest news roundup, we look at new BRAW recording for the Panasonic GH5S, new Tokina lenses, and new hardware recommendations from Puget Systems.

GH5S firmware update adds external Blackmagic RAW recording capabilities

A new firmware update for the Panasonic LUMIX GH5S (ver. 2.2) adds a few new features and fixes, most notably the ability to film in 12-bit Blackmagic RAW to the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G recorders.

Earlier this year, firmware ver. 2.0 added ProRes RAW recording over HDMI (including to the Atomos Ninja V), and now it can film and record to the Blackmagic external recorders in up to DCI 4K (4096 x 2160, 17x9) 60 fps or 3.7K anamorphic (3680 x 2760, 4:3) 60 fps.

You'll be able to choose Rec.709 or V-Log L on the Live View monitor and have many important features like a wave form monitor, V-Log L Assist View, vector scope, and zebra pattern, all during RAW output.

Being able to film in RAW, whether it's ProRes RAW or BRAW, is beneficial for editors and colorists, as they'll have far more options when cutting the footage. 

Learn more about the firmware ver. 2.2 update, plus download it free, here. One other key new feature is Focus Ring Control functionality for the GH5S and some supported Panasonic lenses.

Tokina unveils atx-m prime lenses for Sony E-Mount cameras

There are three prime atx-m lenses from Tokina for Sony E-Mount cameras and cover APS-C sensors (with full frame options), and will be available by the middle of November 2021. The Tokina atx-m 23mm, 33mm, and 56mm lenses are quick at F/1.4, and a great addition to the lens bag.

If you're looking for the full frame versions, there are the Tokina atx-m 35mm F/1.8 E, 50mm F/1.8 E, and 85mm F/1.8 E. The lenses have been available for FUJIFILM X-Mount cameras (APS-C only).

Each atx-m APS-C lens features a de-clicked aperture ring, a front filter thread of 52mm, 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS), a size of 65 x 72mm, and other features.

Pricing starts at $359 USD each for the 23mm and 56mm F/1.4 E lenses (APS-C), and the 33mm F/1.4 E lens comes in a little cheaper at $309 USD. A pretty good deal for all three primes. Learn more and purchase at Tokina's site.   

Puget Systems releases new hardware recommendations for Adobe After Effects multi-frame rendering

There are some truly monster systems being built at Puget, and we certainly loved the one built to our specs last year. But another important service Puget Systems delivers is hardware recommendations for specific software, and they've released their recommendations based on Adobe After Effects' new Multi-Frame Rendering feature.

You can learn more about the Multi-Frame Rendering feature in this article by RedShark's Ned Stoltz, but in essence, Adobe will handle rendering across multiple CPU cores, promising much faster times.

Now as far as the hardware goes, Puget has released an extensive article with their recommendations for After Effects Multi-Frame Rendering, which you can access here. Additionally, they have an analysis on how Multi-Frame Rendering performs on a GPU and processor perfomance.

Check out this video:

Creative Solutions and RED announce V-RAPTOR camera system

RED and Creative Solutions have teamed up to create something pretty cool, the V-RAPTOR Camera System. It features a DSMC3 RED Touch 7-inch LCD monitor, with camera control functionality and runs on SmallHD's PageOS 4 operating system.

Here are the features:

• V-RAPTOR DSMC3 Camera System
• Dual V-Mount Charger, RED Touch 7.0 LCD
• Top Handle, Expander Blade
• 5-Pin to Dual XLR Adapter
• 2 x REDVOLT MICRO-V Batteries
• PRO 660GB CFexpress & Card Reader
• Quick Release Platform Pack

The RED and Creative Solutions V-RAPTOR Production Pack Lite costs $32,000 USD and can be pre-ordered here.