Panasonic and DJI Announce Cooperation on LiDAR Autofocus Technology

Gimbal News

by Francesco AndreolaAugust 11^th, 2023

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During a recent press event in China, Panasonic announced that they’ve been working side by side with DJI to strengthen the integration of LUMIX cameras with RS series gimbals. Particularly, Panasonic LUMIX S5 II and S5 IIX users will soon benefit from direct ActiveTrack integration with RS 2, RSC 2, and RS 3 as well as native compatibility with DJI’s LiDAR range finder system on RS 3 Pro.

Last summer, soon after the announcement of the RS 3 and RS 3 Pro gimbals, DJI joined Panasonic, SIGMA, and Leica in the “so-called” L-mount Alliance, which then grew even further to include a total of seven members.

Now, the Chinese tech giant is reinforcing its relationship with Panasonic by supporting the seamless integration of LUMIX cameras with their RS series gimbal ecosystem. Let’s take a closer look!

ActiveTrack and LiDAR integration for LUMIX S5II and S5 IIX

To start off, Panasonic is expanding the list of cameras that directly integrate with the ActiveTrack feature on DJI’s RS 2, RSC 2, and RS 3 gimbals by including its brand-new LUMIX S5 and S5 IIX. This means that you no longer need a DJI RavenEye Image Transmission System to access the live camera and ActiveTrack features, which are now supported by simply plugging the S5 II and S5 IIX into the RS 2, RSC 2, and RS 3.

Moreover, the two companies joined forces to enable native integration between select LUMIX camera models and DJI’s LiDAR focusing unit. When the DJI RS 3 Pro was first launched, LiDAR autofocus was one of its most noteworthy features, since it essentially allows you to turn your manual cinema lenses into ones that can autofocus.

However, this normally requires the LiDAR focusing unit to send depth information to the gimbal, which then passes it on to the lens via a dedicated follow-focus motor. Now, the LiDAR module and gimbal will be able to transmit focus information directly to the camera/lens AF motors without the need for a follow-focus motor.

Announced at the beginning of the year, the LUMIX S5 II (our Review / Lab Test) and S5 IIX  are Panasonic’s first cameras to ever feature a capable hybrid phase detection AF system. However, according to some sources, this new LiDAR solution should completely overwrite the camera’s internal AF, providing more accurate results when shooting in low light.

Initially, DJI will release a firmware update to enable this feature on four LUMIX cameras – the S1H, BS1H, S5 II, and S5 IIX. The camera bodies don’t require an update. Lastly, Panasonic should also release a firmware update to support native LiDAR integration on the GH5 II and GH6 around mid-October.

Source: PetaPixel

Are you a Panasonic LUMIX user? Do you think you can benefit from these upcoming features when working with DJI RS series gimbals? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!