Panasonic GH5 – Announcement [My Thoughts]

by Leo Hoang · Jan 4, 2017

The Panasonic GH5 is a camera which intrigued me very vaguely at first, but now it’s officially announced, it has caught my attention for sure!

First and foremost, I am a photographer… However I am starting to dabble in video and have recently purchased a Sony A6500 for it’s video capabilities.

The Panasonic GH5 however has somewhat made me regret this decision.

Specs

20MP Four Thirds sensor
5-axis in-body image stabilization system with ‘Dual IS 2’ support
All 4K footage taken using full width of sensor
Internal 4K/30p 10-bit 4:2:2 video capture
4K/59.94p and 50p shooting with 10-bit 4:2:2 output or 8-bit, 4:2:0 internal recording
1080 video at up to 180p, enabling 7.5x slow-motion
9 fps shooting with continuous autofocus
Advanced DFD autofocus
Dual UHS II card slots (V60 ready)
Autofocus point joystick
802.11ac Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth
Pre-configurable rack focus mode
Waveform and vectorscope monitors
Paid upgrade to enable V-LogL video capture with LUT-based preview display

My Thoughts

In short, the specs are simply amazing for a videographer. With unlimited 4k recording, IBIS (in body image stabilization), 10bit 4:2:2, as well as some slow-mo options, for video this camera is stunning.

I had considered purchasing a Micro 4/3 system so that I have a system in each category. I like the idea of the GH4 and its 4K abilities. When the announcement of the GH5 happened, it did reignite my excitement for the idea of grabbing this camera system.

However at £1699 Body Only, that’s too much of a stretch for me.

I am not saying the camera isn’t worth it… As far as I’m aware no other manufacturer is offering these specs at this price point or at this camera size/format. So I’m sure its worth it to a serious videographer.

The Dual SD Card Slots, unlimited recording, full HDMI and USB-C port with 10bit 4:2:2 is very forward thinking!

For me however, it’s too much of a stretch at this stage.

One negative that I really don’t like about this announcement/release, is the firmware update scenario.

However with spec’s like these, I do expect the camera to sell very well!