Panasonic GH5 Review: Optimally Combined Video and Still Photography

The compact GH series cameras from Panasonic (CSC) have become extremely popular with amateur and independent filmmakers since the GH1 appeared in 2009. The GH4 made a leap to 4K in 2014 and with superior image quality, excellent ergonomics, and a plethora of features for both video and still photography, there hasn't been much to challenge it in the past three years. The only reliable contender is the Sony a7R II full-frame, but at £2,500, it's much more expensive.

However, the company's design team hasn't rested, and the Panasonic GH5 continues to raise the bar. It now offers 4K video (3,840 x 2,160) at frame rates up to 60 frames per second, for high-speed shooting or for playing back slow motion at 24 frames per second, 25 frames per second, or 30 frames per second. Meanwhile, shooting in 1080p at frame rates up to 180 frames per second allows for 7.5x slow motion at 24 frames per second.

There's an option to record in 10-bit color, providing four times as many color transitions per channel as standard 8-bit files. 4K video is captured using the full width of the frame instead of cropping 3,840×2,160 pixels, resulting in slightly shorter effective focal lengths and a slight increase in quality. There's now a full-sized HDMI socket, much sturdier than the Micro-HDMI socket on the GH4.

However, this is not just a video camera; there are also improvements for photographers. The camera's 20-megapixel sensor is new and includes image stabilization, which is very convenient if you use lenses without their own stabilization system and provides dual stabilization for lenses that include it. The larger and sharper electronic viewfinder (EVF) with a 0.76x magnification and 3.7 million dots. It's one of the largest and highest resolution EVFs I've ever seen, and it's a joy to use. One feature that's gone missing is the integrated flash. This allows for better internal layout of the microphone, which perhaps indicates that filmmakers' needs are paramount in Panasonic's mind.

Several other new additions may satisfy both photographers and filmmakers. The LCD screen has increased slightly, to 3.2 inches, with a resolution of 1.6 million dots. Dual SDXC card slots make it easy to manage deep video shots, with overflow, backup, or separate photo and video storage options for each card. There's a dedicated mini joystick for moving the autofocus point, although I find using the touchscreen easier. The latter can be used to control autofocus points even when composing shots with the viewfinder; you can even pinch to zoom to adjust the size of the autofocus area.

Panasonic GH5 Review: Autofocus

Panasonic is unique among CSC manufacturers in not incorporating phase-detect autofocus points into its sensors to help boost autofocus performance. However, with the GH5 typically taking just 0.1 seconds from pressing the shutter button to capture an image, there's clearly nothing holding it back. Panasonic's Depth From Defocus (DFD) technology measures blur to estimate the necessary focus adjustment so it can move to the correct focus position more accurately than by hunting through the scene.

This is a new feature since the GH4 and it really seems to improve autofocus speed. Another new point is the ability to customize performance tracking in continuous autofocus mode, similar to the controls provided by high-end SLR cameras.

When it comes to video, autofocus performance isn't so much about speed as it is about reliability and smoothness. When tracking moving subjects or shooting with a moving camera, small deviations can be forgiven but hunting, where the subject goes completely out of focus before snapping back, really ruins clips. Meanwhile, intentional changes in focus, perhaps to switch between two people in the frame, should be made slowly and smoothly.

The GH5's autofocus options for video include two new controls for Speed and Sensitivity, similar to the custom autofocus options for stills but set independently for video. This allows users to choose between smooth but slow response or quick but jerky response. Neither is ideal, but I find somewhere in the middle results in the best autofocus tracking.

Usually the safest way to ensure accurate focus for video is to set it manually. This has been greatly improved through the introduction of the Focus Transition feature, allowing three focus positions to be saved for recall during recording. There's also a choice of five transition speeds, from nearly instant to 15 seconds. A custom option in a few seconds would be even better but it's great to be able to perform accurate, smooth, pre-defined focus pulls.

It's a shame this can't be controlled from the Android or iOS app, as this would eliminate any risk of camera shake from touching the screen. Remote control from the app is very comprehensive, including adjusting autofocus points and metering on the touchscreen and manually adjusting exposure.

However, enabling Focus Transition on the camera will completely lock the app and while I'm grumbling about the app, I wasn't impressed with the Bluetooth function, which is supposed to make Wi-Fi pairing easier but has proven to be much more trouble than previous Lumix cameras.

Panasonic GH5 Review: Performance

Shooting and encoding 4K video at 60 frames per second requires a fast processor and plenty of memory and that's also good news for still image performance. I recorded continuous shooting at 10 frames per second and it lasted for 111 JPEG frames or 65 RAW frames before slowing down. That's even better than the Nikon D500, a camera built for speed. Continuous shooting with continuous autofocus was shaky at 7.5 frames per second, slowing down slightly when focus needed updating.

If that's not fast enough, you can switch to 6K Photo mode. This is an upgrade of the 4K Photo mode that has appeared on recent Panasonic cameras, this mode records 4K video at 30 frames per second and allows you to select each 8-megapixel frame to save as a JPEG after shooting. The shooting process continues until the card is full and there's an option to buffer scenes and save frames from before pressing the shutter button.

On the GH5, there's a choice of shooting 4K at 60 frames per second or 6K (for 18-megapixel stills) at 30 frames per second. Shooting RAW at 10 frames per second is more useful in most cases but 4K and 6K modes are very handy for very fast action like golf swings or diving birds.

Panasonic GH5 Review: Video Recording

The video mode of the Panasonic GH5 is the star of the show and its ability to shoot 4K 60fps and its 10-bit encoding sets it apart from anything else at this price point. Encoding at these settings at 150Mbits per second produces a sensible balance between image information and file size. The 10-bit mode also uses 4:2:2 color sub-sampling, meaning color information is higher resolution than standard 4:2:0. 10-bit and 4:2:2 are only available at 4K at 24/25/30fps and Cinema 4K at 24fps but that covers most people's needs.

Panasonic also provides a color profile called V-Log L, recording flat colors like shooting RAW photos. According to Panasonic, it increases the dynamic range of the footage from 10 to 12 stops. V-Log L is a $100 upgrade and I think anyone interested in shooting 10-bit will see this as a necessary purchase.

Panasonic GH5 Review: Image Quality

The move from 16 to 20 megapixels is welcome, narrowing the detail gap compared to rivals like the Fujifilm X-T2 24 megapixels and Nikon D500 20 megapixels. This new sensor lacks an optical low-pass filter (OLPF), theoretically increasing detail levels at the cost of introducing moire patterns. Crosshatch detail sometimes looks a bit pixelated but this is a minor point. The Fujifilm X-T2 resolved the sharpest detail of the three cameras in our studio test scene but it's almost perfect.

Noise levels at high ISO sensitivities vary more, with the GH5's smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor giving it a slight disadvantage compared to its APS-C rivals. The APS-C sensor is 67% larger by surface area and this shows in noise levels, with the GH5's ISO 6400 output closer to the Fujifilm X-T2's ISO 12800. The Panasonic GH5 has slightly less noise than the GH4, even though the resolution has increased.

Panasonic GH5 Review: Buying Decision

At £1,699 for the body only, the GH5 is the most expensive Lumix camera to date, up £400 from the GH4's launch price and over £700 more than the GH4's recent production stop. This price increase will disappoint amateur filmmakers, who will need to save up much more of their hard-earned cash and may not benefit from features like 10-bit recording and V-Log L. Ultimately, they'll also need to subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud and a very powerful PC to work with these files. Working with V-Log L and LUTs offers more flexibility in color grading but it's a skill I can't claim to have mastered in the few weeks I've been testing the GH5.

However, professional users shouldn't be deterred by spending so much and the Panasonic GH5 will suit them. These improvements may justify upgrading so that amateur filmmakers can expect a healthy market for used GH4s.

The GH5 also raises the bar for still photography with its higher-resolution sensor, superb viewfinder, and in-body stabilization feature. Its slightly higher noise level compared to APS-C cameras is a notable drawback but it's not a significant issue in normal use. This camera isn't worth the investment if you're only interested in photography, but as a combination stills and video camera, it outshines the competition.