Panasonic GH5 review

Panasonic GH5 is still the best for 4K video work (and 1080 HD)

Panasonic GH5 is still the best for 4K video work (and 1080 HD)

In this Panasonic GH5 review post I want to talk about why I believe the Panasonic GH5 is one of the best cameras for video creation, vlogs and anything else you want to throw at it.

It was a different world when Panasonic released its very first Micro Four Thirds camera in 2008. The original iPhone was just a year old and most DSLR cameras didn’t shoot video. These then-new “mirrorless” micro four thirds cameras aimed to make it easier to do so.

In less than a decade, Panasonic’s high-end micro four thirds mirrorless cameras have become massively popular for independent and documentary filmmaking.

Panasonic cameras record video at high bitrates, offer video-centric controls and menus, and have XLR and 3G-SDI modules designed for professional production. They may look like still cameras, but they’re movie-making machines at heart.

The Lumix GH5 is Panasonic’s best flagship model, taking three years for them to build it. The GH5 is designed to meet the demands of a 4K HDR world, and it’s the first camera in the GH universe to offer a 20-megapixel sensor.

There’s no optical low-pass filter on the GH5, which means its images look that much sharper. Panasonic says the camera’s new Venus Engine 10 processor is able to eliminate the “rolling shutter effect” inherent in most CMOS cameras.

panasonic gh5 micro four thirds camera

Panasonic says the GH5 shuttles data from its sensor nearly twice as fast as the GH4 did, making it a great weapon for super-slow-motion video. At 1080p, it can capture video at up to 180fps for smooth slow motion.

While video is the big draw, Panasonic also beefed up the GH5’s photography capabilities. Its autofocus speed is an astonishing 0.05 seconds, and it captures nine stills per second with its AF system adjusting for every shot. Your photographs stay perfectly steady, thanks to a five-axis gyro-controlled stabilization system.

I’ve had a lot of cameras in the 25 years of photography and video production, and the Panasonic GH5 is one of my favorites!

The Panasonic GH5 is rugged too. A weather-sealed magnesium-alloy body is built to withstand temperatures down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s splash- and dust-resistant too, making it good for shooting at the beach, but not in the surf.

The Panasonic GH5 is still the best for 4K video work. You’ll be able to use the hundreds of Panasonic Micro Four Thirds lenses on the market.

I shot with Canon bodies exclusively for both photography and videography and sold everything when I got the Panasonic GH5.

There are many great cameras on the market and I was leery switching from one of the largest camera company names in the industry to Panasonic.

I wasn’t sold on Panasonic until I got one to try out. I started out with the Panasonic XH85 and it’s awesome!

After 2 years I purchased the Panasonic GH5 and can’t see myself going to anything else. The images are so great, sharp and lifelike, it looks like full cinema. It will be hard for audiences to tell what you shot with…a camera under $2,000 or a pro movie set cam.

Check out the Panasonic line of micro four thirds cameras here.

If you have any questions on this Panasonic GH5 review, let me know in the comments below.

Thanks!

Steve