When we reviewed the original GH5 way back in our July/ August 2017 issue, we suggested that it had all the necessary ingredients to become a cult camera similar to Canon’s EOS 5D Marks II and III (the IV was yet to come). You really didn’t need that much insight given just how well everything came together in the GH5 and, while we also commended Panasonic for being on top of “the needs and wants of photographers’,’ it’s been videomakers who made the camera such a hit. Survey anybody using hybrid cameras in video production and there’s a good chance that their weapon of choice is either the EOS 5D IV or the GH5/GH5S.
The Micro Four Thirds sensor size ticks a lot of boxes for videomakers and, despite all the action in the full-frame sector, continues to do so even with the inherently greater depth-of-field. It also still works for photographers, especially those who can make good use of the 1.97x magnification factor to gain some ‘free’ telephoto power. Consequently, Panasonic has no intention of putting all its mirrorless camera eggs in the fullframe basket, so there’s not just a significantly upgraded GH5 Mark II right now, but an all-new GH6 on the way. The teaser pic suggests the latter will be more like the Lumix S models in styling, but the Mark II GH5 keeps the same form factor as the previous model – this is important because handling and ergonomics were definitely among its many plus points. On the inside though, there’s quite a bit of Lumix S input, including the autofocus system, the in-body image stabilisation, the image processor, the better menu design, and the reorganisation of some features and functions to enhance operational efficiencies. Broadly speaking, the GH5 Mark II is reasonably close to being the M43 equivalent of the Lumix S5 plus a bit of S1H in terms of its video capabilities. On balance, video-makers get more from the upgrade than photographers, but everybody benefits from the enhanced AF and IBIS performance, and the many small - but nonetheless important - ways that Panasonic has made the GH5 II easier to drive. The big deal on the video side is both DCI and UHD 4K recording internally at 50/60p with 10-bit 4:2:0 colour and at 25/30p with 10-bit 4:2:2 colour (no cropping in either case), and the inclusion of the V-Log gamma profile that previously cost extra to install. There’s more, of course, and you can read the full video story in the Making Movies panel.
Five years is a long time in mirrorless camera development terms, so the
