Panasonic LUMIX GH5 4K Digital Camera with Professional-Level Video Performance

P.A.MierasP.A.Mieras: Part of my work is wildlife filming particularly underwater. I got the GH5 together with a Nauticam housing and have used it many times on professional broadcast shoots ands well as for stock footage production. The micro 4/3 makes it easy to travel with, compared to some large broadcast dedicated systems. As I use it together with the Ninja V recorder it meets many tier 2 camera requirements of broadcasters and I have shot entire broadcast productions on it. I will not review the entirety of the camera options but here is a overview of what I like and what could be improved

What I like:
Great stabilization with the Leica 12-60 lens (even better on the mark 2 version)
Full HMDI out allowing 10 bit raw footage to an external recorder
Double card slot allowing either long recording sessions or a backup recording on one of the cards in case of card failure
Small but sturdy body

What can be improved:
The on/off button is THE weak point of the camera and I have had it break (after many many uses). should be made or better materials
Vlog should be included (is on the Mark 2 version)
Autofocus can be slower in low light / contrast situation

I...

Canada on Oct 20, 2023

sanovasanova: After owning this product for over 3 years, I can say that I am 100% satisfied with this purchase. I purchased this camera to start creating media content for my music and other online content (live streaming, highlights, etc).

The included lens in the bundle was perfect to get me started because I had virtually no knowledge of photography or videography so I didn’t know what lens I would need. The camera is no slouch, you will need to educate yourself if you are a newbie like me. Luckily there is a plethora of easy to digest information for this camera.

Highlights:
- great stabilization
- ability to manual focus or use auto
- second screen flips out and rotates
- touch screen
- holds up well after 3 years

I love this camera.

United States on Aug 18, 2023

David R. Howie: I have six Lumix cameras in my studio setup for my YouTube channel. This is by far my favorite. Excellent features and works seamlessly with my gimble. The price is one of the lowest I could find anywhere. Highly recommend this item.

Canada on Jun 04, 2022

Chris P. Bacon: I am a professional photographer who got into videography fairly recently (within the last year or so) and while the camera I shoot photos with records in 4K, I really wanted a camera that would shoot in 4K/60FPS based on the types of things I shoot. In the end my decision came down to either the GH5 or GH5s, both of which can shoot 4K60 - but the primary differences between them (for me) were that the GH5 had spectacular in-body axis stabilization which the GH5s lacks, while the GH5s performs extremely well in low-light which is an area where the original GH5 struggles a bit. Eventually I went with the GH5 over the GH5s - for me, the stabilization was (and has been) much more important than the low-light performance and so I'm really glad I chose the GH5. The articulating rear LCD screen is great (it's also nice that it's a touchscreen) and has so many useful applications for shooting video. The battery life for this camera seems good to me - with a fully-charged Panasonic battery I can probably get about 2-3 hours of on-and-off shooting.

The biggest issue with this camera in my opinion is its autofocus. The GH5 uses contrast-based AF rather than phase-detection AF, which...

Canada on Aug 06, 2019

Capital C: The design and construction of the body are excellent, the build quality is superb, and everything feels like it's in the right place. With the exception of the placement of the DISP button, I love so much about this camera. From numerous video options, to decent still performance, to customizability of the controls - it's a great choice for hobbyists or pros.

There are plenty of complaints or negatives about the autofocus, but since the v2.4 firmware, it's greatly improved. While it can't compete with dual-pixel focussing, it can still hold its own and has many other merits over similarly priced bodies.

2020 Update: It's been a year since my review and my rating stands. I've found some things I'd wish this camera did, but doesn't (eg. charge or self-power over the USB-C connector, or the function to use it as a webcam - a vital tool for COVID-times), and many things that this camera DOES but the competition still has troubles doing in their latest and greatest models (such as not overheating when filming in 4K!) This is still a video powerhouse in 2020 and the still-photo capabilities are solid for the price.

Canada on Jun 02, 2019

babkjl: Rather than discuss how this camera compares to other similar cameras, I'll focus on my experiences moving up from a smaller camera. My previous choices were all about small size and high built in zoom: if you don't have a camera with you because it's a big nuisance, it's useless. I'm currently using this camera with a Panasonic H-H020A LUMIX G Ultra-Portable Pancake Lens, 20mm/F1.7 ASPH F1.7. The zoom is very close to what the eye sees. Instead of lugging a big expensive zoom lens around on this camera, my wife now carries our small zoom camera. I haven't missed the zoom: just move closer. The camera pouch I bought (DURAGADGET Lightweight & Ultra-Portable Carry Case) still permits carrying this camera with pancake lens on a belt loop. I am now carrying this camera either in a backpack with tripod, directly on the tripod, or by the handle of the pouch when I'm not wearing a belt. I'm a smallest aperture, low ISO (400 appears to be the camera's native sensitivity), long shutter time kind of guy. I cycle my photographs on a large screen TV (on when we're home) at 30 second intervals using the Kodi program fed from a dedicated home theater computer that is running 24/7. Blurry...

Canada on Feb 16, 2018

Amazon Customer: The LUMIX GH5 is a dream come true! Panasonic has hit a huge home run with this camera! Cinema 4K recording at 24fps internally! 4K at 60fps 8bit 150mps internally! 400mps with update coming soon! 180fps in full 1080 FHD internally! The slow motion on this camera is buttery smooth! The size and grip is fantastic! What it's raining out? No problem this camera with the Leica 12-60mm lens is water resistant! It's also free resistant for shooting in low temperatures! Battery life is way better than the Sony's but not as good as the GH4 with how fast this camera processes it uses more juice. So be sure to pick up some spare batteries. Dual memory cards that can be hot swapped so you can continue constant recording with no overheating! Very grainless recording up to 1600 ISO. With additional purchase you can shoot in VlogL with a dynamic range of 12 stops when shooting at a native ISO of 400. Internal audio level meters, very good mic for this size of camera onboard. Zebras, focus assist, waveform and vector scope meters are all onboard. There are many customizable buttons and the view finder flips out, up, down and forward toward the lens is super bright and clear and also a...

United States on May 19, 2017

CKECKE: I will update this review as time goes on. At this point I have only experimented with the camera for several hours, but I already have enough information to form a solid foundation for a review (I have also used the GH4 for a few years).

I run a small video production company, and for years I have used the GH4 for capturing high quality video. The problem is that every video shoot also requires several high quality/professional photographs. While the GH4 excelled in capturing video as a true camera it always came up short. As a result, I was always forced to lug my Nikon D750 around with me. I would travel with two cameras, and two sets of lenses. Occasionally, I would substitute the Nikon for my Fujix100T or I would substitute the GH4 for my Osmo Pro (recently it has been more of the later).

What I need... want... would love .... is camera to do all of it. I guess I could invest in the FF Sony, but the idea of investing in a 3rd set of lenses doesn't exactly excite me. At some point.... either the video on the Olympus will come up... or the photo stills on the Panasonic will improve...right? Based on my tests - I think the GH5 will become my Holy Grail of cameras....

United States on Apr 04, 2017