A Review Of The Panasonic GH5 Micro Four Thirds Camera 

When I see a review by David Thorpe , I drop everything and watch it. well-done as always . thanks

Finally a proper gh5 review with the intent of using it for stills!

I've been making my living with GH cameras since the GH3 and I'm proudly sponsored by Panasonic. I can say this is THE review that is badly needed. Thanks for talking about the still capabilities of the GH5 David.

THE MOST TRUSTED AND WELL VERSED M4/3rd CAMERA REVIEWER ON RU-vid - PERIOD!

What a wonderful day and age we live in! We just keep getting showered with incredibly capable systems that do both still and video. Olympus, Fuji, Panasonic, and Sony. It's great to have so many options! Well done, David.

Whilst sadly, the GH5 is way out of my price league, it certainly doesn't stop me from being delighted at the arrival of a new review of your's David. At the risk of repeating thoughts from others, your usual top class, unassuming, and on point review (with a usual dash of humour) is a very welcome addition to my day!!

Just bought a GH5 on ebay with a cage and 3 batteries for 700$, went straight to youtube to hear David's voice talking about my new purchase :) Rest in peace dear friend

Great job! Love your channel. Your experience really comes through with your down to earth look with witty commentary. Thanks for all your work.

Your reviews are as always a pleasure . Very grounded. Thanks

Phenomenal review. Thank you

After a lot of thinking and indecisiveness I finally bought the GH5 with the 12-35mm. 10 days into it and I am learning a lot of what this thing can do. Read the manual about 3 times and followed along using the functions/features just seeing what everything does and how to do it, about 7 pages of notes, hours and hours taking test photos/videos...and searching the menus for that elusive function or why another menu function is greyed out. Recently as a passenger in my friends truck driving down this really bumpy road, I took a 2 minute video of her and I talking... I was blown away at how steady (and clear) the video turned out. That made me smile, taking some slo-mo videos and watching them had me laughing. The Ext Tele Conv feature is very nice too as are the Cust C and Fn buttons. I'm glad I waited, thought it through and bought this combo. Really happy with it and looking forward to having fun and creating great photos and telling video stories.

We need more reviews of the GH series of cameras on RU-vid. More videos like these. Great review, Mr. Thorpe.

" system of choice for beer drinkers" hahaha Love your work

I had a choice, to see David's review or to be late for a meeting with friends.. My friends waited patiently.

Another thorough and highly enjoyable review. It's so refreshing to have an experienced photographer cut to the chase and highlight the things that matter to someone taking photos. So many reviews are nothing more than specification bingo. Thanks David!

Excellent review. I've been using the GH5 for video but now have a new appreciation for its ability to take stills. Can't wait to watch a review of the 8-18mm Pana Leica lens due out next week. How does it stack up to the other ultra wide m43 lenses? At nearly half the weight of the Olympus 7-14 2.8 Pro, I'm sure 1mm is a small trade off for the weight and extra length on the other side. Thank you always for the thorough and well done m43 reviews from a stills perspective.

A review for grown-ups. Well done, David.

Yet again a well balanced review. I've moved away from Canon IDX/5D cameras to MFT's and I have not regretted the move to the GH4/GH5 system. Your review captures the salient points in an unbiased and practical manner. Having the quality of the GH5 in a lightweight package at a third of the price and weight of Canon and Nikon systems has given me so much more flexibility. The Panasonic/Leica lenses are very impressive and I do not regret my decision to move from full frame to MFT's. Thank you David for your excellent review.

Actually u r the micro four thirds authority for specialists dedicated to only comparing models that use that mount/sensor. Cheers.

Probably the most direct, to the point, entertaining & informative camera review! Great Job David!

I always wait for your reviews. This review as always is top notch. I wanted someone to do a still review on the GH 5. Great work as always.

outstanding review...one of the best.....it's one of a very small number of reviews i didn't want to end. thank you do much David

the only review that matters

Once again a great review Dave No ego, no bias, no technobabble. Just a straight forward and honest reflection Testing the IBIS using natural tools like Beavertown, Magic Rock, and Cloudwater is a method that I subscribe to. Looking forward to your next video

Great review as always, David. Its also refreshing to see a review on a camera like the GH5 from a stills perspective and not just video as it appears to be just as well equipped in that area as the Olympus E-M1 Mk II is.

Your reviews are always balanced, informative and intelligent. You nailed it again on the GH5. I really appreciated the emphasis on still photography since most of the RU-vid reviews of the GH5 have been for its amazing video capabilities. Thank you for your insights.

This is a very good review. I now have two GH5s. After owning GH3 and GH4s I was surprised with how impressed I was. This is a very flexible and capable camera. I expect this to be a very good long term investment.

Once more, great stuff and accurate opinion. I am professional filmmaker/photographer. I have owned and shot with Nikon D750, Leica M, Olympus EM-1 MKII and the GH5. I agree with absolutely everything you said, the GH5 menus and usability are the best I've used. Cheers from Brazil and keep doing these. You and your British clarity + accent rock. Cheers from Brazil 🇧🇷

Many thanks for taking the time to reply. It is a rather difficult, but nice, issue.

Finally! A review not only based on video specs and things I'm not interessted in. Thanks. This video was the answer to lot of my questions.

Fantastic review David. I purchased mine for photography with a few videos thrown in now and again, it's fantastic.

Fantastic review, David! You may remember I PMed you a few months ago when I was contemplating the G85 or FZ300. Needless to say I still have not bought either! To my advantage circumstances have delayed my investment and I am glad they have with the emergence of the GH5! P.S. love the way you add in dry humor "tea-totaller" etc! Again your no messing, uncluttered delivery is always so refreshing to watch and listen to. Lovely images. Cheers!

You have the best reviews David. I'm trying to hold off on buying this until the price drops. You make it VERY hard.

Fantastic review David. Very interesting to hear your comments and see the results of using AF-C with Olympus lenses. Thanks. Simon.

Always the best reviews on RU-vid...

Eeek I've been waiting for this, love your videos. I've just got a gh5 myself it's so lovely. I've yet to give it a proper go for stills yet but I'm excited to do so!

I walays wait to see your reviews, so thanks for the reviewing the GH5! I have a GH5 and have been using it for a month and I am quite impressed by it the more I use it and get better at doing so. I used to have a GH4, and I got a GH5 I primarily for shooting videos, but since I got more serious about photography this year, I have been far from disappointed on that end and have been using it to take photos of ancient monuments and old buildings for a project I am working on and it has worked well so far, especially producing less noise in shadows over the GH4. It has been great for shooting macro with my Olympus 60mm, although I do wish there was slightly longer MFT macro lenses other than 30, 45 and 60mm, like 75 to 100mm, especially for subjects like butterflies, bees, dragonflies etc... which can fly away when you get close to them. I could adapt my Sigma 105mm EX DG macro, but as its a full frame lens, the size and weight don't make me want to as its quite a bit bigger and heavier than the Olympus lens. I like how the colours are improved over the GH4. I noticed that on the GH4, it had a sort of red cast to the colours, but the GH5 doesn't. The only slight issue I have with the colours is that Caucasian skin tones don't look the best to my eye. I have taken a few photos of myself both with the GH5 and GH4, and although the GH5 results looked a little better, it always had small areas of my face appearing yellowish which didn't look quite right which is what the GH4 did. On the V-Log L profile on the GH5, it was quite a bit more accurate on skin tones (I think a Panasonic rep said that V-Log L uses close to Rec 2100 colours), but that isn't for shooting photos with though. I quite like how fast the camera focuses when taking photos, and as you said, using Olympus lenses I I didn't see much difference when using my Olympus 60mm Macro than I did with Panasonic lenses, except that Panasonic lenses are a little faster at focusing initially as you also said. Other than the auto focus not working the best in video mode (I don't mid as I usually set focus with the camera and then manually adjust in most situations and I think Panasonic may give us a firmware update in the future to improve that), I am overall quite pleased and it seems the GH5 has given me everything I was wanting that I didn't have in the GH4 like IBIS, 20MP, better colours, no AA filter, Focus Transitions, less noise, especially in shadows to name a few things. The only thing I was hoping for with the GH5 was improved dynamic range, which it doesn't really have except having cleaner shadows which is still a big plus over the GH4s noisy shadows. The extra weight and size compared to the GH4 did bother me initially, but now that I have used it for a month, I don't mind but I do now have to get a bigger camera bag to carry it, plus all my lenses in since they won't all fit into my current bags. Still as you said, the size of the GH5 is still offset by the small lenses. Since I also take wildlife photos, I quite like sometimes using 6K photo for it and extracting stills, especially for subjects like moving birds, but I did notice that when using 6K, when you are recording, the exposure meter stays on 0 and you can see your exposure, other than using zebras to see over exposed areas, which wasn't so useful as I would have liked to have kn own what exposure I was at. I currently have the original Panasonic 12-35mm and 20mm f/1.7 II and I am thinking now of getting the Olympus 12-40 for wide angle genral purpose shots. I know it doesn't have IS, but I read that it has better corner sharpness than the 12-35, which I want since I like the 12-35mm and will keep using it, but on wide shots, the softer edges are sometimes noticeable, especially shooting video and want better overall sharpness.

Superb review, finally someone paying attention to the stills side of things as well!

That's for your fast response and your experienced insight!

thanks David for what has been missing on the GH5 reviews, a stills perspective. I think I will now purchase the GH5, with the Oly lens.

Oh God Finally! You're the man everyone trusts... Thanks for the Review David. I just hope you upload more stuff regularly.

I like the improved colours which are very close to Olympus. And the DFD2 is well polished it seems. I hope we will see it in the GX9. I still miss a pro oriented stills camera in Panny lineup. The GX8 isnt there yet. Thanks for another good review, Dave.

So nice to have a no frills, well grounded review, thanks David!!

Most gh5 videos focus on video, this review was awesome for highlighting the stills features. Most people are looking for a camera that can do both video and stills so they can buy one camera. Thanks for the video

I got out my old 1ds mk 1 the other day, now that is a massive camera that is incredibly heavy without a lens, put a 70-200 on it and your back will be complaining. The image quality is still amazing though. These days I use the GH4 because it is very versatile and great quality but I am looking at the GH5 now. Great review.

I look forward to new M43 gear just so I can see your reviews. As always, another great review!

Merci pour cette excellente vidéo, David. Le GH5 n'a pas eu un début de carrière très facile sur RU-vid. Jamais je n'avais vu autant de tests et de sarcasmes sur l'autofocus d'un appareil. Panasonic n'a pas manqué de sortir du bois pour conseiller l'utilisateur. Comme un Frankenstein moderne, le marketing semblait s'être retourné contre ses créateurs. Tout le monde attendait le GH5 sur ses capacités en vidéo, n'est-ce pas sa spécialité ? Et votre vidéo démontre avec acuité ce que Panasonic a fait :le GH5 est un excellent appareil photographique. Votre démarche me fait penser qu'il faut toujours revenir aux points fondamentaux.

"Bird flying towards!!!" - brilliant! My head almost fell off the MFT mount on my body.

Wonderful review! On the issue of size (and weight), may I offer another perspective. For the last several years, I have lugged a Nikon D7000 and a Canon HF G30 camcorder, as well as, supporting accessories around the world for my travel stills/videos. I look forward to the day when I can just bring a GH5 and perhaps one zoom with me on my journeys. I am very encouraged by your review! Thank you!

your voice is almost ASMR-level relaxing

THANK YOU David for a review from a stills perspective. I have been checking for your review every day. I must say I agree on size, I like the G80 over the GH5 as an everyday camera. One of the advantages of Micro four thirds is that we can pick and choose a body and lens combination to fit our circumstances. One day a pocketable GM5 the next the GH5 for sports

I just stumbled on your videos and love your reviews! Great humour!

Good job David, as usual ! Another great video, thank you for your work.

Thank You ! It is always a very big pleaser to see your reviews. There are really the best ! Thank You David for all the years. PS : For me too supernova1976 "When I see a review by David Thorpe, I drop everything and watch it."

Brilliant David. I'm only a video shooter, but I get so much out of your whole thought and presentation process. Thank you, so much.

Been waiting! Exactly!! Always enjoy your reviews TY David :)

Nice review as always David. On thing I have noticed about this camera on RU-vid - Vloggers who have moved to it from bigger DSLR's seem to struggle with the autofocus in their recent content.

A review I have been waiting for, thanx, great job!

Great review David. Bit too big for me, but if the gx9 (or whatever it will be called) inherits the GH5's still performance, you've demonstrated, I shall certainly be upgrading my gx80.

6k, VLOG RAW, image stabilization, HDMI output so that you and your subject can preview on large monitor, user friendly and customizable controls, compact, zebra stripes/focus peaking... what doesn't it have that you would need for portrait photography? Combined with a Metabones Speed Booster Cine adapter and Canon lenses, it's a sweet setup.

Beautiful review David. Honestly surprised you didn't mention anything about the EVF. I havent touched my GH4 for many reasons since getting the GH5 and it's mostly due to falling in love with the viewfinder. And like the gh4 (I've tested both) it doesn't even get much past warm after filming 4k for 30+ minutes.

Excellent review. Well put in words. RIP Rick Parfitt.

When I bought my GH5, I didn't intend to use it for photography, but now, it's my go-to camera for both video and stills, while my bigger, heavier D800 sits on the table in my photo room. I was, frankly, quite surprised at just how well this little camera did photos. Of course it can't really compete with the D800 in resolution, or the cleanness of the files at higher ISO, but it does in color rendition and autofocus speed (in fact, I think the GH5 might be a bit faster in AF than the D800). The GH5 is the camera that kept me from buying the D850, I just don't think I *need* a D850 (or any DSLR, for that matter) anymore, even though I intended on upgrading my D800 this year. In terms of cleanliness of the files, specifically relating to ISO, the GH5 is about 2 stops behind the D800. So, at ISO 200, the GH5 is roughly equivalent to the D800 at ISO 800 (in terms of noise, not light). ISO 1600 on the GH5 is roughly equivalent to the D800 at ISO 6400, and so on. I could never recommend a GH5 for people who routinely shoot in low light. I don't like going over ISO 1600, but if I really, really had to, I would go to ISO 3200, but after that, it's just "bleh". When I go back to the D800's OVF (which is a splendid OVF), it feels old, like I'm using a relic of days gone by (kinda like I feel when I use a rotary phone). The GH5's EVF is amazing and I think every camera in the world should have one of these. It's amazing to be able to preview exposure right there in the EVF, which is something you can't do with an OVF, at all. What I really love is the 6K video (go to 6K photo mode and set your camera to use the shutter button to start/stop capture), it will spit out a 6K video at 30 frames/sec in HEVC format. The detail is unlike ANY video I've ever seen before and it's NOTICEABLY sharper than even 4K. You need a beefy computer to play it though. It also shoots in 4:3 aspect, so you'll need to zoom in, in post, if you want 16:9, but the detail is there, so that's not an issue. The first native lens that I picked up was the Leica DG 100-400mm and it's been such a beautiful combination. I'm getting shots that I couldn't have dreamed of getting with my D800, unless I spent many tens of thousands of dollars on a 600mm+ lens. While I'll admit that the 100-400mm will never gather as much light as a full-frame lens, it also comes at a fraction of the price and weight. You simply CANNOT get an 800mm (equivalent) lens with this kind of sharpness for $1799 (you'd need to add AT LEAST another 0 to the end of that number). AND, I can hand-hold the 100-400mm because it's not that heavy and it uses the GH5 Dual-IS system. I've even shot handheld video at 800mm...try THAT on full-frame!

David: Wonderful review...Thank you! The GH5 is priced right at 42nd St Photo--$1798 so I'll place my order.

Hi David, I guess you are working hard on the Lumix G9. I'm waiting for your superb review.

wasn't expecting that evil chicken, man that thing creeped me out when me and the kids were watching it on TV

Very well done, Thank you for this David

As always, everything we GASsers need to know :-) Very well done again David - now for the Oly 12-100mm and Pana 8-18mm ??

Hi David, great videos! I found your channel recently and am really enjoying them. I recently bought the GH5 and the video is amazing...but stills...oh man the stills. I see the photos you took with the GH5 and it gives me hope...but all I can get is noise. Maybe I'm too picky having come from the D750. Any tips?

THE review I've been waiting for.

Thanks for another nice video. Glad the GH5 works as a good stills camera, but I still hoping a new Gx9 comes out with joy stick, dual SD cards, 6K etc. As I really like the tilting EVF

Thank you David for another pleasant, insightful & honest review. Your review of the Pana GM5 was instrumental in my decision to buy that camera. I enjoy using it but am ready to upgrade to either the Oly Om1 mark ii or Pana GH5. I have no intentions of making money with my photography - just want the very best quality possible in as small a package as possible (hence my purchase of the GM5). I am currently shooting about 95% stills but expect video will climb to 20%-25% in the next year or 2. In your option which camera would you recommend - Oly or Pana? Thank you in advance.

best review that is not hyped on video

David, another excellent presentation. There are none better. Not only technically good and informative, but enjoyable as well. Thank you. A question. Looking at the review on my iPad with a Retina screen, it appeared the blue and green parts of the multi-colored ball you photographed with the GH-5 as a color comparison to the E-M1 MKII, showed banding. Was there banding or possibly a compression anomaly of posting the video on You Tube? Thank you. Dennis Mook The Wandering Lensman

Another superb review. Thank you so much.

Good to review it now that the G9 is on the horizon. I am wondering that GH5 is still a better camera for stills considering that now we can find a used one with reasonable price.

Nice work from you with the review on gh5

BIg thanks for detailed review, I may be upgrading from G80 and I have learned a lot!

Probably the best review on the internet of the camera. The question for myself is which one the Olympus or the Panasonic? I had heard the Olympus had better IBS but they seem very close. Mostly I shoot wildlife ( birds , mammals ) and my omd 1 and 5 mark ll are lacking with tracking and the screen blackout is frustrating.

With 6 stops of stabilization, it is rapidly becoming the choice for beer drinkers. LOL

Thank you for making this video about GH5 Stills! Do you think 10 megapixel photos on GH5s is a stepback and big difference in quality? 10 megapixel is lower than the GX7 photos!

love to see review of G9 especially compare to GH5 or Oly EM1 mark2. I have both. Only thing I don't like G9 is the shutter is TOOO sensitive. I switch and is using back button to focus but the shutter becomes even more sensitive. I have to keep trigger finger clearly away from the shutter.

It doesn't hold up to the standard the e-m1 ii sets in terms of continous auto focusing- the olympus is both faster and more precise. For birding the e-m1 ii is 3 or 4fold better than the panasonic. The stabilization is also much better, and the high-res shot and live composite options are very good. Aside from these though the IQ of the gh5 is not much worse and I like the design, ergonomics and menu system better- and ofc. video features are in a different league.

Thank you for your prompt reply. Is my understanding correct that the DFD only works with Pana lenses? If so, have you noticed any degradation in performance when using Oly lenses on GH5. Actually in Canada the GH5 is $200 more than M1. Fortunately for me that is not a factor in my decision.

That was a great review. Thank you!

"better stills reviews" gosh no David, your the best for me!

Hi David, I have noticed that the video​ quality on my phone was really good. Could you please tell me, if possible, what camera setup did you use to film this episode. Thanks

Superb review, as all your videos. Panasonic should pay you, you just made me buy one =) Btw David, what do you recommend, going for the Olympus Pro 12-40 / 40-150 or Panasonic New 12-35 / 35/100 ? I can get cheaper the olympus, but dual IS would be missed, what do you suggest?

A quick question regarding the rear control wheel / hat. I had a quick look at a GH5 in a shop and when I pressed / rocked the rotating wheel in the 4 directions nothing selected. On the G85 I really like the layout of the 4 way switch with focus mode, ISO, WB & Fn3. Can you set this up the same on the GH5? I always forget what is assigned to what so I like the icons on the buttons as well. In the shop where I tried the camera the rear wheel seemed to control what the joy stick did so a bit redundant. But I only had a quick play as they had real customers looking to buy it wanting a look as well.

Great review David, I've been following you since I bought GX8. But I do video a lot with my GX8, do you think it's worth it if I upgrade to GH5? I only have 2 lenses, 12-35 f/2.8 and 25 f/1.7, you think I should invest in more lenses and lighting or body? Because I think my 4K footage from GX8 still great, but GH5 give 4K with no crop, it is so tempting. What do you think? Thanks again and sorry for my bad english.

Thank you for sharing, This is an excellent review, very informative.

Great review, thanks! Woody

Greetings David! wonderful review as always. So many stuff. Wish I had a place to rent lenses and cameras here, it will be so much easier. How does the 40-150 olympus works on the GH5, especially the stabilization?

Fantastic review (as always!) Do you have any plans on checking out the GX850? :-)

Hi David, Fantastic review. I'm looking to upgrade my GH4 to either the GH5 or E-M1 Mk ii. I am only interested in the stills side of things, perhaps the odd quick bit of video. As you have now reviewed both cameras given the choice which would you spend your hard earned money on and why? I've just ordered the Olympus 40-150 pro with tele converter to get more pictures of my kids playing their sports. I presume this works equally well on both but wondering about handling. All the best..

I have the Panasonic G80/G85 David so I don't think I will upgrade to the GH5, as mine is perfectly suitable for my needs. You mentioned size & weight of the GH5-well, the G80 is pretty chunky and weighs a fair bit with the battery grip which is kinda good in one way as it improves ernomics expecially for vertical shooting but does fly in the face of the MFT philosophy somewhat!

super nice video as always -

I note from the captions that you have the new Pana 12-60mm f2.8-4. I'm presuming there is a review coming of this? Thanks

thanks for the review. On point as always 😀

Whenever I listen to a review that has no critical comment - and I don't recall hearing any here - I am immediately skeptical. Every camera has faults or weaknesses, no matter who makes it. The value of a review resides in hearing these faults. The problem with nearly all those who make camera reviews is that they have nothing but praise for the product. That''s not reality in the camera business.