The only 5 things that truly mattered for me between the two for video. Lenses. How hard you need to grade. IBIS. Slow Motion, Gain I've been cutting Media Composer and grading in Davinci for 12 years so I can talk from experience after working with both of these cameras. Color science is too close to matter. Dynamic range is too close to matter. TC jam is bullshit. DOF is a wash if you know how to lens properly. GH5 is 10 bit 422. This is marginally better than A7iii footage. Not noticeable difference however until you do heavier grading or use custom profiles. You will be able to saturate to higher levels on your vectorscope without candyland mush. You will be able to color select more accurately with less chatter. V-Log profile is (generally) less noisy than s-log A7iii. A7III is full frame so you will ONLY be able to use a lens setup that covers full frame. Great for shallow DOF. Shitty for everything else. (weight, size,price,available options) GH5s is larger than any other m43 so your asp-c lenses such as sigma 12-35mm + speedbooster will show vignetting on the edges compared to the old GH5. If you know what you are doing you can get a lot of great glass. IBIS is not available on the GH5s so expect your handheld footage to look handheld (like all full size cinema cameras). Slow motion is much better on the GH5s is every aspect. Higher bitrate and higher framerates. Nuff said. A7III is full frame therefore better at crazy high gain than the GH5s. That being said, the GH5s is useable up to 5000 , which allows slow motion settings with no change in T-stop needed at 180 deg. It is also plenty for everything up to special use case gain boost. Twice as good as Arri Amira/Alexa as a pro comparison. GH5s is newer and has more available on board to create video. A7III is a great entry level full frame stills camera that happens to take bangin' video. They both work. I would choose A7iii if you already have full frame glass, shoot special use footage at high gain, can't shoot useable stuff handheld, primarily take stills. GH5s for people who want a full featured video camera.
Beyond that the GH5S "framing machinery" looks more nervous, less fluid. Just looking at the Sony AIII starting @20' then going to the GH5S, all in gimbal use.
You know what, as a Gh5s owner, I'm not even going to say that it is "better" than the Sony. Both are very, very capable camera's with different target audiences. In the end, it's all just a matter of personal preference.... nothing more, nothing less ✌😁
If I was only a video shooter, I'd take the GH5s for all its other features. But I'm a hybrid shooter, so the full frame and IBIS really matter to me. I have been a Panny fan since the GH2, and we have to acknowledge that they stepped up the consumer market and took shots at everyone with the GH4 (first 4K consumer interchangeable lens camera ever). If it wasn't for Panny, we wouldn't have so many options, but the A7III I think is going to win me over.
No very clear differences. The A7iii performs so much better but the GH5 looks wayyyy better. The 10 bit and everything that goes into the GH5 makes it look killer but the performance is definitely lacking but then again if you want 10 bit you will probably be using a follow focus anyways
A. Only thing is a gimbal will produce the best results on both. Dial ibis is good but you have to be careful or you get some weirdness. There is always the GH5 if you want that versatility. They can be found for reasonable price especially used.
Debayering stuff / go compare results on slashcam, they have a lot of tested sensors & cams. Well if u haven't already. There's even a difference between GH5 & GH5's, given it's not the same sensor resolution at start + internal process is different. GH5 doesn't just equal GH5's in redering, instead looks much better to me & in test too.
I own the A7S so I will probably upgrade to A7iii or A7siii when it comes out. But in this video, I prefer the image of the gh5s. There is depth in the image that is not there in the A7iii. To my eyes.
@@ashb9254 if they were cut together, virtually guaranteed you wouldn't catch any difference, especially on mobile, where 85% off people are watching...
nobody would notice any difference. yes it looks different when you look for it. but when you watch a legit music video you dont fish for differences in skin tones and you dont expect any to be there. at least thats what 99 % of people do
If you actually want to compare a micro 4/3 with a FF then please keep shutter and iso as same & multiply that aperture with crop factor... If you are keeping f/4 in the pana, then you must keep f/8 in the sony. That will make a lot of difference in the whole test output.
Rarely rarely you find professional videos like this one. This is high-class bro, and whoever took this is a serious, serious cinematographer. How amazing, this was posted 2 days before my birthday.
Both great cameras and better than most cinema cameras from 10 years ago. I was watching and episode of Mad Men a couple of days ago, and realized that my Gh5s is better in most aspects than the cameras used 6-8 years ago. Gh5s colors are "thicker ", deeper, creamier, but A7iii is no slouch with a flatter, dreamier look. Both are amazing technological tools and full featured movies could be done with them. That's why I have the GH5s and waiting for the A7iii, preordered. They won't be difficult to match, as this video shows
Mad Men was shot on 35mm film for the first 4 seasons and then they switched to the Arri Alexa for season 5 onward. The GH5 doesn't even come close to these camera systems no matter how often you slap the words "creamy" or "thicker" on it lol. DSLRs are basically toy cameras in comparison to what network TV shows will shoot with.
Great tests buddy. Sony's color is pretty good, the video quality is really good as well. The Gh5s has nicer roll off on skin and gives a more organic feel IMO.
I looked into the AF issue and someone mentioned about turning off the facial recognition feature should fix the AF of objects coming in and out of view as a whole rather than the face being focused.
Both camera are fantastic. But GH5s sensor captures better skin tones, where sony appears to be a little monotone, more plastic and video-like. Pana have more details, codec recorded in cam is far better (yuv422 - 10bit). Slow motion in 4k. If you adds a speedbooster, have a real beast with one extra stop and super 35mm frame (for me better than full frame for cinematic goal). Waiting BMPCC4K... Pana Wins.
Guys, use your eyes and look at the skin tones on the GH5s. They're absolutely superb. Sony's is lifeless by comparison. The colour science just isn't quite there yet. That doesn't mean the Sony is shit...but the kinda goes without saying, doesn't it? I mean you're not going to get many sport photographers clambering to purchase the GH5s are you? Similarly, video colourists aren't going to touch the Sony with a barge pole because of blah blah 10bit etc etc. Stop having the same pointless arguments time and time again, it's fucking maddening. Also, great comparison. Despite the cameras OBVIOUS unique selling points, people are still interested in the comparison and this particular experiment was conducted with style and panache. Great work!
Forget the comparison. This video with a beautiful and very photogenic model, and beautiful music is a piece of art which I will view many times. Thank you.
I hate commenting on models in a tech review but Ricarda is just magical with all her tiny gestures on her face. Thanks. On the other hand Noone mentions that gh5s has 240fps slow motion whilst the sony 100/120. The difference is visible. I know that coming from the fs700era.
Like always l. Superb reviews. To be honest they were very similar in color, low light etc. I still would prefer the Gh5s since it records @C4k 60fps and it’s 10 bit internal. In addition the camera body and style I prefer over the Sony’s!
GH5s ALL THE WAY.. still have C4K mode and up to 60fps! cinema features onboard like flicker scan, LUT view, De-squeeze, anamorphic 6k, and of course the all time Panasonic GH line signature "NO LIMIT RECORDING!" The codecs are still superior than Sony's XAVC 100mbps bit rate in a mp4.. its just a good Hybrid update from the A7II... When the Sony A7sIII comes out.... It will no doubt cause a storm.
ANGEL CASTRO I think the GH5s is more true to colors and a bit more saturated. But then again not sure how the grade for these test went so my point could be invalid lol.
Love those GH5s video features. a7III is also a killer stills camera though. GH5s can't compete within the stills realm. So if you find yourself shooting stills and video I think a7III might be a better choice.
Very nice comparison, I'm going to have to go with the GH5s. It's menu system,10 bit, lenses 4k60 articulating touch screen and other options are more of what I depend on currently.
I dont get why people are calling you rich for buying 2 cameras but buys a 15-20k car or other expensive things. Its just a matter of life choices in the end.
Did you not see the low light test? the GH5 fell apart way before 1000 ISO if you are shooting in low light conditions the a7iii mops the floor with the GH5.. The sensor is twice the size on the a7iii.. The ONLY reason I would choose the GH5 over the a7iii is for the 120fps at 4k... But for someone who does would not do a lot of studio/controlled shoots where they can manipulate the lighting the a7iii is the obvious choice..
Fantastic comparison! Thanks so much for this. I've been using Panasonic since the GH2 and came really close to making the switch by staring at the specs of the A7III, but I pulled the trigger on a GH5S last night and am glad I did. While I do shoot stills, it's more for fun and not professional work. Seeing how much more details skin tones were in certain shots, I'm guessing because of it being 10 bit, really made a difference. Thanks for using the 179 AF trick too! I was planning on using that and it's nice to see both cameras are comparable in that department.
This is THE best comparison I’ve seen to date on these two cameras. I’m currently deciding between the two myself. The big surprise for me is how much better the Sony colour science seems to be vs previous Sony cameras. The difference here between the two is minimal. Do the 10-bit files require a lot more computer processing power than the 8-bit? Also, would love to see a quick video on how you graded these to be so close together. Awesome video!
Hi Backpack, thanx a lot for your kind words. I graded those files on a MacBook Pro 2016 - the 10 bit files played fine back on the system within DaVinci Resolve. I will try to do a quick grading tutorial but that will have to be after NAB :) Cheers. Rob / slashCAM
as an a7s, a7sii and now a7 III user, i can confirm the color science on the a7 III has been much, much improved. however, there is something specific regarding noise reduction on the a7 III that i've made a video about and put my thoughts in the description box below - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VaSn8qcBlLY.html
Awesome review! But there is a need to step through the PP's of GH5S too. But anyway, thanks a ton for Your videos! Waiting for the A7S III, but it is easy to predict that new model will cost too much. At this time, GH5S is awesome!
I am a proud owner of a GH5s (I use it only for videos), but the 3 reasons why the Sony always tempted me were: incredible low light performance, ability to reach shallower depth of field due to the full frame sensor, internal image stabilization (strangely present in the GH5 and absent in the GH5s), but the reasons why I bought the GH5s are all the remaining ones. Think about what you need to do and choose either of the two, they are both the top of the list in their price range.
I wanted this video so freaking much. Thanks for doing this to us :) Did you had more time grading the Sony over the Pana? How was the 10bit gh5 efficiency? Something really special?
Ich sehe das auch so wie einige vor mir: im Grunde genommen nehmen sich die beiden Kameras nichts, Zumindest nicht in diesem Test. Gut gemacht :-). Ich stehe auch vor der Entscheidung GH5S oder Sony A3. Ich nehme die GH5 WEGEN 10BIT und Ergonomie und gut is.
Sehe ich auch so. Ist ein bisschen eine Glaubensfrage. Kommt immer darauf an, für was Du die Kamera brauchst. Ich selber habe die GH5, werde mir aber die A7III ebenfalls noch zulegen. Einfach weil ich noch eine gute "Stills" Kamera möchte für Hochzeiten.
I wanted both cameras but only had the budget for one of them. I ended up ordering the GH5s first because of its more professional video features. I use the 179 degree autofocus and it works reliable enough on my glidecam. I still do plan on getting an a7iii to go with it. Each camera has its place. I'm not sure why there hasn't been a direct comparison video on these two yet. Thanks for the video.
Which one would you recommend for filmmaking. “ Not for wedding and photos and I am not into auto focus” I know GH5 auto focus is not as fast as Sony. Thank you in advance !
Most of us are shooting with a Metabones speedbooster and Canon glass on the GH5. The Leica F4 used here is a decent lens, but in comparison a Canon 35mm F2 shoots at F1.3 with the Metabones. Street scenes at night are very clean with that combination at 6400 ISO.
Thanks for this. Sony's really improved their skintones. Not quite as nice as the GH5 but defo better. Really liking that 24-105 f4 better than I thought it would be. Your model looks like she's freezing BTW .
Hi Hey Stewey, thanx for your feedback. Yes it was a very cold and windy day in Berlin but Ricarda had multiple layers of clothes on and we got some warmth in between shots at a nearby coffee - so it was a rather relaxed shoot :-) Cheers. Rob
I still don't understand desire to always use slog2 even when there is clearly not much dynamic range to take advantage of it. In a battle between slog2 vs vlog, it's obvious that the skin tones will be better on the gh5 here due to the 10-bit color. slog2 is always a compromise in color in 8-bits unless you absolutely need the dynamic range. On the 8-bit sony's, the cine profiles will look significantly better, and you can even see the better tonality and gradation on the uncorrected cine shots, which when graded should appear even better than slog2. Now with that said, you did a great job grading the slog2 to not look like typical zombie skin you see on youtube.
Great way to compare! well done, they are both unique in their own ways, but it seems the Sony has more options and a better all round result. The GH5s has a nice look to it tho. Thanks!
The Sony still has a better low light picture as far as how much noise is produced but I don't seem to mind it on the gh5s. I have the gh5 and haven't really shot much since Feb/March. Is there anything better than these 2 in this price range at the moment? Or coming out soon?
lovely job thanks so much for taking the time to do this.....super info......im genuinely battling with the decision i prefer the gh5s colours to the sony......they seem richer in my view.....yet need low light filming....just wondering how much noise one would get with the gh5s......its not such an easy pic now to be fair....super vid and thanks again.
OMG the Panasonic Nails the skin tones. I expected much much better from the Sony and was nervous at the start of the vid, but the Panasonic gives the Sony a right spanking
Two great cameras with their own pros and cons, both awesome considering what they cost. I suggest you pick one or both, shoot some stuff, edit it and release it instead of writing negative comments about each brand on RU-vid. But where's the fun in that?
GH5 colors seem slightly warmer/redder than Sony. Sony contrast seemed flatter. Horse-A-Piece. But still surprised at how closely they compared. I'm still happy with my purchase of GH5. It's like the Swiss Army Knife of video cameras! As usual, Sony strips out way too many features. I have to earn money with my tools and GH5 still best value for it's versatility and reliability. Lastly, I still don't trust that Sony won't overheat. Not willing to take that chance with a professional gig. Has Sony ever promised that it won't overheat now?
Great comparison video. I cannot day it enough. I, myself, am buying the GH5s, but I still feel Sony has a bit more of that ‘filmic’ look that I strive for. The GH5s has the better image to me, it just lacks that extra element of whatever it is that gives off that film look. Still buying the GH5s.
the thing i like about sony cam as a panasonic user who occasionally rent out a sony is that sony has that super soft and smooth skin texture which for some reason i couldn't get with any panasonic camera it's too sharp and sort off shows the flaws of the subject.
I liked the Panasonic gh5 more because it has generally cool advantages and it also has less heating because the Sony A7 III quickly heats up the processor...
A really nice test and well done BUT, how come you didn't use lenses thats matches field of view and depth of field? I mean you give lots of advantege to Panasonic, since Sony with full frame sensor will have lots of shallower depht of field than Panasonic with similar focal lenght & iris. The autofocus test shoud have done for example with Sony a 50mm f/2.8 lens and Panasonic with 25mm f/1.4 lens.
The secret to canon's color science is that they make the mid highlights more flat to give a more flattering look and their color science is actually very monotone despite what people think about their "color contrast." You can see the difference clearly at 6:32 vs 6:44 in the color scheme. The sony has more color separation while the panasonic's whole picture filled with redish tones in the wall the highlights, while the sony has more blues and red seperation. The most obvious is the lips differentiation from the face. If you compare canon to sony colors, it's as if they put a 5% m31 lut on the sony footage (in terms of hue compression/placement). Obviously its more than just simple hues that make canon different, but you can see how the changes in over-all placement of hues differs.
If your into a quick set up grab and go camera that take good photos and have decent video get a A7iii .but if your into film and video work. Gh5s hands down i just got mine yesterday and im blown away. Its beautiful.
Maybe I missed something but how are we supposed to evaluate the cameras when the final result we see here also took some (presumably manual?) color correction
I use Sony, the auto focus was slightly better on it, but the color on the Panasonic looks a little warmer, don't know much about editing video and how easy or not it is to adjust but I see why that GH line is so popular ; )
I think the GH5S wins skin tones and image quality. Since I manual focus all my video and don't shoot in the dark the rest is a non-issue for me. Even now, with the Sony a7sIII their color science seems artless to me. Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Fuji, Blackmagic---they're all better.
The GH5s is flawless. Look, first, appreciate that it was made specifically for video, let alone "film-making." And just because there's a 50 inch TV doesn't mean it's better than the 32 inch one. So the sensor size is just a cherry on top, nothing at all to be considered compared to the imperative features in a camera. However, nothing compares to sony's autofocus, it's simply the best. The GH5s' autofocus though has been incredibly improved and I can rate it 7.5 out of 10 while sony 9 out of 10. There are more advantages to the GH5s except for the famous song; 4 2 2 10bit, 400mb/s, 4k 60fps etc but very fewer people know of it.
The one thing I notice Panasonic seems to always beat sony and canon on is less 'artifacting' when subjects move within the frame, its a lot less dslr looking and more cinecam feeling to me. Is there a term for this?
MohondhaY really though?? Do you shoot mostly video or both!? I. Still trying to figure out which one to purchase. After selling my gh5, which I'm crushed I did now.
If you are looking for 4k60p, or 10bit, you know what you looking for, other wise, do consider a7iii, better high iso performance and IBIS are always a good choice.
Both look incredible. The GH5 has 10 bit over the Sony's 8 bit... but the Sony is hands down better in low light than the GH5... so both have their pros and cons. I own the GH5 and will be purchasing the A7iii when it's back in stock. For corporate and longer gigs, I'll use the GH5 as my bread n butter. But for more cinematic looking projects, I'll reach for the Sony.
This was a great comparison. I was really looking at the GH5s for the 4k at 60 fps and the 10 bit, but the Sony footage here just plain looks better and the low light is better.
I give the Panasonic a slight edge when looking at the footage and I actually just bought the A7 iii. Not to forget the Panasonic can shoot 60 fps... However I still think I made the right choice because I buy into the Sony Ecosystem and I am convinced when the A7 S iii release it will blow away the Panasonic. In the long run full format will take the lead no doubt. The sensor size does count in the end. Still the Panasonic really looks great especially the skin sharpness stood out for me. Also not to forget: lens choice does play a major role here.
For my money and my professional shooting, the Sony A7III does more in so many ways and gives the benefits of that larger full-frame sensor, which NO Panasonic has. I have ordered the A7III . Thanks to you and your model . A very good test. Cheers
Adrian Pocea, you are totally wrong here. I am a pro award-winning shooter of four decades who was a Canon high-end SLR and DSLR user for 40 years, yes 40. I switched to Sony full-frame mirrorless in January 2017 and have never looked back. I shoot video and stills for professional clients, and like many of my fellow award-winning pros we prefer Sony's full-frame cameras over Panasonic offerings. Many pros are using Sony now and have sold their Panasonic cameras as Sony's video got better and better with each model. Another top pro David Oastler just bought the A7III two days and has already sold his GH5. You know nothing fellow about other pros and what we use ,and how we choose and buy our gear.. I have the A7RIII, the A6500 (great APS-C with 6k downsampled to 4K , used on my gimbal.) I ordered the A7III because tests show it has all the video specs I need as well as being a better still camera. Sorry but the A7III is a game-changer and eating the lunch of every other mirrorless camera and DSLR out there, including Panasonic, sorry . Panasonic makes good gear, but Sony is there now in video ,and just wait until the next A7SIII comes out . No fanboy buying spree here, just a professional getting the best gear for my art. I can afford to buy any gear I need. Grow up Adrian and stop making emotional false claims without knowing ANYTHING about me and other pros and our professional work. Your immaturity is showing Adrian and you are just embarrassing yourself with your silly and ignorant post. Cheers.
Adrian Pocea, I don't need to prove anything about being a pro ,to you little man. You were the one who first made that immature post, now live with it. You can't seem to take it, only dish it out, Very grown up lol
Mike Terry"0 No I never need anyone else's advice on what camera I need. What made you ever think that? My own experiences and actual shooting requirements help determine which gear is best for me to own and use. Lots of confused and angry folks here who don't seem to like any comments from veteran pros. lol
Gerald, I was basing my remark on your quote "I have ordered the A7III . Thanks to you and your model". The choice you made is fine. You could have picked the Panasonic, that would also have been fine. They are both excellent tools.
Slashcam I have been searching all over the web for tests on the A7iii & 1080p footage. I use 50p(pal) nearly all the time as I shoot weddings and need to have to ability to go slow. From what i'm reading the A7iii has pretty bad 1080p footage which is very upsetting, I've heard worse then the A7sii. I currently shoot with 2x A7sii and really wanted to upgrade 1 to the A7iii, but if the 1080p is rubbish then I will just have to continue to wait for the A7siii (when ever that may be)
Both look great but if you're looking to buy, why settle for that dinky little sensor in the GH5? Jump right up to a full frame sensor. More dynamic range, endless lens options, superior image, light sensitivity.
Attention - Top comment ! The skin colours can be easily enhanced on Sony a 7 3 ( no picture profile just to keep it simple ) , by cranking up more vibrance , ( up to 50/) in premier pro ( or any other video editing software even on the iPhone -photos-edit) , on the premiere pro -colour correction , creative , vibrance, also you can add more contrast ( up to 20/ in basic colour correction) I would not touch saturation . And it’s easier to be done in adjustment layer above the main video .Try it . The difference is day and night , the colours are coming back to life.You can go for a lut for more enhancements, just don’t over do it , keep it up to 20 -30/ low . All the best people