Panasonic GH5s Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5s is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was announced in January 2018 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 9.9 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic GH5s a good camera? The GH5s has a Camera Elo of 2578. This rating puts the GH5s among the top 50 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (Four Thirds cameras), the GH5s ranks among the top 20 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 4-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Panasonic GH5s relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic GH5s alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Panasonic GH5s	139 mm	98 mm	87 mm	660 g	440	Y	Jan 2018	US$ 2 499	amazon.com
2.		Canon 6D Mark II	144 mm	111 mm	75 mm	765 g	1200	Y	Jun 2017	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
3.		Canon R	139 mm	98 mm	84 mm	660 g	370	Y	Sep 2018	US$ 2 299	ebay.com
4.		Nikon D7500	136 mm	104 mm	73 mm	720 g	950	Y	Apr 2017	US$ 1 299	amazon.com
5.		Panasonic FZ330	132 mm	92 mm	117 mm	691 g	380	Y	Jul 2015	US$ 599	amazon.com
6.		Panasonic G9	137 mm	97 mm	92 mm	658 g	400	Y	Nov 2017	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
7.		Panasonic GH3	133 mm	93 mm	82 mm	550 g	540	Y	Sep 2012	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
8.		Panasonic GH4	133 mm	93 mm	84 mm	560 g	500	Y	Feb 2014	US$ 1 499	ebay.com
9.		Panasonic GH5	139 mm	98 mm	87 mm	725 g	410	Y	Jan 2017	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
10.		Panasonic GH7	138 mm	100 mm	100 mm	805 g	380	Y	Jun 2024	US$ 2 199	amazon.com
11.		Sony A7S II	127 mm	96 mm	60 mm	627 g	370	Y	Sep 2015	US$ 2 999	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Panasonic GH5s was launched in the US market at a price of $2,499. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check GH5s price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Panasonic GH5s features a Four Thirds sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Panasonic GH5s among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Panasonic GH5s	Four Thirds	9.9	3680	2700	4K/60p	23.1	12.8	1154	74
2.		Canon 6D Mark II	Full Frame	26.0	6240	4160	1080/60p	24.4	11.9	2862	85
3.		Canon R	Full Frame	30.1	6720	4480	4K/30p	24.5	13.5	2742	89
4.		Nikon D7500	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/30p	24.3	14.0	1483	86
5.		Panasonic FZ330	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	4K/30p	19.3	11.0	97	38
6.		Panasonic G9	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.1	12.8	1138	74
7.		Panasonic GH3	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	22.7	12.4	812	71
8.		Panasonic GH4	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	4K/30p	23.2	12.8	791	74
9.		Panasonic GH5	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.9	13.0	807	77
10.		Panasonic GH7	Four Thirds	25.0	5776	4336	5.7K/60p	23.4	13.6	1784	78
11.		Sony A7S II	Full Frame	12.0	4240	2832	4K/30p	23.6	13.3	2993	85
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The GH5s indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the GH5s can use is 4K/60p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the GH5s has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 3680k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.76x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Panasonic GH5s along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Panasonic GH5s	3680	n	3.2 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	n
2.		Canon 6D Mark II	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.5/s	n	n
3.		Canon R	3690	Y	3.2 / 2100	swivel	Y	1/8000s	8.0/s	n	n
4.		Nikon D7500	optical	Y	3.2 / 922	tilting	Y	1/8000s	8.0/s	Y	n
5.		Panasonic FZ330	1440	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
6.		Panasonic G9	3680	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	Y
7.		Panasonic GH3	1746	n	3.0 / 614	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.0/s	Y	n
8.		Panasonic GH4	2359	n	3.0 / 1036	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	Y	n
9.		Panasonic GH5	3680	n	3.2 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
10.		Panasonic GH7	3680	n	3.0 / 1840	full-flex	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
11.		Sony A7S II	2400	n	3.0 / 1229	tilting	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5s is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

It is worthwhile pointing out that the GH5s has a touchscreen. Touch control can be particularly helpful, for example, when trying to adjust the focus point.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5s and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Panasonic GH5s	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
2.		Canon 6D Mark II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
3.		Canon R	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.1	Y	-	Y
4.		Nikon D7500	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	Y	-	Y
5.		Panasonic FZ330	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
6.		Panasonic G9	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.0	Y	-	Y
7.		Panasonic GH3	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
8.		Panasonic GH4	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
9.		Panasonic GH5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
10.		Panasonic GH7	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
11.		Sony A7S II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-

It is notable that the GH5s has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the GH5s can be found in the free online Panasonic GH5s Manual or on the Panasonic support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the GH5s handle or perform in practice. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is where reviews by experts come in. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Panasonic GH5s	..	..	4.5/5	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2018	US$ 2 499	amazon.com
2.		Canon 6D Mark II	4/5	+	4/5	80/100	4.5/5	4/5	Jun 2017	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
3.		Canon R	4/5	o	4/5	79/100	4.5/5	4/5	Sep 2018	US$ 2 299	ebay.com
4.		Nikon D7500	4.5/5	+ +	4.5/5	86/100	5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2017	US$ 1 299	amazon.com
5.		Panasonic FZ330	..	+ +	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jul 2015	US$ 599	amazon.com
6.		Panasonic G9	..	+ +	5/5	85/100	5/5	5/5	Nov 2017	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
7.		Panasonic GH3	5/5	+ +	..	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
8.		Panasonic GH4	5/5	+ +	..	85/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2014	US$ 1 499	ebay.com
9.		Panasonic GH5	4.5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2017	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
10.		Panasonic GH7	..	..	..	..	..	..	Jun 2024	US$ 2 199	amazon.com
11.		Sony A7S II	5/5	+	..	..	4.5/5	5/5	Sep 2015	US$ 2 999	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Check GH5s price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just use the search menu below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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