Panasonic Lumix GH5 II Overview

Introduction

Ease of Use

Measuring 138.5 x 98.1 x 87.4mm and weighing 647g physique solely, the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II is similar in each dimension and weight to the unique GH5 mannequin that it succeeds.

The GH5 II’s physique is made out of magnesium alloy, with a full die-cast entrance and rear body. Each joint, dial, and button is sealed to make sure that the GH5 II is splash/dust-proof and likewise freeze-proof all the way down to -10 levels Celsius.

The digital camera has a shutter launch lifetime of 200,000 photographs. As with the unique mannequin, this is without doubt one of the most well-constructed Panasonic cameras that we have ever reviewed, and will stand as much as some critical abuse.

The GH5 II ships both physique solely, with the Panasonic 12-60mm f3.5-5.6 lens, or with the wonderful Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 lens that we reviewed it with.

Whereas the physique of the GH5 II is comparable in dimension and weight to a mid-range APS-C DSLR digital camera, the lenses are the place Panasonic have actually shrunk the general system. Given the quick most apertures on supply, the Leica 12-60mm optic is comparatively small and light-weight, and delivers nice picture high quality while being quick to focus and utterly silent, good for video use.

The Lumix GH5 II is appropriate with the prevailing DMW-BGGH5 battery grip, which homes an additional battery to increase the general battery life. The DMW-BGGH5 grip shares the identical splash / dustproof design because the GH5 II physique.

Panasonic have considerably upgraded the picture stabilisation system on the GH5 II. The 5-axis Twin I.S. MK II system incorporates gyro-sensor expertise to mix the 2-axis stabilisation from the lens (if it has OIS built-in) and 5-axis stabilisation from the digital camera physique, leading to compensation for as much as 6.5-stops slower shutter velocity, which is 1.5 stops higher than the GH5.

In contrast to a standard DSLR digital camera which makes use of a part detection auto-focus system, the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II employs a 225-point Distinction AF system, much like that generally utilized by compact cameras.

The GH5 II nonetheless has one of many quickest AF techniques of any interchangeable lens digital camera, although, be {that a} compact system digital camera or a DSLR, with a claimed velocity of simply 0.05 seconds when used with sure lenses due to the inclusion of DFD (Depth from Defocus) expertise, which additional shortens the time to set focus.

That is extremely fast, and there have been additionally virtually no events when the GH5 II didn’t lock onto the topic, particularly when utilizing the centre AF level, leading to a responsive and importantly dependable AF system.

New to the GH5 II are the Human Detect AF and Animal Recognition autofocusing algorithims which have been inherited from the full-frame Lumix S5 digital camera. There are a variety of AF modes on supply, together with Human/Animal Detect, Monitoring, 225-Space, Zone (Vert/Horz), Zone (Oval), 1-Space+, 1-Space and Pinpoint.

On the entrance of the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II is a small focus-assist and self-timer indicator lamp, lens launch button, customisable unmarked Function6 button, metallic lens mount, flash sync socket and a sculpted, rubberised hand-grip that is very nice to make use of.

By default the Fn6 button cleverly toggles between exhibiting a reside preview of the results of the present aperture (successfully a digital model of Depth of Subject Preview) and the present shutter velocity. The latter will show particularly helpful for inexperienced persons, offering a visual manner of checking how totally different shutter speeds will have an effect on the seize of various topics – working water is an efficient instance.

The vast majority of the GH5 II’s exterior is matt black plastic, with the handgrip, right-hand and left-hand corners completed in a extra tactile rubberised coating.

Discovered on prime of the Panasonic GH5 II are the burst mode/6K photograph/bracketing/self-timer/time-lapse dial on the left, exterior flash hotshoe, stereo microphones, lockable taking pictures mode dial surrounded by the on/off swap, shutter launch button, entrance management dial, white stability, ISO and publicity compensation buttons, a customisable Photograph Types button and a big one-touch film report button that is now fully purple. There’s additionally a tiny LED to point if wi-fi is on or off or if USB charging is in operation.

The row of white stability, ISO and publicity compensation buttons make it extraordinarily simple to entry the digital camera’s key publicity controls, whereas the twin management dials make it simple to make use of the totally Guide taking pictures mode.

The GH5 II has each a conventional mechanical shutter and a silent digital shutter, which in addition to not spooking your topic ensures that your topic is totally sharp by avoiding pixel shifting. The Delay Shutter possibility helps to take away the impact of hand-shake by releasing the shutter after a specified time (8, 4, 2 or 1 seconds).

The beginning-up time from turning the Lumix GH5 II on to being able to take a photograph is impressively fast at lower than a second. It takes about 1/2 second to retailer a JPEG picture, permitting you to maintain taking pictures as they’re being recorded onto the reminiscence card – there isn’t a perceptible LCD blackout between every picture. Storing a single RAW picture takes round 1 second and would not lock up the digital camera in any manner – you should utilize the menu system or shoot one other picture whereas the primary file is being written to reminiscence.

The Panasonic Lumix GH5 II has a superb Burst mode which allows you to take 12 frames per second with the main target and publicity locked on the first body or 7.5fps with AF monitoring. The GH5M2 can now shoot repeatedly for as much as 999 JPEG photographs on the highest picture high quality or 108 RAW information, in comparison with 600 JPEG and 60 RAWs for the GH5.

The standard taking pictures mode dial allows you to select from the totally different publicity modes. The standard collection of Program, Aperture Precedence, Shutter Precedence, and Guide can be found for the extra skilled photographers.

Moreover there are 4 customized modes, marked C1, C2, C3 and C4, which let you configure your favorite settings and shortly entry them, Clever Auto for much less skilled customers, and the Inventive Film mode which supplies entry to the entire digital camera’s intensive vary of video choices.

The Panasonic Lumix GH5 II’s vary of twenty-two totally different filter results, which have been denoted by an artist’s palette on the GH5’s taking pictures mode dial, however are actually solely accessible by way of the principle menu system (successfully changed by the C4 mode). There are additionally 11 totally different customisable Photograph Types which nonetheless permit full management of the digital camera’s settings.

The purple film report button on the highest, as you’d anticipate, lets you begin recording a film with a single push of a button after which cease recording by urgent the identical button, no matter which taking pictures mode is presently chosen. It is a lot extra intuitive than having to pick the film mode then press the shutter button, though you possibly can nonetheless begin/cease film recording by way of the GH5 II’s shutter button if you want.

The Inventive Film taking pictures mode, accessed by way of the mode dial on prime of the GH5 II, lets you set the shutter velocity, aperture or each settings manually throughout recording (a Program possibility can be obtainable). Altering the shutter velocity is very appropriate for taking pictures fast-moving topics, while the flexibility to regulate the aperture is handy when there are a number of topics at totally different distances.

The Panasonic Lumix GH5 II has a plethora of film choices, making it one of the full-featured interchangeable lens cameras in the marketplace by way of video. It principally gives inner 10-bit 4:2:0 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) at as much as 60fps with a bitrate of 150Mbps. Cinema 4K can be obtainable in 10 bit 4:2:2 at as much as 30fps, as is Anamorphic recording as much as 60fps with the choice of picture stabilisation.

In contrast, the GH5 can solely internally report 4:2:0 4K at 50/60fps price in 8-bit, though each fashions are equally able to outputting 4K 60p 10 bit in 4:2:2 to an exterior recorder.

The GH5 II makes use of the complete space of the sensor to report then downsamples it in-camera, which implies that your framing will not be cropped when composing.

The GH5 II is without doubt one of the few cameras that is not geographically restricted, as you possibly can select from each NTSC and PAL settings, so that you get the complete vary of body charges no matter the place you obtain the digital camera. It is also able to recording repeatedly for a limiteless time in any mode till your reminiscence card is full.

One other attraction is the flexibility to output a 10-bit 4:2:0 sign by way of HDMI and report it internally on the similar time. You may set the luminance stage for 10-bit seize (0-1023, 64-940 or 64-1023), and the flat V-Log L profile is now pre-installed on the digital camera reasonably than being a pricey improve as on the GH5.

New Cinelike D2 / Cinelike V2 profiles have been inherited by the GH5 II from the flagship full-frame S1H video digital camera, in addition to new video taking pictures help features which embrace a body indicator (purple for video and blue for reside streaming), body markers, vertical place info, luminance spot metering, and the flexibility to filter the varied Rec High quality setting choices and register often used mixtures for fast recall.

The Variable Body Charge possibility lets you set the video body price from 2fps to 180fps whereas recording Full HD video. Out there for each JPEG photographs and films, the EX Tele Conversion possibility extends the focal size connected lens by 2x for nonetheless photographs, by 1.4x for 4K/UHD video recording, and a couple of.7x for 1080p with none lack of picture high quality.

The Focus Transition software lets you create three focus factors, between which the GH5 II robotically shifts the main target at a relentless velocity. There is a alternative of 5 totally different speeds, and you’ll select whether or not to start out the transition instantly when recording begins or add a 5 or 10 second delay.

Dolby-quality stereo sound is recorded throughout video seize by way of the interior mics on prime of the digital camera, which is an enormous enchancment on the reasonably muffled noises recorded by most digital cameras, helped by the wind reduce operate which blocks out many of the noise from background wind.

It’s also possible to add the non-obligatory DMW-XLR1 XLR microphone adapter which attaches by way of the hotshoe and gives two XLR audio inputs with bodily switches and dials for altering the degrees, acquire, and low reduce filter of every enter individually.

Reside streaming is probably the most important new function that has been launched on the GH5M2. The GH5M2 is able to wi-fi reside streaming in 1080/60p at 16Mbps by way of the LUMIX Sync smartphone app, or by connecting on to a Wi-Fi router.

For reside Wired USB-LAN IP Streaming (FWUP), the devoted LUMIX Webcam Software program is offered without cost obtain. As well as, the brand new digital camera will obtain a future firmware replace later in 2021 so as to add RTP/RTSP wired IP streaming.

In distinction, the older GH5 gives no reside streaming capabilities of any form.

On the rear of the Lumix GH5 II is the three inch OLED display with 100% scene protection, smaller than the one on the GH5 however crucially providing extra decision. The rotating, free-angle monitor, which is hinged on the left facet of the digital camera (trying from the rear), could be flipped out and twisted via 270 levels.

You need to use the display as a waist-level viewfinder, holding the digital camera overhead, and even for turning the GH5 II on your self for arm-length self-portraits. There’s additionally the additional advantage of folding the display away in opposition to the digital camera physique to guard it when saved in a digital camera bag, stopping it from turning into marked or scratched.

The 1,840K pixel display gives a wider color gamut and brightness that has been improved by 150% in comparison with the unique GH5.

The Auto Energy LCD operate robotically detects the present lighting circumstances and boosts the LCD backlighting by as much as 40% when taking pictures open air in shiny sunshine, serving to to maintain the display seen. The helpful stage gauge signifies the 2 instructions of horizontal lean and entrance/rear tilt.

The Panasonic Lumix GH5 II inherits the GH5’s intelligent touchscreen interface. Panasonic have properly restricted the quantity of issues that you are able to do by interacting with the display, and certainly you possibly can nonetheless function every part on the digital camera with out having to push and prod the LCD in any respect.

You’d be lacking out on a variety of genuinely helpful performance, although, which actually improves the general taking pictures expertise. A intelligent function known as Touchpad AF lets you transfer the main target level space along with your finger on the LCD when you’re trying via the EVF.

Essentially the most instantly noticeable operate is the flexibility to make use of the 1-area AF mode to focus in your foremost topic just by touching it on the LCD. If the topic then strikes, the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II cleverly follows it across the display utilizing the the AF monitoring operate. If the topic exits the body fully, merely recompose and faucet it once more to start out focusing. Spectacular stuff that makes specializing in off-center topics quick and intuitive.

It’s a little too simple to unintentionally press the display and set the main target level to the mistaken space for the present topic, however a easy faucet in the midst of the LCD will heart the AF level (or you possibly can flip this function off altogether). The dimensions of the AF level itself may also be modified by way of an interactive onscreen slider.

When you choose to manually focus reasonably than use the quick AF system, you possibly can amplify any a part of the topic by 1x, 5x or 10x by merely dragging the picture across the display. The ultimate touchscreen skill from a picture composition viewpoint is the flexibility to launch the shutter, with a small icon on the best hand display enabling this performance, after which a single on-screen faucet all that is required to take the image.

The entire menu choices could be modified by way of the touchscreen interface, together with the Foremost menu system. It’s also possible to management picture playback by touching the display, with the flexibility to faucet a thumbnail to see the full-size model, scroll via your photographs by dragging them backward and forward, and magnifying them as much as 16x.

The Panasonic GH5 II has a really barely improved digital viewfinder. The OLED unit has a big 1.52x (0.76x on 35mm equiv.) magnification, 100% discipline of view, 1000:1 distinction ratio and three,680K-dot decision, leading to probably the greatest EVFs that we have ever used. The EVF (and likewise the principle LCD display) now operates at a local price of as much as 120fps, twice as quick because the GH5, which helps make it flicker-free.

There are three 6K Photograph features – 6K Burst Capturing, 6K Burst (Begin/Cease) and 6K Pre-burst – which all report steady 18 megapixel stills at a 30fps taking pictures price. 6K Burst lets you repeatedly report 18 megapixel photographs at 30fps, 6K Pre-Burst does the identical however for one second previous to and one second after urgent the shutter button so as, supplying you with 60 frames to select from, and 6K Burst (S/S) lets you playback your video, pause on the chosen second, and use the shutter button to mark a selected body from the video and put it aside as a single 18 megapixel body. The GH5 II additionally gives the identical possibility for 4K Photograph, which doubles the seize velocity to 60fps however lowers the efficient decision to eight megapixels.

The Submit Focus mode lets you take a sequence of photographs all with a special focus level, after which select your most popular one after you have captured the shot. This may be extra helpful for some topics than others, for instance with macro it’s an awesome concept. Focus Stacking allows you to take a number of photographs with totally different aperture values, then mix them right into a single picture and select how a lot of the topic is in focus, once more excellent news for macro photographers.

The Panasonic Lumix GH5 II additionally has a time lapse operate in which you’ll set the time interval and the variety of photographs to take, plus a multi-exposure possibility that allows you to mix as much as 4 exposures in a single body, whereas the Cease Movement Animation mode lets you create distinctive cease movement movies.

The Wi-Fi operate (802.11ac) allows you to use your smartphone to vary the digital camera settings (focus setting, publicity compensation, ISO, WB and Photograph Types) and even fireplace the shutter button remotely (together with interval video recordings), whereas the auto switch operate robotically backs up your photographs onto a pill. It’s also possible to use GPS knowledge out of your smartphone to report the taking pictures location onto your photographs. The Bluetooth possibility establishes a low-energy, everlasting connection between the digital camera and a wise machine for simpler switch of photographs.

On the rear of the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II, from left to proper, is a Playback button, an LVF button for manually switching between the 2 viewing strategies (helpful for those who flip the attention sensor off) which may also be configured because the Fn5 button, conveniently situated AF On button (instead of the shared AF/AE Lock button on the GH5) which is surrounded by the AF Kind swap, the rear management dial, which is used for, amongst different issues, altering the aperture and shutter velocity by turning from left to proper and again once more, and a thumb-controlled joystick. This lets you shortly and simply choose the AF level with out taking your eyes off the topic and is a really helpful inclusion.

Beneath are the Fast Menu/Fn2, Fn3/AF Mode and Show buttons. In taking pictures mode, the Show button alternates between turning the show off, the principle digital camera settings as icons, no settings in any respect, and an Data Show which reveals the present key settings in a transparent graphical format. You may moreover press the Q.Menu button after which use the navigation pad to maneuver between the onscreen choices.

The Q.Menu button supplies fast entry to many of the principal controls, together with ISO velocity, picture dimension, picture high quality and white stability (there are 16 settings in whole, relying upon the taking pictures mode chosen). You may nonetheless entry all of those choices from the principle menu system too.

The Panasonic Lumix GH5 II has a conventional 4-way navigation pad system with a round scroll wheel and Menu/Set button within the centre. In contrast to different G-series cameras, the 4 instructions on the d-pad haven’t got a selected operate, aside from to maneuver via and choose choices, playback photographs and so on. The round scroll wheel may accomplish lots of the similar issues. The Delete button beneath the navigation pad doubles up because the Fn4 button.

The principle menu system on the GH5 II may be very clear and straight-forward to make use of and is accessed by urgent the Menu/Set button in the midst of the navigation pad. There are as much as 6 foremost menus represented by a column of icons on the left of the display, relying on which taking pictures mode you are presently utilizing, which then present as much as 7 sub-menus every exhibiting 8 choices onscreen without delay.

On the underside of the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II is a metallic tripod socket, importantly in-line with the center of the lens barrel, and the battery compartment housing the brand new DMW-BLK22 battery, and on the best facet are the Distant port and the twin and SD/SDHC/SDXC reminiscence card slots.

On the left is the Distant/Mic socket to be used with the non-obligatory distant shutter launch or 3.5mm exterior microphone, and three connection ports, together with a port for exterior headphones (once more 3.5mm in dimension), and a really welcome full-sized HDMI port for connecting the GH5 II to a HD tv or monitor.

Picture High quality

The entire pattern photographs on this evaluate have been taken utilizing the 20M High-quality JPEG picture dimension possibility, which supplies a median picture dimension of round 8Mb.

The Panasonic Lumix GH5 II produced photographs of excellent high quality in the course of the evaluate interval. It produces noise-free photographs at ISO 100 to 1600, with restricted noise beginning to seem at ISO 3200. ISO 6400 and 12800 exhibit fairly seen noise and lack of positive element, whereas the quickest setting of 25600 appears to be like significantly better on paper than in actuality.

The varied Photograph Types and Filters will let you shortly and simply customise the look of the digital camera’s JPEG photographs earlier than you are taking them, whereas the Clever D-range mode extracts somewhat extra element out of the shadow and spotlight areas. The evening {photograph} was glorious, with the utmost shutter velocity of 60 seconds permitting you to seize loads of gentle.

Noise

There are 9 ISO settings obtainable on the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II which you’ll choose at any time if the digital camera is in one of many inventive taking pictures modes. Listed here are some 100% crops which present the noise ranges for every ISO setting for each JPEG and RAW codecs.

JPEG	RAW
ISO 100 (100% Crop)	ISO 100 (100% Crop)
ISO 200 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 400 (100% Crop)
ISO 800 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop)	ISO 1600 (100% Crop)
ISO 3200 (100% Crop)	ISO 3200 (100% Crop)
ISO 6400 (100% Crop)	ISO 6400 (100% Crop)
ISO 12800 (100% Crop)	ISO 12800 (100% Crop)
ISO 25600 (100% Crop)	ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

File High quality

The Panasonic Lumix GH5 II has 2 totally different JPEG picture high quality settings obtainable, with High-quality being the best high quality possibility. Listed here are some 100% crops which present the standard of the varied choices, with the file dimension proven in brackets.

High-quality (8.6Mb) (100% Crop)	Regular (4.11Mb) (100% Crop)
RAW (23.1Mb) (100% Crop)

Evening

The Panasonic Lumix GH5 II’s most shutter velocity is 60 seconds and there is additionally a Bulb possibility for exposures as much as half-hour lengthy, which is good news for those who’re critically concerned with evening images. The shot beneath was taken utilizing a shutter velocity of 30 seconds at ISO 100. The digital camera takes the identical period of time once more to use noise discount, so for instance on the 15 second setting the precise publicity takes 30 seconds.

Photograph Types

Panasonic’s Photograph Types, much like Nikon’s Image Types, Canon’s Image Controls and Olympus’ Image Modes, are preset mixtures of various sharpness, distinction, saturation and noise discount settings. The 15 obtainable Photograph Types are proven beneath within the following sequence, which demonstrates the variations. There are additionally 4 Customized choices with the intention to create your personal appears to be like.

Commonplace

Vivid

Pure

L.ClassicNeo

Flat

Panorama

Portrait

Monochrome

L.Monochrome

L.Monochrome D

L.Monochrome S

Cinelike D2

Cinelike V2

Like709

V-Log L

Filter Results

The Panasonic Lumix GH5 II has an in depth vary of digital filter results, denoted by an artist’s palette within the taking pictures mode menu, with 22 totally different choices on supply.

Expressive

Retro

Outdated Days

Excessive Key

Low Key

Sepia

Monochrome

Dynamic Monochrome

Tough Monochrome

Silky Monochrome

Spectacular Artwork

Excessive Dynamic

Cross Course of

Toy Impact

Toy Pop

Bleach Bypass

Miniature

Mushy Focus

Fantasy

Star Filter

One Level Colour

Sunshine

Submit Focus and Focus Stacking

Submit Focus is a operate that permits customers to pick the in-focus space after taking pictures just by touching it on the LCD display. The primary three photographs present the results of switching between the three reminiscence playing cards.

The Submit Focus Stacking operate permits customers to take a number of photographs of the identical body with totally different areas in focus, then mix all or chosen focus areas into one picture. The fourth picture beneath reveals the impact of merging the primary three photographs into one stacked picture.

Clever Dynamic Vary

The Panasonic Lumix GH5 II’s Clever Dynamic function adjusts the publicity setting to report extra element within the highlights and shadows, with three strengths obtainable – low, commonplace and excessive.

A number of Publicity

Within the A number of Publicity mode the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II combines a number of frames to create a single picture.

Pattern Photos

It is a collection of pattern photographs from the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II digital camera, which have been all taken utilizing the 20 megapixel High-quality JPEG setting. The thumbnails beneath hyperlink to the full-sized variations, which haven’t been altered in any manner.

Pattern RAW Photos

The Panasonic Lumix GH5 II permits customers to seize RAW and JPEG format information. We have supplied some Panasonic RAW (RW2) samples so that you can obtain (thumbnail photographs proven beneath will not be 100% consultant).

Pattern Films & Video

Product Photos

Conclusion

The brand new Lumix GH5 II is a reasonably modest refresh of the unique GH5 that is designed to maintain the sequence related in 2021 and pique the curiosity of recent customers, reasonably than persuade present GH5 homeowners to improve.

With the upcoming GH6 already pre-announced and on the close to horizon, you could be questioning why Panasonic have even bothered with the GH5 II. In spite of everything, the unique GH5 was considered one of their best-selling cameras of all time and even to at the present time stays a mannequin that has a lot of attraction for hybrid stills and videographers.

Clearly forward of its time in a variety of methods, the GH5 stays an awesome purchase even a full 4 years after its launch again in 2017, a lot in order that for those who’ll by no means use the Mark II’s foremost new function, Reside Streaming, the unique digital camera continues to be greater than price monitoring down on sale.

Having mentioned that, reside streaming alone will probably be sufficient to show the heads of some customers, because the GH5 II is presently one of many solely cameras that helps it with out having to make use of a pc to take action. With the ability to wirelessly stream direct from the GH5 II to YouTube or an RTMP appropriate platform by way of a cellular or a Wifi hotspot actually frees you up.

The opposite new options are extra nice-to-haves reasonably than must-haves – the smaller however increased decision LCD display and the bigger battery have presumably been launched due to elements availability within the provide chain, whereas the brand new processor permits for Lumix S5-series ranges of auto-focusing and video choices which can be nice to see.

With help for USB-C charging, improved picture stabilisation and a now free V-Log L profile, these comparatively small adjustments do add as much as undoubtedly make the GH5 II a “higher” digital camera than its predecessor, helped in no small half by a lower cost tag on launch than the GH5 loved.

Total, while it might not supply any earth-shattering new options or improvements (they’re presumably reserved for the GH6), the GH5 Mark II stays a well-thought-out, complete hybrid video/nonetheless digital camera, identical to its predecessor, which provided that we favored it a lot first time round is a excessive accolade certainly.

Foremost Rivals

Listed beneath are a few of the rivals of the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II.

Overview Roundup

Opinions of the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II from across the net.

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