Panasonic GH2 Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was announced in September 2010 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 15.9 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic GH2 a good camera? The GH2 has a Camera Elo of 1527. This rating puts the GH2 below average of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (Four Thirds cameras), the GH2 also ranks below average. – Well, the Panasonic GH2 is more than 10 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2010.

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

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Panasonic GH2 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic GH2 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 (USD)	Street Price
1.		Panasonic GH2	124 mm	90 mm	76 mm	442 g	330	n	Sep 2010	899
2.		Panasonic GX80	122 mm	71 mm	44 mm	426 g	290	n	Apr 2016	799
3.		Panasonic GM5	99 mm	60 mm	36 mm	211 g	220	n	Sep 2014	749
4.		Panasonic G6	122 mm	85 mm	71 mm	390 g	340	n	Apr 2013	599
5.		Panasonic GH3	133 mm	93 mm	82 mm	550 g	540	Y	Sep 2012	1,299
6.		Panasonic G3	115 mm	84 mm	47 mm	336 g	270	n	May 2011	599
7.		Panasonic GX1	116 mm	68 mm	39 mm	318 g	320	n	Nov 2011	699
8.		Panasonic G10	124 mm	84 mm	74 mm	388 g	380	n	Mar 2010	499
9.		Panasonic G2	124 mm	84 mm	74 mm	428 g	360	n	Mar 2010	599
10.		Panasonic GF1	119 mm	71 mm	36 mm	385 g	380	n	Sep 2009	749
11.		Panasonic GH1	124 mm	90 mm	45 mm	385 g	300	n	Mar 2009	899
Notes: 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 GH2 was launched in the US market at a price of $899. 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.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants 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. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Panasonic GH2 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 GH2 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Panasonic GH2	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60i	21.2	11.3	655	60
2.		Panasonic GX80	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	4K/30p	22.9	12.6	662	71
3.		Panasonic GM5	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60p	22.1	11.7	721	66
4.		Panasonic G6	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	21.3	11.5	639	61
5.		Panasonic GH3	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	22.7	12.4	812	71
6.		Panasonic G3	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60i	21.0	10.6	667	56
7.		Panasonic GX1	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60p	20.8	10.6	703	55
8.		Panasonic G10	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	21.2	10.1	411	52
9.		Panasonic G2	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	21.2	10.3	493	53
10.		Panasonic GF1	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	21.2	10.3	513	54
11.		Panasonic GH1	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	21.6	11.6	772	64

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The GH2 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the GH2 can use is 1080/60i.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the GH2 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 1534k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.71x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Panasonic GH2 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

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)	Mech Shutter Speed	Shutter Flaps (1/sec)	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Panasonic GH2	1534	n	3.0 / 460	swivel	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
2.		Panasonic GX80	2765	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	8.0	Y	Y
3.		Panasonic GM5	1166	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	Y	1/500s	5.8	n	n
4.		Panasonic G6	1440	n	3.0 / 1036	swivel	Y	1/4000s	7.0	Y	n
5.		Panasonic GH3	1746	n	3.0 / 614	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.0	Y	n
6.		Panasonic G3	1440	n	3.0 / 460	swivel	Y	1/4000s	4.0	Y	n
7.		Panasonic GX1	optional	n	3.0 / 460	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.2	Y	n
8.		Panasonic G10	202	n	3.0 / 460	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.6	Y	n
9.		Panasonic G2	1440	n	3.0 / 460	swivel	Y	1/4000s	2.6	Y	n
10.		Panasonic GF1	optional	n	3.0 / 460	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
11.		Panasonic GH1	1440	n	3.0 / 460	swivel	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n

The LCD screen on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 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.

One convenient feature of the GH2 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

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 DMC-GH2 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 GH2	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Panasonic GX80	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
3.		Panasonic GM5	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
4.		Panasonic G6	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
5.		Panasonic GH3	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
6.		Panasonic G3	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Panasonic GX1	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Panasonic G10	Y	mono / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Panasonic G2	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Panasonic GF1	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Panasonic GH1	Y	stereo / -	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the GH2 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.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the GH2. 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 why expert reviews are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular 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 (USD)	Street Price
1.		Panasonic GH2	5/5	+ +	..	79/100	4.5/5	5/5	Sep 2010	899
2.		Panasonic GX80	4.5/5	+ +	..	82/100	5/5	5/5	Apr 2016	799
3.		Panasonic GM5	3.5/5	+	..	77/100	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2014	749
4.		Panasonic G6	4/5	+ +	..	..	5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2013	599
5.		Panasonic GH3	5/5	+ +	..	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	1,299
6.		Panasonic G3	3/5	+ +	..	75/100	4.5/5	5/5	May 2011	599
7.		Panasonic GX1	3/5	+	..	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Nov 2011	699
8.		Panasonic G10	3/5	..	..	70/100	4/5	4/5	Mar 2010	499
9.		Panasonic G2	..	..	..	72/100	4/5	4.5/5	Mar 2010	599
10.		Panasonic GF1	..	85/100	..	69/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2009	749
11.		Panasonic GH1	..	+ +	..	72/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2009	899
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review of this and another camera, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes 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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