Panasonic GH5 II Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was revealed to the public in May 2021 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 20.2 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic GH5 II a good camera? The GH5 II has a Camera Elo of 2874. This rating puts the GH5 II among the top 20 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (Four Thirds cameras), the GH5 II ranks among the top 10 percent.

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 side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Panasonic GH5 II vis-à-vis a credit card. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic GH5 II 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 GH5 II	139 mm	98 mm	87 mm	727 g	400	Y	May 2021	1,699	amazon.com
2.		Nikon Z6 II	134 mm	101 mm	70 mm	705 g	410	Y	Oct 2020	1,999	amazon.com
3.		Olympus E-M1 III	134 mm	91 mm	69 mm	580 g	420	Y	Feb 2020	1,799	amazon.com
4.		Olympus E-M1 II	134 mm	91 mm	67 mm	574 g	440	Y	Sep 2016	1,999	ebay.com
5.		OM System OM-1	135 mm	92 mm	73 mm	599 g	520	Y	Feb 2022	2,199	amazon.com
6.		Panasonic GH6	138 mm	100 mm	100 mm	823 g	360	Y	Feb 2022	2,199	amazon.com
7.		Panasonic S5	133 mm	98 mm	82 mm	714 g	440	Y	Sep 2020	1,999	amazon.com
8.		Panasonic G95	130 mm	94 mm	77 mm	536 g	290	Y	Apr 2019	999	amazon.com
9.		Panasonic G9	137 mm	97 mm	92 mm	658 g	400	Y	Nov 2017	1,699	amazon.com
10.		Panasonic GH5	139 mm	98 mm	87 mm	725 g	410	Y	Jan 2017	1,999	ebay.com
11.		Panasonic GX8	133 mm	78 mm	63 mm	487 g	330	Y	Jul 2015	1,199	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 GH5 II was launched in the US market at a price of $1,699. 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 GH5 II 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. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Panasonic GH5 II 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 GH5 II 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 GH5 II	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.7	13.1	1136	79
2.		Nikon Z6 II	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/60p	25.0	14.4	3303	94
3.		Olympus E-M1 III	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.3	13.1	1356	76
4.		Olympus E-M1 II	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.7	12.8	1312	80
5.		OM System OM-1	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.4	13.4	1553	77
6.		Panasonic GH6	Four Thirds	25.0	5776	4336	5.7K/60p	23.4	13.4	1555	77
7.		Panasonic S5	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/60p	25.1	14.5	2697	94
8.		Panasonic G95	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.2	13.0	1273	75
9.		Panasonic G9	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.1	12.8	1138	74
10.		Panasonic GH5	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.9	13.0	807	77
11.		Panasonic GX8	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.5	12.6	806	75
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 also of capturing video footage. The GH5 II indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the GH5 II can use is 4K/60p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the GH5 II 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 following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Panasonic GH5 II and comparable 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)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Panasonic GH5 II	3680	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
2.		Nikon Z6 II	3690	Y	3.2 / 2100	tilting	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
3.		Olympus E-M1 III	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/8000s	18.0/s	n	Y
4.		Olympus E-M1 II	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/8000s	18.0/s	n	Y
5.		OM System OM-1	5760	n	3.0 / 1640	swivel	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
6.		Panasonic GH6	3680	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
7.		Panasonic S5	2360	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	7.0/s	n	Y
8.		Panasonic G95	2360	n	3.0 / 1240	swivel	Y	1/4000s	9.0/s	Y	Y
9.		Panasonic G9	3680	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	Y
10.		Panasonic GH5	3680	n	3.2 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
11.		Panasonic GX8	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
Notes: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II 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 feature that differentiates the GH5 II from many older cameras is in-body image stabilization (IBIS). The GH5 II reduces the risk of handshake-induced blur with all attached lenses, while cameras without IBIS have to rely on optical image stabilization in OIS-equipped lenses to achieve the same effect.

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-GH5 II 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 GH5 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
2.		Nikon Z6 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
3.		Olympus E-M1 III	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	-	Y
4.		Olympus E-M1 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.0	Y	-	-
5.		OM System OM-1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.0	Y	-	Y
6.		Panasonic GH6	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
7.		Panasonic S5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
8.		Panasonic G95	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
9.		Panasonic G9	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.0	Y	-	Y
10.		Panasonic GH5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
11.		Panasonic GX8	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-

It is notable that the GH5 II 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 GH5 II can be found in the free online Panasonic GH5 II Manual or on the Panasonic support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the GH5 II 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 why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major 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 GH5 II	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	May 2021	1,699	amazon.com
2.		Nikon Z6 II	4.5/5	..	4/5	89/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2020	1,999	amazon.com
3.		Olympus E-M1 III	5/5	..	5/5	83/100	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2020	1,799	amazon.com
4.		Olympus E-M1 II	5/5	+ +	5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2016	1,999	ebay.com
5.		OM System OM-1	5/5	..	..	87/100	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2022	2,199	amazon.com
6.		Panasonic GH6	5/5	+ +	5/5	87/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2022	2,199	amazon.com
7.		Panasonic S5	4.5/5	+ +	4.5/5	88/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2020	1,999	amazon.com
8.		Panasonic G95	4.5/5	+	4.5/5	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2019	999	amazon.com
9.		Panasonic G9	..	+ +	5/5	85/100	5/5	5/5	Nov 2017	1,699	amazon.com
10.		Panasonic GH5	4.5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2017	1,999	ebay.com
11.		Panasonic GX8	5/5	+	..	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jul 2015	1,199	ebay.com
Notes: (+ +) 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. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Check GH5 II 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. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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