PANASONIC LUMIX DC-GH5S
This new offering from Panasonic appears as one of the most capable video-centric mirrorless cameras we’ve seen yet
Our verdict on this videocentric mirrorless camera
Panasonic may already have its
GH5 offering for any professionals after an arsenal of video tools inside a relatively compact body, but the new GH5S variant is intended for the even more discerning filmmaker.
Outwardly, there’s little to split the two models, but things are very different on the inside. With a sensor that holds just 10.28MP, the camera can boast much larger pixels than those on the 20.3MP GH5’s sensor, and its oversized design allows for a return of Panasonic’s Multi Aspect Ratio concept, which retains the same focal length for all aspect ratios.
Sensor-based image stabilisation has been dropped from the GH5S, which is justified by the presumed use of gimbals by the target audience, while a slew of further video-centric tweaks to the GH5’s feature set split the camera even further from its sibling (explained overleaf). Certain changes also benefit those capturing stills, such as 14-bit RAW recording (presumably to account for the wider dynamic range) and an AF working range down to
-5EV, in contrast to the GH5’s 12-bit RAW and -4EV AF range.
In terms of overall design, there have only been a few cosmetic changes from the GH5. It’s a shame, as the stronger focus on video surely justifies more tweaking with the external controls. That said, you are at least in familiar territory if you need to capture stills.
The GH5S’s slightly squat shape means that some may only find it comfortable to get middle and ring fingers around the body of the grip, and the flushness of some controls to the rear plate can frustrate. The camera redeems itself elsewhere though; both the mode and command dials are tactile, and the latter is pleasingly tall. Buttons, while somewhat small, have good feedback, while the AF joystick moves freely and has a great rubber coating, although it does join the G9 in failing to respond to diagonal movements.
The viewfinder boasts a 120fps refresh rate option, although it
“One thing that’s immediately noticeable in handheld footage is the camera’s fine control over rolling shutter”
otherwise appears to be the same glorious 3.68M-dot OLED finder that we first saw inside the GH5. This remains one of the finest viewfinders we’ve had on such a model, partly because of its superb clarity but also because its 0.76x magnification means that it fills the frame without being uncomfortable in use. The only minor annoyance is that the viewfinder’s eye sensor is sensitive enough to frequently deactivate the LCD when the LCD screen is being used away from its stowed position (such as at waist height), which is still a slight issue when sensitivity is lessened through the menu.
The 3.2in vari-angle LCD underneath it is impressively speeded, with 1.62 million dots and touch sensitivity. Although the groove to its side that allows it to be pulled away from the body is awkwardly small, the display itself is clear and colourful, and it responds very well to touch.
Focusing is generally sound. In good light the camera does well to bring many subjects to focus with virtually no delay, just slowing a touch when shooting more specific subjects at telephoto focal lengths.
While initial tests showed the autofocus system to occasionally hesitate in low light and against low-contrast subjects, a firmware update issued during the course of this review noticeably improved this. There is still some hesitation, but only typically against subjects that would tax any camera’s focusing system. The camera becomes somewhat reliant on its
AF assist lamp here, which is something to bear in mind if shooting discreetly.
4k video footage is very pleasing to the eye, with good detail throughout. It perhaps lacks a touch of the biting sharpness we’ve seen from the oversampled footage in other cameras recently – the GH5S is, after all, capturing footage at 4k rather than downsampling it from a higher-resolution starting point – but it’s still superbly natural and artefact-free, save for some occasional aliasing in finely detailed areas. One thing that’s immediately noticeable in handheld footage is the camera’s fine control over rolling shutter, which is only really noticeable when moving the camera sharply in conjunction with telephoto shooting.
The responsiveness of the screen is great while you’re recording as many controls can be adjusted in complete silence, be it to shift exposure, move the focusing point or something else. Focus itself moves nice “This remains one of the finest viewfinders we’ve had on such a model, partly because of its superb clarity”
and smoothly while recording (this can be adjusted), and the electronic image stabilisation system does a noticeably good job to keep footage steady too. With so many menu options, though, it’s slightly annoying that the camera fails to explain exactly why greyed-out options can’t be selected.
Despite its focus as a video camera, it’s reassuring to see that image quality is generally strong. The 10.28MP resolution doesn’t tax lenses too much, and RAW files show themselves to be nicely malleable, with shadow detail regainable from underexposed images and highlight details held well in high-contrast scenes. naturally you don’t end up with images that can withstand heavy cropping, but the detail that is there is natural and is not affected by oversharpening or other artefacts. noise control is also very good, with the fine patterned noise visible in images even at ISO 6400 easily dealt with in post-production.