GH5 vs GH5s: Looking Into Price, Specs & Handling – Which One to Choose?

The GH5 and GH5s are two pro mirrorless cameras by Panasonic, released just a year apart.

There isn't a colossal technology difference here, so which is more worth the money?

Read on for our comparison review to discover which camera is worth the splurge.

Rent the Lumix GH5 and get real-life experience if you want to practice right away.

Panasonic GH5 vs GH5s key specs

Here are some key specs for the GH5:

• Date announced: 4th January 2017.
• Price at launch: $2200 for the body only.
• Sensor: 20.3MP MOS.
• ISO: 200- 25600, extended ISO 100.
• Viewfinder: 3,680,000-dot OLED, 21mm, 0.76x (35mm equivalent).
• Shutter Speed: 1/8000-60 sec, Electronic first curtain shutter 1/2000-60 sec, Bulb to 30min, X=1/250.
• 5-axis In-body image stabilization system.
• SD card slot: 2x UHS-II U3.
• Battery Life: 410 pictures using LCD.
• Weight: 725g.

And here are some key specs for the GH5s:

• Date announced: 8th January 2018.
• Price at launch: $3000, body only. (Can now be found for around $2000.)
• Sensor: 10.2MP High Sensitivity MOS.
• ISO: ISO 160-51200, Extended ISO 80/102400/204800, Dual Native ISO.
• Viewfinder: 3,680,000-dot OLED, 21mm, 0.76x (35mm equivalent).
• Shutter Speed: 1/8000-60 sec, Bulb to 30 minutes, X=1/250.
• No in-body image stabilization system.
• SD card slot: 2x UHS-II U3.
• Battery Life: 440 pictures using LCD. (1300 in power save mode.)
• Weight: 660g.

With quite a few features, the GH5s come out on top, but this does come with a substantial price increase.

Panasonic GH5: pros and cons

Strengths

• Weather sealing.
• More cost-effective.
• Wide ISO range.

Weaknesses

• High chance of moire in some shots.
• V-Log L not built-in: you have to purchase a firmware update.

Panasonic GH5s: pros and cons

Strengths

• Longer battery life than the GH5- can take 440 images using LCD. (1300 in power save mode.)
• 51.200 max ISO.
• Weighs considerably less than the GH5.
• 4096x2160 max video resolution.
• Weather sealing.
• Multi-Aspect Ratio Function.

Weaknesses

• No in-body image stabilization system.
• High chance of moire in some shots.

GH5 vs GH5s: Low light sensitivity and Dual native ISO

The GH5s has a wide ISO range of ISO 160 to 51200, with extended values of 80 and up to 204800 for both stills and video.

Its ISO is also dual native- one at ISO 400 and the other at ISO 25600. This amplifies the gain by 1 stop and 1/3, rather than 4 stops, meaningless noise in your images.

Compare this with the GH5, which ranges from ISO 200-25800 with an extension setting of ISO 80.

Stills captured by the GH5s will be at half the resolution of the GH5 due to the drop in pixel count. But, this should improve its video performance and low light ability.

Due to its ISO range and low light capabilities, the GH5s come out on top here.

GH5 vs GH5s: V-Log L

One of the new features in the GH5s is that the V-Log L comes pre-installed. This will be great news for you videographers out there, as it will enable a more extensive dynamic range (up from 10 stops to 12!)

V-Log L is available for the GH5, but you have to buy separate firmware that runs you $100.

The output from this mode is designed to be enhanced during grading, so don’t be alarmed when your footage initially looks flat!

In addition, V-LogL View Assist is on hand as a guide when you’re shooting, especially if you find the flat footage hard to assess.

The GH5s is definitely a winner for videographers.

GH5 vs GH5s: sensor comparison

The GH5s has a 10.0MP Four Thirds CMOS sensor, and features a Venus Engine 10 processor. The GH5 has a 20.0MP Four Thirds CMOS sensor and also features a Venus Engine processor.

Right off the bat, the GH5 has 10MP more than the GH5s, which gives a noticeable advantage while using- allowing you to print images larger and have more freedom while cropping.

(Keep in mind that factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size, and sensor technology also affect the final resolution of images.)

Both cameras also lack anti-alias filters. This increases the sharpness of your images but also increases the occurrence of moire in certain shots.

The GH5 and the GH5s both have the same sensor size, so you can expect similar control over the depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.

But since the GH5s has a 98% larger pixel area, you can collect more light on the pixel level, and have less noise in low light / High ISO images.

GH5 vs GH5s: AF sensitivity

Both Panasonic cameras use a contrast-detection system, called Depth from Defocus. The GH5s includes features such as deep learning with face, eye, and body detection, and animal detection.

Its minimum sensitivity in low light is -5Ev compared with the GH5’s -4Ev. In addition, the continuous shooting speed on the GH5s is a max of 12fps, but if you plan on shooting 14-bit RAW, it may decrease to 11fps.

Again, the GH5s is the winner here.

Discover the best camera gear to complement Panasonic cameras.

Final verdict: Which one is better?

The GH5 and GH5s are suitable for different photographers looking to achieve different results. Whereas the GH5s is average at portrait photography, the GH5 excels at this.

They both perform poorly for landscape photography, but for daily usage, they are both more than suitable. The GH5 is particularly apt for street photographers, but both are decent all-rounders.

In terms of which camera is better, the GH5s still does come out on top. It has a high ISO performance and better handling, but this does come at a price jump. In terms of value for money, the GH5 is at the top of the list.

Up next: Explore GH5's in-depth

Eager to explore these cameras in-depth? You can check out our full reviews for the GH5 and the GH5s.

You can also rent or subscribe to the Panasonic GH5 or check out our full range of Panasonic cameras.

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