First Look: Panasonic Lumix GH5

HDMI

Panasonic utilized a much-hated micro HDMI port in the GH4. They tried to ameliorate this for professionals by offering an accessory (YAGH, Figure 2, below) that provided 4K over quad SDI and a full HDMI port. It also acted as an XLR input for audio. The problem was that it was big, ugly, and expensive ($2,000 list), required external 12v DC to work, and the video out still used the GH4's micro HDMI out, so it didn't offer any better video than the camera was already exporting.

Figure 2. The big, ugly, expensive YAGH accessory on the GH4. Click the image to see it at full size.

With the GH5, Panasonic moves to a full-size HDMI port (Figure 3, below). This should be a lot more rugged than the oft-damaged micro port, especially if it's anchored well in the camera's magnesium frame. But it also means users can ditch all those micro-HDMI adapters and just go with regular cables.

Figure 3. The GH5's new full-size HDMI port. Click the image to see it at full size.

The GH5 also comes with a cable bracket that screws into the side plane of the camera (like an old SCSI cable) protecting the HDMI, USB-C and headphone out (Figure 5, below). This is a welcome addition.

Figure 5. The GH5's new cable bracket. Click the image to see it at full size.

Audio

Audio gets a similar step up with a new $399 DMW-XLR1 interface that utilizes the hot shoe of the camera to deliver cable-less audio into the camera. It offers phantom power, line and mic levels, and the ability to select higher-resolution 96 kHz audio. I never felt the talking-head videos I captured with the GH4 lacked audio resolution, so I might not be taking advantage of that last feature. But it is very welcome to have the XLR adapter integrated much more directly into the camera, and not requiring external power, or even a cable (Figure 6, below).

Figure 6. XLR is directly integrated into the GH5. Click the image to see it at full size.

Best of all are the new individual mic level dials for left and right, easily adjustable while recording. Do note, though, that the new hot shoe providing this capability is where the DSLR's pop-up flash would be, if there was one in the GH5. There isn't. So if your needs include TTL flash, then you'll need the hot shoe and your audio will still need to be captured a different way.

Multiple Cameras

Priced at $2,000 without lenses, the GH5 is not a very cheap camera, but it offers a lot of bang for the buck. For those needing to set up multiple GH5s in a multi-camera situation, live shoot, etc., Panasonic finally offers the ability to save camera settings to an SD card, or to copy them to a connected device via Panasonic's Image App. Then those settings can be loaded onto other cameras locally, or that file can be sent anywhere that's needed and loaded onto another GH5. This was a feature sorely needed, and much asked for, on the GH4.

The cameras can also pull accurate time of day from your cell phone's clock (which can be set by the network you're on) so multiple DSLRs shooting video can actually be within a frame or two of each other in multi-camera work that needs to be edited later.

Power

The GH5 continues to use the same battery as the GH4 and GH3. It also features a small opening on the body for a power adapter to feed into the battery compartment, so any investment you may have there can continue to be used.

The advanced capability of the camera, including IBIS and the powered XLR adapter, means that the batteries may not last as long as they did in the GH4. The GH5 also includes Bluetooth and 802.11ac for faster image/video transfer. Time will tell if sticking with the old (but pretty powerful) batteries was a good decision, or whether adding the $350 DMW-BGGH5 battery grip will be more important than it was with the GH4.

Menus

With all this power comes great responsibility to make it easily accessible, and with the GH5 the menu system that Panasonic users might be familiar with gets a complete overhaul. Many things are still in the same places, others have moved around.

Panasonic has redesigned the entire menu system to fit more content on a single screen, and be more efficient. This includes a "My Menu" section where users can put their most frequently accessed items to make it much faster than rooting around through the whole menu hierarchy.

Conclusion

The GH5 looks like an improved GH4, but each of these improvements, individually, is a pretty good step up, addressing user requests, complaints, and issues with the GH4—as well as what Panasonic sees going on with the competition. Put them all together, and the package that they created with the GH5 appears to be a very solid piece of kit that simply can't be found in any competitor's portfolio.

The price is a few hundred more than the GH4 at release, but the GH5 is essentially a better camera all the way around. Adding in-body image stabilization is a big addition. Dual UHS-II cards. Better screen and viewfinder. New sensor, processor, and more.

I didn't even cover any of the numerous, similarly striking, photography improvements. As always, it comes down to the return on investment. I feel that each of the improvements made can indeed help provide better video, easier, faster, and all that pays off in the end.