Panasonic LUMIX GH5 II - Retrospective Review

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

So I ended up pulling the trigger on another GH5M2 yesterday (a few days after finishing this video in editing). :) I got my GH52 from DigiDirect. 🛒 B&H - bhpho.to/3N5s7fG 🛒 DigiDirect Australia - bit.ly/3QYd0Wx 🛒 eBay USA - ebay.us/4nsf3q 🛒 Amazon AU - amzn.to/3sOngsr 🛒 Amazon UK - amzn.to/3T1lVJi 🛒 Amazon Canada - amzn.to/47AImt8 (affiliate links)

[@RhettThompsonFilm]

Someone was just talking about this camera in my comments section and man its so underrated! I always find it amusing how similar we shoot, 420 10 bit for all the same reasons, VLOG and nicest, or natural. Great look at this camera and I hope some people will realize this still might be the perfect camera for them!

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

We are twins when it comes to productivity and shooting with the underdog cameras haha. :) We should do another collaboration video coming up mate. Let me know if you're up for it.

[@TerenceKearns]

I find the HDR/HLG mode on the G9 (first gen) is also underrated. It's h.265 420 10bit at only 75mbps which makes it ideal for long runs. I shot a music festival last weekend and never had an issue running out of card space and the overall project size was still manageable at a few hundred GB. Footage still looks good. It's a good compromise. I don't need the dynamic range of log is I expose correctly. rec 2020 to rec 709 is enough headroom to get the job done.

[@0xdc179]

Bought the GH5m2 last year for an absolute steal. I guess I'm one of the only GH5m2 users out there remaining. Compared to its peers, the camera is nothing special (except for live streaming); it's just fine. Thankfully it doesn't have any of the really high data rate codecs so it doesn't chew through my computer's storage; I consider it a camera that meets but not exceeds by videomaking abilities. Would definitely love it if Panasonic brings Active EIS from the G9ii to get rid of the wobbly corners, otherwise I'll continue to use 4K Pixel/Pixel mode to just crop that out.

[@onnie1968]

As you know Shane, I used to be a Lumix user but moved over to Sony but I'm still a huge Lumix fan. I love their colour's straight out of the camera, so much to love about Lumix. I think in time I will buy the G9MKII, as I loved my old G9.

[@Mraz75]

I have my GH5ii for a year and been shooting video a lot for my pro job as well as my hobby. Honestly this camera is perfect for me. Furthermore, i recently bought 35mm f0.95 from 7Artisans, and that blows me away. It gives a full frame look. I also learn Manual focus is easy and not as scary as people would describe. Its buttons helps me alot when shooting manual. Easy menu system and quick access for tuning the setting. This camera taught me everything on how to be a better videographer and photographer. The cheap used lens ecosystem also helps me to easily find my style of shooting in comparison to other brands, may take years to buy and sell the lens again, if it does not suit you. Well i’m happy with Lumix as it produce great colour and i’m going to stay here for a long time.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Awesome post and 100% spot on! It's such a great system for learning the ropes and I totally agree. Well done :)

[@saulcohn4844]

BEST in class: Geeky Nerdy

[@Shapeshifter.Performance]

Love the content man! Looking to invest in this camera for business so thank you for all the insightful information!

[@jamilyosufi]

Moved from all GH series to S series I love my S5 camera. It's all in one hybrid camera.

[@marin_real_estate_photography]

Thanks for the long-term review, Shane. I admit that I have been looking at the GH5 MK II as a C Cam, but to be honest, the original S5 (and used S5's and S1's) are so cheap, it is almost hard to justify it (here inb the USA, the original S5 is currently on sale at B and H and Adroram new for US $998!!!). Espescially since the Panasonic 12-35 f/2.8 MK II is only about $50 less than the L-Mount Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 ART lens. Hopefully I am wrong, but it seems like m43 is going to be kind of a tough sell going forward (comparing the price of the G9 II to the price of an S5 II). Anyway, thanks agian for the video. If you ever come out to California (specifically, the San francisco area), let me know. Mark

[@ZacharyWillFilms]

I think a lot of the real deals are in the used MFT market. There's a lot of people making the move from MFT to FF and that means an overage of MFT cameras and Lenses. You also lose money when you switch mounts or trade-in. So, some of us with an investment in MFT lenses and bodies might find it easier to upgrade a body or a lens rather than switch full systems.

[@mattfowlerkc]

As much as the GH6 gets slept on these days, the GH5 II is even worse. I saw these for $1,000 brand new recently. That's a heck of a deal.

[@BackusCreativeImaging]

When the GH5 II was on sale for $997 when the G9 II came out, I grabbed 3 of them for my business. Been using Panasonic MFT for 10 years. Manual focus, love the system. I have the best lenses. From the 10-25 and 25-50 1.7 to the 200mm f/2.8 to the 1.4x and 2.0 teleconverters to the Voigtlander 0.95 lenses, it's just an amazing system. GH5 II, no over heating, no streaking like on the GH6, excellent camera. I pack 2x 512GB SanDisk v30 cards into each. Gives 7.5 hours of record time in 4K24. I don't use All-I in 4K so don't need the v60 or v90 cards.

[@MarcHillM]

I picked up a GH5M2 earlier this year and ended up selling my GH5, such were the improvements. The GH5M2 is really a new camera in a GH5 body. It's easy to tweak the colour profile slightly to get a Kodak Portra look when printed on Supra paper. and the new L Monochrome range is great. There's extra DR in the highlights and raw stills are finally 14bit and whites are gorgeous. A power bank keeps it running all day so I don't have to carry several batteries and as you say 1080 is really nice and flexible.

[@andersistbesser]

Interesting

[@martindemanable]

Is it 14 bit raw stills really

[@MarcHillM]

It's on the B&H specs and a couple of other outfits. @@martindemanable

[@StanTregubenko]

Using the same camera 2 years +, I would say that totally agree with the picture which you can get for the price point is the beast. For now g9ii with perfect autofocus and 120 fpc.is definitely better option.

[@grantrobertdavies]

Great Video mate - I’ve just finished putting together my GH5ii video (photographers perspective) for release next week :) Great camera - I’d like to get a second one :)

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Awesome, Grant. Thanks for the kind words. I'll keep an eye out for your video :)

[@nolannatashaTV]

Great video. I recently picked up an original gh5 cause it was basically free when you considered the value of the lenses it came with. I’m blown away with how good it still is and how cheap even the gh6 is now. I want that g9ii but it’s so hard to justify with the bargain prices on the dfd Lumix camera. I think for so many people these make amazing first serious cameras. Learning how to manual focus is a great skill, but all that said, when you need auto focus it’s brutal not having it. Anyway, thanks for showcasing this under appreciated camera. Love the channel.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

thanks for the comments and kind words. Agreed, the phase detection is a huge advantage when you need it. I use that with the S5II a lot out in the field but for times when I am in the studio shooting manually or out and about behind the camera, the GH52 is a great little camera considering the end-result. :)

[@pianopotato]

Great video Shane. I use that Boya wireless mic also. In fact, I bought mine just a few days before your review of it came out almost two years ago!

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Thanks for the kind words! The Boya pack is is very reliable and sounds great. :) I hope you're enjoying it.

[@pianopotato]

very much so. Back two years ago, and especially for a more budget option, the fact that you could adjust both the levels on the transmitter and the receiver, in order to fine tune your audio was something rare. It's still not something constant on packs coming out now, at least not the budget ones.

[@TerenceKearns]

Excellent review. The GH5ii currently selling for AU$2K here in Aussieland. Without the new AF capabilities there is no reason for me to choose it over a Blackmagic 4K Micro G2. The BMD is AU$1500 plus the cost of a external monitor. I just need another 2 cams for my portable livestream studio setup. I already have two first gen G9 cams. It was useful to see your take on the GH5ii. I'm disappointed at how expensive the G9ii and the GH7 are. Crazy prices. I think I'm gonna hadd some BRAW capability to the mix instead, based on Panasonic's pricing (which has historically been very good).

[@S.A.S.H.]

Shane: It's December 16, 2024. is the GH5 M2 still a good choice for a starting videographer? I'm replacing a Canon T2i with a new camera so I can do both video production (3D printing, as well as vinyl reviews and audio equipment discussion.) and some streaming of my hobby work with miniatures and model building. I will be doing some still photography, mostly family things and landscapes as I travel. (Bering of retirement age I intend on traveling quite a bit.)

[@andersistbesser]

Image quality really is great with this one

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

It's a really underrated camera and for the price they are asking now, it's great value.

[@GoTravelPlanet]

I have one and love it. Great camera for video and stills

[@Directorvhim]

I am still rocking mine 🔥

[@markheke6685]

Thanks for the great video. I love your videos. I have the Panasonic 12 - 60 lens and the 25mm. Should I be thinking about the 12 - 35 lens? What good video lens should I be looking for? I am still learning heaps, so I am just looking for guidance. I have the Lumix GH5 mk 2.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

The 12-35mm is my favorite all round video lens for travel and it's a solid photographic lens. The version II is probably the best value one as the Leica one is more expensive now but has less issues with flaring. After using them both, I didn't see the need to upgrade to the new one. This is a much better video lens for most scenarios over the 12-60 3.5-5.6 unless you need the reach shooting outdoors.

[@FpunktGandi]

Thanks for the hint with 4:2:0 10 bit. I was wondering why there is no preview on the Mac desktop. BTW, anyone knows the reason, why rw2 raw is not shown on desktop or even Apple Fotos app?

[@snowcat20]

I am thinking of upgrading my GX8 to GH5II... But I shooot ONLY stills, no videos at all... Does GH5 has any major downsides for a stills shooter? As I understand, it has animal detection, right? That's actually is the main thing I miss in GX8.

[@RayRayTheKing]

After renting the g9ii for a week, I actually still prefer my gh5ii

[@ruff1draft]

I wonder when Panasonic will release the Panasonic GH5S Mark 2

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

I could be wrong but I doubt they’ll do it. I would love to see that for the wider aspect ratio but their g9II and gh6 are already well ahead of that camera in most (not all) situations.

[@asafblasbergvideographer]

GH5 Mark II is a beautiful camera! But I really like S5 Mark II. Are the prices comparable?

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

The GH5II as of Black friday was about $700 less with a free lens.

[@asafblasbergvideographer]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy wow!

[@MrWhiteTank]

How well does the 14-140 f3.5-5.6 lens do on this camera?

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

In what regard?

[@MrWhiteTank]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy for every day use, we are a traveling family mostly videos/pictures of family, landmarks, nature and animals. Don’t necessarily want to carry a bag of lenses

[@DynamixWarePro]

I have an original GH5 which I pre ordered and got it when it came out in 2017 and I used it as my main camera until I bought a GH6. I eventually sold the GH6 and bought an S5II but I still use my GH5 from time to time when I don't want to use my S5II. I use my GH5 with a Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 lens that practically lives on the camera due to that lenses 24-80mm equivalent focal length and the versatility that brings. I have considered upgrading to a GH5 II for mostly the hardware benefits like the brighter screen and USB-C charging as I feel I could really do with those on my GH5. I have thought the lower resolutions on Panasonic cameras like 1080p, are not as sharp compared to shooting in higher resolutions and downscaling in editing. With my S5II I found shooting 5.9K and downscaling to 4K, I got sharper footage than shooting 4K in the camera.

[@FightCollective]

Are Panasonic planning on releasing a GH6mkii or GH6s???

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

I have no idea mate. Hopefully at some point.

[@FightCollective]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy I'm after a GH6 but would hate it if they release a GH6mkii or something a month after I invested in a GH6. A google search doesn't come up with any info about a GH6mk ii/GH6s. As a low budget videographer a GH6s is mouth watering.

[@mackasenior10]

Noooo, I have purchased so many guitars because of you and now I find you are going to make me buy more cameras as well😂

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

haha, sorry about that. 😂

[@robtheaccountant]

Howdy from NY

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Hi Rob! Thanks for watching mate.