Panasonic GH5M2: 5 Things I Learned About it!

This is a review of my Panasonic GH5 MK II. The GH5M2 is a micro four-thirds mirrorless camera designed for video use and for photography. This video will cover the 5 things I learned about the Panasonic Lumix GH5 MK II before I destroyed it accidentally. Additionally, I will show you the low light performance of the Gh5II versus the GH5 and GH5S at the same ISO values. Timestamps and links are listed below. This video is not sponsored so if it's helpful please leave a thumbs up.
I've been shooting with the Panasonic GH5 MK II for the last few weeks and there's a lot to like about it when compared with other MFT camera systems. This video will showcase Vlog-L, 10bit 50p/60p, color profiles, slow motion, and much more.
Panasonic has drastically improved their Autofocus in the Panasonic GH5 MKII over the original GH5. The new GH5 2 is far better than the original GH5 and is now on par with the Panasonic S5 when it pertains to face-detection AF.
Check out the Panasonic GH5 MK II
►B&H Photo USA - bhpho.to/3kCxMfB
►Amazon Canada - amzn.to/3k9l4TJ
►Amazon UK - amzn.to/3misaIl
►Amazon Australia - amzn.to/3kwnMmq
(affiliate links)
0:00 - About this video (links below)
0:46 - 1. Video Quality (Vlog/10Bit)
1:56 - Cine-D2 Cine-V2 (weird)
2:21 - Low Light GH5II vs GH5
2:54 - 2. Stabilization
3:56 - 3. Face Detection AF
5:31 - 4. Slow Motion
6:21 - 5. Battery & Audio Preamps
7:36 - What is missing?
9:16 - How I broke my Panasonic GH5 II
---
My KZbin Audio/Video Setup:
►Panasonic GH5s - bhpho.to/371w6F5
►Saramonic Blink500 Pro - saramonic-usa.8lvxaf.net/NnAAb
►Panasonic GH5 - bhpho.to/2FEGl3H
►Panasonic Leica 15mm f1.7 - bhpho.to/2M6TeJu
►Panasonic G85 - bhpho.to/2FG8Opw
►Panasonic 25mm f1.7 - bhpho.to/2FEzuqD
►Wireless Microphone Pack - bhpho.to/2UcDoS4
►My Website - GeekyNerdyTechy.com
Links to B&H, Amazon, or Sweetwater are affiliate links.
#panasonic #gh5II #panasoniclumix @PanasonicLumixVideo

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

I hope you find this video helpful if you're thinking about buying a Panasonic GH5 Mark II. Timestamps are in the description. please let me know if you have any questions. This video is not sponsored, I purchased (and destroyed) the camera myself. ►B&H Photo USA - bhpho.to/3kCxMfB ►Amazon Canada - amzn.to/3k9l4TJ ►Amazon UK - amzn.to/3misaIl ►Amazon Australia - amzn.to/3kwnMmq (affiliate links)

[@TDCIYB77]

Love your (very underrated) channel! Please put some links to Amazon Germany in there in the future if you can! And thanks for holding up the flag of M43s! I still have hope for it. Maybe the GH6 will suprise us with PDAF.. Will upgrade next year from my G85 (No 4K60, abysmal AF, no 10Bit video, not USB powered but most importantly: no proper USB remote for gimbals!!) to either GH5 II or GH6 and will check your affiliate links when i do so!

[@frankfengzhu]

Good job Shane! Another great camera review video!

[@Tahoe_Wedding_Videographer]

I second on wiggle to focus. The best feature ever, I was using it ALL THE TIME! Bring it back to the MK II Panasonic!

[@sbradleysmith423]

Very comprehensive video well done mate!!!

[@stanislavpokorny2954]

I installed the latest update just the other day, and although there was not a word about touch-to-focus in the update description, IT IS ACTUALLY WORKING NOW!

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

That's awesome! That's with manual focus on correct?

[@stanislavpokorny2954]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy AF-S, AF-C, human detection, tracking, 1 Area, 1 Area+. That's what I tested. You tap the display and the camera will acquire focus accordingly. You will then still need to press Set or any button to display the on-screen information, which is still a little annoying, but at least it finally does touch-to-focus.

[@Cubasenet33]

Great! I'm waiting for mine to test it, after doing the update, which I think is dated 01/09/2023

[@Radvous]

I am really starting to like this channel, keep it up! This is my next camera unless the GH6 comes out soon.

[@joestrahl6980]

Thanks for your review! Sorry for the accident 🙄 When you have it fixed and can have more use and can review it I will want to watch more!

[@simondeman4698]

Thanks for the great video Shane! Really appreciate! Do you know if the touch focus has been solved? That’s a feature I use a lot on the GH5 and I can’t seem to find an answer online. Thanks!

[@starmatt3222]

Great review! Hope you can do more video on the AF test because that is what we've missed on other Pana cameras. What is the best setting on AF? 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Thanks. I will do a video coming up about the best settings. It really depends on a few factors including which lens you have.

[@marinrealestatephotography]

Thanks for the review, Shane. I am thinking of "downgrading" from my S1 to a GH5 II since it would work better with my S5 (same battery) and my E-M1 II. I like my S1 but it is just such a big and heavy camera I end up using my other cameras more. P.S. Just subscribed to your channel, too.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Hi there, thanks for the kind words. I don't blame you for wanting a smaller camera. The S1 is awesome but it's HUGE as are most of the lenses. The GH5II and the S5 will work well together in regard to color science and the overall look. :)

[@CharlieWalkrich]

Thank you for the great video and sorry about the accident. Totally agree with you reg. the missing touch to focus function in manual mode. I was shocked to find out that moving the square on the screen did nothing. I spent a few hours messing around with the settings and could not find a way to enable this essential function. I might be returning my GH5m2 because of this... If you ever receive any updates from Panasonic regarding this issue, please us know. This topic might be worth an entire video.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

I haven't heard any updates. As far as I know the button on the back of the camera is the only way to get it to lock onto a point you select, so it's not as fast and easy as before in that regard.

[@CharlieWalkrich]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy I see... I wonder why they did that. It was such a great feature.

[@recutopia]

I can't believe it:) It's actually a deal breaker for me (for now), because the touch to focus is for me something very useful when filming 2 subjects very fast without risking any pulsing. It's exactly between continuous autofocus and manual. I don't press any button in my camera as it would ruin the shot stabilization... I'm so happy I saw that video:) Thanks all

[@CharlieWalkrich]

@@recutopia Same here, totally agree. It's been a few months since I got it and I still couldn't get used to having to press the AF button to change focus. It's really, really annoying...

[@greg_brookes]

Thank you for your review; I'm looking to add a 4K 'safety shot' component for filming live shows with older Sony HD video cameras, a friend successfully used a GH5 for this purpose; clearly the GH5S is better suited to this role with such high lighting dynamics, though trading off everything else that comes with the GH5M2 seems a high 'opportunity lost' cost to choose the GH5S in preference - with the GH5S it would end up almost solely used for 'on tripod, fixed wide safety shot' recording, with the GH5M2 it would serve a multi purpose for a variety of live use and run and gun situations that would benefit from the IBIS requiring a higher resolution output - the obvious - get both - would be nice! The other alternative is looking to the lower end Sony A7iii though the colour science doesn't seem as warm. I did see a comparison of the S5 and GH5s, though that involves FF lenses etc - You use both; love to hear your opinion; thanks :)

[@ExploringWorldYouTube]

Hi, thank you for sharing your very interesting video, You have a lot of experience and I would like to ask you a question x please: I only do documentaries in 4K, and as soon as I can I will go to Africa to film people with dark skin and strong sun, but not in the city , but in their villages. Would you be kind enough to tell me you would configure the GH5 MII? I mean which color profile, 25p 4: 2: 2 or 50p 4: 2: 0, etc. etc. However I use a good variable ND filter. I do the video editing myself. 1000 thanks for your advice.

[@MLee-vcrr]

Great video. I felt it in the gut for you when you mentioned how the screen smashed....yeeesh! It's good to know the old batteries work but I was wondering if you can charge them over usb-c? Will powering the camera with usb-c cause damage to the old battery even if you can't charge them while in the camera?

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Thanks for the condolences. haha. I was devastated when the camera was initially broken. I need to confirm the USB C charging for you as I am not 100% sure. I use external battery chargers normally.

[@Zmywak]

Great review Shane. Are we on the same page? I set my Panasonic S5 into manual focus, Sigma lens into a manual focus and then I touch the screen to lock focus wherever I want. It also works with panasonic app (lumix app). Touch to focus in MF mode works - unless, we talk about something else.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

It works with the app but not on the screen. Maybe it's different with sigma lenses but I can't get it to work. I spoke to Panasonic and photo joseph, we couldn't find the option to turn it on.

[@leeamrani936]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy Hey Shane, I am a wedding film maker and have seen all of your videos on the S5 and decided to purchase it. After playing with it I realized the touch to focus does not work while recording unless you use the track focus setting in the afc mode and have the manual and af setting selected in the menu. It works while recording however it is not as fast or responsive as the gh5 and g85? Just curious what Panasonic has mentioned to you please let me know if you have any updates about this thank you.

[@leeamrani936]

When the Panasonic lens is on manual and the camera auto focus on manual there is no touch to focus that works!

[@laurentyarp514]

05:12 What is that new area plus mode ? Please could you explain a bit more about that ? Difference with the one area mode.

[@JoseSpenaN]

Nice vid mate. BTW if you are on MF you can select your face, for example and tap the "AF" section in the lower right side of the screen (When you got the part hehe) and it will autofocus on that with the flipped screen and touch capabilities. Cheers from Panama.

[@DennisMeetsWorld]

Purchased a GH5 II a few days ago and I am loving it so far! Your various videos (this one, the GH5 II vs A7C, and GH5 user guide) really helped me make my decision. Thank you so much for all the effort and knowledge you put into your videos! 😊🙏🏽 Are you still using and enjoying your GH5 II?

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Great to hear and thanks for the feedback! I am loving this camera. I just got back from Hawaii and I took the GH5II and the S5 with me over all of the other cameras and the GH5II did the majority of the work due to the size and unlimited recording modes. I also pulled the trigger on the 12-35mm F2.8 and a video will be coming up of that soon. I am really considering using this combination for the majority of my work. :)

[@DennisMeetsWorld]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy That’s awesome, hope you had an amazing time! Did you use the GH5 II to vlog? I’m switching my vlogging camera from an A6400 to the GH5 II and I love the 7-14mm f4 & 14-140mm f3.5-5.6 it’s a great “do it all” setup for run & gun, especially vlogging 😊

[@markschneider3915]

I love my M4/3's cameras. I think my G9 does have touch to focus, so that's weird if the GH5II doesn't. Just out shooting birds with my 100-400 Leica, but once again I find my little OMD EM5 III kicks my G9's butt on autofocus, and yes the IBIS is better too. Is it too much to ask for, very good autofocus and IBIS (like Olympus), Sony level autofocus, with Panasonic's video capabilities?

[@onnie1968]

I think if that happen to me Shane, I would have cried all the way home lol. When you touched on the Lumix colour, I've found even from the G85. It's been outstanding, I love the colours straight out of the camera. You didn't say in the vlog but I was wondering whats the cost of the new flip screen and hinge ? OK mate stay safe, looking forward to the next vid. Really enjoying this channel bro.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

I still haven't heard anything from the repair place. I have called them twice now and nothing. :( Hopefully, I hear from them soon but I am losing hope lol. Thanks for the kind words, if I do hear back I'll let you know about the price.

[@superzero4250]

Would be interested in seeing videos on managing to shoot and operate the GH5II without the LCD screen, since you are forced into the situation. How effective could you be, or would it be more challenging. Then, follow it up by mitigating the issue with an external monitor. Could be fun, who knows… …

[@neddanison9202]

I see the display button is still in that awkward place on the GH5 MKII. That, in my opinion, is the Achille's heel of the GH5. My thumb constantly inadvertently hits it. I'm used to it by now, but what a bad idea to put that button there. I'll have to check and see if they fixed this in GH6.

[@RZExperience]

Hi mate, awesome video as always. What would be your pick mainly as a studio camera for reviews - GH5 mkII , GH5S or S5?

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

GH5S for studio work unless you do anything handheld then go for the GH5 II. The low light and image quality on the GH5S is still the best thanks to that 1.8x crop and better low light.

[@alfonsolara70]

I know the design of the camara is for recording videos. But how are the pictures in this camara?

[@Arthagnou]

does the S5 in Anamophic have a wider reach than the GH5II? That is, is the image created have more viewable area left to right in Anamophic? and is this due to the Full Frame vers 4/3rds

[@superzero4250]

If you have 50mm S lens on an S5 versus a 25mm G lens on a GH5II, the FOV should be very similar. The same should follow with anamorphic too, just get the equivalent focal length. Sirui has a set of affordable Anamorphic lenses for µ4/3, with the option for EF adaption or versions. I would assume they are originally designed for ASP-C. So if you get the EF mount version and use a speed booster with the GH5II, you should get a more traditional cinematic anamorphic field of view… …

[@JohnVHouse]

Thank you for this video. I was going crazy trying to touch screen to focus. I thought it was broken! 😆( coming from gh4)

[@luke810]

Whats the max frame rate for slow mo at 1080p? is it still 160fps?

[@TheBikeLife]

Great info. Help me out though: what is a dummy battery?

[@joestrahl6980]

It fits into the camera battery compartment but is connected via a cable the mains outlet in your wall so effectively you have "battery" for as long as you like ....

[@FIRUFILMS]

Hello the S5 and GH5 II can be work together? or the color is differents? thanks a lot

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

They are very similar. Check out my initial impressions video of the GH5MKII the cameras look about the same.

[@castielvargastv7931]

Did they bring back the touch to focus feature since last year?

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

It’s always worked in autofocus but it doesn’t work in manual focus no. I’m tipping something about these new LCD screens is different sadly.

[@AspenRodri]

I've had a tripod flip before and it shattered the screen and cracked the chassis on my D7200 within weeks of buying it. That's also when I found out about the hook on the tripod. Didn't help that my tripod was a 60" carbon fibre one that weighed next to nothing and the D7200 had a battery grip on. What a shame.

[@sidsquid1]

Got one, great camera. Tried the streaming function, and it works. Just one caveat - you need to make sure available wi-fi upload speed is adequate for the streaming quality that you choose. If the quality you set is higher than the available bandwidth, you get no indication at the camera. The stream will be continually interrupted with "Reconnecting". Not an issue for folk in parts of the world where strong signal is a given, but where I am in south west Australia, I have to be very careful about this one. I usually do multi-cam live streams using a BMD ATEM video switcher into a laptop, and the ATEM shows me how much the stream is buffering, and if it "maxes out". But in areas where I know the signal is strong, this will be great for "quick and dirty" single camera streaming.

[@frankluo230]

Hi there, probably very late to this comment but I wonder how can you Incorporate GH5 mkii wirelessly with Atem mini pro to live streaming? Does it support IP video protocol other than RSTP to KZbin and the like? If not possible, have you tried USB Ethernet adapter to use its new firmware enabled wired streaming function? I can't find any video on KZbin or even web forum discussion on that topic. Thanks heaps in advance. Cheers from Brisbane

[@sidsquid1]

@@frankluo230 The only time I use the GH5 "direct" is when I'm shooting single camera, so the camera connects wirelessly direct to a 4G modem, no ATEM at all. On multi-cam shoots, all cams go into my ATEM Mini Pro via the 4 HDMI inputs - HDMI is the only way in as far as I know. Up to 3 cams connect via HDMI cable, and the 4th (the GH5 or any of the others) is via a Hollyland Mars 400-S wireless HDMI system (so it's still not "wireless as far as the camera is concerned). The Mini Pro then connects to laptop with ethernet-to-ethernet cable RJ45 (yes my laptop has an RJ45 port!). Does that help any?

[@frankluo230]

@@sidsquid1 thank you for the detailed reply. Since the built in encoder caps at 1080p60fps for wifi streaming, it connects to a 4g modem is essentially the same as GH5 + Accsoon M1 with an Android mobile. I was hoping for a way of using the wifi transmitted video data into a switcher either OBS or hardware switcher like Atem mini with HDMI adapter of course. There is a way to grasp RTSP stream from internet into OBS but that is like the long way around unnecessarily. Another option would be invest in an NDI encoder like Birddog flex 4K in and Ethernet the NDI data to use in OBS. Or Hollyland Mars 400, Teredek Spark 4k, but again, neither requires the unique feature of GH5II built in encoder.

[@sidsquid1]

@@frankluo230 Uhuh. Well if yo9u find a way, let me know!

[@DariuszTech]

Interesting 🙂🤓

[@MarkBennettCameraCrisis]

Wait… no touch to focus on the screen?? I use that constantly in the GH5 and G7. The GH6 better have this. Phone Panasonic, Shane - tell them I need it!!

[@intheblues]

It's crazy. If you slide your finger over the screen the box position moves but the focus doesn't require. So weird!

[@MarkBennettCameraCrisis]

@@intheblues what about the app - can you still drag to focus on the app - you must, right??

[@marcinkgpdublin]

@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis First - it's different app. It's much slower when connecting to camera than the other app. Same issue with focusing by touching - need to press AF in addtion - though slightly more convinient to use that touchscreen on camera. Still - horrbile stuff. Hopefully they will fix that shorlty, cause this is disaster....

[@MarkBennettCameraCrisis]

@@marcinkgpdublin This is terrible news. Looks like my old GH5 is going nowhere.

[@fatcatfilmsandbooks2534]

@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis Yeap! Hopefully it's easy firmware fix, but very annoying for a moment (probably can get used to - like to that horrible autofocus :) ) Also in GH5 can control aperture in Ai mode - in this one doesn't look like it's possible... yeah, I use Ai mode :)

[@anselltan]

So sad to hear about the accident! Would it be ok to know which tripod you were using? 😅

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Hi Ansell. It was a fairly inexpensive (yet normally sturdy) tripod brand called Arista.

[@DaddyyCrab]

I believe the G9 batteries work?

[@jameskaft5233]

I didnt get why you are shooting everything in 50 fps.. For a smoother motion ? Isnt it only for PC viewing though ? When you send for TV at 25 I noticed the 50 fps speed up dont look so good.. Can you please help me on this ? Thanks in advance

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

50p looks great. It’s all subjective if you like it or not.

[@KallusGarnet]

Can you talking about the livestreaming functions?

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

I mentioned it towards the end. I haven't tested it yet as I use a dedicated switcher but I'll test it out down the track its own video possibly. :)

[@KallusGarnet]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy I need a in depth review of the livestreaming functions of this camera so far no one online has covered this function fully but it's the only feature I care about on this camera. Please if you could do a video just covering the livestream capabilities I would greatly appreciate it.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

@@KallusGarnet Okay no problems I will get my head around it and test it out then follow it up :)

[@MarkBennettCameraCrisis]

Just goes to show how tough Panasonic cameras are - smash it on the ground, tear off the screen - still works 🤣🤣

[@InteractiveDNA]

Panasonic cameras are the best! I use the Panasonic G7 4k in my live stream and the image looks like came from $2000 camera. And I only pay $150. I use a Remote Shuttle 2.4hz Control and focus never fails.

[@artistjoh]

Any update on the lack of touch to focus?

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Yes. It's been removed from their newer cameras.

[@artistjoh]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy We need to speak up about that. It is an important advantage of Lumix cameras, and removing it is a big step backwards.

[@our-big-day-on-film]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy This is terrible news. I was just about to buy a GH5 Mk2 but the lack of touch to focus has totally thrown me 😢

[@RM-ud2cm]

also. Panasonic GH5 ii has linear focus option, for manual focus.

[@EstelonAgarwaen]

How does it work for photography?

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

It's basically the same as the GH5 which is a decent photography camera.

[@EstelonAgarwaen]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy comparisons to the g90/95 g80/85 line? Also in relation to the price.

[@650thunderbird5]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@garypranzo9334]

I dropped an HVX200 camera during a shoot which at the time cost $4,000.00 and the flip-out monitor broke off. Cost me $700 to get a replace screen.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

😆 ouch! That's brutal!

[@quintincooper3108]

Idk if I want the gh5ii or the s5

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

I have a video coming up tonight shot with the S5 about the GH5II and Sony A7C. The AF is great on the S5 with the kit lens. The only major downside of the S5 is the micro-HDMI port and the recording limits for anything other than 24/25/30p in 4k.

[@quintincooper3108]

@@GeekyNerdyTechy would you consider the s5 a better upgrade than the gh5II coming from a lumix g7

[@KallusGarnet]

That's how I broke my GH4 screen many years ago, get a better quality tripod for outdoors.

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

Ouch! Sorry to hear it happend to you as well.

[@AceFilmmaker]

Buy a few Sand Bags for your Tripod.

[@MystiicxFilms]

so did anyone figure out the touch to focus ughh HELPPP

[@GeekyNerdyTechy]

The feature was removed. You now have to use the AF button on the back of the camera.

[@marcinkgpdublin]

Yeah, TOUCH AND FOCUS not working, OMG :( And that suppoused to be better version of GH5, what a bummer :(

[@DaddyyCrab]

Well you didn’t actually damage it. Mother Nature.