SLR camera or not? At least this is the question you ask yourself when you look at the new Panasonic GH5. From a purely optical point of view, it is more reminiscent of a classic SLR camera due to its rather generous dimensions, but it is of course a genuine DSLM that Panasonic has equipped with some great features.
Innovation or disappointment?
The manufacturer raved about the 6K function in various advance notices. However, if you were hoping for an innovation in the video area, you will be disappointed. Rather, the Panasonic GH5 records up to 30 frames per second with 6K quality, which corresponds to around 18 megapixels. So it's more of a continuous shooting function. The maximum resolution for photos is 20 megapixels and is also equipped with a low-pass filter. Although this ensures sharper images, it can lead to display errors ("moiré effect") when recording certain patterns.
Nevertheless, 4K video recording with up to 60 frames per second and slow motion recordings in Full HD with up to 180 frames per second are of course offered. An internal data rate of up to 400 Mbit is supported, which should even increase to 500 Mbit with an upcoming firmware update. So it's not surprising that the GH5 is equipped with two SD card slots, which also support the so-called "hot swapping". This means that if one memory card is full, it will automatically save to the second.
High image resolution make amends
Since the GH5 is a mirrorless camera, it is equipped with an OLED viewfinder. This can display all 225 autofocus fields with up to 3,68 million pixels, making it almost the market leader in terms of search resolution. The built-in 3,2-inch display, on the other hand, has a resolution of 1,6 million pixels.
Anyone who can hardly wait to call the GH5 their own will have to wait until the official market launch in March 2017. From then on, the splash-proof Panasonic GH5 will be available in stores for around 2.000 euros.
