Big test
THIS CAMERAHAS SERIOUS VIDEO CREDENTIALS – A STEP FORWARDWHEN LINEDUPAGAINST ITS PREDECESSOR
I shot well over 1000 pictures on the GH5 Mark II – and was impressed by its autoexposure and white-balance performance consistency. Autofocus was generally sound, with only the occasional hiccup in low contrast or flat lighting. I used wide, zone and single point AF, with human and animal AF detection also. I took it out into nature, shooting foxes from a hide – despite seeing lots more magpies – using the 100-300mm zoommostly wide open. AF was responsive, but animal recognition mode played tricks. Outline boxes appeared around the subjects as
expected, but focus was fallible when checking the shots afterwards. Moving single point AF around with the focus lever proved more stable. Wildlife can be a challenge for any AF system, but for photographing people, the GH5 Mark II’s human detection delivered fine results consistently and reliably. This camera has serious video credentials. It’s a hybrid of huge potential – and a significant step forward when lined up against its predecessor. Key benefits include built-in V-Log L for advanced post- production, shooting uncropped, the absence of limits on recording time, and the ability to record 4K 60/50p 10-bit both internally and via HDMI at once. There’s a wide selection of 10-bit recording modes to internal media, and variable frame rate up to 180p at Full HD and 6K/4K anamorphic mode.
That’s just scratching the surface of the camera’s video features. There’s a frame indicator that shows a red border while shooting, and a frame marker to assist capturing anamorphic or vertical videos. Also new is live streaming via Wi-Fi, using a smartphone or a router, and the Lumix Sync app – wired live streaming will come later with a firmware update. Battery life was better than expected – on my fox shoot, I got over 700 stills, mostly in three- or four-frame bursts, and the battery still showed two bars. The option of charging via USB is very welcome. The Lumix GH5 Mark II is enjoyable to use. It’s robust and on the large side for a Micro Four Thirds machine, but this doesn’t have to be a bad thing – it even promoted good handling. Most vitally, it kept turning in fine images, stills and video. WC
PERFORMANCE: EXPOSURELATITUDE
-3EV
PUSHING THE LIMITS This set was shot at Crossness Pumping Station on a bright day. The Lumix GH5 was fitted with the 12-60mm zoom and mounted on a Leofoto LS-324C tripod. Exposures were made in aperture-priority AE mode, with exposure compensation for the bracket
-2EV
Final word Verdict
-1EV
0
+1EV
Panasonic’s Lumix GH5 was already a popular hybrid, but there’s absolutely no reason why the GH5 Mark II can’t be equally successful. The £1499 body price is attractive, too – it’s actually lower than the Lumix GH5 when it first appeared in 2017 – and makes a compelling proposition for creators wanting a camera that’s competitive and more than capable.
23 /25
FEATURES Blessed with rich variety, especially where video is concerned
Exposure brackets were taken with the Panasonic Lumix GH5 Mark II in a variety of lighting, indoors and out, to test Raw exposure latitude. In editing, the Raws were exposure corrected and processed through Adobe Lightroom. Underexposed Raws recovered well – even the -3EV shot looked decent in terms of colour and contrast. Closer scrutiny at high magnification showed noise, but this reduced significantly at -2EV and -1EV, where the results were good and looked very similar to the correctly exposed shot.
+2EV
+3EV
24 /25
HANDLING Solid build, good control layout, ergonomic handgrip, nothing negative to report PERFORMANCE Delivers spot on exposures, with very good AF in most situations VALUE FOR MONEY A high-spec camera at a competitive price
24 /25
also looked good when exposure corrected, and there was no colour cast. Modest overexposure wasn't much of a problem, and +1EV shots recovered to look the same as those correctly exposed.
Overexposure was also handled pretty well, and you could get away with +3EV shots if the highlights were not too intense; colour cast did need correcting, as in the shot shown above. The +2EV picture
24 /25
95 /100
OVERALL The Lumix GH5 Mark II is a lovely hybrid, good to use and highly competent
THERE’S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO MAKE GOOD USE
PROS Competitive price for the features on offer, video performance, handling, USB-C charging, solid body, dual SD card slots, AF joystick, EVF quality CONS Quite large for a Micro Four Thirds camera
Where will your kit go next? Inspire others, earn some extra cash and make a difference. Sell your used kit and let someone else love it as much as you have. Make good use of your used gear. Sell yours today at mpb.com/sell
30 Photography News | Issue 90
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