The GH5S, Only 10MP, and Why That's a Good Thing

January 12, 2018 Roy McKee III

First, this is designed for video, the S in GH5S stands for sensitive in low light. The GH5S looks almost identical to the GH5 on the outside, just a red shutter button, red ring on the mode dial and the S in the model name. It is on the inside that we see camera completely designed for video with low light demands. Primarily targeted at an event, wedding, and other videographers shooting in low light.GH5 provides a 21MP sensor, the GH5S is just 10! What kind of upgrade is that? When shooting video we're not using the full resolution of the sensor, all those extra pixels are wasted, dropping the megapixels of the sensor to 10, similar to Sony's approach with the a7S series at 12MP, allows for larger pixels. Larger pixels do better in low light.Key Benefits of the GH5S:

10MP low light sensor
14-bit raw stills

Key Differences Compared to the GH5

10MP vs 20MP - Better in low light, less room for cropping
No IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization)

I love my GH5 - it is a fantastically easy camera to shoot video with and takes beautiful still images too. I talk more about my favorite features of the GH5 in this video. The IBIS stabilization paired with a stabilized lens gives you very smooth handheld footage. With the removal of IBIS in the GH5S (They assume you will use a gimbal) I can really only recommend this GH5S as an upgrade for those primarily shooting in lower light. For general videographers and travel photographers/videographers the GH5 is still my pick.And don't forget about the little G85 - for less than $1,000 this is one of the best travel photo/video systems out there. My Full Review of the G85What does this mean for the GH6? Where will Panasonic go with the GH6 and will there be a GH6S? I don't know, but it's something I'd like to find out now that they've split these two models.Final Thoughts. I Love the GH5 as a video-based camera that can take very good still images. I have no desire to pick up the GH5S as overall, for me, the IBIS is too big of a loss and I'm shooting in all sorts of light. If I was doing more weddings though, this would be perfect for the low light situations you'd be running into shooting.

Available for Preorder

Sample Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoyFxuFh3AEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clbE9fRHo-8

Specifications

GH5S

GH5

Lens Mount

Micro Four Thirds (2x Crop Factor)

Pixels

Actual: 11.93 MegapixelEffective: 10.28 Megapixel

Actual: 21.77 MegapixelEffective: 20.3 Megapixel

Max Resolution

10 MP: 3680 x 2760

20 MP: 5184 x 3888

Aspect Ratio

1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9

Sensor Type / Size

MOS, 17.3 x 13 mm

File Formats

Still Images: JPEG, RAWMovies: AVCHD Ver. 2.0, H.264, MOV, MP4, MPEG-4 AVC/H.264Audio: AAC, Dolby Digital 2ch, Linear PCM (Stereo)

Still Images: JPEG, RAWMovies: AVCHD Ver. 2.0, H.264, MOV, MP4Audio: AAC, Dolby Digital 2ch

Bit Depth

14-Bit

10-Bit

Dust Reduction System

Yes

Memory Card Type

SDSDHCSDXC

Image Stabilization

None

Sensor-Shift, 5-Way

Video Recording

Yes, NTSC/PAL

Video Format

4096 x 2160p at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94 fps3840 x 2160p at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94 fps3328 x 2496p at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94 fps1920 x 1080p at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94, 120, 240 fps

4096 x 2160p at 23.98, 24, 25 fps3840 x 2160p at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94 fps3328 x 2496p at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94 fps1920 x 1080p at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94 fps

Aspect Ratio

16:9

4:3, 16:9

Audio Recording

Built-In Mic: With Video (Stereo)Optional External Mic: With Video (Stereo + Mono)

Focus Type

Auto & Manual

Focus Mode

Continuous-Servo AF (C), Flexible (AFF), Manual Focus (M), Single-servo AF (S)

Autofocus Points

Contrast Detection: 225

Viewfinder Type

Electronic

Viewfinder Pixel Count

3,686,000

Viewfinder Eye Point

21.00 mm

Viewfinder Coverage

100%

Viewfinder Magnification

Approx. 0.76x

Diopter Adjustment

-4 to +3 m

Display Screen

3.2" Rear Touchscreen Swivel Touchscreen LCD (1,620,000)

Screen Coverage

100%

ISO Sensitivity

Auto, 160-51200 (Extended Mode: 80-204800)

Auto, 200-25600 (Extended Mode: 100-25600)

Shutter

Type: Electronic & MechanicalSpeed: 60 - 1/8000 SecondType: Electronic & MechanicalSpeed: 30 - 1 Minute in Bulb Mode1/24 - 1/16000 Second in Movie ModeType: ElectronicSpeed: 1 - 1/16000 Second

Remote Control

DMW-RSL1 (Optional)

Metering Method

Center-Weighted Average Metering, Multiple, Spot Metering

Exposure Modes

Modes: Aperture Priority, Manual, Programmed Auto, Shutter PriorityMetering Range: EV 0.0 - EV 18.0Compensation: -5 EV to +5 EV (in 1/3 EV Steps)

White Balance Modes

Auto, Cloudy, Color Temperature, Daylight, Flash, Incandescent, Shade, White Set 1, White Set 2, White Set 3, White Set 4

Buffer/Continuous Shooting

Up to 12 fps at 10.3 MP for up to 80 Frames in Raw FormatUp to 11 fps at 10.3 MP for up to 80 Frames in Raw FormatUp to 12 fps at 10.3 MP for up to 600 Frames in JPEG FormatUp to 11 fps at 10.3 MP for up to 600 Frames in JPEG FormatUp to 8 fps at 10.3 MPUp to 7 fps at 10.3 MPUp to 6 fps at 10.3 MPUp to 5 fps at 10.3 MPUp to 2 fps at 10.3 MPUp to 60 fps at 8 MP

Up to 12 fps at 20.3 MPUp to 30 fps at 18 MPUp to 60 fps at 8 MP

Flash Modes

AutoAuto/Red-Eye ReductionForced OnForced On/Red-Eye ReductionOffSlow SyncSlow Sync/Red-Eye Reduction

Built-in Flash

Max Sync Speed

1 / 250 Second

Flash Compensation

-3 EV to +3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)

Dedicated Flash System

TTL

External Flash Connection

Hot Shoe, PC Terminal

Self Timer

10 Seconds, 2 Seconds

Interval Recording

Yes

Connectivity

1/8" Headphone, 1/8" Microphone, 2.5mm Sub-mini (2-Ring), HDMI A (Full Size), USB 3.0, USB Type-C, Viera Link, X-Sync Socket

1/8" Headphone, 1/8" Microphone, 2.5mm Sub-mini (2-Ring), HDMI A (Full Size), USB 3.0, Viera Link

Wi-Fi Capable

Yes

Battery

1 x DMW-BLF19 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Pack, 7.2 VDC, 1860 mAh

Operating/Storage Temperature

Operating14 to 104°F (-10 to 40°C)Humidity: 10 - 80%

Dimensions (W x H x D)

5.5 x 3.9 x 3.4" / 138.5 x 98.1 x 87.4 mm

Weight

1.452 lb / 660 g with battery and memory card

1.595 lb / 725 g with battery and memory card