CES 2018 | Panasonic GH5S Completes Its Flagship Trinity

CES 2018 continues to bring more excitement to the camera world with its gear announcements. The latest news comes from Panasonic which has unveiled one of its worst kept secrets: the GH5s. Along with the GH5 and G9, the GH5s now rounds out its flagship line in a strategy that mirrors Sony’s a7 offerings and adds another high-quality option to the market.

The GH5s boasts a micro 4/3 sensor, however, with only 10 megapixels, it clearly prioritizes video over stills. And along with that design approach, it brings with it the promise of improved low light performance, which is the major hurdle for the micro 4/3 format. But, at $2,497.00, is there more this camera offers?

Spec Highlights

10.28MP Multi-Aspect Ratio MOS Sensor
DCI 4K60p and Full HD 1080/240p Video
Internal 4:2:2 10-Bit Long GOP
V-Log L Gamma and HDR Hybrid Log Gamma
0.76x 3.68m-Dot OLED Viewfinder
3.2″ 1.62m-Dot Free-Angle Touchscreen
Dual Native ISO 400 and ISO 2500
Dual UHS-II SD Slots; Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
Advanced DFD AF System
12 fps Cont. Shooting and 4K PHOTO Modes

What’s Better in the GH5s

The incorporation the Dual Native ISO, a feature found further up the food chain in Panasonic’s AU-EVA1, gives improved low light performance and lower noise levels and positions this a more suitable B-Cam for Cinematographers. It also offers Cinema 4k at 60p and up to 240fps in Full HD.

Is there a trade-off with this new design? Yes.

Along with the lower megapixel count, the GH5s sensor is not stabilized, which feels like a step back, if it is necessary. Also, the 10 megapixel means that camera loses the resolution benefits of oversampling which comes via a higher megapixel count.

Still, for anyone already invested in glass for this system or wants to add a more adept cinematic option to their kit via and lens adaptor, this is an enticing choice.

You can pre-order your Panasonic GH5s here.