The Sony A7S3 and the Canon R5 are here. There’s a lot of excitement surrounding these cameras, and rightfully so, but what about the Micro Four Thirds line?
No way the Panasonic Lumix GH5 released in 2017 can compete with these cameras released in 2020?
Or can it? Well, let’s find out!
Camera Basics
Let’s take a look at basic details before diving into the differences.
Sensors
Sensor size – GH5 has MFT sensor while the Canon and Sony have a 35mm sensor, widely known as full-frame.
Crop Factor
The crop factor on the GH5 is 2x, that means that 15mm Panasonic MFT lens is equivalent to a 30mm full-frame. You multiple the MFT-focal length by 2.
Mounts
Panasonic has a MFT mount which can also make use of Olympus lenses. In addition, all three cameras feature adapters so you can use lenses from other brands. Ex: Panasonic can use Canon lenses with the Viltrox EF-M2 adapter.
Battery
The battery life on the GH5 is better than the R5. I’m not surprised given the electronics in the R5. The A7S3 lasts twice as long as the R5.
Weight
Interestingly the weight of the A7S3 is slightly less than the other two.
Dimensions
They’re all pretty close, but the sony is slightly smaller.
Screens
Screen size 3.2″ negligible, viewfinder megapixels makes a difference
Log-Gamma
Log-gamma – all three cameras support various types of log recording
Storage
Storage – SD vs. CF A vs. CF B (B is bigger slot, A can fit into SD slot) – all three can take SD cards and the sony also takes the latest CF-Express type A while the Canon can also take the type B.
IBIS
IBIS (R5 is supposed to have the best IBIS out of the three)
Now that we’ve covered the basic elements of these cameras, let’s dive into where they separate from each other.
Camera Differences
Now that we’ve looked at the basic elements, let’s take a look at where these cameras stand apart.
Continuous Shooting (FPS)
– the sony gets 10 fps, gh5 12 and the canon r5 gets a whopping 20. You could totally use that 20 for sports and wildlife.
Mega Pixels
Mega pixels 20 v 12 v 45
This gives you a bit more crop for photography. The 45MP is huge and really a lot more than the average person will need.
Dynamic range
GH5 has 9.69 stops in the natural profile and 11.58 in V-Log L
A7s3 has 12.1 stops
Canon is somewhere between 11 – 12 stops of DR
Resolution and bitrates
GH5: 4K/60 (8-bit), 1080/180
A7S3: 4K/120 (10-bit), 1080/240
R5: 4K/60 (10-bit), 1080/120, **8K/30**
Do you really need 8K? Can the human eye detect the difference? Check out Tony Northrup’s video about it.
Max Usable ISO
3200 v 12800 v 12800
GH5 is good in low light
A7S3 great
R5 is great
But remember ISO 3200 on MFT is equivalent to 12800 on full-frame. Technically the ISOs are similar, but the full-frames are better in low light.
Viewfinder
The A7S3 wins hands down
Menu system
on GH5 is great
Focus points
are better on the Canon and Sony, the GH5 has improved with firmware updates, but if you’re a pro, you’ll likely want to use manual focus.
If you’re gonna use one of these cameras for vlogging, all of these are just fine. Don’t let the focus technology keep you from buying this camera.
You’re probably thinking that I just made a great case for the Sony and Canon, but let’s take this a bit further. I
The GH5 is still a contender
Really the GH5 is still pretty close in features and out of these three, it’s the least expensive. The Canon and Sony are both more than 3x the price of the GH5.
Another point I want to make about the Sony CF-A cards is a 160GB card can be found for $400! Compared to the type B at $180 and the V60 128GB is only $65. So just something to consider.
Overheating: youtubers have reported both the A7S3 and the R5 can overheat. The R5 is well known and Canon even set recording time limits. The GH5 does not overheat and still produces phenomenal images. What’s the point of having an 8K camera if it’s going to shut down during a shoot? For this reason, youtuber Gerald Undone, recommends the Canon R6 for video. I’ll put a link to that video right here.
So what’s the point of me making this video. Really does the GH5 blow away these other cameras? No of course not. The point of this video is to show you that Panasonic had a vision with the Gh5 when they released it in 2017. That vision was so strong that even in 2020, it still competes with the cameras being released. I know many people will disagree. Well, I’m not here to please you guys. I’m here to make content I believe in. Look, there’s a plethora of professionals that use the Panasonic GH5 in 2020. And there’s a reason for that.
File sizes vs. value per project, etc.
Now let me take this a bit further and add some things that I really love about the GH5.
Great GH5 Features
Ex-Teleconverter (b-roll)
1.4x in 4K
2x in 1080p
Shutter Angle (b-roll)
Never have to worry about matching shutter speed with frame rates. If you set it to 180 degrees, it automagically handles the shutter speed
Waveforms (broll)
Usually need an external recorder to see this
Preset Focus Pulling (broll)
Up to 3 presets and it will pull focus for you
Variable Frame Rate for Slow motion (broll)
180 fps, 120 fps, 100 fps, you control it!
Professional Setup
GH5 + viltrox + sigma 18-35 / 1200, 130, 600 (under $2k)
Conclusion
Alright right guys, I hope I was able to convince you that the GH5 is still a contender in these camera wars… If don’t have one and are interested, please use the affiliate links in the description. It’s no additional cost to you and it’s an easy way to show your support to this channel.
Remember it’s not about the camera, but the person behind it. Thank you for watching and we’ll see you in the next video.
Meaningful upgrade? Hybrid camera that does everything. GH5 is that. Photo and video. Travel. Internal 4:2:2, Ex Tele