Panasonic Lumix GH5 II With Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS Lens Kit

Panasonic Lumix GH5 M2 With Lumix G 12-60mm Lens Kit Summary

Panasonic has combined the updated Lumix GH5 M2 micro four thirds mirrorless camera with their  compact Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS zoom lens in this all-in-one content creators kit. The camera comes with a series of upgrades over the previous model, including the latest Venus processor, wireless and wired live streaming options, an updated high resolution touchscreen LCD which is fully articulating and a host of professional video options. Videos can be recorded at up to C4K/4K 60p 4:2:0 10-bit without limit and can simultaneously output at 4K 4:2:2 10-bit over HDMI to a video recorder.

Meanwhile the extremely compact lens weighs just 210g. yet packs 11 lens elements in 9 groups for superb image quality, making full use of the 20.3 Megapixel Digital Live MOS Sensor with AR coating. Both lens and camera body offer image stabilisation to help with sharp images and smooth movies even when moving around.

Features at a glance

• 24-120mm (35mm equivalent) all-in-one wide-angle to telephoto lens
• 11 elements in 9 groups (with 3 aspherical lenses and 1 ED lens to maintain quality)
• POWER O.I.S. optical image stabiliser in the lens
• C4K, 4K/60p 4:2:0 10-bit unlimited video recording with simultaneous 4K 4:2:2 10-bit over HDMI
• Wireless live streaming in FHD/60p via the LUMIX Sync smartphone app
• 20.3 Megapixel Digital Live MOS Sensor with Anti-Reflective coating
• Updated Venus Engine imaging processor
• Body image stabilisation with 6.5-stops benefit
• Updated fully articulating 3-inch Touch control LCD with 1840K dots

Panasonic Lumix GH5 M2 With Lumix G 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens in More Detail

Versatile all-in-one lens

The Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS zoom lens has a minimum aperture of f/22 and maximum apertures of f/3.5 (wide) and f/5.6 (telephoto). The optical design includes 11 elements in 9 groups, with 3 aspherical lenses and 1 Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) lens, which minimises chromatic and spherical aberrations. The zoom in the kit incorporates a circular aperture diaphragm with 7 blades, which produces smooth and attractive bokeh when shooting portraits or isolating any subject.

A POWER O.I.S. system reduces camera shake and is compatible with the Dual I.S. and the lens is splash and dust-resistant for outdoor use. You can also get the GH5 M2 with a Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Lens for a slightly faster aperture option.

Content Creator Hybrid Camera

As with all Panasonic Lumix cameras, the GH5 M2 is designed for content creators. To this end it features a fully articulating, high resolution touch control LCD, 20.3 Megapixel micro four thirds sensor, simple live streaming with minimal equipment as well as numerous video recording options. Upcoming firmware updates will deliver users free of charge updates for RTP/RTSP wired IP streaming, USB Tethering and more.

High quality video performance

Professional videographers raved about the previous GH5 model and the updated GH5 mark II is set to continue this trend. The entire sensor is used when shooting video,  enabling the user to record uncropped video from the original viewing angle of the lens. Numerous recording options offer internal recording up to 4K 60p and 4:2:2 10-bit 30p, or 4K/6K Anamorphic modes.

V-Log L comes pre-installed, making it easy to match colour tones with footage recorded in other Lumix cameras. There are 35 compatible conversion LUTs for VariCam cinema cameras available for free download for this who prefer to have a starting point for colour grading. A Waveform Monitor and V-Log View Assist are part of the GH5M2’s on-board video toolkit.

The Photo Style menu provides two Cine-like gamma presets with warm skin tones and delicate luminosity nuances without colour grading over V-Log footage.

AF can be set before starting VFR recording in C4K/4K 60fps, Anamorphic 50fps and FHD 180fps.

Wireless live streaming

All you need is a smartphone with the  LUMIX Sync app for wireless live-streaming with the GH5 Mark II. A maximum resolution/frame rate of FHD/60p at 16Mbps is supported using the H.264 codec. For wired live streaming, the dedicated LUMIX Webcam Software is available for free download. See our blog post here about How to use a camera for live streaming which also has links to Panasonic’s downloads.

Durable design for professional use

The Lumix GH5M2 has a full die-cast front and rear frame made of magnesium alloy and the body is splash, dust, and freeze resistant down to -10C degrees. The shutter unit provides a durable lifespan of approximately 200,000 cycles.

The updated camera uses the new 2200mAh battery DMW-BLK22 that complies with USB PD (Power Delivery) and can be recharged via AC or USB. The camera is also equipped with a double SD memory card slot compatible with V90-classified, high-speed, high-capacity UHS-II cards for Relay, Backup and Allocation Recording.

Hybrid photography capabilities

Whilst the GH5 mark II will inevitably be used predominantly for video and live streams, Panasonic has made sure photographers won’t be disappointed by the camera’s capabilities. It includes 4K and 6K photos at up to a blistering 60fps (or 12fps in mechanical shutter), easily fast enough for any action. A contrast based AF system includes Face, Eye, Body, Animal detection, with Full area touch available. The OLED Live View Finder with 3.68 million dots is bright and clear, with either 120fps or 60fps refresh rates and of course we have Bluetooth and WiFi for sharing. You can get more info in our in-depth review with more sample images and video of the Lumix GH5 M2 here.

What’s in the box

• Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 M2 camera body
• Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. lens
• Shoulder Strap
• Battery Pack
• Battery Charger
• AC Adaptor
• USB Connection Cable (A-C)
• Cable Holder

Optional Accessories

• Microphone Adaptor DMW-XLR1 - plug-in adaptor for XLR microphones for recording high-resolution 96kHz/24bit stereo sound
• Sandisk 64GB Extreme Pro SDHC 300MB/s UHS-II SD memory card - fast enough to keep pace with 4K/60 and high frame rates
• Atomos Ninja V 4K recorder - 4K/60 10bit HDR video direct from your camera's sensor
• Tiffen 58mm Variable ND filter - Provides 2 to 8 stops of light control when shooting video in brighter daylight