Sony’s mirrorless cameras have become ubiquitous for shooting video in low light since the release of the original A7S back in April 2014. As the interest in the mirrorless camera market continues to grow exponentially, other companies like Panasonic have also started to pay closer attention to the latest camera technologies, specifically, those that improve the sensor sensitivity and low light performance.
That’s how the Panasonic GH5S came into existence aiming to secure its place as a direct competitor of the Sony A7SII in terms of low light capabilities. So, if you’re curious about how well the GH5S holds up against the A7SII in that regard, as well as the EVA1 and GH5, the team of ProAV TV compares the four camera’s high ISO performance in the video below.
The first comparison is between the Panasonic GH5S and Sony A7S II. Right off the bat, at ISOs of up to 6,400, the scene seems to work in favor of the GH5S. At these particular ISO settings, colors are much more accurate, and noise levels between the two cameras are similar. What’s more, due to the more accurate color reproduction, the GH5S seems to have a leg up on its rival.
At 12,800 ISO, however, the GH5S’ video starts to falter as the noise becomes more prominent, whereas the Sony A7SII continues to hold up pretty well with the much cleaner images, even being able to go higher in ISO. Nonetheless, the GH5S should still be praised for its improved low light performance, despite the limitations of the Micro 4/3 sensor size on board.
Next in the comparison is the Panasonic GH5S vs. the EVA1. In this scenario, one might assume that since the EVA1 has a larger sensor, it should perform much better than the GH5S in low light. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. At 6,400 ISO, the EVA1 produces significantly more noise than the GH5S, and it only gets worse from there.
Part of the reason for this outcome is not only due to the remarkable sensitivity of the GH5S’s sensor but also comes as a result of its higher Native Dual ISO of 5,000 when shooting in V-log compared to the EVA1’s 2,500.
And of course, the final comparison made in the video puts the GH5S against its sibling the original GH5. Even though the GH5 didn’t include a Log picture profile and the comparison had to be done using the Natural picture profile, the difference between the two cameras is still night and day as evident in the footage shot with an ISO of 6,400 and 12,800 respectively.
Overall, Panasonic deserves a big round of applause for creating a mirrorless camera that compares admirably not only to the Sony A7SII but also to the rest of its competitors.
Honestly, I was quite surprised to see such a difference between the GH5s and the EVA1 in particular, but considering the latest developments in the camera sensor technology and the fast pace at which it has been evolving recently, that’s the least we can expect as a result from now on.
[source: ProAV TV]
Order Links:
- Sony Alpha a7S II Mirrorless Digital Camera (B&H, Amazon US)
- Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 (B&H, Amazon US)
- Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S (B&H, Amazon US)
- Panasonic AU-EVA1 Compact 5.7K Super 35mm Cinema Camera (B&H, Amazon US)
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