Stuff UK — June 2017

What’s the story?

The new top dog in Panasonic’s Lumix G

range, this is the first compact system

camera that can record 4K footage at

60fps. First isn’t necessarily always the

best, but it’s one up on the Sony’s 30fps

maximum at this resolution.

What’s more, at £1699 you’re paying

a lot less for 4K if you side with the Lumix

instead of the Sony. And that’s not to say

Panasonic’s flagship compact is only good

for video – it has plenty of other fine specs.

The OLED viewfinder is gorgeous and the

tilt-and-swivel screen is touch-sensitive,

so you can use it as another way to tweak

the many, many controls.

Is it any good?

The GH5’s 4K footage looks glorious,

especially in good lighting. It delivers

astoundingly rich detail and clean colours,

while that higher frame-rate means you

can pan more smoothly with less judder.

Plus you can record in HDR and then watch

the eye-poppingly realistic footage back

on your HDR telly.

The GH5’s only weakness – and it’s a

minor one – is its middling performance in

bad light. We wouldn’t recommend it over

the Sony if low-light performance is your

primary concern, but it’ll hold its own in a

dimly lit pub. In all other respects – build

quality, control layout, autofocus, usability

and image quality – it’s a fantastic camera,

and those enthusiasts who prize creative

control and flexibility will adore it.

Price £1699 (body) / stuff.tv/LumixGH5

Tech 20.3MP Micro Four Thirds MOS

●ISO 200-25,600 ● 4K video @ 60fps

●OLED EVF and 3.2in LCD screen

●139x87x98mm, 725g

Stuff says +++++

A mighty CSC all-rounder with fantastic

video performance

Panasonic Lumix GH5

What’s the story?

Amateur filmmakers take note: the A7S II

could very well be the next camera you’re

lusting after. Like the original A7S, it’s a

variant of the full-frame A7 with a focus

on offering outstanding performance

in two key areas: low-light photography

and 4K video.

It certainly should have an edge over the

Lumix in low light because of its massive

sensitivity range – 100 to 409,600

equivalent – which absolutely dwarfs

the Lumix GH5’s. Like the Panasonic it

has five-axis image stabilisation, and this

is an extremely well built compact camera...

as it should be for two and a half grand.

Is it any good?

With a reasonably fast lens attached

you can snap away in anything but total

darkness without worrying about the

results being a grainy mess. In this aspect,

the GH5 just cannot compete. That stellar

low-light performance extends to video

too – it may not be able to manage 4K

at 60fps but the A7S II is a superb video

camera. It uses the XAVC S codec, which

requires a fast SD card but supports a

bitrate of up to 100Mbps. That’s a lot

of data, and it means 4K videos look

incredibly rich and smooth.

If you’re looking for a compact system

camera that offers class-leading low-light

performance and professional-quality 4K

video, and if you can afford it, Sony’s is still

the one to get.

Price £2499 (body) / stuff.tv/A7SII

Tech 12.2MP full-frame Exmor CMOS

● ISO 100 to 409, 600 ● 4K video @

30fps, 1080p @ 60fps ● OLED EVF and

3in LCD screen ● 127x96x60mm, 627g

Stuff says +++++

The A7S delivers top-class low-light and

video performance.

Sony A7S II

[ Words

Sam Kieldsen ]

VERSUS MIRRORLESS CAMERAS

THE SPECIAL

SAUCE OF

COMPACT

STILLS...

4K video capture on a compact camera might sound

mad, but it’s a reality with these two snapsters. Time

to smash open the piggy bank... but for which one?

Little big

shots

●Freeze frame

Working in tandem

with a super-fast

autofocus system

is the Lumix GH5’s

‘6K Photo’ mode, a

higher-resolution

version of the 4K

Photo talents seen

on lesser Panasonic

CSCs. Flip it on

and you can record

what’s essentially

a 30fps video and

extract any frame

you like to use as

an 18MP still.

● Shot in the dark

There’s a full-frame

sensor in this Sony:

a 12.2MP Exmor

CMOS. If that

doesn’t sound like

many megapixels

compared with the

A7 II’s 24.3MP or

the A7R II’s 42.4MP,

look at it this way:

all three cameras’

sensors are

physically the same

size, so each of

the A7S II’s sensor

pixels is absolutely

huge compared

to those of its

counterparts.

That’s a key part

of this camera’s

ace performance

in low light.