Canon EOS 5D vs Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 5D and the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS 5D was introduced in November 2005 and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 was introduced in January 2017. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 5D over Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 over Canon EOS 5D.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS 5D has a 2.5" Fixed screen with 230k dot resolution and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 has a 3.2" Fully Articulated screen with 1,620k dot resolution. Fully articulated screen makes Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS 5D has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinderPanasonic Lumix DC-GH5 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 3,680k dot resolution. Canon EOS 5D has 96% coverage with 0.71x magnification and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 has 100% coverage with 1.52x (0.76x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Canon EOS 5D features a 13.3 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 864 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 3,200. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 features a 20.3 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 25,600 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS 5D is equipped with DIGIC II processor and can take pictures up to 4368 x 2912 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3168 x 2112, 2496 x 1664 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 is equipped with Venus Engine processor and can take pictures up to 5184 x 3888 resolution.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS 5D has Canon EF lens mount and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Canon EOS 5D its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.

No Low-Pass Filter on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5

Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5

Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 has a built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5

Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 has a built-in Bluetooth (version 4.2 LE) which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 5D comes with BP-511A battery pack with battery life of 800 shots and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 comes with DMW-BLF19 battery pack with battery life of 410 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 5D has a single CompactFlash (Type I/II) card slot. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 has Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slots.

Shutter

Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 has Mechanical Focal Plane shutter and Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 5D, and up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/8000 sec with mechanical shutter on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5. Canon EOS 5D can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 can shoot continuously up to 12.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS 5D has 9 focusing points and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 has 225 focusing points. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 has detection range from -4 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 ranges from 0 to +18 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±2 EV range on Canon EOS 5D and ±5 EV range on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 5D and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal to Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Canon EOS 5D and 1/250 sec on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5.

Canon EOS 5D body has dimensions of 152 x 113 x 75 mm (5.98 x 4.45 x 2.95") and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 body has dimensions of 139 x 98 x 87 mm (5.47 x 3.86 x 3.43"). Canon EOS 5D weighs 895 g (1.97 lb / 31.57 oz) and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 weighs 725 g (1.60 lb / 25.57 oz).

Canon EOS 5D

Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5

152 mm

113 mm

139 mm

98 mm

113 mm

98 mm

75 mm

87 mm