Nikon 1 S2 vs Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon 1 S2 and the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II, 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.

Nikon 1 S2 was introduced in May 2014 and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II was introduced in July 2021. 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 Nikon 1 S2 over Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II over Nikon 1 S2.

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

Nikon 1 S2 and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II have 3.0" screens with 460k dot and 1,840k dot resolutions respectively. Nikon 1 S2 has a Fixed screen Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II 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 II) 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.

Electronic (OLED) Viewfinder on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II

Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II has a built-in Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 3,680k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 1.52x (0.76x 35mm equivalent) magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Nikon 1 S2.

Nikon 1 S2 features a 14.2 megapixel 1-inch CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.1 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 115.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 12,800. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II features a 20.33 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

Nikon 1 S2 is equipped with EXPEED 4A processor and can take pictures up to 4592 x 3072 resolution. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II is equipped with Venus Engine processor and can take pictures up to 5184 x 3888 resolution.

Lens Mount

Nikon 1 S2 has Nikon 1 lens mount and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II has Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Due to 1-inch sensor in Nikon 1 S2 its crop factor is equal to 2.7x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.7. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II 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 II

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 II. 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 II

Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) with 6.5 stops of compensation. 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 II

Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II 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 II

Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II 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. Nikon 1 S2 has a Mini HDMI and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II has a Full Size HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon 1 S2 comes with EN-EL22 battery pack with battery life of 270 shots and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II comes with DMW-BLK22 battery pack with battery life of 400 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon 1 S2 has a single MicroSD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II has Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) [V90 or Faster Recommended] card slots.

Shutter

Nikon 1 S2 has Electronic shutter. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Nikon 1 S2, and up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/8000 sec with mechanical shutter on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II. Nikon 1 S2 can shoot continuously up to 60.0 fps. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II can shoot continuously up to 12.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon 1 S2 has Hybrid autofocus (phase detection/contrast-detect AF)
AF-assist illuminator system with 171 (73 cross-type) focusing points and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II has 225 focusing points. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II has detection range from -4 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II ranges from 0 to +18 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Nikon 1 S2 and ±5 EV range on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II. You can also do exposure lock and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon 1 S2 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II.

Flash

Nikon 1 S2 has a built-in flash. Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II.

Nikon 1 S2 body has dimensions of 101 x 61 x 29 mm (3.98 x 2.4 x 1.14") and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II body has dimensions of 139 x 98 x 87 mm (5.47 x 3.86 x 3.43"). Nikon 1 S2 weighs 190 g (0.42 lb / 6.70 oz) and Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II weighs 727 g (1.60 lb / 25.64 oz).

Nikon 1 S2

Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II

101 mm

61 mm

139 mm

98 mm

61 mm

98 mm

29 mm

87 mm