Canon M5 vs Panasonic GH4: A Detailed Comparison

Canon M5 vs Panasonic GH4: The Canon EOS M5 has a 24.0MP APS-C sensor while the Panasonic Lumix DMC GH4 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds sensor. These are two mirrorless digital cameras from popular brands. Here’s an overview of the main specifications and features before we dive into more details.

Canon M5 vs Panasonic GH4 Specs

Canon M5 vs Panasonic GH4 – Comparison

Canon M5 vs Panasonic GH4 – Comparison

24.2 16.1
Sensor Type CMOS Live MOS
Sensor Format APS-C Micro Four Thirds
Crop Factor 1.6x 2.0x
AA Filter Yes Yes
Image Resolution 6000 x 4000 4608 x 3456
Body Image Stabilization Yes (Movie only) No
Lens Mount Canon EF-M Micro Four Thirds
ISO 100 – 25,600 200 – 25,600
Expanded ISO None 100
AF Points 49 Hybrid 49 Contrast
Cross-type AF Points Dual Pixel AF 0 phase
Continuous Mode 7fps 12fps
LCD 3.2″ – Articulating 3.0″ – Fully Articulated
LCD Resolution 1,620,000 dots 1,036,800 dots
Touchscreen Yes Yes
Focus Peaking Yes Yes
Top LCD Display No No
Viewfinder Type EVF (2.36M) EVF (2.36M)
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 1.34x
Video Resolution 1920×1080 (60/50/30/25/24p 4096×2160 (24p)
1280×720 (60/50p) 3840×2160 (30/25/24p)
Microphone Jack Yes Yes
Headphone Jack No Yes
Memory Card Type SD SD
Dual Card Slots No No
SD UHS Support UHS-I UHS-I
Fastest Shutter Speed 1/4000 1/8000
Slowest Shutter Speed 30″ 60″
Bulb Mode Yes Yes
JPEG Buffer Size 27 Unlimited
RAW Buffer Size 18 21
Time Lapse Yes Yes
Built-in Flash Yes Yes
Max Flash Sync Speed 1/200 1/250
Startup Time 1.2s 0.8s
Built-in Wi-Fi Yes Yes
Built-in GPS No No
Built-in NFC Yes No
Bluetooth Yes No
USB Type USB 2.0 USB 2.0
Environmentally Sealed No Yes
Battery Life (CIPA) 295 shots 530 shots
Battery Included Yes (LP-E17) Yes
Weight 15.0 oz (427g) 20.1 oz (569g)
Size 4.6 x 3.5 x 2.4″ 5.2 x 3.7 x 3.3″
Price Amazon Amazon
Release Date 2016 2014

Canon M5 vs Panasonic GH4 Common Features

 Wireless Connection Yes vs Yes
Articulating Screen Yes vs Yes
Built-in Flash Yes vs Yes
External Flash Shoe Yes vs Yes
Touch Screen Yes vs Yes
Viewfinder Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic)
RAW Support Yes vs Yes
Face Detection Focus Yes vs Yes
Microphone Port Yes vs Yes
Timelapse Recording Yes vs Yes
AE Bracketing Yes vs Yes
Selfie Friendly LCD Yes vs Yes
Smartphone Remote Control Yes vs Yes

Canon M5 vs Panasonic GH4 Common Weaknesses

Image Stabilization No vs No

Panasonic GH4 vs Canon M5 Size Comparison

Mirrorless cameras then to be small. In this case, the Canon M5 is the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 17mm narrower, 4mm shorter and 23mm thinner than the Panasonic GH4. It is also 133g lighter than the GH4.

Canon M5 vs Panasonic GH4 – Comparison

Canon M5 vs Panasonic GH4 – Comparison

However, since the Canon EOS M5 has an APS-C sized sensor and Panasonic Lumix DMC GH4 has a smaller Four-Thirds sensor, the Panasonic GH4’s lenses for a similar focal length and aperture are generally lighter and smaller than the Canon M5 lenses.

Panasonic GH4 vs Canon M5 Sensor Comparison

The Canon M5 has a 24.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features a Digic 7 processor. Meanwhile, the Panasonic GH4 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features the Venus Engine IX processor. The Canon M5’s sensor has 8MP more than the Panasonic GH4’s sensor. This means that you have more freedom with cropping and printing larger images.

Moreover, the Canon M5 has a 1.5x larger sensor area than the Panasonic GH4. Larger sensors allow you to have more control over the depth of field and blurry background compared to the smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Why You Should Choose The Canon M5

Max Sensor Resolution 24 MP vs 16 MP
LCD Screen Size 3.2″ vs 3″
LCD Screen Resolution 1.620k dots vs 1.036k dots
Weight 427 g vs 560 g
Viewfinder Resolution 2360k dot vs 2359k dot
 Price $880 vs $1,198
NFC Connection Yes vs No
Bluetooth Yes vs No
Digital video stabilization Yes vs No

Advantages of the Canon M5 Over Panasonic GH4

  • Megapixels –  8.1 more megapixels. For printing big and cropping, the Canon M5 is a much better choice.
  • Sensor Format – APS-C is bigger than MFT, which results in slightly less noise at higher ISO levels.
  • Body Image Stabilization – It has body image stabilization but it only works in video.
  • LCD – 3.2″ vs 3.0″.
  • LCD Resolution – Higher resolution.
  • Built-in NFC
  • Bluetooth Support
  • Weight – The Canon M5 weighs 142g less.
  • Size – The Canon M5 is noticeably smaller.

Video: Canon M5 Hands-on Review

Why You Should Choose The Panasonic GH4

Max Shutter Speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Continuous Shooting 12.0fps vs 9.0fps
Battery Life 500 shots vs 295 shots
Headphone Port Yes vs No
Environmental Sealing Yes vs No
Flash Coverage 17.0m vs 5.0m
Sensor Pixel Area 14.12µmvs 13.84µm2
Max Video Resolution 4096 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080
Flash Sync Port Yes vs No
4K Photo Mode Yes vs No
Post Focus Mode Yes vs No

Advantages of the Panasonic GH4 Over the Canon M5

  • Continuous mode – 12fps vs 7fps. More is better for sports and wildlife since you have more chances of getting a tack sharp shot.
  • LCD – It’s fully articulated.
  • Video Resolution – 4K video available.
  • Headphone Jack – Useful for previewing your audio quality straight out the camera.
  • Faster Max Shutter Speed – 1/8000 vs 1/4000.
  • Slower Max Shutter Speed – 60” vs 30”.
  • JPEG Buffer Size – Unlimited vs 27. Useful for long bursts.
  • RAW Buffer Size – 21 vs 18. 
  • Max Flash Sync Speed – 1/250 vs /200.
  • Environmentally Sealed – The Panasonic GH4 is much more protected for shooting outdoors in difficult terrain and bad weather conditions.
  • Battery Life – 530 shots vs 295 shots.

Video: Panasonic GH4 Hands-on Review

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