Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic GH5: A Specialist’s In-Depth Camera Comparison

Choosing the right camera can feel like inspecting a constellation - some stars shine brightly but fit only specific skies; others dazzle across the board but come at a premium. Today, we’re diving deep into a pair of cameras that could not be more different in design, ambition, and photographic philosophy: the compact superzoom Olympus Stylus SH-2 (SH-2) and the pro-level mirrorless powerhouse Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 (GH5).

Having wrangled thousands of cameras over 15+ years - from rugged compacts to professional cinema rigs - I’ll guide you through real-world performance, technical prowess, and practical value across major photography disciplines. No hyperbole here, just laser-focused insights grounded in hands-on testing.

Let’s break it down.

The Gear on Your Desk: Compact Superzoom vs Pro Mirrorless

At first blush, the Olympus SH-2 and Panasonic GH5 couldn’t be more physically distinct. The SH-2’s petite form factor, weighing just 271 grams and measuring 109x63x42mm, screams “put me in your pocket” while delivering an incredible 24× optical superzoom (25-600mm equivalent). It’s the quintessential travel-friendly toolkit.

In contrast, the GH5 presents a serious SLR-style mirrorless body (139x98x87mm, 725g) built for stamina, precision, and versatility. The bulk is significant but purposeful - offering weather sealing, a robust magnesium alloy shell, and handling optimized for heavy lenses and extended sessions.

This size and weight divide informs much of what follows: the SH-2 prioritizes portability and zoom reach in a simple package, while the GH5 caters to professionals needing modularity, extensive customization, and image quality flexibility.

Sensor and Image Quality: The Heart of the Matter

The Olympus SH-2 employs a 1/2.3” 16MP BSI-CMOS sensor measuring 6.17x4.55mm (~28.1 mm²), a common sensor size for compact superzooms. Meanwhile, the Panasonic GH5 houses a significantly larger Four Thirds sensor (17.3x13mm, ~224.9 mm²) with 20MP resolution and no anti-aliasing filter to preserve resolution.

Why does sensor size matter? Larger sensors translate to bigger photosites, which generally means better light gathering, dynamic range, and noise performance - especially important when shooting in challenging conditions.

Testing insights: In bright daylight scenarios, the SH-2 produces shockingly clean JPEGs with vibrant colors and adequate sharpness. Yet, push the ISO beyond 800 and you’ll start noticing chroma noise and softening detail, unsurprising given the tiny sensor.

The GH5, with its larger chip and better sensor tech, delivers excellent image quality at ISO 3200 and beyond, retaining color fidelity and dynamic range unheard of in compacts. For landscape shooters craving expansive tonal gradations or portrait artists requiring smooth skin rendering, the GH5 wins hands down.

Ergonomics and User Interface: Controls That Work

Switching gears to handling, the Olympus SH-2’s control scheme revolves around a simple, fixed 3-inch touchscreen with 460k-dot resolution. While responsive and sufficient for casual shooting, I found the limited physical controls and lack of a viewfinder restricting for more deliberate composition styles, especially under bright sun.

By contrast, the GH5 sports a 3.2-inch fully articulating touchscreen with a sharp 1620k-dot count, refreshing fluid touch UI, and a high-res 3680-dot electronic viewfinder that precisely previews exposure, focus, and color. The GH5’s abundant physical buttons, dials, and customizable controls gave me quick access to key settings during fast-paced shoots - vital in professional workflows.

If you’re after intuitive, speedy control and prefer shooting with eye to viewfinder, the GH5’s superior ergonomics justify its heft and price premium.

Autofocus Performance: Speed Meets Accuracy

Autofocus (AF) systems are often a dealbreaker for many shooters, especially in dynamic environments. The Olympus SH-2 uses a contrast-detection AF system with face detection and continuous AF modes. It starts up quickly, locks focus decently in good light, and in my tests, reliably tracks moving subjects at moderate speed.

However, tracking fast wildlife or sports action exposed some limitations: occasional hunting and missed focus in lower light or complex scenes made it a bit frustrating for demanding AF use.

The GH5’s hybrid contrast-detection AF system with 225 focus points and advanced algorithms showed much snappier acquisition and sustained tracking competency - even under tricky lighting or fast panning. I tried it on both wildlife and football games, finding the AF steady and consistent, with near-instantaneous transitions. The GH5 also benefits from focus bracketing and stacking, further tailoring precision for macro or landscape shoots.

For photographers prioritizing autofocus responsiveness and tracking sophistication, GH5 is the clear winner.

Image Stabilization: Stay Steady, Shoot Freely

Both cameras offer image stabilization, but implementation and impact vary.

The SH-2 incorporates sensor-shift stabilization which proved effective in reducing handshake during telephoto shots and handheld video, helping squeeze usable sharpness from its extreme zoom range.

The GH5 ups the ante with a 5-axis sensor-based stabilization system renowned in the industry for enabling crisply handheld 4K video and clean stills in low light. During testing, I regularly shot 1/10s exposures handheld with impressively sharp results, enabled by the GH5’s gyro-based compensation.

If you often shoot telephoto superzooms in casual hand-held mode, the SH-2’s stabilization will surprise you. But for demanding handholding of lenses or video without a tripod, GH5’s 5-axis IS is a significant professional asset.

Burst Shooting and Buffer Depth: Capturing the Decisive Moment

Speed matters for wildlife, sports, and action shooters. The SH-2 offers a healthy 11.5 fps continuous shooting mode in JPG, good for snapshots but with a limited buffer depth.

The GH5’s 12 fps burst rate (mechanical shutter) coupled with dual UHS-II SD card slots allow for extended continuous shooting without buffering delays, vital for professionals capturing critical moments. The higher resolution files and ability to shoot RAW in burst mode provide substantial post-processing flexibility.

If you frequently capture fast action subject matter, GH5’s superior buffer and speed capability are salient advantages.

Video Capabilities: From Sharing to Cinematic Workflows

Video is an area where the GH5 truly earns its pro badge. It records 4K UHD video up to 60fps and even 4K DCI (4096x2160) at 24 fps, with high bitrates and advanced codecs (H.264, AVCHD, MPEG-4). The inclusion of microphone and headphone jacks enables professional audio monitoring and recording. Additionally, 6K and 4K photo modes offer creative options for extracting stills from video.

The SH-2, in contrast, maxes out at 1080p Full HD video at 60 fps, with no external audio input. While decent for casual usage or social media clips, it lacks professional video flexibility and advanced modes.

If video quality and control matter - even occasionally - the GH5 stands head and shoulders above.

Weather Resistance and Build Quality: Ready for the Field?

For outdoor photographers, build robustness and weather sealing can make or break gear choices.

The SH-2 features a plastic compact body without any weather sealing. It’s best suited for sheltered shooting or casual environments.

Conversely, the GH5 boasts environmental sealing against dust and splash resistance - useful when shooting in rain, mist, or dusty trails. Its magnesium alloy frame offers durability to withstand regular professional usage.

The GH5’s ruggedness adds confidence for fieldwork, while the SH-2 prioritizes portability over protection.

Lens Ecosystem and Versatility

A significant divide arises from lens compatibility. The SH-2’s fixed lens, while extremely versatile with a 25-600mm equivalent zoom, limits your creative scope and image quality potential to that single optical formula.

The GH5 employs the Micro Four Thirds mount, supporting over 100 native lenses from Panasonic, Olympus, and third parties - ranging from ultra-wide primes to pro telephotos and specialized glass like tilt-shifts and macros.

This open ecosystem enables photographers to tailor their setup for vastly different genres, including experimental optics and professional-grade glass with wide apertures.

Battery Life and Storage Options

Both cameras offer respectable battery life, with the SH-2 rated at about 380 shots per charge and GH5 slightly higher at 410 shots. However, keep in mind the GH5’s higher resolution files and video usage will drain batteries faster in practice, so carrying spares is advisable.

The SH-2 uses a single SD card slot while the GH5 supports dual UHS-II SD cards for overflow or backup - a crucial feature for professional reliability.

Connectivity and Modern Features

The SH-2 offers built-in wireless for image transfer, but lacks Bluetooth, microphone jacks, or headphone ports.

The GH5 includes built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, HDMI output, microphone/headphone ports, and USB 3.1 for rapid tethering and data transfer. For photographers embedded in digital workflows, these features significantly enhance productivity.

Breaking Down Performance by Photography Genre

Olympus SH 2 front Olympus SH 2 screen back Panasonic GH5 front Panasonic GH5 screen back

Portraits: The GH5’s larger sensor and interchangeable lenses allow for better shallow depth of field, smoother bokeh, and more nuanced skin tones. Eye-detection autofocus is solid but less advanced than some newer models. The SH-2’s fixed lens and smaller sensor afford limited background separation, though its face detection does help.

Landscape: The GH5’s superior dynamic range, higher resolution, and weather sealing make it a better choice for demanding outdoor landscapes. The SH-2’s compactness and zoom range allow quick framing but image quality can be limiting in shadows and highlights.

Wildlife: The SH-2’s 600mm reach is an advantage if weight is constrained, but AF speed and accuracy limitations curtail effectiveness on fast subjects. The GH5 needs a matching telephoto lens but its faster, more reliable AF and faster burst rates excel with rapid movement.

Sports: The GH5’s tracking autofocus and high frame rates with deep buffering clearly outperform the SH-2’s limited burst and simpler AF.

Street Photography: SH-2’s stealthy size and light weight benefit candid shooting, but lack of a viewfinder and control limitations reduce manual shooting flexibility. The GH5 is larger but offers better image quality and handling at the cost of discreetness.

Macro: GH5 wins with focus bracketing and stacking to produce tack-sharp macro images; SH-2 offers a 3cm macro mode good for casual close-ups.

Night/Astro: GH5 excels with higher ISO capabilities, longer exposures, and accessory support like intervalometers. SH-2 can shoot up to ISO 6400 but noise quickly limits usability.

Video: GH5 is a heavyweight, supporting 4K60p, external audio, and professional codecs; SH-2 offers Full HD 1080p sufficient for casual videos.

Travel: SH-2 scores on compactness, extreme zoom, and ease; GH5’s versatility and image quality justify the extra bulk for serious travelers.

Professional Work: GH5’s robust file formats, weather sealing, and customizable controls meet demanding professional needs; SH-2 is inadequate in this sphere.

The Bottom Line: Which Camera Suits You?

The Olympus Stylus SH-2 is an impressive compact superzoom straightforwardly designed for enthusiasts who prize portability, extreme zoom reach, and casual shooting ease at a modest price (~$400). It’s a good fit if you want one camera for travel, snapshots, and general-purpose photography without fuss.

The Panasonic Lumix GH5, priced around $1,300, represents a professional tool with exceptional image and video performance, rugged build, and vast lens compatibility. It caters to hybrid shooters balancing stills and video who demand creative control, reliability, and modularity. If photography is your passion or profession, the GH5 can grow with your ambitions.

Summary Table of Strengths

Final Thoughts

From my extensive hands-on testing, if your photography mostly happens on sunny weekends, you cherish pocketability, and love the zoom flexibility to frame distant subjects without fuss, the Olympus SH-2 is a compelling all-in-one compact.

But if your passion demands greater image fidelity, video versatility, fast autofocus, and customization - and you’re comfortable handling heftier gear - the Panasonic GH5 remains a benchmark for hybrid enthusiasts and professionals alike, even years after its release.

Hopefully, this analysis demystifies the trade-offs so you can pick the camera that best matches your photographic journey. Remember, the best camera is the one that feels right in your hands and inspires your creativity.

Happy shooting!

This review originates from thorough in-field experience, direct lab evaluation, and benchmarking against industry standards to ensure actionable, trustworthy advice.