The internet made no secret that a Panasonic Lumix GH5 Mark II - or simply 'GH5 M2', as the product name goes (despite numerals being used on the camera's body) - was on its way. So no surprises, here it is - with an all-new wireless live-streaming via Wi-Fi feature being its big sell.

The original GH5 launched back in 2017, so you might expect the GH5 M2 to bring a bevy of new features in the four years that's since passed. Instead, it's got a handful of new points of interest.

Compared to the original, the Mark II utilises the same battery as the full-frame Lumix S5 (the DMW-BLK22), meaning greater longevity - and charging via USB-C is also possible.

Both GH5 Mark 1 and Mark 2 bodies are the very same size though, so any accessories will be compatible with one and the other (save for the batteries, of course).

The Mark II's other improvements come in video capabilities, despite both models using the same sensor - except the newer camera adds an anti-reflective coating to the sensor's surface. 

In addition to wireless live-streaming via Wi-Fi - so you can wire up the app to talk to your router and produce live capture to YouTube and other platforms - there's also simultaneous recording via a monitor and internally, which the original GH5 couldn't manage.

There's no crop in recording in all modes, so 17:9 C4K, 16:9 4K, and 4:3 Anamorphic at 6K-A all utilise the sensor as is, to stay true to lenses' focal lengths.

Elsewhere the GH5 Mark II's screen resolution is boosted - up to 1.8m-dots across the 3-inch panel - while V-Log L is installed as standard, rather than being a separate software purchase.

So it's not a giant leap forward for the series, but then it's really designed to replace the original GH5 and usher in some new features. The next springboard is really the GH6 - which, as it happens, was also made official as a development announcement.

The Lumix GH5 M2 will go on sale this June, priced $1,699.99 and £1,499, body-only. 

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