Panasonic Lumix S5 II review 2024: compact and lightweight

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After using the LUMIX S1 since its release in 2018 and the original LUMIX S5 since 2020, I can attest to the fact that the LUMIX full-frame system has earned the respect of professional photographers and filmmakers. Panasonic’s contrast-based Depth-from-Defocus autofocusing technique, which the company has championed for years despite much of the competition adopting phase-detection-based AF settings, was the only thing preventing it from being a mainstream hit.

Panasonic, typically slow to adopt new technologies, is targeting “Creators” with the LUMIX S5 II and its phase hybrid AF. That obnoxious group of folks that create content as a job or a pastime with the dream of making a living from it eventually. Because I am one of those unpleasant people, I can confidently make that claim. For the S5 II to succeed, it must provide stunning stills that can be quickly and easily edited and exported from the device.

Panasonic Lumix S5 II Specifications

Specification	Details
Brand	Panasonic
Model	Lumix S5 II
Sensor	Full-frame CMOS
Resolution	24.2 megapixels
Lens Mount	L-Mount
Image Stabilization	5-axis in-body stabilization
Autofocus System	Advanced DFD autofocus
Video Recording	4K UHD up to 60fps, Full HD
Continuous Shooting Speed	Up to 7 frames per second
ISO Range	100-51200 (expandable to 50-204800)
Viewfinder	OLED electronic viewfinder
LCD Screen	3.0-inch vari-angle touchscreen
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Battery Life	Up to 470 shots

Panasonic Lumix S5 II: Design

As someone who throws their camera gear around, we really like how sturdy the S5 II is. It’s a small DSLR-style mirrorless camera that’s easy to hold for long stretches. We are sure it would last me for years even if I used it a lot. Don’t be fooled, though. The S5 II has almost everything you could want, despite its small size and low price.

There are all of the controls that a pro shooter, and to some extent, a pro filmmaker, would need. There are buttons for the most important exposure settings, control knobs, and an AF joystick for changing the AF area quickly. In addition to the shutter button for taking photos, you also get a big, bright red button that starts video recording.

Panasonic Lumix S5 II: Ease of Use

Panasonic’s first camera to have Phase Detection Auto-Focus is the Lumix S5 II. That will be a huge relief and selling point for the S5 II to many Panasonic aficionados. The lack of an emotional or financial investment in the Lumix system is no longer a technological or marketing barrier to entry.

The Lumix S5 II is the first Panasonic camera to be on par with its primary competitors, who have all featured hybrid contrast and phase-detect auto-focus systems for several years now. You can buy this camera from its official website

Image and Video Quality

varied camera manufacturers take quite varied approaches to video quality. The Sony A7 IV, for instance, competes with the S5 II. The S5 II from Panasonic features superior 6K/30p video. This movie can be captured at either 5952 x 3968 pixels (full frame) or 5952 x 3136 pixels (16:9). The MOV format supports 10-bit recording at a wide variety of resolutions and frame rates. Sony’s 4K footage, however, features a higher bitrate and more efficient compression, so it should be of higher quality. In comparison to the S5 II’s 200Mbps, this camera’s maximum bitrate is 600Mbps, and it supports both ALL-I and LONG GOP while the S5 II only supports the latter.

Panasonic Lumix S5 II: Performance

Once upon a time, Olympus (now OM System) was the king of picture stabilization, but Panasonic has also done some amazing things. The S5 II’s 5-axis in-body image stabilization makes slow shutter speeds and mild handshake easy to deal with, so you can get clear photos and smooth videos even when the shutter speed is slow or your hands are shaking.

For one test, we set the 20-60mm lens to its largest setting, 20mm, where we would expect to be able to take a sharp picture by hand at 1/30 sec without stabilization. Then, we kept making the shutter speed slower and slower until I found the camera’s breaking point. Surprisingly, it wasn’t until 2.5 seconds that the picture started to look soft, and it was 3 seconds before you could see blur from camera shake. That’s about six successful stops of stabilization.

Battery and Connectivity

The DMW-BLK22 battery is used in both the S5 II and the S5 I. Based on CIPA testing guidelines, it can take about 370 shots per charge, which is a little less than the original model, which could take 470 shots per charge. Panasonic says that if you turn on features that save power, you can take about 1,250 photos, which is a big rise. It’s important to remember that the performance scores for still images don’t take into account how the camera will be used for video.

The camera has two memory card slots, and both of them can use SDXC cards with UHS-II transfer speeds. It also has 3.5mm jacks for headphones and a microphone, a 2.5mm remote port, and a full-size HDMI port that can be used with an external monitor or recording.

Final Words

In the last five years, every S-series and GH LUMIX camera has done most things well. But some people wouldn’t buy them because they have DFD autofocus, even though the name is known for accurate color science and easy-to-use features. Those times are over now. On an even playing field, the LUMIX S5 II is the clear winner. It has a good camera with 24.2-megapixels and an image processor that was made in collaboration with Leica.

It can take high-quality photos at up to 30 frames per second in E-Shutter mode and has the best image stabilizer on the market. Its phase-hybrid autofocus technology is as good as or better than that of some cameras that cost more than it does. Oh, and it has an HDMI port that is the full size.

Panasonic Lumix S5 II review: The good and The bad

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