Panasonic Lumix S5 debuts. One of the most interesting film cameras in its class

Looking at the specs, the Panasonic Lumix S5 looks like the full frame Lumix GH5 or the smaller brother of the Lumix S1H. Anyway, it promises to be an interesting camera for contemporary creators, focused not only on photography, but also (or perhaps above all) on filming.

Inside: 24.2 Mpix matrix, solid stabilization and new AF

The heart of the Panasonic Lumix S5 camera is a 24.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, which allows you to work with sensitivity in the ISO 100-51200 range. The producer assures that the body works well even at high sensitivities. This is due to the Dual Native ISO technology, consisting in the use of separate wiring for low and high sensitivities. In addition, the Lumix S5 allows you to shoot continuously at a speed of up to 7 fps. This is a value that does not impress, but should also be enough.

The sensor supports the 5-axis Dual IS 2 stabilization system, offering efficiency up to 6.5 EV with the use of stabilized lenses. The stabilization system also allows you to take photos with a resolution of 96 Mpix, thanks to the possibility of moving the matrix in high resolution photo mode. In addition, the IS also works in movie mode.

The autofocus is based only on the contrast detection technology (DFD) and has 225 AF points, but the Japanese announce that the system is doing great anyway. The declared sensitivity is -6 EV, and the focusing time is only 0.08 s. We also have object tracking, including face, eye, silhouettes and animal tracking. Of course, these are only announcements - you will have to check in practice how the AF system in the Lumix S5 is doing.

This is one of the most interesting film cameras in its class

Panasonic mirrorless cameras have been famous for many years for their advanced movie mode capabilities and it is no different in this case.

Panasonic Lumix S5 offers the ability to record 4K 10-bit movies (3840 × 2160 px) 60 fps with 4: 2: 2 sampling on an external recorder (200 Mbps) or 10-bit 4K 60 fps 4: 2: 0 internally. We can also choose 4K 30 fps 4: 2: 2 (150 Mbps). The maximum length of a clip is 30 minutes. At 4K 30fps 4: 2: 0 8-bit there is no recording time limit.

Choosing a resolution of 1920 × 1080 we get a frame rate of 60 fps (100 Mbps). When looking for the possibility of slowing down the recording, there are also options: 120, 150 and 180 fps. Unfortunately, there is no possibility to record sound in any of these settings, and the autofocus works up to 150 fps. With the last two options, we get the option of slowing down the recording directly in the camera.

There were also V-Log and V-Gamut profiles, or functions supporting video recording, such as zebra, focus peaking, waveform monitor or V-Log View Assist, which allows you to overlay the LUT profile preview on a clean log image.

These are very good, although not absolutely top parameters. We can look for these in the much larger and more expensive Lumix S1H. Remember, however, that we are dealing with the smallest body in the Lumix S line. Moreover, the manufacturer ensures that the housing has been designed in such a way as to ensure very good passive heat dissipation. And this means that tables showing the time to overheat the camera, known for example from Canon EOS R5, should not be needed here.

From this perspective, the Panasonic Lumix S5 should convince modern video makers, especially vloggers, but not only. It looks like one of the most interesting movie bodies in this price class.

Smaller but ergonomic body with a reversible screen.

Panasonic Lumix S5 weighs 714 g, which is 307 g less than the Lumix S1. On the other hand, it is slightly more than a much older design, and at the same time the main rival, the Sony A7 III (650 g). The sealed magnesium housing measures 133 × 97 × 82 mm. Again: it's a lot less than the Lumix S1, but a bit more than the Sony A7 III.

The body has an ergonomics similar to that of its older brothers, with a solid grip, large joystick, knobs and buttons. The DMW-BLK22 battery allows you to take up to 440 photos according to CIPA standards. There was also a double SD memory card slot (UHS-II in one of them), a microphone and headphone connector, USB 3.2 Gen 1 with the possibility of charging, microHDMI, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Two essential elements of any camera deserve attention: the display and the viewfinder. Panasonic Lumix S5 offers a 3-inch LCD touch screen with a resolution of 1,840,000 points. The screen tilts 180 degrees on the side pivot. This is the perfect solution for vlogging creators.

The electronic viewfinder used here with a resolution of 2.36 million points has a magnification of 0.74x and covers 100%. the frame. Looking at modern flagship cameras, it's poor resolution. On the other hand, the popular Sony A7 III has the same parameters, and hardly anyone is complaining.

Panasonic Lumix S5 - price and availability

Panasonic Lumix S5 will hit store shelves in mid-September at a price of about $ 2,000. for the body itself. In Poland, we can therefore expect a price of at least PLN 9,000. For equipment with such film possibilities, closed in a reasonably sized body, the Lumix S5 is really reasonably priced.

Finally: five f / 1.8 lenses and a new firmware

Panasonic Lumix S5 is today's most important premiere, but the Japanese manufacturer also announced some other interesting news.

First of all, we are going to see five new lenses soon: 24 mm, 35 mm, 50 mm and 85 mm f / 1.8 and 50 mm f / 1.4 (available in November).

Second, the company announced the release of firmware updates for the Lumix S1, S1R and S1H. The new firmware is to improve the performance of the AF system, both in shooting and filming.

According to the manufacturer, the improvements are intended to improve the detection of people and their movements. The camera is supposed to follow the person better even if it moves fast, turns its back to the camera, tilts its head or moves away from the camera. On the other hand, improvements in DFD technology will improve the AF-C function. In turn, the Lumix S1R will be able to record 5K movies. The update is expected to be available at the end of 2020.

Panasonic Lumix S5 debuts. One of the most interesting film cameras in its class