After weeks of rumors and speculation, Panasonic has officially announced the release of the Lumix S5 (DC-S5 if you’re a stickler), which has many saying its the successor to the very popular and much-loved GH5. And by all rights & reason, it just might be, as the only reported downside of the system seems to be its contrast-detect Autofocus system (you’ll see in the content below).
The new Lumix S5 is a 24.2 MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor Mirrorless system that can shoot 4k60, with 10-Bit Internal recording, V-Log, HDR, Dual Native ISO, 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization, a “96MP High-Res mode”, and Dual SD Card Slots! This new full-frame mirrorless camera is built around the same sensor you find in the S1, but in a much smaller footprint than it’s GH5 sibling, and offering an array of photo and video features making it come close to the GH5 and pricier S1H systems.
Panasonic’s previous systems seemed to all fit into a well-defined niche, catering to a very specific need for each system, however, the new Lumix S1 appears to be a system that offers a “something for everyone” set of features, and a price point to match at only $1,999 for the body only, or $2,299 with the Lumix S20-60mm f3.5-5.6 lens. Panasonic has made a system they hope will be appealing to still shooters, and video shooters alike.
[Related Reading: Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H Review Compilation]
Panasonic Lumix S5 Technical Specs:
- Lens Mount Leica L
- Camera Format Full-Frame (1x Crop Factor)
- Pixels Actual: 25.28 Megapixel
- Effective: 24.2 Megapixel
- Maximum Resolution 6000 x 4000
- Aspect Ratio 1:1, 2:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 65:24
- Sensor Type CMOS
- Sensor Size 35.6 x 23.8 mm
- Image File Format JPEG, Raw
- Bit Depth 14-Bit
- Image Stabilization Sensor-Shift, 5-Axis
- ISO Sensitivity Auto, 100 to 51200 (Extended: 50 to 204800)
- Shutter Speed
- Mechanical Shutter
- 1/8000 to 60 Second
- 0 to 30 Minute in Bulb Mode
- Electronic Front Curtain Shutter
- 1/2000 to 60 Second
- 0 to 30 Minute
- Electronic Shutter
- 1/8000 to 60 Second
- 0 to 60 Second in Bulb Mode
- 1/16000 to 1/25 Second in Movie Mode
- Mechanical Shutter
- Exposure Compensation -5 to +5 EV (1/3 EV Steps)
- Metering Range 0 to 18 EV
- Continuous Shooting
- Mechanical Shutter
- Up to 7 fps at 24.2 MP for up to 24 Frames (Raw) / 999 Frames (JPEG)
- Electronic Shutter
- Up to 7 fps at 24.2 MP for up to 24 Frames (Raw) / 999 Frames (JPEG)
- Up to 30 fps at 18 MP
- Up to 60 fps at 8 MP
- Up to 30 fps at 8 MP
- Mechanical Shutter
- Autofocus Points Contrast Detection: 225
- Autofocus Sensitivity -6 to +20 EV
- Recording Modes
- H.264/MOV 4:2:2 10-Bit
- UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p [150 Mb/s]
- Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [100 Mb/s]
- 4K Anamorphic (3328 x 2496) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p [150 Mb/s]
- H.264/MOV 4:2:0 8-Bit
- UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [100 to 150 Mb/s]
- Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [100 Mb/s]
- 4K Anamorphic (3328 x 2496) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p/50p [100 to 150 Mb/s]
- H.265/MOV 4:2:0 10-Bit
- UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 50p/59.94p [200 Mb/s]
- 4K Anamorphic (3328 x 2496) at 50p [200 Mb/s]
- H.265/MP4 4:2:0 10-Bit
- UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [72 to 100 Mb/s]
- H.264/MP4 4:2:0 8-Bit
- UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p [100 Mb/s]
- Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p/100p/119.88p/180p [20 to 28 Mb/s]
- H.264/MOV 4:2:2 10-Bit
- External Recording Modes 4:2:2 10-Bit
- UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) up to 50p/59.94p
- Recording Limit
- Up to 30 Minutes for UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p(4:2:2 10-Bit)
- Up to 30 Minutes for UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 50p/59.94p(4:2:0 10-Bit)
- Unlimited for UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p(4:2:0 8-Bit)
- Memory Card Slot
- Slot 1: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II)
- Slot 2: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
- Connectivity
- USB Type-C (USB 3.1), HDMI D (Micro), 3.5mm Microphone, 3.5mm Headphone, 2.5mm Sub-Mini
- Wireless
- Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi
- Price – $1,997.99 – Adorama | B&H | Amazon
Panasonic Lumix Product Images
[Related Reading: Panasonic G95 | First Look and Initial Thoughts]
Panasonic Lumix S5 Mirrorless Camera Reviews
We’ve put in our request to get hands-on with this camera system so we’ll be completing our review soon. Until then, here are some of our favorites from around the web from other respected sources:
Panasonic Lumix S5 First Impression by DPReview
CineD – Panasonic Lumix S5 Review and Sample Footage
Panasonic S5 Hands-on Preview by The Camera Store TV
Panasonic S5 Review from DSLR Video Shooter
Panasonic Lumix S5 Review by Tony & Chelsea Northrup
Panasonic S5: A Strange but Powerful Camra by Gerald Undone
Panasonic S5 Nailed It! from Kai Wong
Panasonic S5 Movie Quality Review by Gordon Laing
Panasonic S5 Photography Review by Gordon Laing
Panasonic S5 Hands-On Review and Full Autofocus Test
Panasonic S5 – In-Depth Review & Test Footage by CVP
Panasonic Lumix S5 Hands-On review from B&H
Conclusion
From the videos above, it appears the consensus is consistent, that this system is Panasonic’s answer to the Canon EOS R6, making it one of the best video-centric cameras in its price range. There are still some clear flaws with the poor performing autofocus and slower burst shooting speeds, but given the list of pros including 5-axis stabilization, a smaller form factor, and the ability to shoot 4K 10Bit video, it’s a somewhat easy trade-off.
We’re excited to get hands-on with this system sometime in the next few weeks to see how it holds up in our shooters’ hands, especially if the firmware updates and feature updates are released by that time! As usual, let us know what you think of the videos above and ask any questions you have about the system you’d like to see us cover in the comments below.
