When it comes to autofocus, there’s a noticeable improvement from the S1/S1R, and it proves to be very effective in most situations – there’s certainly very little hunting around or background pulsing. If you’ve already invested in Panasonic’s S series, then the S5 is a good complementary body to have in your kit bag.

Panasonic DMW-BLK22E Battery For Lumix S5 - CameraWorld

Shown here mounted on a Lumix GH5S, the Atomos Ninja V will support ProRes RAW capture from the Lumix S5 following a firmware update later this year. It will allow you to select its speed and sensitivity, you can also choose which type of focus you want.kit lens that comes with the Lumix S5 may be a little slower than I’d like, but it performs well in terms of build and image quality. For a compact full-frame mirrorless camera, the LUMIX S5 II looks and feels assuredly tough, thanks to its boxy aesthetic and deep, texturized grip. In the main menu you can set different configurations for how each dial works, and even change the direction of the dials if you like. Its feature list is extensive and very few corners seem to have been cut here to keep size and cost down.

Panasonic LUMIX DC-S5 S5 Full Frame Mirrorless Camera body

Pair it with the 20-60mm kit lens and you’ve got a nifty little camera that's ideal for travel and everyday shooting. Unfortunately for Panasonic, most camera reviews are now made by YouTubers, who understandably place great importance on video autofocus and revealed the limitations of DFD in this regard. Panasonic’s suggestion is to choose Human when you want to track the whole body near or far, but to choose Face and Eye when concentrating on portrait-style compositions, but I’d still prefer all human recognition to just be on one option. It also needs to be able to capture a variety of video content; from self-shot presentations to robust video files that can be graded heavily, to slow-motion clips, time-lapses, and more. To show it in action, I recorded the view when composing with the Lumix S 85mm, an unstabilised lens, here without IBIS enabled where the view is wobbly.For this test I used the mechanical shutter which again operates at up to 7fps with continuous autofocus.

LUMIX S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera - Panasonic LUMIX S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera - Panasonic

With this model, Panasonic is attempting to address the criticisms made of earlier S range cameras– namely, how large, heavy and expensive they were, along with their slightly lackluster autofocus.On the top plate you’ll also find a cluster of three buttons for directly accessing white balance, ISO and exposure compensation settings. During mechanical bursts, the R6 II at 12fps felt comfortably faster than the 7fps of the S5 II, but once set to electronic, both were taking more frames than I needed. These extras are part of the package that makes the S5 II such an enjoyable camera In contrast, all three of Panasonic’s subject modes include human recognition of some description, so which do you choose when you just want to photograph a person? It also handles noise brilliantly, delivering usable images comfortably up to 6,400 and perhaps a little beyond in certain circumstances.

Panasonic Panasonic LUMIX S5 Battery Pack DMW-BLK22

The image quality options appear to be inherited from the original S5, so you get three photo resolutions for JPEG files, at 24, 12 or 6 Megapixels, and the choice of two JPEG compression levels. The Lumix S5 has a 3-inch fully articulated display, and I’m near certain that it’s the same one used on the vlogger-focused Lumix G100. In comparison with the GH5, I’d say the S5 was on par, but it doesn’t feel quite as stable as the I. Announced in January 2023, the S5 II is pitched as an all-round hybrid camera, and brings a number of upgrades to the original model launched just over two years previously – but by far the most important is the inclusion of phase-detect autofocus. As far as I understand, the S5 II will also work with the battery grip accessory for the original S5, providing both portrait controls as well as accommodating a second battery, doubling the overall life.Sadly until sensors with faster readouts become more affordable, skewing will remain the penalty of using an electronic shutter. It simply can’t be matched in terms of dynamic range, and only the Sony A7S III beats it in this camera class.