Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II is the model’s newest iteration in its widespread digicam lineup, with many upgrades perfecting the prevailing options and including new ones. Making it a tempting digicam for skilled photographers and videographers. The Lumix DC-S5 II has a newly developed sensor with PDAF built-in to finish the package deal. It will possibly report as much as 6K open-gate movies with limitless recording time taking the assistance of the brand new cooling system. Let’s have an in-depth have a look at all these within the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II evaluation.
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II Evaluate
This evaluation will likely be from the attitude of somebody who has labored with primary DSLR cameras for a number of years however has by no means held a premium and flagship mirrorless just like the Lumix S5 II. So let’s get on with the journey with me to discover the flexibility of the Lumix S5 II on each the images and videography entrance.
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II: Unboxing
Earlier than starting the evaluation, let’s crack open the field to see what else we get within the package deal apart from the digicam.
- Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II
- Lens(es); 50mm Portrait, and 20-60mm Zoom
- Charging adapter
- Kind A to C cable
- Neck strap
- Fast begin information and Guarantee Card
Specs of Lumix DC-S5 II
- Sensor: 24.2 MP CMOS
- Sensor mount: Leica L
- Stabilization: 5-axis sensor shift stabilization
- ISO Sensitivity: 100 to 51,200 (Prolonged: 50 to 204,800)
- Picture Measurement: 24.2 MP (6000 x 4000), 96 MP (12,000 x 8000)
- Color Depth: 14-bit
- Video Decision: 6K, 5.9K, 4K, 1080p @ 23.98/24.00/25/29.97 fps
- I/O: Twin SD Card slot, HDMI, 3.5mm Microphone, 3.5mm Headphones, USB C
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Monitor: 3 inches LCD touchscreen
- VF: Constructed-in OLED EVF
- Battery: 2200 mAh
- Weight: 658 grams (Physique)
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II: Design
The Lumix DC-S5 II is visually similar to the common Lumix DC S5, apart from a couple of minor changes within the design. Panasonic deepened the digicam grip to make it extra regular in palms whereas utilizing giant lenses. The shutter button angle is barely modified to compensate for the upgraded grip. There are a couple of extra adjustments within the digicam design that I’ve mentioned under.
A Cooling Fan
The digicam now comes with a fan to chill down the internals and permitting to report for longer. The vent is positioned proper below the Lumix branding on the entrance, and the exhaust is positioned on the left of the EVF. A few settings are supplied to manage the fan pace, which we are going to focus on later within the evaluation. I barely heard the fan noise whereas utilizing the digicam, which is nice for noise-less recordings.
Splash Proof?
Regardless of the openings for the digicam, Panasonic ensures that the Lumix S5 II can deal with tough climate. You possibly can wipe out the water splashes with a fabric and report your treasured moments. One other minor change is that the LVF sensor has been moved to the highest of the LVF window as an alternative of the underside facet. This ensures not by accident auto-switching to LVF whereas utilizing the digicam show.
Panasonic elevated the dimensions of the joystick on the Lumis DC-S5 II, and now it’s an 8-way as an alternative of a 4-way earlier than. There’s now a full-size HDMI port as an alternative of a mini HDMI which is an enormous enchancment for professionals. Regardless of all this, the digicam physique weighs 658 grams which is according to trendy mirrorless cameras.
Dials and Buttons
There are 5 dials, together with the one on the shutter button, to modify between the settings shortly. You possibly can change these dials to toggle between modes or values in response to your wants. A pleasant contact is a three-button to shortly change the ISO, WB, and Publicity. It should take a while to get used to the dials and buttons format, however as soon as perfected, you will not must faucet the display once more to alter any primary setting.
Ports and Connectivity
Let’s discuss concerning the IO actual fast; the digicam has a big door on the correct facet to carry two SD playing cards concurrently. The left facet has a door to cover the microphone and a headphone jack. Beneath that’s one other flap that accommodates the full-size HDMI and a Kind C port. On the underside, there’s a tripod mount and a battery door.
Effectively, there are some issues we didn’t like concerning the digicam, like when utilizing the HDMI port, the monitor flexibility will get restricted. One other criticism is that there is no such thing as a tally mild on the digicam; Panasonic compensates for this with an choice to put a pink border on the monitor to inform when the digicam is dwell.
General I’m proud of the design and construct high quality of the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II. It’s moveable, sturdy, straightforward to function, and may deal with dangerous climate. With loads of connectivity choices and twin SD card slots, it’s a lifesaver for knowledgeable.
My Tackle Construct High quality
I fell in love with this digicam the second I held it in my palms as a result of all of the cameras I had used earlier than have been cumbersome and heavy. This digicam is ideal for my tiny palms, and the grip will get additional factors for consolation. I can simply attain virtually all essential buttons, however repeatedly confused the recording button with the three buttons for WB, ISO, and Publicity.
A small change I’d counsel to Panasonic is so as to add a button on the rear dial to forestall it from by accident rotating. I typically put my thumb proper the place the dial is and unintentionally switched it a number of occasions.
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II: Show and EVF
The Lumix DC-S5 II comes with a 3 inches LCD touchscreen monitor. It has a excessive dot density to maintain the content material sharp and clear. The contact display is responsive, and the brightness is excessive sufficient to see the content material outdoor.
It’s also possible to set the brightness to computerized for higher usability with out aggressively hitting the battery. The monitor could be very versatile and might be swiveled, so you need to use this digicam to shoot vlogs. A full-size HDMI gives flexibility when selecting exterior screens to your digicam.
The digicam’s show solely reveals a clear feed when related to an exterior show. Additionally, it doesn’t lose tap-to-autofocus performance when utilizing the secondary monitor, which is tremendous helpful. Panasonic has additionally upgraded the EVF on the S5 II in comparison with the common S5. Now we get 3.6 million dots on the EVF, in comparison with the two.36 million on S5. It gives lots of customization and changes, as you’ll anticipate from DSLR cameras.
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II: Options
The Lumix DC-S5 II packs a ton of options that you could be not discover on some other mirrorless digicam from the competitors. For images, the Lumi S5 II homes the most recent sensor from Panasonic, which remains to be 24.2 MP however now comes with a hybrid autofocus system.
Hybrid Auto Focus
It makes use of the Panasonic homegrown DFD (Depth From Defocus) AF and Section detection autofocus; this new autofocus system was a lot wanted from the final iteration. This digicam may seize a full 96MP picture by capturing 4 24MP stills by transferring the sensor, which is stitched collectively to provide the 96MP image.
As much as 6K 4:2:2 Video Recording
Transferring on to the videography, the Lumix S5 II comes with as much as 6K open-gate video recording in each MP4 and MOV codecs. Since that is an open-gate video, the side ratio will likely be 3:4, however if you need the video to be 16:9, strive the 5.9K recording. The 5.9K decision additionally permits you to add a panning in post-production whereas retaining the small print within the video.
Simple Pan Pictures
One other nice function is Stay cropping, out there right here to create a panning shot from the digicam robotically. So mainly, the digicam permits you to select the beginning and cease level from the body and select how lengthy the pan ought to be. As soon as all set, the digicam outputs a pointy 4K panning footage of the topic you’re working with.
Constructed-in LUTs
The Lumix DC-S5 II is an effective choice for individuals who love to make use of LUTs of their movies. The digicam permits you to use LUT in Actual-time to the video, so that you don’t have so as to add a LUT in post-production. You possibly can add preset LUTs from the digicam or create a brand new one from the digicam settings.
Two SD Playing cards
The Lumix S5 II accepts two SD playing cards without delay, so that you don’t have to modify SD playing cards between shoots. You possibly can customise it to save lots of photos on one card and movies on one other. Other than this, you get extra customization choices to make use of the playing cards.
It’s good to see Panasonic just isn’t reducing corners, as there is a USB Kind-C port for information and charging. This enables to make use of the digicam even when the battery dies by instantly plugging the digicam into energy through the type-C cable. It continues to get energy whereas recording movies in order that the battery received’t restrict you. We are going to discuss concerning the battery efficiency later within the evaluation.
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II: Consumer Interface
The consumer interface on the Lumix DC-S5 II could also be baffling to anybody new to the DLSR digicam world. A whole lot of actual options are hidden beneath layers of various settings menus. If it wasn’t for the digicam’s consumer guide, I should have missed these wonderful options as a result of they’re hidden within the settings.
Panasonic should repair the menu layer to make all these vital options out there to the customers shortly and effortlessly. Navigating via the consumer interface is a no brainer, and my internal nerd likes to discover settings in numerous devices to search out new options.
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II: Nonetheless Pictures
Lumix DC-S5 II is a hybrid digicam, and Panasonic has ensured it tops each skilled necessities. Ranging from the digicam’s images mode, you get a few modes to step up your digicam sport. It will possibly seize a normal 24MP or a high-resolution 96MP shot in response to your wants. The high-resolution mode wants the digicam mounted to a tripod for sharp, high-resolution pictures.
There’s a burst mode with a pleasant seize charge to click on a crisp image, no matter the state of affairs. A time-lapse shot mode and a stop-motion animation shot are additionally supplied within the digicam. The stop-motion animation mode can output a whole video if you need, which is nice for small tasks. And the Self-timer function permits you to seize photos utilizing a timer.
An Clever Auto (iA) mode is supplied for newbies who aren’t accustomed to tweaking the settings as per the scenario. This works for each video and images, however primarily it’s helpful for nonetheless images. It will possibly detect about 8 to 10 conditions and dial the settings accordingly. A tiny function that I really like about this digicam is for capturing portrait photographs. The digicam understands that the image you clicked is in portrait orientation, and when previewed on the monitor, the image is displayed in portrait orientation.
The Lumix DC-S5 II is a superb picture choice, with wonderful sharp photos and an excellent dynamic vary. We tried each the included lenses to seize photos in all sorts of lighting situations. The samples listed here are cropped and compressed; you possibly can test the unedited digicam samples to higher have a look at the picture high quality.
My Tackle Pictures
Pictures just isn’t my factor, so after testing the digicam’s images capabilities, one factor I noticed is that there are quite a few modes for images on this digicam. It may be difficult for a images beginner like me to find out the perfect mode and settings. On a constructive word, I actually loved the i.A. mode, because it robotically selects the perfect settings based mostly on the scenario.
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II: Videography
Panasonic has perfected the digicam’s video capabilities as a lot as nonetheless images. As talked about earlier within the evaluation, the digicam can seize as much as 6K open-gate movies, which is improbable for professionals. This helps to mess around with zoom results whereas retaining the output at 4K decision.
One other decision that may assist the professionals a bit extra is 5.9K. The digicam data the 5.9K decision within the 16:9 side ratio, making it much more useful for professionals to work on. The movies might be recorded in each MP4 and MOV requirements, however MP4 solely helps as much as 4K.
The digicam can seize movies with 4:2:2 subsampling which is superb for individuals who work with inexperienced screens. This not solely helps the chroma-keying but additionally enhances the general colors of the video. Panasonic has added one other vital function within the digicam that film makers will like to have on a compact digicam like this; Shutter Angle.
Stay Cropping is one other function I really like about this digicam; it creates a easy pan shot with out even transferring the digicam. This function lets you choose the beginning and finish factors from the entire body. Then relying on the length, the digicam robotically creates a 20 sec or a 40-sec pan shot.
Doing so doesn’t have an effect on the video high quality or decision; you may get this shot in full 4K decision. My internal nerd wished to do that function and created a pan shot of some motion figures on the desk. The video got here out silky easy, and I liked how the digicam stored the whole lot in focus. Individuals who work for promoting companies would love this function for his or her product video shoots.
My Tackle Videography
As soon as once more, the Lumix S5 II has impressed me with its intensive vary of choices and options for video recording. I instantly started exploring all of the video modes and ended up capturing video samples with virtually each mode.
Amongst my favourites have been sluggish movement, dwell cropping, and cease movement. What’s even higher is that the digicam output of stop-motion seize as movies. Nonetheless, I need to point out that finding these modes within the settings is sort of difficult; they need to be simply accessible to the consumer.
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II: Hybrid Auto Focus
One criticism that each digicam fanatic had with the common Lumix DC-S5 is the absence of PDAF. Panasonic listened to them and constructed PDAF into the sensor for higher autofocusing, retaining its signature Depth From Defocus autofocus system. Therefore, we bought a greater autofocusing system within the Lumix DC-S5 II.
Whereas there are tons of focusing modes and customizations supplied within the digicam, we had a tough time figuring each mode out and ended up testing each single mixture. We concluded that whereas autofocusing does work, it really works finest solely in well-lit environments. It is not good when capturing indoors with folks and devices in the identical body. We additionally discovered that the autofocus monitoring just isn’t very correct both; the digicam shifts the main focus to something with the identical color as the topic.
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II: Stabilization
The Lumix DC-S5 II comes with a 5-axis in-body stabilization which helps to maintain the video steady. It will possibly additionally make the most of lens stabilization to additional improve the stabilization. Panasonic has considerably improved the stabilization within the S5 II, which is clearly seen within the outcomes.
Panasonic went all the way in which and added an IS enhance function that helps when capturing handheld. This locks onto the scene and stabilizes the video at that time. The output could be very steady; you possibly can test it within the pattern from the Google Pictures hyperlink.
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II: Battery and Charging
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II is constructed for steady recording no matter video decision. The one two issues that may restrict the digicam from doing so are the storage and battery. The package deal has a 2200 mAh battery that lasts nicely over an hour with steady recording.
The digicam can be powered instantly by an influence supply utilizing the Kind-C port. As soon as depleted, the battery might be charged instantly through the digicam or with the charger. The battery takes about an hour to get totally charged through the digicam. General there’s a want for battery optimization for longer capturing time as a result of the digicam loses battery shortly in standby mode.
Execs and Cons
After spending my time with the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II, listed here are the Execs and Cons to summarize the evaluation:
Execs
- As much as 6K open gate video recording
- Hybrid autofocusing system
- Dozens of video recording options
- Nice stabilization
- Stable splash-proof design
Cons
- Autofocusing nonetheless wants work
- Underwhelming battery efficiency
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II: Last Verdict
The Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II is a flexible digicam with a strong splash-proof design that excels in nonetheless images and videography. With the addition of PDAF, the digicam nonetheless struggles in low-light and complicated environments. The Lumix DC-S5 II comes with 5-axis in-body stabilization. The battery life is respectable however could possibly be improved.
I like to recommend this digicam to anybody with prior expertise working with mirrorless cameras and would like to up the videography sport. However if you need a digicam just for images, I counsel you go for a less expensive choice and purchase some good lenses and equipment, with the cash saved.
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