While favoured by vloggers, the absence of a phase-detect focusing mechanism has prevented Panasonic's mirrorless cameras from reaching their full potential. With the release of the S5 II, the business has finally fixed that issue. It includes a brand-new 24-megapixel sensor with phase-detect pixels, which ought to eliminate the wobbling and hunting that have longafflicted Panasonic cameras' contrast-detect AF.
Panasonic also carried over its new, more powerful stabilising technology from the GH6 to make it even better for video producers. The robust video features, including footage up to 6K, monitoring tools, and cutting-edge audio features, that you would expect from Panasonic cameras are still available. The S5 II is also reasonably priced at $2,000, $500 cheaper than its primary rivals, the Sony A7 IV and Canon EOS R6 II.
Pros
- Good autofocus
- excellent video quality
- powerful stabilization
- solid handling
Cons
- Noticeable rolling shutter
- not the best photo camera
- I was really interested to see how Panasonic's first hybrid phase-detect focusing technology compared to those cameras. I also wanted to confirm that, as the business says in its advertisements, you might leave your gimbal at home. I drove it around Paris and Gien, where I was born and raised, to find out.
Body and Handling
- The body and control arrangement of the S5 II are identical to those of the S5, which is typically a positive thing. It weighs 740 grammes, which is a bit more than its top competitors. But, it's still a rather light video camera that's cosy enough to use for a whole day of shooting.It boasts a sizable, ergonomic grip and several manual controls that enable configuration changes without navigating through menus. It features every control you could ask for, including a joystick, a separate AF control, and more. It's convenient to have the record button on top for vlogging, but it would be wonderful to have one on the front like the GH6.
Gallery: Panasonic S5 II full-frame mirrorless camera review
If you ever need to utilise the menus, Panasonic has you covered with clearly labelled sections that make finding key changes simple. Like with any camera, it's also pretty simple to adjust things to suit your personal working preferences.
Similar to previously, the 3-inch, 1.8 million dot back display is bright and crisp for video work. You can flip it around for vlogging, hold it high or low, and more because it is fully articulated, of course. The headphone jack in particular might tie it up with other cords, which is the one disadvantage.
Fortunately, Panasonic increased the resolution of the OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) from 2.34 million dots on the original S5 to 3.68 million dots. Right now
Two quick UHS-II card slots, as opposed to the S5's single UHS-I and single UHS-I slot, are a nice addition. If you want to record video to two cards at once, it enables quicker transfer speeds and more trustworthy backups. Also, it is now much more dependable when utilising an external recorder because it uses a full-sized HDMI port opposed than the previous tiny HDMI jack.
Although the S5 II now provides 4-channel recording with the DMW-XLR1 hotshoe audio converter, similar to the GH6, there are still headphone and microphone connectors. It also takes its audio interface, which serves as a centre for all audio settings. Unlike the GH6, it lacks a dedicated button, however any function button may be assigned.
Finally, the batteries are taken from the S5 II and can record in 4K for up to two hours and 470 pictures on a single charge.
Video
Let's start with that as Panasonic's mirrorless cameras are primarily made for videographers. The revolutionary phase-detect autofocus, intended to remove the wobbling or hunting that occurred with earlier Panasonic models that featured contrast-detect only focusing, is the focal point of this camera. Then how does it function for content producers?
The S5 II's technology offers standard continuous AF settings and subject tracking for both people and animals, much as other recent models. It can't follow objects like automobiles and aeroplanes and can't tell birds from other animals, thus it isn't as advanced as more contemporary competition cameras like the A7 IV and EOS R6II.
Fortunately, what qualities it does possess are comparable to those models. If people walk towards the camera, for instance, it tracks them without much latency. Although it struggles a little if the target turns and can't track their gaze if they're not relatively near to the camera, face and eye detection is still decent. It isn't quite as sticky as competing models, though.
Even so, it often measures concentration accurately for circumstances such as interviews, vlogging, and other situations. Most significantly, there is no longer any pulsing, hunting, or wobbling, so you can generally rely on the S5 II's focusing.
There is a warning that some users could find significant. The phase-detect AF performs admirably at all 4K and 6K resolutions, as well as at 1080 25p, according to YouTuber CameraOfChoice. Nevertheless, at 10-bit 1080p 60 fps and 120 fps resolutions, in addition to 3.3K 422/10L 25p, the camera shifts to contrast-detect AF. I've contacted Panasonic for further details, however if you routinely utilise such resolutions, you might want to consider a different model.
The S5 II is a far more appealing vlogging and video camera now that the focusing difficulties are largely resolved because of its other potent capabilities.
The complete width of the sensor may be used to capture 5.9K footage at 30p or full-width supersampled 4K at up to 30 fps. While 60p 4K video is also feasible, it necessitates an APS-C cut and considerable clarity loss. The S5 II can also handle 3:2 "open gate" footage, which is simpler to edit or send in social media formats, or 4:3 anamorphic video at up to 6K using the entire sensor width.
Due to the incorporation of a sophisticated fan that only activates when necessary, there are little temperature-related time constraints in any of these modes (below). For example, all videos in 4K and lower, including 1080p 120, have no time limits, but those at 6K are only allowed to last for 30 minutes. The majority of consumers will probably never encounter any issues because Panasonic is the only manufacturer to test their cameras up to around 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
You may capture 10-bit video with V-log to increase dynamic range, much like with the majority of Panasonic cameras. And keeping an eye on V-Log is simpler than ever. In addition to selecting a normal Rec.709 output, you may also opt to show a LUT of your own creation. Even better, you can record those LUTs as your final video output, giving you an infinite variety of "looks" and maybe cutting down on post-production time.
The lack of ProRes or All-I internal recording modes and the rather low data rates (200 Mbps and lower) are the biggest video drawbacks. Also, there is no external RAW capture, however you may add it later for a $200 cost. Other ProRes codecs can be recorded to an Atomos Ninja V/V+ or BlackMagic Video Assist recorder, though.
This brings up Panasonic's future S5 IIx, which was also revealed alongside the S5 II. It costs $2,200 and has almost the same characteristics. RAW external video is provided with the $200 upgrade, along with ProRes capture to an external SSD via the USB-C interface. A lot of people would pay a tiny premium to acquire such an advantageous feature.
The enhanced in-body stabilisation, which is a GH6 feature that has been borrowed, is a fantastic new feature. Compared to the S5, it can now smooth out vertical step motion considerably better, although there is still some side-to-side wobble. Moreover, it offers "Boost IS" for handheld video, which keeps shots locked off like the camera is on a tripod and eliminates the need for movement. Can your gimbal be replaced by it? In some circumstances, sure, but you'll need to be careful because the smoothness still can't compare to a gimbal.
The video quality is outstanding, with 4K 60p that is somewhat less crisp than the incredibly sharp 4K 30p. Straight off the camera, the colours are realistic and pleasant with skin tones that seem natural. A very respectable 14+ stops of dynamic range are delivered by the 10-bit V-log video, just slightly less than Nikon and Sony versions. That allowed me lots of room to use my imagination in new ways or to fix overexposed and underexposed photos.
Due to Panasonic's Dual Native ISO technology, the S5 performs well in low light conditions as well. Expect performance below that of the Sony A7S III, although the Dual ISO technology significantly controls noise at ISOs as high as 12,800 or even 25,600. When you increase shadows at such ISOs, noise will unavoidably appear, but the grain appears to be rather natural. There is hardly any discernible noise at ISOs lower than 6400. One oddity is that while the Dual ISO is configured for ISO 640 and ISO 4000, it is recommended to utilise ISO 4000 rather than ISO 3200.
The S5 II is average in terms of rolling shutter. The most obvious versions of it are in 6K or supersampled 4K formats, although an APS-C crop doesn't really hurt. It is superior to the A7 IV's greater resolution and about on par with Canon's R6 II, in my opinion.
Lastly, Panasonic provides a variety of video monitoring options not seen on competing cameras, such as waveforms and vectorscopes. Video professionals may get great exposure and colour accuracy by using these options. And as was already noted, working with audio is fairly simple owing to a separate hub for setting adjustments and both line and mic inputs.
Photography
Gallery: Panasonic S5 II sample image gallery
Although most people are unlikely to purchase the S5 II for photography, it is really rather good in this area. It can handle bursts at 30 fps in electronic mode or up to 7 fps with the mechanical shutter. The buffer is pretty amazing, allowing for 200 RAW photos before throttling, or a continuous six seconds of 30 fps burst shooting.
While not nearly as quick or precise as the R6 II and A7 IV AF systems, the autofocus essentially keeps up at those rates. The photo autofocus isn't nearly as quick or persistent with subjects as Sony's A7 IV, much like it is with video. Yet, it still outperforms the contrast-detect AF of the previous generation and is on par with more contemporary Nikon and Fujifilm cameras.
The S5 II's use as a sports camera is somewhat restricted despite its quick electronic burst rates. Unless you utilise it in APS-C mode, the rolling shutter will affect images of moving targets. While the resolution is cut in half, that is a workable choice.
Given how effectively the image stabilisation technology handles video, taking photographs is a breeze for it. I was able to photograph at shutter speeds of a quarter of a second or even lower and still obtain sharp shots because of how effectively it locks things down.
Dynamic range is just slightly behind Sony and Nikon models, but image quality hasn't deteriorated due to the switch to a sensor with phase-detect pixels. JPEGs produce natural colours and aesthetically acceptable skin tones while striking a reasonable balance between noise reduction and sharpness. The RAW photographs increase the dynamic range so you may recover highlights or go deeper into shadows if you want more flexibility.
Similar to video, it performs well in low light, with negligible noise up to ISO 6400, negligible noise at ISO 12800, and passable photos at ISO 25600, provided you don't try to lift the shadows excessively. After that, the grain, particularly the colour grain, might become overly severe.
Wrap-up
Panasonic's S5 II is a fantastic full-frame alternative for vlogging and videography now that the focusing is finally on par with competing cameras. It also has a very excellent value proposition at $2,000, especially for video shooters.
Canon EOS R6 II and Sony A7 IV are its main rivals. Both of those cameras are excellent for photography, but the S5 II excels in video, especially vlogging, because to its improved stabilisation and built-in monitoring capabilities. If you don't mind downgrading to an APS-C sensor, Fujifilm's 40-megapixel $2,000 X-H2 is the best choice if you want a better balance of photography and video features.
The impending S5 IIx may perhaps be the S5 II's biggest opponent. Many individuals who pay $2,000, in my opinion, wouldn't think twice about spending an extra $200 to acquire some really useful capabilities, like ProRes SSD recording. In any case, it's the greatest vlogging camera Panasonic has produced since the GH5 and ought to be at the top of many content producers' wish lists.
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