Lumix S5 II Review: Budget Full-Frame Powerhouse Takes On Sony's Best

As you might expect, this body carries over many features from the original Lumix S5. The sensor is the same, with comparable signal and noise performance. The outer body design is essentially unchanged, with all the buttons where they were before. The same goes for the menu system.

What's obviously new is the hybrid autofocusing system. This addition works in conjunction with previously existing focus modes like single AF, continuous AF, subject tracking, and face tracking. Animal tracking is also available for those who like to photograph cats, dogs, and birds. Electronic viewfinder resolution has also seen a steady increase, from 2,360 pixels wide to 3,680 pixels wide.

Talon Homer/SlashGear

In-body stabilization is carried over from the S5 and is at this point a Lumix staple. While power is on, the sensor floats on a gentle magnetic field and subtly tilts to counteract user hand movements, resulting in sharper images. This stabilization system has been upgraded to provide 5 stops of performance. Theoretically, a shot taken at 1/3 of a second shutter speed should be about as sharp as one taken at 1/100 in a non-stabilized body. This effect is even greater if combined with stabilized lenses.

Video features are also beefed up significantly, with resolutions up to 5.9K at a 16:9 ratio and 6K using a 2:3 open gate. 10-bit color data is supported at every resolution and framerate. The new whisper-quiet cooling fan also ensures unlimited recording times are possible without overheating. 

As stated, the weather-sealed body is basically the same as the prior S5. More than that, it looks like an upsized version of my personal G7. That's a camera from 2015, so the design is perhaps dated. Regardless, it's all very functional. The full-frame body is lightweight while still feeling quite sturdy. With zoom lenses mounted, the construction feels a bit too front-heavy for my wrists. That's something to consider for sports shooters. Buttons and dials are all nicely accessible. Not like the Sony A7 series, in which camera bodies feel too small for very average-sized hands. I do find myself wishing for a couple of extra custom buttons on the back of the S5-II.

Talon Homer/SlashGear

Where Sony beats this camera is in the articulating screen design. The A7 screens are mounted on an aluminum cradle that feels sturdy. Meanwhile, Panasonic has the flimsy plastic hinge they've been using for ten years. It always feels like it will break after one bad drop. I have some anecdotal evidence of this since I bought my G7 with a busted screen.

I've never been a fan of Panasonic's menu organization, and this camera doesn't change that. It was probably fine back when there were relatively few custom options, but now it's overwrought with endless lists of text. You're always scrolling for a minute to find the thing that you want. I suggest putting in the time early to assign all the custom buttons and dials with the features you'll most use.

When it comes to sports, concerts, or bird photography, the S5-II is capable of firing many shots in quick succession. With continuous autofocus on, you can flip over to burst mode and hold the shutter button down for a very respectable seven frames per second. In single autofocus mode, it reaches an even fast nine frames per second. This is faster action than the average photographer will likely ever need, but if you absolutely must get the shot, you can also activate the electronic shutter mode to reach 30 frames per second. The stabilization also makes it very easy to pan and capture moving vehicles at slow shutter speeds.

Talon Homer/SlashGear

At max speed, the camera is still perfectly capable of writing raw images and JPEGs at the same time. 30 FPS is a lot of data to churn through, and I found that my UHS-I SD cards were a speed bottleneck with the electronic shutter burst. Invest in some UHS-II cards if you really want to max out the speed. With the faster cards, the S5-II is capable of churning out up to 200 frames in a row before filling the buffer and slowing down.

While photographing a noise-sensitive environment, you can also put the camera into silent mode, which deactivates the mechanical shutter and scans the sensor electronically. However, I tend to stick to the traditional shutter. This camera's Electronic mode can lead to undesirable motion artifacts as the sensor scans its pixels line-by-line.

Rolling shutter performance is poorer than the GH5 or GH6, leading to wobbly footage during fast panning. Also not included is the ability to record raw video. That will come as a $200 firmware upgrade later this year, allowing raw video output to an HDMI recorder. It's silly to charge extra money for that, but this is a feature that only serious pros will use, anyway. A video-centric version of the camera, S5-IIX, has also been announced for release in May 2023 for a $200 premium. The S5-IIX will add raw video, SSD compatibility, Apple ProRes recording, and built-in live-streaming features.

There are no gimmicks when it comes to picture profiles on this Lumix. You have standard color and a natural profile — which I consider "my standard." Natural pulls back contrast and saturation just a tiny bit to make things like skin tones more pleasant. Then there are vivid, portrait, and landscape modes. All essentially different flavors of the standard colors. Four monochrome profiles also offer varying levels of contrast.

Video-specific picture profiles include VLog, CineD, and Hybrid Log Gamma. VLog attempts to fit the full dynamic range into the compressed video, resulting in a "flat" image that must be converted to a standard color space before delivery. CineD is similar but less flat and easier to correct. HLG is intended for straight delivery to HDR sources, so I'd stay away from that unless you have an HDR screen to edit off of. The camera also handles noise data differently in these profiles, but more on that in a minute.

The new cooling system in the S5-II was likely installed to necessitate 6K recording, and it also allows for no runtime limits at any video setting. The camera should just keep crunching frames until the battery dies or the memory card fills up. I think the implementation of this fan is very clever: Hidden in the hump of the electronic viewfinder. I was also pleasantly surprised by how quiet the fan is. I couldn't tell that it was running until I put my ear right up to it. It's not likely to interfere with microphone recording.

By default, the fan is on auto setting and will kick on once the body reaches a certain temperature threshold. There's also a critical setting that will shut the fan off until the camera is near the threshold of overheating. I don't know why you would use that feature unless you have some super-sensitive mic picking up the tiny bit of fan noise. Lastly, there's a high setting that spins the fan up to max speed and moves air quickly. This setting is much more audible, though.

To give the cooling a quick test, I ran the 6K recording for about 30 minutes straight. The S5-II was noticeably warm, but not burning hot. It didn't show any warning screens or signs of overheating. Granted, results may vary while filming in Death Valley, but in an indoor setting, continuous recording should be no issue at all.

In the center of the S5-II's drive modes, we have what's called "high res mode." This option takes four quick exposures and then interpolates them to make massive 96-megapixel image files. This feature has been available in a few Panasonic cameras, including the S5-I, but they've supposedly improved the algorithm in this new application.

High res mode really only works for still subjects, as motion within the frame will cause strange artifacts that ruin the image. The same goes for any motion in the camera, so a tripod will provide the best results. From the limited testing, I was able to do with high res mode, I think it's kind of a gimmick. Side by side, the 24-megapixel images looked nearly as sharp as the ones four times as large, which is a testament to how good this sensor is before processing. It's worth noting that sensor noise seems to be magnified slightly in this mode as well.

Talon Homer/SlashGear

I'll concede that it may add more sharpness to faraway subjects like the horizon or stars, but a landscape photographer would generally stop down their lens to provide the same effect. I also noticed strange white-balancing issues that didn't exist in any other setting. High res mode may be useful for astrophotographers looking to deliver large prints of, say, the moon, but the rest of us will be more than satisfied with the standard resolution.

The Lumix S5-II is available now for $1,997.99 from B&H. $300 more if you want the kit lens. I'd much rather recommend you dish out a little extra cash and get the Lumix 50mm f/1.8 prime lens for just under $350 (also from B&H). Cameras with comparable prices and specs are the Sony A7 III and Canon R6. However, neither of those others offers the ability to capture 6K video. The R6 also has slightly lower stills resolution. Overall, the S5-II is one of the best values you can get on the new camera market with a high amount of professional features built right into the body.

The big question is what this camera means for the rest of Panasonic's lineup. As of yet, the S5-II is the only Lumix camera with an upgraded autofocusing system. Those who purchased nearly as expensive (or more expensive) Lumix cameras like the S1 and the GH6 may be feeling like they got left high and dry. The company would be wise to bring this new system to its entire lineup as quickly as possible. Personally, I'll be hoping for a Micro Four Thirds camera that unites the pro video features of the GH5 and GH6 with the dependable face tracking of the S5-II.