Panasonic LUMIX S5 Full Frame Mirrorless Camera, 4

Excellent video, with minor issues
I have been using this for at least two years. The stand out features of this is the video quality, and IBIS. I primarily use this for video in 10 bit.The goodI do not have overheating issues when shooting in 10 bit mode, though in 90F heat I do feel it get noticeably warm after an hour. I have not had it shut down on me.The battery is typically safe for 1:30 of 10 bit footage (1:45 or 1:50 total possibly) when using the LCD. Using 3rd party batteries there is at least 15% less run time on average.When comparing against the Sony A7, there is the light weight construction (sony is no different) control ergonomics (something sony lacks) and control options (way better than sony).The video quality is better than my D850. I have at least four video profiles set up on my camera depending on the situation, but you can have more under C3 by going through the menu. I have shot it in (almost) complete darkness and was able to get usable footage after some light cleaning (flat profile).For sound, the auto limit works and keeps things from clipping.The 20-60mm lens is pretty good as a kit video lens for most things. It has a sharpness falloff after 35mm or so, but most of my use is at 20mm.The LCD screen can be customized to your liking with multiple options. There are several profiles to choose from, and you can additionally tweak most of them. I use Cine-D for outside, Natural for indoors, Flat for low light and the last one is the 8 bit mode in 709 for long shooting. Lots of control here.No issues with Auto-focus when shooting pictures. Having the options to choose either e-shutter or mechanical is an advantage when you want to shoot silently.Fun with manual focus lenses with focus peaking enabled along with IBIS.The not so greatBattery life indicator does not have % indication. This makes it difficult to tell if you have 5 more minites of video life left or 30 seconds, when running thr battery down. Though normally getting the battery that low to begin with is bad practice.The supplied charger is no good. It takes too long, costs too much and takes up more space than needed. I use the XTAR 4 bay charger to charge multiple batteries.So the auto focus can hunt some times, which typically happens when there is low light (when you’re at iso 12800). This can happen with rapid subject changes too. This isn’t news. It’s typically not an issue most of the time in normal light with subject tracking enabled.The built in sound pre-amps are good enough, but external recorders will be cleaner. I never use the built-in microphones.When taking pictures, the D850 is clearly better. The Nikon has a better grip, even if bigger and heavier, for my hands. The grip on the S5 hurts my hand after extensive shooting. Buffer depth is not high enough on the S5 for my liking, though it’s fine once you put a V90 card in. My biggest annoyance is that the Nikon gives me all of the options that I need to tune the Jpeg output where it’s perfect out of the camera, but this isn’t the case with the Panasonic. What the Panasonic is missing is a separate brightness option, that allows me to pull down shadows in a specific way while boosting highlights without clipping everything. In Raw, I more or less can get there – obviously slightly different due to being different brands.Exposure drift on static objects. When using auto-iso in video on a static scene the camera will sometimes start to overexpose by two stops for some reason. Switching to manual iso drops you all the way to the base, which ruins the footage. Dialing in exposure compensation while this starts to happen is an experience of chasing your own tail. This is with the latest firmware.The USB-C port on my camera does not work off external power when recording. I verified this with a USB power meter. I use a dummy battery with a USB-C connector in to a battery. This runs without issue except when the battery gets depleted, which causes an abrupt end to the video corrupting it – Panasonic provides a software tool to rescue your footage and it does work.Battery grip tax. Some brands charge obscene amounts of money for battery grips, which is mainly plastic and some wires, and Panasonic is no different.OtherThe electronic image stabilization can introduce artifacts in to your footage, but this is expected behavior. While the IBIS does work, it’s not magic and shaky footage will still be ruined.I like controls to be lockable against accidental changes, this is a feature of typically expensive DSLRs for pro’s. One thing that can happen is that the switches might move. The focus switch might get changed, or your burst mode selector type (leftmost dial) might switch to a different burst mode without realizing it. This is typically a risk when you have the camera hanging off while you walk around – from repeated brushing up against clothes.Versus the S5 II and XLooking at the specifications, the main stand out feature for me is the ability to record 10 bit without a time limit. I have lost some moments because I was not paying enough attention, granted that is ultimately my fault.The second attractive feature is the larger buffer for taking images. With this I would not need to keep V90 cards just for pictures and keep the large capacity V30 cards for video in the camera.The better auto focus comes with a cost, mainly reduced ability to pull up shadows due to banding. This S5 does not have banding. But I suspect for most this will be the main desired feature.

Pro camera, consumer price
I used an S5 for a published shoot a couple years ago.And while my main workhorse camera for pro photo and video gigs has become my Fuji XH2, this camera was always a great camera to use. Great results etc.so when prime had a deal (I think it was one day) to get an s5 body for under $1,000 new… I jumped on the deal. I was looking for a basic, less expensive travel camera so I could leave my Fuji for work.If you’re a photographer/videographer that relies on the best auto focus or ai tools… this isn’t the camera for you.But for anyone who has used DSLRs and wants an updated camera for a very good price… this is great.It beats the z5 in lowlight and autofocus (based on my experience). And the video capabilities are fantastic.If you rely on the most advanced autofocus and ai tools, the Sony a7iv and a6700 are fantastic for those, and offer great video capabilities.If your looking for an 8k output from internal recording that from my experience outclasses the a7iv, and want amazing color and overall performance… grab an XH2 from Fuji.But if you’re looking for a great travel camera, or even pro camera and want to save a bit of money… the S5 is a great option. While Sony and Fuji beat it in continuous tracking autofocus, I’ve never had an issue get tack sharp focus on subjects at weddings, studio work, or just basic travel or vacation shots. In fact I have found it on par with Nikon z6ii and noticeably better than the Nikon z5.

Sin duda es una cámara con muchas posibilidades, los colores son muy buenos, el autofoco de Panasonic nunca ha sido su fuerte pero en particular siempre he trabajado con foco manual, entonces no representa un problema grabe, aunque en estabilizadores puede facilitar mucho el trabajo. Pero en particular me gusto mucho esta cámara tiene herramientas muy buenas y la calidad de imagen compite con cualquier otra del Mercado. Panasonic siempre va adelante en las prestaciones de color y calidad de imagen.

El mejor diseño de las tres marcas que comparten la montura “L” (Leica, Panasonic y Sigma). El mejor precio también.No le doy 5 estrellas por que el manual es incomprensible; hay ajustes que no se explican y se necesita guía para poder hacerlos. Tuve que preguntar en foros de usuarios en Internet.El peor manual de cámara que he tenido. Todavía hay dos ajustes que no entiendo.Por lo demás la cámara es buena, enfoca rápido y tiene buen sensor. No me gusta su ergonomía y distribución de los controles.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Edición a casi cuatro meses de tener la cámara.Por fin me he acostumbrado al paradigma de ergonomía y diseño; me costó muchas horas de estudio de la cámara pero debo decir que los controles están muy bien posicionados y permiten hacer ajustes “al vuelo” sin necesidad de quitar el ojo del visor.Tiene muchas características difíciles de encontrar pero, si es uno persistente, a fin de cuentas se encuentran esos pequeños tesoros escondidos. Uno que cuando lo pude manejar sin tener que mirar los menús es la posibilidad de hacer una serie de tomas con un compás de exposición que lleva solo un segundo y puede uno ajustarlo con facilidad desde 3 hasta 7 exposiciones y con separación a 1/3, 2/3 o 1 “stop” sin despegar el ojo del visor. Una gema!Entre los “huevos de pascua” escondidos hay otro que es un indicador de estabilidad que nos permite saber como anda nuestro pulso y si los estabilizadores de la cámara y el lente lo pueden corregir. Como esto hay docenas de “monerías” con las que puede uno configurar una cámara que nos quede como un guante.Tengo que corregir mi calificación a 4.5 (que no me permite el sistema) quedándome unicamente e4l resabio de que el auto-enfoque podría ser mucho mejor, ya que tiende a titubear pero aún me queda mucho por explorar en el sentido de los ajustes para encontrar personas o mascotas.Corolario: una ganga y una gran cámara para casi cualquier aplicación. Puede ser grande en el estudio haciendo retratos o fotografía de producto, ya que EMHO 24mp es más que suficiente para necesidades profesionales; al mismo tiempo puede ser una gran tomadora de fotos cándidas en la calle (aunque su tamaño puede intimidar a los sujetos) y también una herramienta perfecta para paisajes o foto urbana. Para lo único que no la recomiendo es para viajar, es enorme y pesada; para eso hay una pléyade de cámaras en formatos de sensor pequeños pero capaces como es el Micro 4/3 o el APS-C o iclusive una Leica full frame que mide y pesa una fracción de esta.

El autoenfoque deja mucho que desear eso sí, pero en general es muy buena cámara tiene muchos modos q te facilitarán la vida, aunque debes tener en mente para q la utilizarás por q puede que para tomas de acción no te ayude mucho