Product photos by Dan Bracaglia
The Panasonic S5 is a 24MP full-frame mirrorless camera built around the same sensor as the Panasonic S1, but in a smaller, more affordable body. In fact, despite having a full-frame sensor, the S5 is smaller in every dimension than its Micro Four Thirds sibling, the GH5.
Aiming to appeal to both photographers and videographers, it includes updates to Panasonic’s DFD autofocus system, new creative photo modes, and video features that come close to matching both the GH5 and the much more expensive S1H.
Key specifications:
- 24.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor with no AA filter
- Full-frame oversampled 4K/30p; 4K/60p with APS-C crop
- Panasonic contrast-detect DFD AF with improved face, body and head detection
- 2.36M-dot OLED EVF w/ 0.74x magnification
- 3” 1.84M-dot fully articulating touchscreen
- Dual SD card slots (1x UHS-II, 1x UHS-I)
- 96MP Multi-shot high-resolution mode
- 7 fps burst shooting (5 fps with continuous autofocus)
- 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth with one-touch image transfer
- Dust and splash resistant
- 460 shots per charge when used with EVF
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| Out-of-camera JPEG. ISO 320 | 1/125 sec | F5.6 | Lumix S 20-60mm kit lens @ 37mm |
Whereas Panasonic’s first-generation full-frame cameras were somewhat niche-driven, the S5 is more of an all-around generalist, with a body and price point that more directly competes with the likes of the Nikon Z6 and Sony a7 III. For videographers, it’s a bit like a full-frame GH5 or a mini S1H, while photographers should benefit from an updated AF system and a variety of photography-focused performance enhancements.
The S5 is priced at $1999 body-only, or $2299 with the Lumix S 20-60mm F3.5.5.6 lens.