Panasonic LUMIX S5 Camera Review

The Panasonic LUMIX S5 isn't particularly portable but isn't bad for a full-frame camera. That said, it's on the heavier side for a mirrorless model. It'll feel well-balanced with full-frame lenses, but it can also cause fatigue during long days on the go.

The Panasonic S5 is a well-built camera, for the most part. It's made of metal and plastic, with buttons and dials that offer pretty good physical feedback. The screen mechanism and dials feel sturdy, too. That said, over time, we've noticed some wear and tear. For example, the coating on the camera's feet has rubbed off, exposing the metal underneath and leaving faint marks on wooden surfaces. Additionally, SD card slot 1, the only UHS-II compatible slot, has stopped working. When a card is inserted, the camera gives an error message, saying, "Reinsert the card" until the card is removed. The slot doesn't appear to have sustained any physical damage, and the error persists even after restarting and updating the camera.

• Panasonic LUMIX S5 camera body
• Sensor cap
• LUMIX S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 lens
• Lens cap
• Rear lens cover
• Lens hood
• Shoulder strap
• 1x Panasonic DMW-BLK22 battery
• Battery charging cradle
• USB-A to USB-C cable
• AC adapter
• User manual

The Panasonic S5 has excellent ergonomics. Its handgrip is large enough for most hand sizes and has a textured rubber surface that provides a secure hold. Changing aperture, shutter speed, and ISO is easy with either eye pressed up against the viewfinder thanks to the dedicated controls for exposure adjustment functions, and all essential functions are well-placed and within reach of your fingers. The rubber eyecup around the viewfinder also feels comfortable to shoot with. That said, the camera's more squared-off body isn't quite as comfortable to hold as cameras with a more rounded body, like the Canon EOS R6.

The electronic viewfinder (EVF) is large and comfortable to shoot with. It doesn't have the highest resolution, but at 2.36 million dots, you'll still have a crisp view of your subjects.

The touchscreen is fully articulated and gets very bright, so glare won't be an issue on sunny days. It also has a very high resolution, giving you a crisp image on the display. You can use the touchscreen to select focus points, activate the shutter, and navigate the menu.

The camera's user interface is amazing. Settings are clearly organized and labeled, making it easy to find what you're looking for. You can also create a custom menu for all of your most-used settings, and there are plenty of customization options, including for the quick menu.

The Panasonic S5 uses a 24.2-megapixel full-frame sensor, using Panasonic's Venus Engine processor. It's a dual gain sensor, meaning it has two native 'base' ISO settings, at ISO 100 and ISO 640. However, unlike the Panasonic LUMIX S5 II, you can't manually limit the camera to one or the other ISO range.

The Panasonic LUMIX S5 has an excellent overall battery life. It's CIPA-rated for 440 photos on a full charge, which is great. CIPA ratings tend to be more conservative estimates, so your real-world usage will vary depending on your shooting habits.

Video battery life is fantastic. We recorded over two hours of continuous video in 4k. You can extend the camera's battery life by using an external power supply via USB-C, though the battery won't charge while using the camera with external power.

The camera doesn't have the fastest burst rate. While you can still capture sequential bursts of fast action, timing will be more critical. It also falls significantly short of competitors like the Canon EOS R6 or the Nikon Z 6II. If you're shooting in RAW format, the buffer fills up quite quickly. Thankfully, it doesn't take too long to empty, but it can still slow you down at a crucial moment. That said, if you're shooting JPEGs, the buffer is virtually limitless.

Like most LUMIX cameras before it, the Panasonic S5 uses a contrast-detection autofocus system. While the camera has a human/animal subject detection mode—which you can set to track faces, bodies, or eyes—it's separate from the dedicated AF-C 'Tracking' mode. That means that when you need to track a subject continuously, you're at the mercy of the camera's auto-subject detection. It does an okay job of keeping moving subjects in focus, but it can still slip out of focus with faster or more erratic movement.

When using a single center focus point, you can get excellent results. It keeps up well with any subject behind the focus point, which is great if you have someone moving in a more predictable pattern. We tested AF with the LUMIX S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 lens.

The S5 has a five-axis in-body image stabilization system, and it does a great job. We managed to get clear handheld images at very slow shutter speeds, using the LUMIX S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, which doesn't have optical stabilization. It's worth noting, however, that stabilization performance can vary depending not just on your lens but also factors like focal length and how steady your hands are.

The camera has superb usable dynamic range. It can capture a very wide range of highlight and shadow detail in high-contrast scenes like landscape photos or images with harsh shadows and tricky lighting.

The camera's high-resolution sensor captures an amazing level of fine detail. Even when punching in, there's plenty of sharpness and resolution.

The Panasonic S5 has very good RAW noise handling. It's well suited to low-light photography, so you won't have overwhelmingly noisy photos in situations where light is limited.

The Panasonic S5 has some pretty advanced video features, which have only gotten better with firmware updates. After firmware ver. 2.0, the camera supports DCI 4k (4096x2160), or 'C4K' in Panasonic's terminology, as well as regular UHD 4k. The update also adds support for 12-bit RAW video output in 5.9k or 4k via HDMI with a compatible Atomos or Blackmagic external recorder. If you prefer a more hands-off approach, the camera also comes with plenty of pre-set picture profiles, or 'Photo Styles', as well as supporting HLG and Log recording in V-Log format. You can also create up to 10 custom Photo Styles. For Log and HLG, there's a handy 'View Assist' feature that simulates what your footage will look like after processing. If you're looking for even more advanced video features, including open gate 6k recording, check out the Panasonic LUMIX S5 II.

The camera records 4k video at up to 60 fps, although 60 fps is only available with an APS-C crop, similar to the Sony α7 IV. If you'd prefer a camera that can record 4k 60p video without a crop, consider the Panasonic LUMIX GH5s.

The camera's internal 4k recording capability is excellent. It can capture 10-bit 4:2:2 video internally, giving you more leeway in post. Heat management is great, as the camera didn't overheat throughout the entirety of our battery test. That said, there's a 30-minute recording time limit when recording in 10-bit 4k at any frame rate in both MP4 and MOV, as well as 8-bit 4k at 60 fps in MOV format. Unlimited recording is available in 8-bit 4k at 30 fps or 24 fps in either format.

The camera's autofocus performs very well in video mode, although it falls behind competitors like Sony and Canon. The camera supports face and eye detection but can't keep up with moving subjects seamlessly. Its contrast-based AF can also create pulsing artifacts in the background of your videos.

The camera captures fantastic 4k video quality. It's incredibly sharp and detailed, and videos recorded in low light have relatively little noise.

There's some pretty noticeable rolling shutter distortion in 4k whenever you pan the camera from side to side. This can be a problem if you shoot things like action video or anything with quick pans.

The camera can capture regular 1080p footage at up to 60 fps. It also has a Slow & Quick (S&Q) mode that lets you record slow-motion footage at up to 180 fps, with slow-motion playback. Playback speed options include 60 fps, 30 fps, or 24 fps, so you can adjust the level of slow-mo. This mode doesn't record any audio.

Internal recording is still amazing in 1080p. There's no recording time limit here, and the camera can capture 10-bit 4:2:2 video internally.

The camera's autofocus performs very well in video mode, although it falls behind competitors like Sony and Canon. The camera supports face and eye detection but can't keep up with moving subjects seamlessly. Its contrast-based AF can also create pulsing artifacts in the background of your videos.

The camera's video quality is excellent overall in 1080p. In more controlled lighting, the image is crisp and detailed. It's still great in low light, though there's some inevitable noise and loss of detail in very dim conditions.

Rolling shutter effect is less noticeable in 1080p, which is good for anything that requires panning camera movements. There's still some slanting of vertical lines with quick movement, but it's less severe.

The Panasonic LUMIX S5 has fantastic video dynamic range overall, with a very wide range of total stops above the background floor. However, when taking noise into account, you'll have around 11 stops of usable dynamic range at base ISO 640 in V-Log. That's more than enough to capture high-contrast scenes or preserve more detail in trickier lighting conditions. Because of the sensor's dual native ISO design, there's a bump in dynamic range back up to about 10 or 11 stops at ISO 4000, which gives you a bit more flexibility with exposure in low light.

Tested settings:

• Resolution: 4k
• Frame Rate: 30 fps
• Log Format: V-Log

The camera has the greatest range of detail above and below middle gray around its base ISO of 640 when shooting in V-Log. It's especially good at preserving shadow detail across its ISO range, giving you more latitude when shooting darker scenes.

Tested settings:

• Resolution: 4k
• Frame Rate: 30 fps
• Log Format: V-Log

The Panasonic S5 has two SD card slots, though only one is rated for faster UHS-II cards. Still, this is great if you want to keep a running backup or separate RAW and JPEG files to different cards. They're well-placed on the side of the camera, too, making it easy to switch out cards when using a tripod.

The camera has a USB-C port for charging, power delivery, and file transfer. Unlike the Panasonic LUMIX S5 II, the S5 uses a micro HDMI port, so you'll likely need an adapter to connect an external recorder or display. Otherwise, it has all the ports you need to connect video peripherals, like an external mic or headphones.