Nikon ZR vs Panasonic LUMIX S5 II: Which Camera Is Better?

Tested using Methodology v0.13.1

Updated Oct 30, 2026 02:55 PM

See Panasonic LUMIX S5 II Review

Body Type SLR-Style

Mirrorless Yes

Sensor Size Full Frame

Body Type SLR-Style

Mirrorless Yes

Sensor Size Full Frame

Recommended in 4 articles:
Video
Brands
Full-Frame Mirrorless
1

Recommended in 1 article:
Vlogging With Flip Screen

Our Verdict

Panasonic LUMIX S5 II

Nikon ZR

The Nikon ZR is better for video and fast action, while the Panasonic LUMIX S5 II suits hybrid shooters who want a traditional camera body. The Panasonic has an electronic viewfinder, a mechanical shutter, two UHS-II SD card slots, and a full-size HDMI port. Its sensor also captures a wider dynamic range and slightly more detail in photos, and it records 6k open gate video. However, the Nikon records RAW video internally, while the Panasonic needs a paid upgrade to output RAW over HDMI. The Nikon's tracking autofocus in photos is also far more reliable; it shoots much faster bursts, and it shows much less rolling shutter. It's also smaller and lighter.

Variants

LUMIX S5 II (Black (Body Only))
LUMIX S5 II (Black W/ 20-60mm Lens)

ZR (Black (Body Only))
ZR (Black W/ 14-24mm lens)

Review

See Nikon ZR Review

Check Price

Black (Body Only)

LUMIX S5 II

Black (Body Only)

Black W/ 20-60mm Lens

LUMIX S5 II

Black W/ 14-24mm lens

Black W/ 24-120mm lens

Black W/ 24-50mm lens

Black W/ 35mm lens

Black W/ 50mm lens

Notice: Two or more of the products being compared have been tested with different test methodologies. Some of the results aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our cameras test methodology.

Threshold

0.10

Travel Photography

8.0

8.5

Portability

3.4

6.9

Photo AF-C Tracking

5.6

8.8

Photo AF-C Center Point

8.6

9.6

Full Comparison

Travel Photography

8.0

8.5

Landscape Photography

8.7

8.5

Sports & Wildlife Photography

7.7

9.2

Vlogging

7.5

8.7

Studio Video

9.5

Action Video

4.7

7.7

Raw Photo

8.9

8.3

Design

Portability

3.4

6.9

Portability Picture

Compare High-Res

Height

4.0" (10.2 cm)

3.3" (8.5 cm)

Width

5.5" (13.9 cm)

5.3" (13.4 cm)

Depth

3.4" (8.7 cm)

1.9" (4.8 cm)

Volume

75.0 in³ (1,229.0 cm³)

33.2 in³ (544.4 cm³)

Weight

1.60 lbs (0.73 kg)

1.40 lbs (0.64 kg)

Build Quality

9.0

8.5

Build Quality Picture

Compare High-Res

Body

Body Picture

Compare High-Res

Body Type

SLR-Style

Water Resistance

Weather-Sealed

Mirrorless

Yes

Rugged

Hot Shoe

Yes

Customizable Button

Yes

Command Dial

Tripod Mount

Yes

Lens Mount

L Mount

Z Mount

Built-In Flash

Fastest Shutter Speed

1/8,000 s

1/16,000 s

In The Box

In The Box Picture

Compare High-Res

Ergonomics & Comfort

9.0

8.5

Hand Grip Picture

Compare High-Res

Hand Grip: Small Hand

Yes

Hand Grip: Medium Hand

Yes

Hand Grip: Large Hand

Yes

Hand Grip: Extra-Large Hand

Yes

Viewfinder

EVF Menu Picture

Compare High-Res

Viewfinder Type

Electronic

No Viewfinder

Advertised Coverage

100%

N/A

Advertised Resolution

3.68 million dots

N/A

Advertised Magnification

0.78

N/A

Screen

9.7

Screen Picture

Compare High-Res

Screen Articulation Type

Fully-Articulated

Screen Max Brightness

1,140 cd/m²

968 cd/m²

Advertised Resolution

1.84 million dots

3.07 million dots

Size

3.0" (7.5 cm)

3.9" (10.0 cm)

Touchscreen

Yes

Menu System

9.0

Screen Menu Picture

Compare High-Res

Guide Mode

Yes

App Name

LUMIX Sync

Nikon SnapBridge

Built-In Lens

0.0

Aperture Vs Focal Length

Maximum Aperture

No built-in lens

Max Aperture (Full-Frame Equivalent)

N/A

Minimum Focal Length

N/A

Maximum Focal Length

N/A

Max Focal Length (Full-Frame Equivalent)

N/A

Optical Image Stabilization

Light Falloff Picture

Compare High-Res

Luminance

N/A

Light Falloff

N/A

Sensor

Sensor Type

CMOS

Partially Stacked CMOS

Advertised Effective Pixels

24.2 MP

24.5 MP

Processor

Unspecified

EXPEED 7

Sensor Size

Full Frame

Extended ISO Minimum

Native ISO Minimum (Base ISO)

100

Native ISO Maximum

51,200

64,000

Tested Firmware

Ver.2.1

1.11

Battery

8.1

8.4

Battery Type

Panasonic DMW-BLK22

Nikon EN-EL15C

USB Charging

Yes

Power Delivery While Recording

Yes

Advertised Battery Life In Photo

370 photos

350 photos

Tested Battery Life In Video

114 min

128 min

Photo General

Photo Shooting Speed

6.1

9.7

Low Speed Continuous

2 fps

1 fps

High Speed Continuous

9 fps

120 fps

Silent Shooting Continuous

30 fps

120 fps

Raw Buffer Size

248 Photos

10,000 Photos

JPEG Buffer Size

10,000 Photos

720 Photos

Buffer Empty Time

23 s

0 s

Photo AF-C Tracking

5.6

8.8

Autofocus Tracking Shots

Run 01

AF-C Tracking 01

Cycle through frames

Run 01

AF-C Tracking 01

Cycle through frames

Perfect Focus Hit Rate

42%

78%

Usable Focus Hit Rate

57%

95%

Photo AF-C Center Point

8.6

9.6

Autofocus Center Point Shots

Run 01

AF-C Center Point 01

Cycle through frames

Run 01

AF-C Center Point 01

Cycle through frames

Perfect Focus Hit Rate

83%

94%

Usable Focus Hit Rate

96%

100%

Photo Image Stabilization

9.2

8.8

Stabilization Slideshow

Minimum Shutter Speed Achieved

1/4 s

1/6 s

In-Body Image Stabilization

Yes

Photo Image Quality

Photo RAW Dynamic Range

9.6

8.2

Dynamic Range Scene

Compare High-Res

Dynamic Range At Base ISO

11.9 f-stops

10.0 f-stops

Dynamic Range At 1/500s Exposure Time

11.1 f-stops

9.4 f-stops

Dynamic Range At 1/2000s Exposure Time

9.8 f-stops

8.8 f-stops

Dynamic Range At 1/4000s Exposure Time

7.5 f-stops

7.7 f-stops

Photo RAW Sharpness

9.1

8.7

Sharpness Scene Crop

Compare High-Res

MTF Graph

Preview Graph

Vertical Edge MTF50 At Base ISO

2,548 LW/PH

2,394 LW/PH

Horizontal Edge MTF50 At Base ISO

2,263 LW/PH

1,931 LW/PH

Photo RAW Noise

8.1

8.0

Noise Scene Crop

Compare High-Res

Noise Vs Exposure Time

Preview Graph

SNR 18% At 1/8 Exposure Time (125 ms)

34.5 dB

34.8 dB

SNR 18% At 1/30 Exposure Time (33 ms)

33.0 dB

32.8 dB

SNR 18% At 1/125 Exposure Time (8 ms)

29.4 dB

29.0 dB

SNR 18% At 1/500 Exposure Time (2 ms)

24.5 dB

23.9 dB

Video General

Video Features

Full HD Video

Yes

4k Video

Yes

6k Video

Yes

Clean HDMI Output

Yes

Advertised Max Chroma Sampling Over HDMI

4:2:2

4:2:0

Advertised Max Bit Depth Over HDMI

10 bits

Log Picture Profile

Yes

Recording Light

Yes

Audio

Audio Test Sample

Audio Recording

Stereo

Microphone Level Display

Yes

Video File Format And Compression

MP4 H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC

Yes

MP4 H.265 / HEVC

Yes

MOV H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC

Yes

MOV H.265 / HEVC

Yes

AVCHD H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC

All-I Compression

4k Video

4k Video Frame Rate

9.0

9.7

240 fps In 4k

120 fps In 4k

Yes, with a Crop

60 fps In 4k

Yes, with a Crop

Yes

30 fps In 4k

Yes

24 fps In 4k

Yes

4k Crop At Max Available fps

1.5 x

4k Video Internal Recording

9.7

Bitrate Maximum In 4k

200 Mbps

2,251 Mbps

Bitrate Minimum In 4k

144 Mbps

149 Mbps

Chroma Sampling In 4k

4:2:2

Bit Depth In 4k

10 Bit

12 Bit

Record Time Limit In 4k

N/A

360 min

Overheat Recording Interruptions in 4k

4k Video Autofocus Performance

9.4

9.6

4k Object Tracking Video

Object Tracking In 4k

9.5

4k Face Tracking Video

Face Tracking In 4k

9.0

Face Detection In 4k

Yes

Eye Detection In 4k

Yes

4k Video Rolling Shutter Effect

5.7

7.3

Rolling Shutter Video in 4k

4k Rolling Shutter

7.0°

3.3°

Full HD Video

FHD Video Frame Rate

9.5

240 fps In FHD

Yes, with a Crop

120 fps In FHD

Yes

60 fps In FHD

Yes

30 fps In FHD

Yes

24 fps In FHD

Yes

FHD Crop At Max Available fps

1 x

1.05 x

FHD Video Internal Recording

9.9

Bitrate Maximum In FHD

149 Mbps

908 Mbps

Bitrate Minimum In FHD

103 Mbps

23 Mbps

Chroma Sampling In FHD

4:2:2

Bit Depth In FHD

10 Bit

Record Time Limit in FHD

N/A

360 min

FHD Video Autofocus Performance

9.8

9.6

Object Tracking Video

Object Tracking In FHD

9.5

FHD Face Tracking Video

Face Tracking In FHD

9.5

Face Detection In FHD

Yes

Eye Detection In FHD

Yes

FHD Video Rolling Shutter Effect

5.9

8.8

Rolling Shutter Video in FHD

FHD Rolling Shutter

6.7°

1.3°

Video Image Quality

Video Dynamic Range

8.9

9.0

Base ISO Video Dynamic Range Waveform

Strict SNR Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO

11.01 stops

11.66 stops

Lenient SNR Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO

12.02 stops

12.65 stops

Background Floor Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO

13.62 stops

13.29 stops

Storage And Connectivity

Storage

Card Slot Picture

Compare High-Res

Card 1 Slot

SD Card UHS-II

CFexpress

Card 2 Slot

SD Card UHS-II

microSD Card UHS-I

Inputs / Outputs

9.5

Input Picture

Compare High-Res

USB

USB-C

HDMI

Full Size (Type A)

Micro (Type D)

Headphones

Yes

Microphone

Stereo

Wi-Fi

Yes

Bluetooth

Yes

Check Price

Black (Body Only)

LUMIX S5 II

Black (Body Only)

Black W/ 20-60mm Lens

LUMIX S5 II

Black W/ 14-24mm lens

Black W/ 24-120mm lens