PANASONIC UNVEILS MORE COMPACT AND AFFORDABLE LUMIX S BODY

A FOURTH CAMERA body has been added to Panasonic’s Lumix S mirrorless system in the shape of the Lumix S5. At roughly the same size as the M43-format Lumix GH5 and weighing a little over 700g (with battery and memory card), the S5 is significantly smaller and lighter than the other Lumix S series models and, at $3,199 for the body, quite a lot cheaper too. Panasonic’s objective is to increase its L mount system’s appeal to include enthusiast-level photographers and video content providers who don’t need all the bells and whistles of a pro-level camera. That said, the Lumix S5 still delivers a hybrid still/ video feature set that’s not significantly pareddown from the S1H’s, starting with a weathersealed magnesium alloy body.

On the video side, the S5 can record 4K UHD internally at 50/60p with 10-bit 4:2:0 colour (but with a Super 35 crop) and at 30/25p with 10-bit 4:2:2 colour using the full width of the sensor. Up to 4K UHD at 60fps with 10-bit 4:2:2 colour can be recorded externally via HDMI. C4K will be added via a planned firmware upgrade, as will a 5.9K compressed RAW output via HDMI. It has V-Log (VariCam) and V-Gamut recording with a claimed dynamic range of 14+ stops, a 4:3 aspect 4K Anamorphic Super 35 mode with desqueeze, and a Quick & Slow mode with a speed range of 1 to 180fps. Like the S1H, the S5 has a waveform monitor and zebra patterns, while a vectorscope (which measures colour information) will be added via the firmware upgrade. The camera is compatible with Panasonic’s optional DMW-XLR1 microphone adaptor, which provides two balanced XLR inputs for connected pro-level microphones.

The S5 has the same 24.2MP (effective) sensor as the S1H, which uses Panasonic’s Dual

Native ISO technology to give much lower noise characteristics at higher sensitivity settings. The native sensitivity range spans ISO 100 to 51,200 with extensions to ISO 50 and 204,800. Sensor shifting delivers Panasonic’s Dual I.S. 2 image stabilisation in conjunction with OIS-equipped lenses, giving up to 6.5 stops of correction for camera shake. Sensor-shift also provides for high-res multi-shot capture, giving a pixel count of 96 million with in-camera processing, and either RAW or JPEG output. Continuous shooting is at up to 7fps, or 5fps with AF/AE adjustment. The S5 has dual memory card slots for the SD format, but only one has UHS-II speed support. Making its debut on a Lumix S series camera is a new ‘Live View Composite’ function (a feature that Olympus OM-D users will be familiar with). This combines a reference background exposure with subsequent multiple exposures that only record any changes to bright light sources (such as stars) and can be monitored in real-time.

The EVF is an OLED-type panel with a resolution of 2.36 million dots and 0.74x magnification. As on the S1H, the rear display has adjustments for both tilts and swings, but it’s a smaller, 3-inch LCD touchscreen panel with a resolution of 1.84 million dots.

Autofocusing is still via the contrast-detection Depth From Defocus (DFD) methodology, which samples at 480fps, but with an new control algorithm for improved tracking for small or fastmoving subjects. Additionally, real-time AI-based subject detection adds head recognition to that for faces, eyes and bodies. Low-light sensitivity extends down to -6.0 EV at ISO 100 and f/1.4.

Other notable features of the Lumix S5 includes Wi-Fi connectivity at either the 5.0 or 2.4 GHz bandwidths, Bluetooth 4.2, a focus bracketing function, stereo audio input and output, and the 4K and 6K Photo modes (the latter giving 18MP capture at 30fps).

As noted earlier, the Lumix S5 is priced at $3,199 for the body only, but the kit lens is the recently announced Lumix S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 and this package sells for $3,699. For more information visit www.panasonic.com.au