PANASONIC LUMIX S5
Blending together the best of both worlds, this full-framer is what we’ve been waiting for from Panasonic
Autofocus has definitely improved but it’s still very much bested by the A7 IV
Panasonic’s foray into full-frame territory has been met with a lukewarm reception. Despite a fantastic array of video specifications, those in the S1 range have been criticised for unwieldy handling and slow autofocus. As such, the tech giant has tried its best to address those problems with its latest full-frame model: the S5.
A key advantage of mirrorless cameras is supposed to be that they can be smaller and lighter than their DSLR equivalents. With the original S1/R/H series, Panasonic produced a mega-beast of a camera that was in fact larger than some DSLRs. For the Panasonic S5, the design takes a much better direction, managing to fit everything into a body smaller than the Panasonic GH5 – a much smaller model with a much smaller sensor. Impressive.
The S5’s screen is fully articulating and touch sensitive. Joining it is a 2,360k-dot 0.74x OLED viewfinder, which is lower in resolution than the viewfinders you’ll find in the S1 series, but that’s to be expected from a cheaper model.
The good news is that autofocus has definitely improved from the S1 series. It’s effective in the majority of situations, and it is also decent at following subjects that are moving around in a reasonably predictable fashion. However, it’s still very much bested by other cameras on the market, particularly the A7 IV.
It’s also a bit of mediocre performer in terms of burst shooting, offering 7fps shooting at full resolution. You can use Panasonic’s 4K/6K shooting options to capture images at 30fps, but then you don’t get the raw files – and it takes effort in camera to go through and extract the shot you want. In short, if you’re somebody that is regularly photographing action, sports and wildlife, this isn’t really the camera for you.
Sitting at the heart of the S5 is a 24.2 megapixel sensor – the same as the one found in its sibling, the S1. Again, there’s good news here as image and video quality proves to be great in the vast majority of situations.
Essentially what you get here is full-frame performance inside the body of a Micro Four Thirds camera, which makes it very appealing as an everyday or travel camera, for those wanting to keep size and weight to a minimum. But if you’re into action, burst speeds and autofocusing performance are not as good as you’ll find elsewhere.