Review: Panasonic LUMIX S5IIX

In my experience, the majority of dSLR / mirrorless cameras were originally designed for still photography first and video has been a sort of afterthought. As the usage of dedicated video cameras / camcorders has dwindled though, more emphasis has been placed on the video side of things.

Personally, I am still of the opinion the design of a dSLR / mirrorless is not ergonomically suited to the rigors of video shooting – although the addition of a gimbal such as the Zhiyun Cinepeer Crane 4E helps a lot – but the Panasonic LUMIX S5IIX shows that technically at least, they have caught up to a dedicated unit quite substantially.

Where to start?

ProRes 422 supported

Probably the video formats are the best place as via its 24.2MP sensor this full frame hybrid camera can shoot 4K 60p 4:2:2 10 bit and supports 6K RAW output in ProRes 422 if you plug in a USB based SSD recorder. I successfully used a Samsung T5 I normally have on my Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera Pro 6K.

Speaking of which, the LUMIX S5IIX can also shoot Blackmagic RAW, but you do need a dedicated Blackmagic Video Assist unit if you wish to do that. Additionally, HFR/VFR 10 bit are supported as is V-Log.

If no SSD is available, you can record to dual UHS-II slots. The ability to record proxy files whilst shooting makes maximum use of this feature. You can also live stream via WiFi or via a tethered USB port.

Panasonic claim that as long as the ambient temperature is kept below 40° C, overheating will never be a problem.

The auto focus system is impressive too, with a 779-Point Phase-Detection AF System. This ensures fast and accurate focusing on subjects, improving the quality of both still photos and video footage.

To minimise any camera shake a 5-Axis Sensor-Shift Image Stabilisation is used.

Other notable features include a 9 fps manual shutter or 30fps electronic one which is ideal for wildlife and sport shooters.

To view your images whilst shooting, there is a 3.68m-Dot 0.78x-Magnification OLED Live View Finder and a 3.0″ 1.84m-Dot Tilt/Free-Angle Touch-LCD. Both were eminently usable in bright sunny conditions.

Weather Sealed

Speaking of sunny, the LUMIX S5IIX is fully weather sealed and resistant to weather conditions like rain, dust, and snow.

The review model I have is married to an 85-200mm lens, almost perfect for my preferred shooting, and beautifully balanced. All the controls are logically placed, but one criticism is that the titling on each is not the standard white but a more grey-ish colour etched into the buttons and dials. This makes them a little hard to read just what your setting is in less than perfect light, although I accept you’d learn pretty quickly which button is which.

Another issue I had was the flap cover for the mic and headphone ports wouldn’t close and stay shut, which was irritating.

Conclusion

Accepting these things though, the LUMIX S5IIX is possibly the best full frame camera I have had the pleasure of using. For the professional, at around AUD$3K for the body only, the price is not in the stratospheric range, and you can get it with a 20-60mm lens for about AUD$3500 (although I did find prices cheaper than this online so shop around).

The LUMIX S5IIX has a 5 year warranty.

I’d urge you to go to your local retailer and have a look and a play in store, and after doing so, I suspect you’ll be as impressed as me.

For more information, see the Panasonic LUMIX website