Panasonic S5II Review for Wildlife/Bird Photography

Panasonic announced their first camera ever with phase-detection autofocus back in January and I bought it. In this video, I share a little more about how Panasonic has just created the best bang for buck camera currently available for wildlife photography in my opinion coming in at only $1,999, but also, how it falls short of some of the other flagships.
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--My Camera and Lenses List--
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Favorite Video Camera (Panasonic S5II) - amzn.to/3m7z45G
Favorite Photo Camera (Panasonic S1R) - amzn.to/2VOPUX0
Favorite Wildlife Lens (Sigma 150-600mm, 5.6-6.3 Sport Lens) - amzn.to/3JHptrI
Best Budget Wildlife Lens (Sigma 150-600mm, 5.6-6.3 Contemporary Lens) - amzn.to/3aQhGGL
Favorite Standard Lens (Sigma 24-70mm, 2.8 L Mount Lens) - amzn.to/3jqy6d2
Backup Cam (Panasonic G9) - amzn.to/2xlWXwM
Best MFT Lens (Sigma 18-35mm, 1.8 Art Lens) - amzn.to/3d1QOoH
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Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:21 - S5II Specs
0:40 - Low Light Capabilities
1:45 - Image Stabilization
2:03 - Build Quality & Ergonomics
2:39 - Image Quality
3:19 - Video Recording Specs
4:11 - Burst Mode and Buffer
4:58 - New Phase-Detect AF
6:06 - AF Compared to the Competition (My Experience)
7:07 - Video Autofocus
8:01 - MF Assist
9:13 - This Camera Only Costs $2k??
10:10 - How It Falls Short of Flagship Cameras
11:24 - Who is this Camera For?
12:39 - S5II in the Field
#wildlifephotography #birdphotography #s5ii

[@TheDka1]

Awesome, thank you very much for this video.

[@MrTmiket0007]

Thanks for sharing another wonderful video like always 🐦👍🤗

[@AndrewMacdonaldPhotography]

Nice review dude!

[@JeremyNeipp]

Thanks man! ☺️🙌🏻

[@BNC593]

Damn, much respect. Really well done! You just sold a lot more of these cameras! Really Amazing image quality. I wish Panny could give us 4K 60P without a crop.

[@JeremyNeipp]

Thanks man! I tried to give my most honest feedback on it that I could. And me as well! If they can change that and give us 4K 120p it would honestly be a near perfect wildlife videography camera.

[@fatherofbirds]

Well done as always my dood.

[@JeremyNeipp]

Thanks man!! Appreciate it

[@rocketburnz2297]

nice review

[@ianfalck]

Thanks for a great video. What af settings are you using for birds ? I have found the animal detection being quite unreliable at some times

[@samuelb.107]

Great Video. I am shooting Panasonic for years now, I stated with their point and shoots like 15 years ago and using non fixt lens cameras sins the g5. I am mainly shooting animals in zoo al over Germany and I use the s1r since a bit over 3 years. Unfortunately, we just bought an s5 end of last year :D. I have to say the autofocus was ok for me the last few years but I really hope for a s1ii with maybe 35mp or a s1rii with 47mp and the new AF end of this year.

[@JeremyNeipp]

Glad you liked it! I bet it's been cool for you seeing the progression of it all. Yea the S5 was good in a lot of ways but the AF was still very sub-par. The new S5II is completely different!

[@adam_jumps]

What a great, in depth video. I appreciate the details you get into about auto focus-manual focus adjusting on the fly and how seamless/comfortable its become. On the other hand I find it hard to agree on the 'cheapest' price point when prices of lenses aren't touched on. L-Mount seems to have the least amount of lenses available and all at a premium price point. With a body to body comparison, its no question. The S5ii wins. But in value over all, its quite subjective when considering prices of lenses and lens selection/availability. L-Mount lenses aren't in the same 'budget friendly' price bracket as some E-Mount lenses. So what you spend more in body to body prices, you could in theory save in lens prices balancing itself in the end. I feel when Panasonic and other producers roll out more L-Mount options, the value of their new generation camera bodys will appreciate exponentially with every new release. Great video nonetheless! Keep it coming.

[@JeremyNeipp]

Thanks Adam! My hope is to get as detailed as possible in my explanations. Totally understand your point, it's important to consider the lens lineup. There are two L-Mount lenses that in my opinion are quite good and affordable however, the Sigma 150-600mm Sport and Sigma 60-600mm Sport. They both are pricier than the Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary EF Mount for example, but the image quality is also drastically better for only a few hundred more. I'd recommend looking into those if you're interested or checking out my reviews on them. Currently, L Mount is lacking a prime option however, and they are lacking a sub $1k option for really budget friendly needs, so your observation makes total sense. Thanks for watching! :)

[@domonicwhite]

Just found your channel as I’m searching for help with AF for wildlife on the S5II - great video and channel, TY for taking the time and effort! I’m coming from Sony with their 100-400 and am now using the Sigma 100-400 on the S5II, the latter I’m finding to be quite frankly terrible in comparison. Even dark birds against bright skies send the camera into a frenzy, and slow moving birds on logs can be surprisingly problematic too. I’m beginning to wonder if I have a faulty camera but in video on the 24-105 for things like talking heads i’ve had great results so maybe not. Do you have or know of a guide / tutorial for AF settings on the S5II - specifically for wildlife photography? I’m considering selling the camera but of course Panasonic have crashed their prices now so would prefer not to lose so much money or go through the hassle of changing systems - again. Thanks in advance for any thoughts / help you can share.

[@AguilaDeOnix85]

Sounds pretty good. I wish they would have brought the Pre-burst mode from earlier Panasonic cameras. But I love the handling on Lumix bodies. $2000 is a steal for these features.

[@JeremyNeipp]

It really is!! You can’t beat that price on a FF. I have high hopes for them bringing back pre-burst soon!

[@lamclucianoalonso2110]

It is possible that you can do a Video with your settings for S5ii and Sigma 150-600??

[@oleggurkin7555]

Your manner to elaborate things is crazily enthusiastic and trust worthy, hope to see your workouts some where in Russia some day 🎉

[@JeremyNeipp]

Thank you!

[@joesjourney9986]

Hi Jeremy great presentation. I'm currently using the GH6 for wildlife with the 100-400. In your opinion is the S5IIX or G92 the better upgrade path?

[@JeremyNeipp]

Thank you!! I think it depends a little… if you’re trying to be cost effective, I’d think hard about whether you’d eventually like to invest into FF or not. If so, then the S5II is the obvious step in the right direction. However it not or you’re on the fence, in regards to wildlife photography specifically I’d choose the G9II over the S5II in most situations, with the large exception being that the S5II vastly beats out the G9II in low light. Otherwise, the G9II is in most ways more capable

[@brucegraner5901]

Very well done review and comparison to Sony, one of the premier names in autofocus. I'm hoping Panasonic will move this AF into the Lumix G9 Mk2 in the not too distant future. 👍👍

[@JeremyNeipp]

Thanks Bruce! I’m glad you found it well represented. I hope the same!! My gut tells me that they will be moving all future systems to Phase-Detect but we will see 👌

[@samuelb.107]

Yeh an update to the G9 would be nice since there is nothing new for a while there. Even though I have an s1r and an s5 I still keep my g9 and lenses because it’s so much smaller and lighter.

[@brucegraner5901]

@@samuelb.107 Just went for a three-mile photo hike with my G9 and 100-400mm lens and enjoyed every ounce I didn't have to carry. I think the G9 is a very underrated camera having come up with features like pro-capture long before many of the more expensive, full-frame cameras that have just introduced this capability in their models.

[@carstenhjort9993]

Love your videos! We are two photographers who bought the S5 ll. It is impossible for us to make AF work properly for bird in flight. Please tell us what settings you are using.

[@JeremyNeipp]

Animal subject detect and full area, on continuous AF Like any BIF AF setup on any camera though, you’ll need to be tracking the bird from takeoff or from distance to get reliable results ☺️

[@carstenhjort9993]

@@JeremyNeipp Thanks a lot.

[@Thehackerguy2000]

Leica SL3 just got announced, so a new S1R is coming (old SL2 and S1R had same sensor)

[@bramwnnkes3059]

nice video Jeremy! Do you think the sigma 150-600mm sports will do great on a sony a6400?

[@JeremyNeipp]

I would imagine so as the Sigma 150-600mm Sport has been great for me with Panasonic l mount but I haven’t personally used the combo you mentioned so I can’t say for sure!

[@bramwnnkes3059]

@@JeremyNeipp okay, thanks for your opinion!

[@Verde88]

How does the animal AF compare to the R6ii ? I’m hesitating between the two bodies at the moment. anybody tested? also, does the S2ii offer the pre-capture mode like the G9?

[@Lumix2023]

Great video 👍 Lumix s5 ii and a7iv or RV, which one do you recommend!?

[@JeremyNeipp]

Sheesh, that’s a tough choice! It totally depends on what your going for in my opinion. If you want the best photo camera of those 3, I’d go with the R5. But if you want the best dollar for dollar camera, I’d go with the S5II. The A7IV is somewhere in the middle of those. Also depends how if you shoot in low light or not, in a case like that the R5 isn’t quite as good as the S5II or A7IV

[@Lumix2023]

@@JeremyNeipp thank you for sharing your experience. Actually I already bought s5 ii, but to be honest I don’t really satisfy with AF and high speed shoot compare with sony a7iv or RV. S5 ii video is quite good though. That’s why I’m looking for a good hybrid camera photo and video.

[@tauritaal]

What were your AF settings? I am finding that AF works really well when the subject covers like the whole frame but starts behave weird when the subject is smaller or behind some straws etc. Your video had one clip with birds behind straws, I cant capture such a thing because it only locks on those straws and wont detect moving birds behind them.

[@JeremyNeipp]

Interesting! I can relate to you in one of the two ways. I've found personally that this camera actually does a much better job of locking onto a subject through clutter than others I've used. It's still only roughly 65% accurate, but better than most any other camera body I know of. However, I have experienced some of the same difficulty when the subject is too small. For the settings I mostly shot in full area animal subject detect, but I occasionally zoned down.

[@007silverwings]

Do you get any blackout in the viewfinder or on the back screen if you are tracking birds in flight in the higher burst modes? Thanks

[@JeremyNeipp]

Yes you do get blackout in mechanical!

[@rlpring78]

How does this compare to the Sony A7IV?

[@tanmaysakpalofficial]

What about a7iv ? How does it compare with this one? The only downside I see is the higher price of Sony. What do you think?

[@JeremyNeipp]

I haven’t gotten to test the A7IV yet, but, I have gotten to test the A1, and in my opinion the S5II is much better dollar for dollar, however it lacks the same amazing video specs the A1 has of 4K 120p and it lacks the high resolution. In my opinion compared the the A7IV, the S5II is just as good a camera but at a fraction of the price, but that’s comparing specs and what I’ve researched and not real-life use-case.

[@AlexMcDougallPhotography]

Hi does the sigma lens have a Panasonic fit in particular or are they made to fit any mirrorless camera?

[@JeremyNeipp]

Panasonic Full Frame and Sigma are in an L Mount Alliance, so they run off the same L Mount!

[@AlexMcDougallPhotography]

@@JeremyNeipp Thank you for clearing that up.

[@epsonc882009]

first time to see Panasonic camera for wildlife photography , for birds or bigger animal that not moving fast i guess.

[@marcel9568]

Which camera do you use to film yourself @0:40? It is very sharp and stable.

[@JeremyNeipp]

Panasonic G9 and Sigma 18-35 1.8 Art adapted on a .63 Metabones speed booster

[@marcel9568]

@@JeremyNeipp Thank you for the quick reply! I forgot to mention how great this review is!

[@007silverwings]

Thanks for your review and thoughts about the S5ii. Am I correct in thinking the auto focus in photography still uses the DFD AF? I know in video it uses the contrast based. As a stills photographer, I don't know if the S5ii is any better than the S5?

[@JeremyNeipp]

Glad you found it valuable! From what I’m aware that isn’t true, I am under the understanding that both photo and video are the new phase-detect AF. From my experience as a wildlife photographer, the difference in capability is incredibly noticeable from the S5 to S5II, but in terms of human portraits and stuff it feels more like 50% better and not as big of a jump to me. But I didn’t use the S5 a ton for photo work since I have better cameras so I didn’t extensively test that

[@IamCutePanda]

Is LUMIX S1R better? why yes ) why not ?

[@aaronmichaelhayworth4697]

Sigma is technically native on L mount because of the alliance. No barriers put up on AF tech.

[@al404]

Hi, why are you using a not native Sigma 150-600 Sport isn't the same of native L mount? On previous S5 adaptive lens could not use AF-C only AF-S did they fix this thing? Thanks

[@JeremyNeipp]

I am using the 150-600mm Sport which is the L-Mount. I’ve always understood native to mean on or off brand of the same company, so I just meant that I’m not using a Panasonic LUMIX built lens. Maybe this terminology is incorrect?

[@al404]

@@JeremyNeipp I personally consider native lens all the lens produced for L mount and adapted lens lens from other manufacture adapted with an adapter ( like a Canon EF lens on Panasonic body ) I also differ from first party lens and third party lens. Maybe I’m wrong.

[@JeremyNeipp]

@@al404 it’s a confusing world of terminology 😂 I might be wrong! At least by your understanding I should have said “third party lens” then

[@mrklugiii]

Hey, did you try the new update for the Lumix S5ii?

[@JeremyNeipp]

Currently testing it out! Will be in my next POV video coming out two Saturday’s from now

[@mrklugiii]

​@@JeremyNeipp I am looking forward to this. Thank you for your answer and your videos! ❤

[@urbansoban2669]

25,600 ISO is crazy indeed.

[@poulabhiz5121]

hii.. im lumix s 5 user ..im sing 20-60 kit lens and 35mm 1.8 prime lens L mount.. yes lumix s5 afs system is slow compare to other sony or cannon cameras..but i love this camera for 10 bit 4.2.2 footage.. now i need a wildlife lens for bird shooting.. sigma 150-600 cannon ef lens is worked in lumix s5 ? please reply

[@JeremyNeipp]

The Sigma 150-600mm is the Sport L Mount version I'm using in this video, the link is in my affiliate link section :)

[@poulabhiz5121]

@@JeremyNeipp thinks for my reply ,but this L mount lens cnt ship in my country or my state ..im from north east india, near my town or state only available sigma 150 to 600 ef mount contampry lens.. can i purchase this lens with any adapter ? is it work please reply

[@JeremyNeipp]

@@poulabhiz5121 check this video out here kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooe9nJqLgduagpo

[@sansin6250]

DXO Photolab 6 magically cleans up high ISO pictures from S5/S5II. The results are outstanding.

[@bassangler73]

How would you rate the AF to the D500?

[@JeremyNeipp]

Unfortunately I haven’t gotten to use the D500 since before I was a wildlife photographer so I can’t give you a fair judgement on that 🤔

[@bassangler73]

@Jeremy Neipp no worries! At least you gave an honest answer which is rare these days...lol

[@JeremyNeipp]

True true 😂

[@thegixlad27]

Did a shot on your video just say 960m? Uh, i thought full frame lens go to 600m max aha

[@JeremyNeipp]

It’s in APS-C crop when shooting 4K 60p video which is the example I was giving in the moment

[@thegixlad27]

​@@JeremyNeipp Ah okay, sorry I didn't want to sound silly. I don't know if I should get this, or the Nikon Z8